Hey beauties! How are you? I feel like it’s been awhile since we’ve really gotten to catch up. I know I sound like a broken record, but moving back to California really was more of a time and energy suck than I expected, so I haven’t been able to pour as much love into The Nectar Collective over the past week. Luckily, I feel like I’m getting my steam back and I actually feel excited to work and write again. I also realized that it’s been over a month since I quit my day job and made the switch into full-time entrepreneurship. I thought it would be fun, and maybe even a little helpful, if I shared what I’ve learned after 30 days of being my own boss. Can anyone else relate to these lessons?

1. In the beginning, you will probably be working non-friggin-stop. Nights and weekends are no longer sacred. But guess what? If you love what you’re doing, it will hardly feel like work. (Luckily, I do!).
2. Few people will really understand what the hell it is you do. Many of those people might assume this is just a transitionary period. When you tell them you’re a graphic designer, they’ll ask if you work for a company and seem adorably perplexed when you say, “no.” Others will be surprised when you tell them you work 8+ hours a day, as if self-employment really means you sit at home watching re-runs of LOST (okay, maybe sometimes). People fear what they can’t comprehend — don’t feel too bad about their doubts, they’re probably trying to protect you. (Hint: Prove them wrong).
3. The people who DO get it will get it HARD. These people are usually entrepreneurs themselves. Oh, and they are also usually strangers on the internet. You will love and cherish them anyways.
4. At first, you’ll think that you should keep your rates low in order to get more clients (or risk having zero clients and having to live on welfare to feed your dog). This makes sense, but is probably not doing you any favors. Eventually, you’ll raise your rates and be surprised when people do keep hiring you. You’ll feel the most joy when, 30 days later, you’ll realize you’re making more money working for yourself than you ever made at any of your previous jobs.
5. One of the best parts about being a creative entrepreneur is that you will get SO many ideas. It makes sense, since you devote all of your time to being creative, but it will still surprise and overwhelm you. You’ll want to do ALL the ideas. Like, right now. Part of you will never be satisfied since you’ll never find time to do them all at once. You will both love and hate this.
6. You will contemplate adding “Professional Emailer” to your business cards, because that will become a quarter of your job. Inbox zero will become some sort of vintage concept to you — a thing of the past.
7. Raising your rates will make you feel like total scum for at least a week. Every time you share your new rates with potential clients, you will want to hide under a very large rock. It will baffle you less and less when no one makes a peep about you being “too expensive,” and in fact, nearly everyone continues to pay you because to them, it’s worth it.
8. If you have a dog, your dog will think that all this new time you’re spending at home means that you have decided to devote your life to playing with him. He will whine incessantly, assuming that if he can see you, you’re not busy (some people will also use the same logic). You will resort to working in Starbucks for days at a time to escape his whiny pleas.
9. Even if you never really cared about money before, it will start to excite you. Not so much because you have started caring about having a lot of money, but because watching your savings grow is one of the best reminders that your hustle is paying off.
10. There will be some days where you just have zero motivation to do anything. You will want to sleep, play with that whiny dog of yours, and watch Love Actually 19 times. But work? Nah, you can’t. You just can’t. You’ll probably feel pretty bad about this at first. Does this mean I’m not cut out for entrepreneurship? Eventually you’ll welcome the times when your brain just needs a break — you can’t force work when you’re exhausted.

Can you relate? What would people learn from YOUR job?