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"As the dust settled and I slowly regained my self-confidence, I started to realize: Maybe this was my big chance. Maybe I would never be truly happy working for someone else. Perhaps this time, it could be MY TURN to be the boss.

"And so, armed with over a decade of professional experience, I returned to my roots in design and went into business for myself as a full-time freelancer. I worked my way up by becoming a self-promotion machine. I called all of my old contacts and told anyone who would listen that I was looking for work. I practically lived on Upwork, the largest freelancing website in the U.S., applying for work left and right.

"At first, the work came in like a slow, steady stream, and after only a couple of months, I was earning an income that was equivalent to my old salary. Before I knew it that slow, steady stream quickly turned into something that more closely resembled a geyser, with more work lined up than I could handle. In my first full year of business, I netted nearly $200k. I didn’t even know that kind of money was possible for a freelancer. This meant it was time to expand."