I never remembered all the things I did when I worked in academia! Working for myself now, I probably still should be doing this, but I wonder if you have any advice for those who freelance or own their own small business on what to keep track of?
Oh, that's a great question. Thanks for asking. My initial thought is that it wouldn't be too dissimilar to the kinds of things you'd track if you were an employee at another company. It's all about quantifying your impact so you can prove your value. What exactly that looks like would depend on the nature of your role and your business, but any specific data points that you could use to potentially attract new clients or new customers would be at the top of the list.
Beyond that, there could also be value in tracking the things that you do on a regular basis to make sure that you're charging your clients the proper rates. For example, if a current project ended up requiring a ton of work that you didn't think of at the outset, it could be a sign that you need to charge more the next time you do a similar project.
That's awesome. I appreciate the kind words. Yeah, I definitely felt silly after realizing that I hadn't been taking my own advice, and the recurring meeting just seemed to be a really simple solution.
I never remembered all the things I did when I worked in academia! Working for myself now, I probably still should be doing this, but I wonder if you have any advice for those who freelance or own their own small business on what to keep track of?
Oh, that's a great question. Thanks for asking. My initial thought is that it wouldn't be too dissimilar to the kinds of things you'd track if you were an employee at another company. It's all about quantifying your impact so you can prove your value. What exactly that looks like would depend on the nature of your role and your business, but any specific data points that you could use to potentially attract new clients or new customers would be at the top of the list.
Beyond that, there could also be value in tracking the things that you do on a regular basis to make sure that you're charging your clients the proper rates. For example, if a current project ended up requiring a ton of work that you didn't think of at the outset, it could be a sign that you need to charge more the next time you do a similar project.
I'll give this more thought, too.
You've definitely got me thinking as well!
That's awesome. I appreciate the kind words. Yeah, I definitely felt silly after realizing that I hadn't been taking my own advice, and the recurring meeting just seemed to be a really simple solution.