6. Working through grief as a freelancer, by Cami MacNamara

Posted on WebCamiCafe.com, May 3, 2022

The blog post offers advice for freelance business owners on how to cope with grief while still managing their work, including being honest with clients, prioritizing tasks, being patient with emotions, avoiding making big decisions, giving oneself time, keeping a journal, and remembering that time heals all wounds.

About the author: Cami MacNamara, otherwise known as WebCami, has 21 years of experience running a small, profitable, one-person web design business, so she can walk her dog whenever she likes. She has co-hosted a beginner WordPress Meetup in Seattle since 2018 and has been an active member of the Seattle WordPress community since 2013. Cami has designed nearly 600 websites, provides services to 350 active clients, and manages over 200 websites monthly as a solopreneur.

The original post can be found here: https://webcamicafe.com/working-through-grief-freelancer/

Transcript of Cami's Commentary:

In January, it was the one-year anniversary of my mother's passing. Even now, it feels like it happened just yesterday. Losing my dad in November was a major blow, and the double whammy of losing both parents has been a real struggle for me, particularly with respect to my work schedule. If you're dealing with a similar loss while running your own web design business, I urge you to take things slow. It's important to be kind to yourself during this fragile time, and to avoid making mistakes by pushing yourself too hard. Personally, I found it helpful to seek the advice of a grief counselor. They not only validated my need to take it easy, but also helped me to process my emotions. As business owners, we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to constantly increase our bottom line, bring in new clients, and take on new projects. But sometimes, it's not what's best for us or our business. Instead, the best thing for both is to prioritize self-care, so that we can run our businesses for the long haul. I remind myself often that my parents would want me to thrive and be happy, even in their absence. 

They would remind me that life is short and it won’t be my to-dos that I think of before my own life comes to an end. 

Remember to be kind to yourself in those moments of loss.  Sometimes holding steady in business is all you need for success.

Check out the show notes for the links I mentioned in this podcast. If you'd like to join a Facebook group for web designers, visit WebCamiCafe.com for details.

To view my business website, Visit WebCami.com.

Tune in next week for another episode of the WebCami Podcast.