2024 in Review

For those of you who don't know, my name is Luke and I'm a self taught web developer from the UK. 2024 has been a life changing year for me. As a first time business owner, I've faced so many unexpected challenges and celebrated even more victories.

I'll be looking at the highs, the lows, how it's affected me both physically and mentally while being honest on whether this is something that is sustainable for the future.

Let's begin.

First thoughts It's been really weird running my own business. More often than not, I wake up thinking it's been a crazy dream. It has been such a scary change over the last year, no financial stability, no way of knowing when my next client would arrive, absolutely no structure.

And the amount of mistakes I've made. So.Many.Mistakes. There are many I have learned from, many I continue to make and some that I only recognize much later.

However, I have never felt more free. Each mistake, every misstep, every victory has been mine. The difference in my skill from the beginning to mine is honestly astonishing, each client project has been an improvement on the last and I am proud of what I've accomplished over the course of this year.

There were days when I soared. "I will be better than I was yesterday." - My daily mantra.

This year has been wonderful for me, in terms of time. I have had so much time to decompress, I no longer have to hear the words "KPI", "Targets", "Board of Directors", "Job Security". Not hearing these terms has done wonders for me.

I am accountable only to myself and to an extent my clients, which has let my creativity soar and given me a work / life balance I had only dreamed of.

My mental health has been (mostly) considerably better than ever. I work what hours I want, I choose my projects and I set my own rates. There is no threat to my job because of a slow month and I set my own goals.

Working with clients has been such an eye opening experience, while being one of the most interesting aspects of this thing. I've worked with people from all over the world, my sites have been seen by people from across the globe and I am so proud of everything I've made.

Each project has had its own challenges and problems, sometimes it felt like I was so stuck that I would never find my way out. Those days were the hardest.

Yet, every time I find my way out I am filled with elation I cannot even begin to describe. That rush is what I long for, the relief and the knowledge that I can now overcome that problem should it ever arise again. My self confidence has sky rocketed and I feel like I can take on the world.

Everyday I wake up excited and ready to see what else I can do, ready to push myself and make this whole thing work.

This time last year, I was hoping to have one paying client all year and maybe a few I was in discussion with. I had three.

Admittedly, this is not exactly a huge number but for a guy who has never believed in himself and never thought this would work, this number is huge. It proves I can do this, it shows I am capable and that people value my work. I can make a difference.

Most people who know me, know I was miserable before. Working a job I saw no future in, but now I feel like a different person. My head is held high and I feel satisfied.

And days where I was tied down. It's honestly beyond frustrating.

Have you ever been so stuck on a problem with an answer that eludes you for hours or days? That feeling of your chest tightening with anxiety because it's the last piece of a puzzle you need? Being unable to sleep because it consumes your every thought, all the while you compare yourself to everyone else who surely are able to solve this particular problem within minutes?

The feeling of regret and self hate, that comes to those of us who can't find a light in the dark is one of the worst feelings in the world.

If you have felt this, I'm sorry. It truly is soul crushing.

When I got stuck, this feeling was never all that far behind. Especially as I grew more irritable and while I inched closer to success, it never seemed good enough.

Throw this in with the constant worry of stability and it was a potent mix.

Most months, I was so worried about paying bills and eating everyday. One of the things that comes from running your own business, is how draining it is financially and mentally in that first year.

There were so many times when I felt like I hit rock bottom and could not escape, trapped in a cycle of barely scraping by. There were nights where I wanted to cry, or where I wanted to just scream into the sky.

However even with those days and nights, I feel like I've succeeded. Taking breaks and talking with people more knowledgeable has been a huge boon and allowed me to grow a little community who support one another.

Some useful tips. I also want to include some useful pieces of information that I wish someone had told me.

Time Management:

I know, I know. This is so simple and how could you mess it up? Remember that dopamine rush I was talking about earlier? I also get that from video games, which also hand it out more often. So, instead of working I was playing games. When I realized that this was a problem, I had to get a calendar with alarms to keep me on track and honestly, it helped so much. I honestly thought I'd be fine without one but trust me - use a calendar.

Be Kind to yourself:

Again, something so simple but it can be hard. Be kind to yourself, you're doing great. Take it day by day and whether you have a project that day or not, keep to your schedule by learning or promoting yourself.

Drink water and eat properly.

Honestly, make sure you are doing these things. Unfortunately I have the bad habit of forgetting to do both when I get focused and want to complete something. Make sure you have proper meals too, not just a biscuit.

This has affected my physical health a lot, my weight has needlessly fluctuated and my energy levels have swooped and dived so often it makes me feel sick thinking about it. Don't fall into that trap.

Have a business plan:

Don't ask how I overlooked this. I have no idea, I was intent on making one and then, well, life happens and I was winging it for a while. Still am mostly but not in 2025!

Sort out your taxes:

This can seem really daunting, like you're at the foot of a mountain but it's worth doing at the beginning. Either hire someone to do it or set up a spreadsheet, it's not overly difficult once you get the hang of it but it's better to have this ready for when you need it.

Take a day or two for you:

A lot of people will tell you that "Grinding is life", personally I don't adhere to this. It's important to take time for you, every week. It all adds into that being kind to yourself bit, disconnect.

This one has been a true game changer for me. Before you would find me working on problems at 2am on Sunday, but that's not sustainable. Rest, recuperate, recover and go back at it again stronger.

Overall thoughts But here I am. This year has broken me in so many ways and yet I feel more liberated than ever.

My mental health has been all over, never really settling on positive or negative. I can say though, this has been one of the best years of my life. I know it may not sound like it, but I wouldn't change anything.

Unfortunately, I have no answers on how to escape this cycle but what I do know is I can never stop pushing forward. My dreams require it, my mind demands that rush of success and to be honest, I'm just stubborn. This is my path and I will walk it no matter what comes.

Honestly, I'm happier than I've been in a while. Will I continue this reckless, chaotic endeavor? Yeah. To be honest, whatever happens with it, I'm proud. I can say I tried and did my best.

You got this, keep going.