4 business-owner reflections from 2024

This month marks my four-year “official” business anniversary i.e. I registered here in the Netherlands to be a ZZPer (freelancer) and properly got down to business. 

As other business owners will know, it’s a rollercoaster and there’s always a lesson to be learned. Sometimes I’ll relish in the freedom I have, and other times I’ll be on LinkedIn looking for FT employment. 

So, this month’s article isn’t about b2b marketing but some reflections and lessons from this last year - some of which are likely to be relevant to many other people too, whether you’re working for yourself or you’re FT employed. Enjoy, and let me know if they resonate… 

Enjoy the slower periods

After these four years and what seems to be an annual slow period in Sept/Oct I’ve finally learned to accept and enjoy it. 

In the past, I was stressed, where was my next client coming from? Was this the end of my business? How many cold outreach emails should I send? But in the end, something always came through and I was busy again by the end of November. 

Since leaving my biggest client in September this year I’ve managed to enjoy two holidays to Italy and a trip to Web Summit in Lisbon. I’ve worked on my marketing plan, researched and written articles and enjoyed slower mornings whilst I adjusted to the encroaching darkness. And as I write this — as predicted — things picked up again and I’ve had a busy few weeks with new client projects.

The lesson? Trust the process. Stay motivated and committed to promoting yourself and otherwise just enjoy the downtime. This same thought process can be applied to busy periods at jobs too — once you’re busy again you’ll wish you had!! 

Taking responsibility as a business owner

One of the biggest wake-up calls I had this year was from my business coach Connie Hollyer. After discussing the fact I had not really done any of my own marketing for myself (ironic eh?), relying solely on recommendations and applications, she gave me a kick up the arse. 

“You’ve got to take responsibility for your business” she said “If you want to work with certain types of clients or on specific kinds of work, you’ve gotta market for that”. Whilst I’m so grateful for the fact that I haven’t HAD to do this, this year I’m ready and excited. 

If you’re reading this you’ll know it’s in my business newsletter and you probably found me on one of my many LinkedIn posts. I’ve even got a new offer tailored to tech founders who want to build their personal brands.

Sarah Warsaw 2.0 is here. 

It takes two to tango get things done 

Earlier in the year I had two clients, who due to their busy schedules didn’t have a chance to review or input on the tasks I was due to deliver. From some hard, but honest conversations, I learned I have to charge these clients anyway. 

In the past, if a client held up a project, I wouldn’t have charged them. But thanks to these honest chats with peers and clients I concluded that this approach isn’t fair to my finances, my time or my mental health. 

Receiving a project and getting that booked in means you cannot take on other work. If I’m not able to complete it, because of the client, then it’s only fair for me to receive the payment anyway. Big businesses do the same so why shouldn’t the little ones? 

I’m grateful to those clients who openly discussed this with me and agreed it was fair for me to charge regardless of their hold-ups. A huge lesson and a very valuable one for anyone out there working for themselves. 

Trusting my gut 

Sometimes you just KNOW that a potential client is going to be a nightmare. Perhaps they have poor communication or unrealistic expectations.  One thing I have learned is that trusting this gut feeling is a must. 

Any doubts you may have, mostly like will come to fruition. And no matter how positively you spin it (cash, opportunity, brand name) you’ll still be stuck with a client that doesn’t suit you. 

I have turned down opportunities over the years based on this feeling, knowing that their business or values. So, my advice? Trust your gut and if you can, avoid those clients that don’t fit your values or working style. 

There’s been many more lessons over the years, but that’s a wrap for 2024. Here’s to many more successful client relationships and, more business-owner lessons.