Free Soloing 
Every time the year comes to a close, I like to review my business practices and see if the things I’m doing still make sense or if I should make changes. For example, I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten to the end of a year and looked at my QuickBooks reports and wondered “What? I’m still paying $49/month for that? I thought … Read more
An open letter to tech workers facing layoffs, from someone who was laid off from a tech company over a dozen years ago I’m a small business owner who runs a small web design and marketing company that I started over fourteen years ago after getting laid off. Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that: I was a marketing director at a construction company … Read more
Seven Steps To Starting A Business ASAP Pick A Company Name File The Legal Paperwork To Create A Company Get a Federal Tax ID From the IRS (EIN) Open A Business Bank Account Pick A Website Domain Name Create A Working Business Model Answer “The Money Question” A few weeks ago, one of my brothers decided to quit his job and start his own business. … Read more
One of the biggest mistakes I see freelancers make is not tracking their time. I don’t mean if they’re working hourly: most freelancers are exceptionally good and ethical about tracking their time when they work on a project they bill by the hour. No, I’m talking about all the other work you do that isn’t necessarily billed hourly to the client but should be “billed … Read more
To me, one of the most annoying things about working alone, working remotely, and being a “digital nomad” is how people idolize it like it’s the most wonderful lifestyle business. It’s not. Please, stop pretending it is. Seriously, there are scads of videos on YouTube trying to lure poor saps into the big lie of “grab a laptop, book a one-way ticket to a tropical … Read more
It’s simpler than it sounds, and you can do it too, all while working from the comfort of your own home. No tricks and no scams! I’ve been working in internet marketing for a decade and a half. During that time, I think I’ve heard it all when it comes to people asking the question: “How can I make money online?” So many times, across … Read more
6 Tips For Overcoming Depression When I Feel Like Nobody Cares or Understands. (If you’d prefer, watch a video version of this article.) One of the most difficult parts of working alone as a solopreneur is dealing with the daily struggle of depression. I sometimes call depression “a monster” because, like a monster, it’s scary, it’s dangerous, it’s really good at lurking in the shadows, … Read more
Hi! Welcome to Free Soloing: a place for freelancers, solopreneurs, independent contractors, and anybody else who’s self-employed or works alone. I’m Ron Stauffer, and I’ve been self-employed off and on for the past decade and a half. In that time, I’ve worked as a consultant or a freelancer. I get paid for the work that I do for my clients. That can be rewarding sometimes, … Read more
Being a solopreneur is hard. Really, really hard. I’ve known this since I started my first company in 2008, almost 15 years ago. But it didn’t fully register for me until 2018 when I got an email from one of my friends who was a coworker from many years before. He mentioned one our mutual friends, Dan Stover. Dan was a nice guy my age, … Read more