I’m at that age and level of experience where, if I had stayed in corporate, I could very well have ended up as the director of something. As I look at business cards from freelance colleagues, I notice a theme: they all want the big title. People who work as writers or graphic artists or web designers have assigned themselves titles like, “Owner,” or “Principal,” or “President.”
I could certainly have any title that I wanted; it’s as simple as sending a new batch of business cards to the printer. But that’s not who I am. I write. I edit. I don’t care that I’m the owner of this business. I still do the work, and I want people to know that the finished product that they receive from me came from the most valuable asset that this business can offer: my brain.
Besides, I don’t need the fancy title. I have everything I ever wanted: a short commute, flexible hours, the chance to pick and choose my own projects, and an office with a door and a window.