Alright, the first step is to focus on the small. Some people are great at one thing while others are good at a lot of things. If you have Rand-like abilities at self-promotion getting backlinks, then you want to focus on that. If you’re one of those people who are good at a lot of things but not really great at anything (me), then you can still succeed by “going local.” Since that’s me, I’ll be using that as my example from here on out – but this outline should work for whatever path you choose.
The first thing you’ll want to do is create your website and do a little SEO to connect your site with the thing that you do the best or the market you’re going for. Say, like me again, you own a web design company. Most of the big companies that know what they’re doing are busy competing for “web design,” so if you just add your city name to the mix then you’ll narrow it down a whole bunch. Make your title tags, heading tags, and most of your anchor text that you can control to include your city name, and unless you live in NY, LA, or Chicago this will probably be enough. If you’re unfortunate enough to live in one of these big cities, then you should probably continue working at your day job or move.
Now, while you’re working your 9-5, you should start receiving some calls for jobs. Take on EVERY job that comes your way at first. There’s no way in hell I’d do that now, but starting out I did and it sucked, but it’s just something you have to do. It’s not easy to get work without a portfolio, so you should come down on your prices or even give it away for free if it’s a reputable company or organization in your area. I did (and still do) the local pee-wee football organization’s website at no charge. The amount of traffic that you get from the hundreds of parents that are looking at pictures each day isn’t bad. Some of these parents own businesses or just have a lot of money to throw around, so your payment comes back to you in the long run.
Now that you have these customers on board, you’re gonna have to figure out a way to keep them. If I did just web design, my kids would be starving. Think of something that all of your customers need; for me, it was web hosting/domain registration and, to a lesser extent, web marketing. Once you have a website built for your customer, you can receive monthly or annual income for the rest of your life just by being their hosting provider. I charge the average amount for hosting (maybe a little high) per month for hosting w/cPanel. It doesn’t seem like a lot of money at first, but after a while it starts to add up.
As you do more websites, you’ll start receiving some business of word-of-mouth referrals too. Be sure to get back with these people ASAP. Word-of-mouth is still the best advertising you will ever get (other than being slashdotted). There’s still something that appeals to business owners being able to meet their web designer in person and getting to know them. Maybe Cincinnati’s a little old-fashioned that way, but I can’t imagine it being much different in other cities. (Please refrain from your Kentucky jokes in the comments.)
Now is the hardest part. When you have enough money coming in from your monthly income, you can take that big step and quit working. For me, I got a little lucky. I actually had a company seek me out to do SEO work for them while doing SEO for another company. They offered me more money and I couldn’t pass it up, so I went to my current employer and told them. They kept me on the payroll to do SEO work for them at night from home, and I got to go work for the other company. Now I was a few dollars over where I needed to be and it was hard to go to work every day knowing that I could be making it on my own. After just a few months, I told my new employer that I was going to start working from home, and to my surprise they gave me the same deal that my previous employer did. But, eventually I got home and started living my dream. (WARNING: If you’re single or your spouse doesn’t work, be sure to factor in the cost of insurance and stuff like that before jumping ship.)
First thing to do when you get out on your own is find an accountant. They can file all of your paperwork for you and instruct you on setting up your business bank account. They may seem a little expensive, but at tax time they’ll save you more than you paid them.
If you want this to work you’ve gotta have self-discipline! Judge Judy is on during the day and I know it’s hard not to watch, but you just have to go without. My secret is the NIN collection on iTunes and Sirius Satellite Radio (no Scott Fish, I won’t link that to your site). Never work in silence or you’ll drive yourself crazy.
Your mind should never wander from new business. No matter how busy you get, and it’s overwhelming at times, you gotta keep pursuing more work (there are always subcontractors or broke brother-in-laws when you get too busy). You can send emails to people on Craigslist looking for jobs, or you can sign up to some of your local “business meeting groups” and network through them. Your local Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau may also bring you some leads.
Today makes two milestones for me: the first time I’ve typed over 2 paragraphs without a backlink (damn nofollows), and it is my first anniversary of being on my own. It’s the most money I’ve ever made, but also the most hours I’ve ever worked (people who have me on their instant messengers know that I’m ALWAYS online). Make sure you really love what you’re doing so you don’t just create yourself another “job.” There are times when I wish I could just go to work and leave at 5:00 with no worries, but then I remind myself of how bad work really was and what my earning potential is now that I’m the one in charge, and it puts me right back on track.
