I’ve got a LinkedIn page for Civitas and I’ve been pretending I have a large HR staff managing the page and posting the sort of things companies love to post about. I’ll also have some serious news there from time to time.
Just this week I got my first two clients. My billable rate for each is significantly more than what I was making as a full time employee, but, of course, my hours are limited. It’s not hard to calculate how many hours I need to match my previous pay. These two clients probably won’t be enough and I’m going to need to spend time getting more leads. Still, it’s a good start since I got both clients just from hanging out on the Discourse marketplace.
I also got an interview for a job I applied for in December. Somehow I missed the initial email on December 14. Since I’m finding success with the business I will need to make sure anyone who hires me knows I’m going to keep doing consulting part time. Maybe missing the email was a good thing in the long run.
One of the things I’ve noticed about looking for a job is that it can feel very lonely. I talked to a few former colleagues this week and they really lifted my spirits. I’m planning on setting up regular 1-on-1 meetings to keep us connected. (I might also be starting some interesting projects soon.)
Finally, I’m looking at providing a free service for starting communities. I think I can make a difference for people who haven’t found a good solution to meeting and coordinating online.