Curious about self employment as a UXer?
On the latest episode of We Can Do Better, Matthew Oliphant and I share our experiences with research and design freelancing, consulting, and contracting - aka self employment!
Come take a ride on our Influencer Thought Shipâ„¢ where we talk about what draws us to self-employment, the rewards and challenges, how it's different from working in-house, and how to get started if you're considering this option.
Listen in for the 411 on:
How we decide what projects to work on and which clients to work with based on our goals, values, priorities, and preferred work styles.
Why it's easier to be self-employed once you have some experience under your belt and you can take full, end-to-end responsibility for a project without direction from others.
The importance of setting expectations and boundaries up front with clients, saying no to clients, and showing up as an expert and partner rather than as a traditional service provider who gets told what to do.
Effective sales conversations, client vibe checks, and project scoping.
Avoiding burnout, resentment, mistreatment, and poor business decisions based on faulty reasoning.
Why it's better for everyone if we prioritize community over competition with other business owners, within a capitalist system that pits us against one another.
How positioning, reputation, and networking set a foundation that helps you get clients, charge more money, and say no to work that doesn't interest you or align with your values.
Random trivia! Including where Matthew and Amy both had their first jobs (at different times), the nice thing Matthew's first manager said to him, the ridiculous reason Amy's first manager got in her face after some focus groups, and the name of Amy's hypothetical new book!
Find our chat on Matthew's website (transcript and audio recording available!) or on Youtube.