Moving from agency to independent
A short note on the transition for anyone considering it.
Every year we get the same message from designers and developers at agencies: "I'm thinking about going independent. What should I know?"
The list of things we got wrong is longer than the list of things we got right. Sharing the short version.
What's harder than expected
Sales. At an agency, leads arrive. As an independent, you generate them. The first six months are mostly figuring out where leads come from. Plan for it.
Pricing. Inside an agency, rates were set. Setting your own rate is uncomfortable for the first 20 quotes. Being too cheap is worse than being too expensive.
Saying no. The first time you turn down a paying client is hard. The relief afterward is the signal you needed.
What's easier than expected
The work itself. Removing the agency overhead - meetings, approvals, layered communication - leaves more time for actual work than expected.
Hiring. We didn't hire fast. Most independents we know didn't either. Doing more with less for longer than expected is the path that works.
The honest part
The first year is the hardest year. The third year is the year you understand why you did it. The years between are work, in the same way every job is work.