Steve Woodson – Independent Web Development Consultant

TL;DR#anchor

I’m terrible at burying the lede (as it’s the title of this post) so I’m starting with the TL;DR. I’m venturing out on my own offering freelance web development consulting!

Check out:

• Services for my core values, how I’m different, and what web development services I can offer.
• Testimonials for some kind words folks have recently shared about me, my work, and my leadership.
• Project Inquiry to get in contact about an upcoming project I can help you bring to life!

The rest of this post shares some reflections on the past week, and goes into more detail about how I got to the point where I’m ready to go independent, and what else I have planned for the near future.

Reflecting on the Last Week#anchor

One week ago today I shared that I was laid off. I didn’t realize at the time how much this would resonate with people and am deeply humbled by the response.

Hundreds of reactions, dozens of comments, and just as many direct messages and emails. I’ve even got a few meetings scheduled with folks just to chat about our experiences and talk about what gets us excited about the future.

The offer made last week about being open to chat still stands. If you were recently affected by workforce reductions, are struggling to find the next adventure, or just want to chat about the difficulties we’ve all been facing these past few years.

Feel free to DM me on a social platform or send me an email. We can even book a half hour chat if you prefer to talk face to face. Let’s make some lemonade from these lemons!

The Dream#anchor

A few years into my web development career, somewhere around 2005, I started to dream about venturing out on my own. I would even go so far as to take on the odd freelance job when the opportunity would arise.

But I was a long way from taking a chance on full time freelance web development consulting.

I knew there was so much I could accomplish but also that the work itself is only one (albeit very important) part. I recognized that there’s marketing, sales, and business management that goes into it as well. Frankly, I was terrified of all three.

The most visceral reaction, however, was the scarcity mindset. The fear that I’d get everything set up, put myself out there, and nothing happened. I wouldn’t make any digital marketing connections, wouldn’t find clients that saw my potential as a web application developer, wouldn’t land any web dev projects.

It was enough to deter me from even giving it a try. So, for over 15 years this dream sat there in the back of my mind.

Why Now?#anchor

It’s amazing how much time one has to sit and think when not engrossed in day to day work. I spent a lot of that time this past week thinking about

• what I’ve yet to accomplish
• what I want my days to look like
• and what is going to get me excited to get up out of bed every morning

I knew right away, there’s still that one big goal that checks all three of these boxes. Maybe losing my job is the universe telling me to just go for it already?

I had shared that thought privately with several colleagues, friends, and family and every single one had something positive to say. Here are some of them that really resonated with me:

• “What you water will grow”
• “Sometimes many of us need that kick in the ass.”
• “This is definitely a sign from the universe for the push you needed […] everything happens for a reason!”
• “That would be so great! One door closes, another opens”
• “That’s great to hear on independent consulting. I’m big on universal signals, too!”

I’ve grown a lot in the last handful of years, not only as a developer but as a more confident leader, empathetic collaborator, and accessibility focused technologist. I’ve worked hard building a personal brand and now I feel ready to share all that experience directly with client teams as an independent consultant.

Making it a Reality#anchor

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time working through details and getting everything set up. In addition to the site updates noted at the beginning of this post I’ve also secured

• a registered LLC, in partnership with my wife
• business insurance, including cyber coverage
• operations details including communications workfows, project management, and contract templates

I’m sure there’s countless more things that I need to do, but I’ve got the fundamental aspects ready and am officially open for business!

What’s Next?#anchor

Thought Leadership#anchor

Expect to see more “thought leadership” from me, even though I am not altogether fond of that term it does serve as a useful shortcut to what I mean. I have a dozen or so blog posts in draft ranging from technology leadership, productivity, and specific solutions to some of the day to day struggles of web developers.

I’m still learning when it comes to marketing, but one thing that always resonated with me is the simple fact that sharing what I’ve learned and helping others builds awareness and connections. That awareness and those connections can often lead to surprising and unexpected things.

Be Inclusive#anchor

I’m also working on more roadmap items for my SaaS accessibility auditing app Be Inclusive too. I’ve often lamented not having as much time as I would have liked to keep breathing more life into that app, make it faster, more compelling, and easier to use for the people that work so hard every day to push accessibility forward.

Got ideas?#anchor

What else would you like to see more of from me? If you’ve got some thoughts and ideas I’m certainly interested in hearing more about it.

I have some time now, and I’m so excited to be able to start spending more of it contributing to the web development, application development, and digital accessibility communities that have helped me learn and grow so much these past 20 years.

If you have a project coming up that could use an experienced web developer to help bring it to life, get in touch! I’d love to hear more about what you have planned, and how I can help.

Onward and upward! 🎉