This year, something extraordinary and quite unexpected happened to me, something that all conventional wisdom said was impossible: My 2009 earnings will equal 2008.
The recession came with all sorts of dire predictions about failure, how businesses like mine wouldn’t be able to survive this downturn. I’ll admit that even I had my doubts. Four clients had zero available budget this year, and together they accounted for nearly 30% of my 2008 revenue. Last year I fired a difficult client, one that brought in roughly 17% of my 2008 income. And two others cut budgets to less than one third of what was available in 2008. Yet I managed to find five new, interesting clients who more than picked up the slack for 2009.
Clients are already talking to me about 2010, giving me rough ideas for what they hope to do in Q1 or Q2. I never count on any projects before the purchase order is in hand, but as the budget reins loosen and the calls start coming in, it looks like 2010 is going to be a busy year.
This means that I have to give serious thought to managing growth. I won’t be able to say yes to everyone, so how do I handle it? Do I just say no? Do I find colleagues to outsource the work to? I hate the thought of either option, not because I’m a control freak, but because I really like my clients. I work with some fantastic people, a group that I have carefully cultivated. How do I pick one over another when each offers projects that are unique and energizing? It’s a delicate balancing act, and it’s caught me by surprise.
I still marvel at my good fortune, and I thank all of my clients for showing their faith in me during the last 11 months. Now I just have to figure out how to best use my time in 2010.