Marketing Your Valuable Skills

I had always dreamed of working for myself--making my own rules and doing things on my terms sounding so appealing. Everyone has that moment at some point in their career, but how many take the plunge? It's not always easy and certainly not even feasible in some situations, but for some it's a risk that they're willing to take. Sometimes it takes a push--for me I knew that I wanted to be home with my daughter, but still bringing in an income. I knew that freelance writing and marketing consulting was my thing, I had made other people rich using my skills and background. Now it was my turn! I'm newer to this than others, but I can tell you how I'm doing it and how others that I consider to be successful are making it work.

First and foremost, you have to be a disciplined and motivated person. I had long held positions in Corporate America that allowed me to work from home, and I found that I got way more work done that way than being in the office which was full of distractions. I am somebody that will focus and get a task done, able to motivate myself and keep on track until my job is complete. Not everybody is that way, and if you struggle with any of those things then working on a freelance basis or getting your own company going may be tough.

Marketing is key! I went into marketing for two reasons--I loved to write and I love people. I knew that marketing was one of those disciplines that would allow me to combine both, my creativity in what I write along with my love of interacting with people. It did just that, and I built up a heck of a portfolio along the way. I knew that I could turn those inherent personality traits along with my drive to work for myself into a recipe for success. If you want to be successful in a career under your own direction, you have to know how to market yourself. You have to know how to reach out to companies and give them your very own value proposition--why would they benefit from hiring you to handle a service that they may already have or may not realize they need. Without marketing, success will be hard to achieve.

Passion and a tough skin are also ingredients in the recipe for success. You have to love what you do and have that show through to others, that's how you get the work. You also have to be able to take criticism and hear "no" plenty of times before you get to the work you really want. If you are somebody that crumbles under pressure or criticism doesn't sit well with you, then working for yourself may not be a good match. It's hard to get started, it doesn't matter what product you're selling or what service you're marketing--taking the plunge is the toughest and then finding the work on a consistent basis is a close second.

You have to want it--my motivation is that the more work I get and can successfully handle, the longer I see being home with my little girl. Mommy is my first role, but being a successful business woman is something that benefits me and her. I also feel that I will serve as a great role model for my little girl as she grows up and sees that mommy not only took the risk, but is making it all work. You can't get discouraged and you have to know that if you want it bad enough and know how to market yourself, you will be a great success at working on your own.

Good luck!