Imagine asking someone on a first date what their salary is. Or worse, imagine your boss emailing you his earnings every week, followed by one of those winky faces… It’s hard to imagine either of those things going over very well, right? That’s because income reports, specifically our own, are often a heavily-guarded secret and taboo topic in our society.
Not on my blog.
Every month, I publish income reports documenting my freelance earnings at Codeable. These aren’t meant to be posts of hubris; in fact, quite often they become posts of humility. I strive for complete transparency with my clients, and publishing these income reports is a way for me to be transparent with myself as well.
I believe transparency trumps secrecy and I have nothing to hide, for richer or poorer.
The main reason I choose to share this information is to inspire. By tracking the ups and downs of my income on a daily basis and in an elegant way, I’m able to inspire myself to surpass certain peaks when times are tougher. I also believe up-and-coming freelance developers can use my income reports as a gauge for where they’re at and where they can expect to be. Since we never talk about money, how do we know if we’re earning what we deserve? I’m trying to bust down that barrier.
This is my personal journey into the world of freelance development, and these peaks and valleys represent good decisions, bad ideas, clients I shouldn’t have taken on, new skills learned and other real life events that happened along the way. Would a high school girl unlock her diary for the boys to read? Of course not. But I will, and that’s why I’m different.
I totally understand the backlash that may come from me putting this information in the public domain. But I feel that I’m at a point in my career when documenting every aspect of my business will help me learn and grow at a faster pace, relate to my peers and give me added credibility when talking to clients.
So take a look behind the curtain. I publish my earnings for all to see. And if you decide to do the same, then maybe we’ll know who buys the other a drink someday.
My income is public, and so are my websites. In fact, my portfolio is full of sites for big brands and small businesses that are elegant, functional and highly ranked in search.
So, send me a message and together we’ll make sure your internet presence is felt.
Or, if you’d prefer to post your next task publicly and engage in a conversation with both my colleagues and myself on Codeable, I’d encourage you to click here and receive $10 off your next project.
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