I left a full-time role in early 2024 with three months of savings and one client who had already agreed to a retainer. That client left in month two.
The shape of the year
Four good months, three quiet ones, and a strong last quarter. Averaged out it was slightly more than my salary, for considerably more uncertainty.
The two habits
Writing something publicly every month, and sending a short note to five past colleagues every quarter. Nearly every project since has come from one of those two things, not from a portfolio site.
Which is a strange thing to write on a portfolio site. But it is true.