Featured Solopreneur David Billings: “It’s All My Roller-Coaster Ride”

This is “Featured Solopreneur,” an ongoing series that gives all of us a glimpse at how other solopreneurs operate their small businesses. Click Here to read more Solopreneur Success Stories.

Name of solopreneur:
David Billings

Name of business and city:
Sparky Firepants Images; Portland, Oregon

Web site address:
sparkyfirepants.com

Type of business:
Illustrative design

When did you officially go into business?
January 2008

Why did you start your own business?
Insanity runs in my family.

Starting this business was just something I had to do. I had worked for studios and design firms for almost ten years and I learned a ton. But I always felt that I had my own strange solutions and methods didn’t always fit the mold.

I decided that if I was ever going to do things the way I wanted, I would have to start my own company.

What was the best thing you did when you were starting up your business?
I had set aside enough to live on for about a year. I really needed more than that, but without even that cushion I would have had to throw in the towel very early. I would not be answering these questions right now, that’s for sure.

What is a mistake that you made that you have learned from?
Trying to appeal to everyone. When I first started, I was so anxious about getting clients and bringing in revenue that I started trying to fit into every opportunity that came up. “You need a corporate-looking brochure? Well, I don’t really do those, but maybe I could adapt myself to…”

Things got really messy, scattered, and depressing. I didn’t know who I was anymore, or who I was trying to please. Hmm. Everyone? That’s pretty tough to do.

It’s also ironic, because it’s the same reason I struck out on my own—to do my own thing.

It’s kind of scary to define who you are, what you do, and who you want to work with. It feels limiting. In fact, it’s very liberating. I work with whomever I choose, the art I create is the kind I want to show off, so the people I tend to attract already want what I do. So there’s no longer any trying to fit in. It’s just me.

What is your biggest current challenge in the business and what are doing to try to solve it?
Right now my challenge is growing out of a service business into a solutions business.

I love working with my clients, but I need to develop products and services that don’t require my direct attention.

For example, there are people who want to work with me one-on-one but can’t afford it. I still want to help them, but I also can’t afford to work for free or lower my rates. So I’m creating some products that will get them the help they need at a rate they can afford.

This way I can also focus my energy on a few choice clients every month, rather than packing my schedule to make sure I have revenue coming in.

What are your goals for 2010?
Brushing my teeth and dressing before 3 p.m. Baby steps. I got halfway there this morning.

I need to get two products out there (like I described). I’m working on them now.

I’m also building a collection of art for licensing. Next year I’ll be exhibiting at SURTEX, which is a national trade show for manufacturers and art buyers. So I’m creating a few collections of original art. It’s a strange new world for me, but it’s really fun.

Where do you want to be with the business in five years?
South France. I’m only half kidding.

The thing is, I have a lifestyle business. Meaning, as long as I make the income I need and stay profitable, I don’t need to scale it into a large firm with 30 employees.

In five years I would love to be busy enough to hire a couple employees and maintain a small office. I’m kind of an anomaly in the art world because I love the business side. I love marketing and meeting with people, so it would be nice to do more of that and have designers working on production. It would also be fun to develop junior designers and help them eventually start their own businesses.

What are your main software programs?
Twitter. Ahem.

I create all my final art using the Adobe CS3 Design Suite.

For systems, I use WorkingPoint.com for invoicing and expenses. I use Google Apps for my calendar and mail.

Apple’s Pages is my word processing app of choice. I also use Keynote quite a bit.

What lifestyle choices have you had to make to stay in business?
As a family, we’ve had to significantly lower our standard of living. In my last job I was making six figures. Keeping the business going sometimes means living in less-than-sexy digs and driving one used car.

What are your strategies for staying competitive?
My only strategy is being completely unique. That way I don’t have to compete.

Do you need a second household income to support your lifestyle? (Is the business primary, or supplemental to the household?)
My wife works part time, but not for much longer.

If your business should fail, what is your fallback position?
I don’t have a fallback. I used to rely on the fact that my old company would hire me back, but I’ve since let that go.

My business won’t fail. That sounds arrogant or overconfident. What I mean is that it might falter a bit and I may need to regroup while working for someone else. Even if I had to do that, it would be with an eye toward keeping the business going, or regenerating.

If you could start your career all over again, what might you have done differently? Why?
I wouldn’t have worried so much about trying to fit in. I would have rocked the boat more, earlier on.

I used to worry so much about losing a job and not having the security of a paycheck. Now I have a new perspective of what security really is. I’ll always find a way to support my family, so it’s better to risk being who I am and handling things in the best way I know.

What’s your advice for aspiring solopreneurs?
Show up.

Seriously. Nothing happens overnight, so you have to keep showing up. Over time, people start to see that you’re here to stay and that builds confidence.

Some of my clients didn’t hire me for over a year after we met. I kept showing up and staying in touch and eventually they had a need for what I do. At that moment, it was an easy decision to contact me.

If I didn’t keep up my blog, maintain my relationships, and just generally showing up, I wouldn’t get anywhere.

Show up.

Are you glad you became a solopreneur? Why or why not?
It’s the best thing I ever did in my career. It’s also the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I love being responsible for my own success or failure. When a client sends me a love note, I get to celebrate. When I screw something up, there’s no one to blame but me. Either way, it’s all my roller-coaster ride.