So if you're tired of putting up with your boss or your parents want you to do anything now you've finished Design school, than this is the article to read.
Getting solo or with a partner/ bunch of partners it's never easy and if you think that becoming a designer is only marvel and good times, prepare yourself for less sleeping and eye bags.
There are a lot of different aspects involved here that you may not realized before that they were fundamental but we're good people and we will cut to the crap directly to the KWAN.

FIRST
You need a space to work. Doesn't matter if it's your room or in a fancy store downtown, having your creative place is fundamental. It's where you are going to spend hours and hours working hard and you really need it functional. So keep this in mind and do not turn yourself into a wall, choose a position where you can stretch your eyes to the window to any sort of landscape. This is not only meant to free your mind but to keep your vision healthy, your eyes are too valuable and you need this exercise. AH! I almost forgot, if the only place you've got it's not enough for what you intended to do, than rethink what you intended to do in order to fit the place you have. Seems like Zen teaching, but it's quite true.
One more thing, you can also split a place with more designers or other creative people, I have a friend of mine who did that and the place is not only beautiful but also inspiring.

SECOND
Wear the freaky hat. Being a designer on your own means you need to know how to make business. Almost everybody I know complains about clients that did not paid in time, being some times needed more than one year to get the money.
So we advice you one simple plan, divide payments! Easy, ask your client for 40% on design approval and 60% on the conclusion. If he gets the look, you know, kinda angry look, you just have to say that it is fundamental for you to receive that money, without it you will not be able to start the production phase. They do not question this because they were once a start-up too. Now that you have the money do not get too much in the Business man hat, that's stupid and will make you step out of the poetic profession of being a creative talent. We're creative minds, not freaky wall street dudes.

THIRD
Bills! Use your mind and do whatever it is possible to keep low monthly costs. It's the one thing that can make you shiver when times are bad and you should take our word when we say that the worst thing in being a designer on your own is lack of work and bills to pay. So you must learn how to save money. Off course, if it's your mom and dad that pay the bills, you're on heaven and that's a privilege, but if you need to support a family, you got to use the gray stuff inside your head. Create business plans, learn how to put them in practice and the most important thing, when you receive the big bucks do not spend it on a fancy Mac. Try work with the minimum required, not the tops because most of the times, not even big companies do that.

Three steps to start up your own groove, The Space, The Hat and The Bills. Prepare yourself for the next article where we'll tell you how to use internet influences and specially how not to use it.

by Nuno Soares