Monday, January 22, 2007

Gainfully Employed and Ready to Write!

As I've already reported, I've decided after much prayer to become a freelance writer. I'll be starting by working with freelance communication company which has a service writing project with my former employer. The project will go for at least 4 months and will give me a great introduction to the freelance world. I chose freelancing over a possible office manager job at a local collections agency. It was actually not an easy choice to make since, while the office job didn't offer the best pay, it offered security, challenge and the promise of greater pay as I helped the owner make her business grow. Not only that, but working at the agency would allow me to learn from a highly motivated woman entrepreneur, who I came to respect very quickly. In the end, though, I chose to go with starting a freelance business and notified my employment agency that I wouldn't be taking the office manager job.

Now, the writing project won't start until mid-February to mid-March and I won't see my first paycheck until 4-6 weeks after we start writing. Because I've been unemployed since Thanksgiving, champs and I decided that I had to find a part time job to start now and through the beginning of starting my business. Thus, I've been searching for a part-time job with some pretty strict criteria. Since I won't need any child care for Sweet Girl once I am freelancing, I didn't want to find a job that would require me to put her into daycare for 4 weeks; that would only reduce my earnings and cause a lot of headaches. Thus, I needed a job in the mornings where I would be done by 2:00 at the very latest. I also needed a job that would let me work more hours now, but reduce my hours once the project starts. Finally, I wanted a job that would pay better than minimum wage (which, unfortunately, is what most jobs that met the first two criteria would offer). Lastly, I was hoping for a job that might have a bit of a fun factor. Although I am more than willing to stand at factory line and watch bottles fill (or whatever it takes to bring a check home), I was hoping to find something with at least some brain work.

Well, I started looking at options... Walmart cashier? Housekeeping at the hospital? Breakfast crew at McDonald's? I ended up applying at Panera Bread, which is near my house and would allow me to work early hours and be in a more active working environment (not to mention a yummy discount). On a lark, I also let my employment agency know that, while I couldn't take the office manager job, I would still love to work for the collection agency as a part-timer working on special projects that the owner and I had discussed. After a week, I had no response on that offer. On Thursday, Panera called me to ask if I could come in for an interview.

To today: I had an interview at Panera this morning. The manager wasn't in, so I interviewed with the trainer. He liked me a lot and told me that I "95% had the job". He just needed to confirm with his manager and then I could attend orientation tomorrow. I was pretty pumped up and headed home with a few bagels for Champs and I to eat for lunch.

We'd no sooner sat down to our bagels when the phone rang. It was the owner of the collection agency calling. She said that the employment agency had mentioned that I "might be interested" in working part-time and wondered if I still was and when I could start. I pretty much assured her that I was more than interested and could start tomorrow. She warned me that I'll have to start with "grunt work" to begin with, since she is still working on hiring an office manager and is currently down two admin assistants. I assured her grunt work was fine and I would have the hope of learning the business and then moving into project management for her - an option she wholly endorsed.

Here's the offer she outlined: I would be able to start with more hours now and then reduce them later as needed. Also, since she already knew that I chose the freelance career partly to be home more with Sweet Girl, she said that she would arrange my schedule around Sweet Girl's school schedule - and we could deal with summer when we got there. After that, she paid me one of the greatest compliments I've ever received. She explained that, before I decided to work on freelancing, she had her heart set on me as her office manager, since she could tell I had great skills and energy. It was because of this that she wanted me part time and that she was comparing her office manager candidates to me. How nice - and humbling(!) is that?!?!

Well, of course I said "yes!" and "thank you!" I'll be starting at 8:00 tomorrow. I won't be earning as much as I would have as the Office Manager, but my boss said that after 90 days, she will give me a raise and begin moving me to a project manager. She is totally on my side in starting my freelance business, but understands that I need security to fully make the switch.

Can you even believe this? I mean, this is the "more than you can ask, think or imagine" that you hear about when the Bible talks about God's ability to answer prayer. She called me, pinpointed my exact needs, promised to let me work with my talents and offered continued security as I start my freelancing company. Not only that but if, for some reason the freelancing thing doesn't work as well as I hoped, I still have this company to move to full time - with all the things that made it an appealing option when I was trying to choose between the two. And, oh yeah, she also wants to be one of my freelance customers...

How good is that?!?!?!

Woo hoo! Come March, I'll be paying the rent, not my IRA. Thank you Lord!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Grandma Bobbi, the Bypass and the Roadtrip

Carmi just dropped by to ask how my mom is doing. I got the biggest smile to think that someone outside of the family is thinking of her. Thanks, Carmi! I am happy to answer that question and to share some encouraging and hopeful news.

My mom's surgery went well. Without going into a too medically detailed explanation, she had an artificial graft inserted into the left side of her neck to connect her carotid artery to her brachial artery, thus bypassing a large clot at the head of the brachial artery and restoring blood flow to her right arm and the back side of her brain. This has helped to stop both the pain her her arm and the dizzy spells she was enduring. She met with her surgoen last week. He is very pleased with the outcome of her operation and has given her the approval to travel. Woo HOO!

First stop on her interary? Well Blond Girl and company, of course! As of today, her plan is to leave on Thursday and stay with us for at least a month - and hopefully until after Easter. After that, she'll travel on to Texas to see friends and then to my sister's home in Phoenix to see my niece graduate from high school. Then she'll reverse her direction and head back to us. When she goes home in the spring, she'll have another bypass operation - this time in her leg. The surgoen wants to wait so that she can have the surgery when the weather is warm and she can get outside to walk slowly. When she goes home, she'll leave her small dog, Lucy, with us and then we'll take Lucy back to her when we go home to Minnesota to visit.

I expect that during the 30-45 days that she is here with us I will have my hernia repair operation. In 2003 - 2005, when I had my gastric bypass and resulting 3 surgeries to repair problems from the surgery, she lived with us and was a huge part of my recovery. I have to admit that having her here will be a great comfort to me and to Sweet Girl.

Oh, Sweet Girl! Just today we were driving around talking about something in Minnesota. I can't even remember what, but it triggered in Sweet Girl a great wave of homesickness for her Nana. I comforted her as best I could through her tears. I didn't tell her that Grandma is coming next week, because I don't want to say anything until she's on the road, but it made me so happy that she will be here. I miss her, Sweet Girl misses her and, yes, even Champs misses his mother-in-law.

So to answer your question, Carmi, she is well and heading this way! Yeeeeehaw!



Here are some comments from this post:

Sarch said...
Blond Girl I meandered in via Micheles and am glad I did.
What great news that is about your mother. You and Sweet Girl are very blessed to have her in your life. I am glad to hear you are aware of just how special she is. Being around you and the love you obviously have for her will help her in her recovery process much like she helped you in the past.
Good for her and good for you and Sweet Girl!

indigo said...
I'm glad to hear that your mom has recovered from her op, and that she's travelling to you soon.

srp said...
Here from Michele.
So glad to hear that your mom is doing well after surgery. And well enough to travel your direction. That little girl will have so much fun with her grandma.
Take care and good luck in your new venture.

PI said...
My goodness what a lot you and your Mum have been going through. All my best wishes and prayers for you both to make full recoveries and that the rest of the year will be a happy one.
I got entwined with you and Dave on Michelle's site:)

kenju said...
Not only will Sweet Girl enjoy your mom - I think it will help your overall state of mind to have her there too! Such good news, BG, and I happy for you!
I hope the snow doesn't impede your mom's progress!

margalit said...
What good news and such a fast recovery. Heart surgery has changed so much that it's just not the huge deal it once was. And that's from someone with in ICD implanted in their heart!

utenzi said...
I work in a cardiology department so I hear about operations like that frequently since they do other types of vascular surgery as well. Even when the surgeon considers it a routine surgery it's anything but routine to the patient and their family. I'm glad your mom pulled through her surgery with flying colors, BG, and I hope that she does just as well when she has her leg surgery too. Good luck with your hernia repair operation too, BG.

Carmi said...
Thanks for sharing the good news, BG. I'm so glad she's come through with flying colors. Kudos to her for heading out on the road and living life as it's meant to be lived. Sounds like you inherited her spunk.
Dave put it best, and he echoed my thoughts when our daughter had surgery at the age of 2: to the surgeons, it's routine. But when it's your [child, mother, close relation...] it's anything but routine.
I'm so glad your daughter will be able to spend so much time with her Nana. I'm so glad she'll be there for you, too. That's why we cherish family so much.

Toni said...
Hi Blond Girl! Hello from Michele, and she sent me!
This is great news that your mom is doing well. I may not know you, nor your mother, but I have a mom whom I love deeply. I hope her good health carries on!

Shannin said...
Glad your mom is recovering nicely and that she will be with you for the next several weeks...

Friday, January 19, 2007

Thirteen Shows Blond Girl loves and hates on cable TV!

I can't remember the last time I really watched network TV... seems I'm always on the cable channels. So here's some thumbs up and thumbs down in no particular order...

1. LOVE: My absolute favorite: Good Eats!!!! (Food Network) Alton Brown is my crack, as Champs likes to say. Even if it's a food I don't like, I still enjoy the show. Alton put the "kitsch" into kitchen.

2. HATE: Football. (ESPN) But I put up with it because I love my man.

3. LOVE: Designed to Sell (HGTV) I get such a kick out of seeing how much the houses improve and how quickly they get offers after the work is done. Besides, Lisa LaPorta is so stinking short!

4. HATE: Buy Me (HGTV) Way too much drama for me. Just take the offer and sell the house already, you moronic complainers!

5. LOVE: 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray (Food Network) She's perky, she's smart and she welds a mean santuko!

6. HATE: Sponge Bob Squarepants (Nick) I don't know if it's his voice or his attitude, but every time I see that show I just want to run screaming.

7. LOVE: American Chopper (TLC) Yeah, I know it's a surprise that I enjoy a motercycle show, but I really like to see Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. doing their give and take over the latest design.

8. HATE: COPS (Spike TV) My husband loves this show and I just think it is the biggest waste of camera time out there. The idiots they feature on the show actually sign a waiver. That means they know they're idiots and they're willing to show the world. sheesh.

9. LOVE: What Not to Wear (TLC) If my friends ever put me on that show, I would SO lose all my pink tee-shirts. But hey, $5000.00 and the chance to hear Stacy say "shut up!" when she sees me... priceless.

10. HATE: The Barefoot Contessa (Food Network) I suppose I shouldn't dislike this show, but she just bugs the everliving daylights out of me!

11. LOVE: Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe (Discovery Channel) Gotta love a guy who is willing to sing opera while slicing a dead fish in half with a machete. Bring it on!

12. HATE: Man Vs. Wild (Discovery Channel) Put him in a mall on the day after Thanksgiving. If he can survive that, maybe then I'll watch.

13. LOVE: Iron Chef America (Food Network) Champs and I watch this every Sunday night. I dunno if it's Alton as the commentator, or the iron chefs or the secret ingredient, but we just love watching it and trying to guess who will win.



Here are some comments from this post:
Sabi said...
Our Mommakitty (who is blond) LOVES the "Good Eats" show! Do you think Alton Brown has any good cat food recipes?

amy said...
Love this list..I was addicted to Rachel and Paula deen forever but now I just watch it when there are recipes I can actually make

Caylynn said...
Cool list! I watch a lot of shows on Discovery, but none of the ones you mention. My favourite on Discovery is "Mythbusters."
Thanks for stopping by and have a good day!

Chickadee said...
I LOVE Dirty Jobs! Mike is so funny, sometimes obnoxious and it's just as much fun to watch the reactions of the people he is working with.
Thanks for stopping by my 13!

Susan Helene Gottfried said...
Alton Brown ROCKS.
The best was the day after we'd seen the Good Eats about soy sauce and were standing in the grocery, reading the labels on soy sauce, looking for the kind with only soy sauce (as opposed to other additives). Another man who was shopping overheard us and switched brands to the one we picked!

Christine said...
I'm not familiar with some of these shows. I do love What Not To Wear, and live in deathly fear they will show up on my doorstep some day.

Thumper said...
I've never figured out the appeal of "Buy Me." You don't take anything away from it other that the people either sold their house or don't.
But I do love "Designed to Sell." You can actually learn stuff watching that. Plus, I like Clive ;)

Jeannine said...
I don't even have a TV!!
Happy late TT!
Jeannine

princssis said...
Great idea for a TT! I'm glad you're writing about something fun again!
I have to admit, we are similar in yet, another, area!
CJ absolutely loves Mythbusters!

Geekwif said...
I've never seen most of these shows since I don't have cable. I saw one episode of what not to wear at your place a long time ago. I love before and after stuff, so I'm sure if we had cable it would be a favorite.

Thumper said...
OK, I watched another episode of "Buy Me" at 2 a.m. (couldn't sleep, figured that might do me...) All I wanted to do was reach through the TV and slap the boogers out of the lady trying to sell the house.
Maybe that's the appeal. Feeling superior. I watched and was pretty sure a 10 year old would come across better than the whiner showcased on that episode.

utenzi said...
There's a few shows there that I've never watched but I agree with you almost 100% on those that I've seen. The motorcycle show is an exception. Bores me to tears. And while I adore Rachel Ray's cute little face she's getting a mite overexposed. She's almost to the point where I run away whenever I see her on the tube.
I used to like Barefoot Contessa but that was years ago. Now she just strikes me as kinda creepy in a weird way.

Carmi said...
Cool how your list would almost match mine. I don't watch a lot of television - no time these days - but I still like to keep up on what I like and dislike. There's a lot of garbage out there today, but a wise viewer can find the few gems that, in my view, are better than anything broadcast in recent years.

Mr. Althouse said...
I'm with you on American Chopper and Cops. But I don't watch too much TV generally.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Blond Girl, Know Thyself

I was talking to my neighbor, Star, the other day when I realized that she knows me in a way that no one ever has before - including myself.

Since I graduated from high school eons ago (ok, 23 years ago - OH Lord!) I have worked as someone's employee. The only breaks I've taken were three dismal months of unemployment when I was 21, three blissful months of unemployment when I got married and chose to spend time getting to know my husband and three enchanted months of maternity leave when we welcomed Sweet Girl to the world. The rest of the time (various medical leaves aside), I have gotten up in the morning, dressed, dropped off my child and gone to do the bidding of "The Man". In fact, I worked right up until two days before we moved to Illinois.

For two months after we moved here, I worked part-time. I dropped my child off at school and then came home in time to pick her up or meet her on our street as she walked home. It was an unusual benefit to not worry about finding a daycare that would offer an after school program. While I worked part-time, my transition to "dis-corporated" began.

Almost two months ago now, I stopped working part time and started looking for full time work. Normally, I wouldn't leave a job without another one to replace it, but I did it to accommodate my employer. I expected to work temporary while I found a new job. Turns out that there is nearly NO temporary work in this town. I've worked once since Thanksgiving. Each week has been a deepening of my faith and belief that God has a plan for our family... And my search to find it!

During these two months of continued "dis-corporation", I've been a mom. I've been a neighbor. I've been a homemaker. For the first time, I understand what it means to do laundry during the day while I clean the kitchen and wait for my child to come home from school. I've experienced going out for a cup of tea with a friend for the fun of it. I've been able to get up and go shopping with Princsiss at the drop of a hat. I've been able to take the time needed to get our finances in better order than they've ever been before. Most of all, I've been home for Sweet Girl every day. I help her with her homework and read stories. We play games and talk about what to have for dinner. If it weren't for the constant money worries, I would totally love this lifestyle.

Who is this woman?!?!!

In the midst of this identity/financial crises, the answer to LOTS of prayer came: I started the year with four job possibilities, then three and quickly narrowed them down to two, as I wrote about in my last entry. Champs and I have discussed the options 9 ways from Sunday (that, my friends, is a "Midwestern colloquialism") and together we determined a plan of action. The decision is final now. I am a freelance writer. Who knows? I may fail spectacularly and in five months find myself right back where I am now, looking for a job. I don't think I will, though. I have the organizational and strategic skills to run a business and the passion and talent to write. As the stereotype goes, now I'll be able to work in my pajamas. Well, kinda. It will be awhile before the project I'll be on will start and I even longer before I start getting paid. Therefore, I must find a part time job to work now and as I start my business. I'll drop it when the time is appropriate.

As I make this transition from someone else's employee to my own boss, I am becoming acquainted with a woman I've never known before. I will be able to be relaxed where before I was stressed. At the same time, I will have to exert a control on myself that before was structured by my employer. I won't be able to drop everything and go shopping at the drop of a hat, but I won't need to get anyone's permission when I need a day off. I won't get paid sick pay, but I will also probably work many times from my bed when I'd rather be sleeping. I'll be the marketer, accountant, manager and writer all in one. It's mind-boggling, actually.

I'm afraid this post has been a bit of a rambling stream of thought. I can't help it. Each new thing I learn about this journey I've embarked upon is like holding up another mirror to see if I have that quality in me. Check back with me in a year. I think by then I will have become a totally different woman. I wonder if my friends in Minnesota would recognize me?

Probably. No matter what I do, I'll always be Champ's wife, Sweet Girl's mom, a devoted Christian and, oh yeah, let's not forget: The Blond Girl.


Here's a few comments from this post:
princssis said...
Glad you found yourself. God knows what He's doing. If you had this opportunity when you first came here, do you think you would've been as open to the idea? Maybe you needed time to transition into it. The lifestyle, I mean. Realizing what it is like to be home for your child and relaxed! As I've told you privately, even if this isn't as lucrative as you hope, the fringe benefits are worth trying! God Bless!

kenju said...
I think you have made a great decision. You can write very well and it may take a while to land a free-lance job that can show off your talents, but I think you have what it takes to do it! Good luck!

Anonymous said...
Woo hoo! I'm so glad you're taking the leap, and I'm looking forward with great anticipation to getting to know the new you! I know all the most important parts of the old you will always be there.
(...9 ways from Sunday? I'm about as midwestern as they get, but I don't know that one.)

Star said...
Good for you.When one door loses, another one opens, but you still have to walk through. My mom used to say "six ways from Sunday"

Carmi said...
I'm proud and impressed to see you evolve in this way. It's a place and a transition that is all too familiar to me. So if there's any advice I can offer to help you in the days or months to come, please feel free to drop me a line.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Help me swim, please!

When I was a young girl, I lived about three miles from a local outdoor pool. Jennie and I would bike to the pool and play nearly everyday. We would swim, buy treats, play and eventually bike home at the end of the day. I explored every inch of that pool - up to three feet, that is. You see, I couldn't swim. Swimming wasn't high on my list of priorities, since I had nearly drowned twice when I tried things like the high dive and racer-diving.

Fast forward to seventh grade swimming. Each day, I paddled clumsily back and forth across the shallow end, while my class mates swam with confidence through the entire pool. It didn't take long for me to get pretty fed up with my cowardice and I made a choice. I figured that with 2 teachers and 30 other students present, the worst that could happen to me was a bad case of embarrassment. So resolved, I walked to the deep end and threw myself in.

I came up swimming.


After that, I was a swimming fool and went on to three years on the synchronized swimming team. Well, I'm standing at the deep end again, contemplating throwing myself in. Will I come up swimming? Here's the deal:

Back in Minnesota, I was Communications Specialist for a large financial services corporation. I wrote pretty much everything for my department. Service letters, web page material, phone scripts and special project letters. I really loved what I did and it was a boost to learn that my writing could be profitable, not just a hobby or a talent.

When we moved here to Illinois, I found that there are almost NO options for corporate writing, especially in the financial services arena. I've been unemployed since November and it's really been stressing me out (sidebar: I don't recommend doing Christmas unemployed). I have two very strong options for employment now and I have a choice to make.

My first option is a job as an Office Manager for a collection agency. The job will not pay much at first (less than $25,000 per annum), but the owner has some very high, yet attainable, goals. If I can help her achieve those goals, I know the money will come. It's a new industry and a new experience. However, I know I would do a great job at it. Consider it the shallow end of the pool; the safe zone.

Option number two is my junior high swimming class all over again - at the deep end of the pool. I have been approached by a freelance communications company who is working on a job with my old employer. Basically, they have successfully bid on a project to rewrite approximately 2000 service letters for the advisor side of the business. This is exactly what I used to do, only for a different, smaller department than the one I would be writing for now; in fact, I would be using the same correspondence and legal tools that I did as a Communication Specialist. Essentially, the communications freelance company is doing what I used to do - and I have all the inside info on style, brand, requirements and legal process. Taking on the freelance writing project seems like a no-brainer, right?

Wrong. It's like standing at the deep end of the pool and considering jumping in, regardless of my ability to swim.

See, I think I want to do this for my career. They say everyone has three or four careers in their lifetimes, so I am due for a change. At first I considered taking the $12.00 per hour office manager job and also working the freelance thing for 10-15 hours a week, but the Project Manager tells me the writing project is slated to go at least four months. Now I find that I am considering not taking the manager job and focusing only on the freelance opportunity. If I bid for 30 hours a week of billable time, I can earn anywhere from $50-75 per hour and spend the rest of the time learning the freelance business so that by the time the project ends, I have marketed myself and have a viable business. I must be realistic, though. The job won't start for nearly a month and I need money now. Not only that, but within 5 months, I could find myself right back where I am now - needing a job. I could throw myself into the deep end and come up swimming or I could come up coughing, needing to be rescued and suffering from a bad case of embarrassment.

Here's where you come in: I know there are a lot of writers and entrepreneurs among the bloggers out there. Are you willing to share your wisdom, experience, best advise, etc? Have you been reading my blog for awhile and have a comment regarding my writing? Have you ever started a business of your own? What was your deep end and how did you come up swimming? I truly want to know what you think. If you have a friend who you know would have an opinion, I want to know what they think. Feel free to give them the link to this blog and send them over. Oh, and if you have a longer opinion or thoughts that you don't want to leave in comments, just hit the "contact me" link on my profile to send me an email. Yes, I want your opinions that much!

I am excited. I am scared. I must be crazy, but I am standing at the edge of the pool with my toes curled over the edge and my heart beating in anticipation...


Here are some very encouraging comments I received on this post:
Lisa said...
I say go for the deep end! Ok so you might come up coughing and embarrassed... but then again, maybe you won't! And you won't know unless you jump.
Michele sent me today!

David said...
dive - swim - experience the whole of life ( collection agencies are scum!)
Pray hard and get thru this month with Temp work if you need it. make a move that thrills you, and utilizes your writing skills. I hope it all works out for you. Here from michele ( a wannabe writer)

Ruby said...
Thanks for your comment Blondgirl. I've been slowly coming out of the muck that I was in ( as you can probably well understand). As for your post, I can say that taking that leap of faith is probably going to be the most rewarding but the most terrifying thing you might ever do. It seems from the tone of your post though that you really want to do that though. So I think that you should. Good luck in whatever you decide and I will definitely be back to see how things turn out.

Anonymous said...
Jump. Just do it - if you don't, you'll always wonder, "What if..."
This is my first visit here (which makes it an ideal place to say Michele sent me!) and I have only read this one post. I'll say this about your writing - I'll be back to read more. That should say it all, but I'll spell it out anyway.
It doesn't take a huge writing sample to determine if one can write. Furthermore, that same small piece is usually enough to tell if said writer can keep my attention... keep me entertained. You have that.
I have written a little for a couple of newspapers, a magazine and some freelance. Although I am technically a "professional" writer (I've been paid to write), I don't yet have a great deal of experience. What I have is a lot of passion. If you have that, you can't lose.
Mike

Dak-Ind said...
jump.
honestly.
michele sent me

Star said...
Sorry . I have no expertise here. But I wish youluck making your decision. And I usually jump in the deep end. It keeps life exiting.

kenju said...
BG, you know I like your writing, otherwise I wouldn't be coming back here. I think you should take the deep-end-of-the-pool job. You already know you can do it, it will give you a great boost in the resume, it may lead to new and better things at the end of that run. You are young enough to dive in - not sit on the edge of the shallow end - where you would always wonder what if....?
Discover what you can do to make some quick money, and then don't look back.Good luck!

Anonymous said...
Jump in, girl! I know it's scary, but I also know you are incredibly talented and very able to do the job well.
My only concern for you would be that you are able to find other freelance jobs after this one is over. Can you continue working for the same freelance company after this project is complete? As we discussed before, there are other places you can go to get work too. You just have to do the research to find them.
As long as you are willing & able to do that, I say jump!

Anonymous said...
I say Jump. Not because I know that much about what's best, but because I hear in your post that your passion is in that direction. I believe one should take risks for one's passion.

Anonymous said...
Hi Catherine...Snow's Mom here.
I loved the post! This is a huge decision...lean hard on those who know and love you and really pray it through. I'd love to see the dream fly and I'd love to see some security for you. We're on your side!

Mitey Mite said...
One of the greatest gifts is doing work you love. When you have a job that makes you think, if I could afford it, I'd do this for free, your whole life is better. And you know what? Money and success follow that kind of passion.
Michele sent me, and I'm very glad she did. Good luck.

princssis said...
It looks like it's unanimous! JUMP! Looking at just the title of this post, I'd say you know what you want and just want others to agree and give support. I'm afraid trying to do both the office manager's job and freelancing will be too much and you won't be able to do both well. At least, without too much stress. It's a no-brainer for me. You have the skill and knowledge for the freelancing position and it will boost your resume. It's a great opportunity for a first assignment to work on a project with which you are so familiar.

Anonymous said...
Hey Here via Michele ;)
I started up a new business with a friend who I had been doing bits an bobs of work with for 7 Years an we jumped and it has been complicated and hard work and stressful but I would never ever go back.... ;)
Build yourself a strong corporate image and sell yourself heavily, believe in yourself beyond all reason and everyone will believe in you as well never let doubt creep in and you will go far ;)
Good Luck in all

Azgreeneyes said...
Jump in! At the very least, you'll get your feet wet (no pun intended!) and get your name out there more. Plus, who's to say that the company won't open up a spot for you? They will definitely at least have your number for future projects!

Carmi said...
I know I'm late to the party, but I hope I'll be able to share some insight here as well.
I speak from experience, as a writer who's made the jump from comfy corporate life to scary freelancing one. I'd never go back. The time you spend trying to get others to recognize your gifts can otherwise be spent focusing on building business relationships and delivering value. I know it sounds trite, but the first time you meet with a client and kick butt, you know it's all been worth it.
If you're afraid of taking too much of a chance, you could always do part-time office manager work, and then leave yourself enough time to get the freelance work off the ground. It's a difficult transition to manage: you balance the fear of being left with nothing with the fear of not grabbing the big opportunity at the moment that it presents itself.
I speak from the heart when I say that a writer's ultimate destiny is to write. And despite the security of a full-time job, the only real security seems to come from the nib of your pen.
I hope this has helped. Please let me know if you'd like to chat further about this. My ears and my perspectives are all yours.


MissMeliss said...
Here from Michele's this time.
JUMP IN.
I made the leap from a big financial company to freelancing, and while most of what I'm writing is web content, and kind of tedious, it feels good to be paid for writing, and not be tied to a phone.
Plus, I can work in my pajamas.
And this year, I'm going to get brave enough to write queries about my fiction as well.
Again, I say, JUMP IN.

11:37 PM
Blogger utenzi said...
Your writing is fine, BG. No worries there. However I don't know if your deep versus shallow analysis is on the mark. The free lance job sounds to me like it's not so likely to bring in the bucks you say it should. Given that, I'd say reject that possibility and go with the collection agency. However if you're totally convinced the $50 per hour aspect is true for the freelance, I'd say that's the one for you to pursue. My experience is that freelance might seem on the outside to pay very well, but when the money actually is counted at the end of the month it's just not there. I'd be very suspicious of that $50-75 estimate you have there, BG. Good luck to you either way!
Michele sent me over to watch you dive, BG.