Reflections on freelancing

It's been about 10 months since I switched from freelancing to working back under a real organisation. I was freelancing for maybe a year and a half. Back in 2012 I had this to say:

I quit full-time employment and set up Lewis Nyman Design ltd. It took a leap of faith but I haven't looked back. The freedom suits me and I've been able to learn a lot more working together with so many smart people.

I was happy with the freedom and control I had after feeling stifled in full-time employment.

But I also found contracting a little lonely. I'd parachute into companies with close knit teams and ways of working. Everyone there knows you're a temporary resource, even though the best companies I worked with made me feel part of the team.

You're hired to do a job, get on with it, and move on. I struggled with the instinct to be bold and improve things I found that could be better. Sometimes changes are just not wanted, especially from the contractor who might not even be here tomorrow.

I've put faith in high standards and enthusiasm that have got me this far in my career, so keeping my head down feels very unnatural.

Even though I enjoyed the financial freedom, I had a desire to find a team of people that I could trust and who trusted me. People with complementary skills sets to mine, that can fill in the areas I am weak, and respectfully challenge me.

So when I met with Steve P for a chat, I really wasn't sure what I wanted. To be honest I knew very little about WunderKraut before then. As it happened, everything he was aiming for aligned with mine.

It took a leap of faith to jump into my own business, and it was a leap of faith to jump back out. I don't regret either decision. Objectives change over time with experiences and perspective.