G Sharp Turns 2!
Beware: G Sharp Design is entering the Terrible Twos! September 30, 2019 was my first official day on the job. I didn’t have an anchor client or a book of business at all, really. Just a supportive network of family and friends and a few loyal freelance partners who were sending me just enough work to constitute a side hustle. Together this yielded the encouragement I needed to launch my own practice.
Two years later, I’m humbled to have worked with 80+ clients around the world on more than 50 book projects, a dozen logo/branding projects, and countless other design jobs.
I’m still climbing. There are plenty of anxious days, but those are usually balanced by days of fulfillment and excitement. I suppose that’s just part of freelancing, though. There’s always something to figure out, and new challenges that present themselves as your business grows.
For example, it strikes me that each of my first two years was defined by a major circumstance:
In 2020, a global pandemic erupted.
In 2021, my daughter was born.
As you might guess, both of these events had a profound impact on my business. Maybe not in the ways you’d expect.
The Pandemic
Departing the stable confines of a full time role to start a business from scratch is not a decision to be made lightly. However, in all the scenarios that played out in my mind prior to taking the plunge, none of them involved a global pandemic.
Know this: I am naturally risk averse to the point that it’s a personal weakness. Developing a sense for taking the right risks has been an area of personal focus during my adulthood. The decision to launch G Sharp represented a major breakthrough in this department.
But despite my progress, the words “global pandemic” would have had me tabling launch plans. Clearly this isn’t the time to leave a tenured, salaried leadership role to build my own thing from scratch.
Timing is everything, for better or for worse. Six months after I started G Sharp the pandemic reached the US and changed how we all lived and thought and interacted. National morale was low. From an economic perspective, concern and trepidation were plentiful. I wondered if G Sharp would be over before it truly got started.
But as the spring wore on, I started getting calls from people who were saying, “Now is the time.” Whether it was a matter of schedules opening up or opportunities being recognized, people were eager to finish a book or launch a business or do whatever they’d been putting off because they’d been embroiled in an uninterrupted routine.
We all would have preferred an alternate timeline where there was no pandemic. But given the circumstances, I’m inspired that a latent result of such an unlikely calamity came in the form of innovation and enterprise, and am fortunate G Sharp was able to support this phenomenon. In the face of something catastrophic, ingenuity sprung forth and that’s something that gives me hope going forward.
Dad Mode
May 18, 2020 was my 35th birthday. I woke up after sleeping as late as I wanted to (which is a thing you get to do if you don’t have kids.) I got downstairs and my wife looked about as happy as I’d ever seen her. While I’m sure she was excited for my birthday, I could tell there was something else. That’s when Sarah told me we were going to be parents.
Three seasons later, on January 23, 2021 at 3:31 PM, that statement became official when we met our Hazel.
One of the nice things about working for yourself: you get to determine the duration of your paternity leave. And since I was beholden to no corporate policy, I was going to take the time I needed. I resolved to close G Sharp for a full month following the birth of my daughter.
Of course, that’s when business started to pick up. By late 2020 my pipeline was jam packed, and new leads were steady. I began to worry that a dark month would smother my momentum. But ultimately, focusing on the care of my newborn while my wife and I adapted to the intense lifestyle shift of first-time parents seemed like a no-brainer. We knew we wouldn’t get this time back, and embracing it would outweigh any sacrificed income.
And that’s saying something, because my cash revenue in February 2020 was a whopping $250 (a check arrived on February 1!) But all the while, I felt the support of my clients and partners. Baby gifts arrived from all over the world, and plenty of work was waiting for me when I got back in March.
Hazel’s now eight months old. Balancing the demands of a growing baby and a growing business is tricky. But the month off taught me a few lessons:
Put your daughter before your business, every time.
Give yourself the time you need.
The first is a given, but the second’s been a struggle since going out on my own. If you’re a solo act like I am, any time away — be it vacation, sick time, or paternity — means no one’s at the wheel. There’s a certain pressure that comes with pushing back. But February 2020 taught me that if you take care of the people in your life, they’ll take care of you when the time comes. It’s a lesson that applies to running a business, and extends well beyond.
“If you take care of the people in your life, they’ll take care of you when the time comes.”
The Common Denominator
What do the above anecdotes have in common? My terrific clients and partners, of course. That’s right, this whole post has been an exercise in client worship. Sue me!
It’s true though. The most humbling thing about this journey is the notion that there are people out there who are willing to buy into what I’m doing. My informal mission statement in founding this company was to do great work for great people, because I think those factors will result in a rewarding experience for all involved. Driving both of those factors is my responsibility. Obviously it’s my imperative to maintain a standard of quality in my work, but I’m also on the hook for shaping my network of clients, partners, and vendors.
My clients stayed motivated through an unprecedented global disaster, and kept me motivated during a very demanding lifestyle shift. To that end, I’ll admit to taking a bit of pride in the people I’ve been fortunate enough to work for and with since I started two years ago.
Every business owner’s got an immense challenge at their feet: building a client base and a reputation that will sustain them. It’s a constant effort, but there are moments when you feel confident in your trajectory. And the way my network responded to these circumstances is evidence that there’s an excellent foundation of individuals taking this journey with me.
“The way my network responded to these circumstances is evidence that there’s an excellent foundation of individuals taking this journey with me.”
I’ll close by saying thank you to all those who’ve supported G Sharp Design these first two years. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to give this a shot in the first place. And thanks to my sweet daughter for bringing such joy into my life on a daily basis.
Here’s to a big year three!
— George
Hazel and Dad, September 2021