On September 10th, we hosted a panel with a few solo professionals to talk about taking the leap into working for yourself. We talked about what their challenges are, what it’s like for clients to work with a solo-shop, and how they work alongside traditional agencies. They had some recommendations to share with the audience, and we’ve compiled them here.

If you’re a member or virtual event subscriber, you can access the recording of the event here.

Not a member? You can explore membership options here.

Resources & Recommendations –

• General consensus is to get an accountant and Tonisha suggests using free versions until you can’t anymore!
• Tracking time
  • Toggl– Advice: Tonisha says to Track all time to make sure you are managing what you are doing. It helps to give you a real solid idea of how long projects take to make sure you give your self
  • Bonsai Timer
• Podcasts– not necessarily about just focusing on industry trends, find things that you enjoy and that keep things interesting, makes you smarter
• Wandering DP on IG, follow DP or cinematographers to get inspiration
• Staying organized/tracking projects– Drew suggests just developing repeatable patterns to keep you on track an manage life and work
  
• • Todoist– organizes your life, between work and family
  • Google Keep
  • Old school- just simply write down the top three things that need to be done each day.
• Payroll
  • Gusto– payroll service. Helps with paying freelancers
  • FreshBooks- Accounting
• Studio Binder– scripts storyboarding, call sheets (monthly subscription)

Panelists:

Andy Eggert, Owner, DP/Director, Eggert Media | www.eggertmedia.com

Tonnisha English, CEO & Founder, TJE Communications |tjecommunications.com

Scott Mylin, Owner, Creative Director, Writer, Mylin Ltd. |
www.MylinLtd.com