Comments on: Being Your Own Boss http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=being-your-own-boss The flash games industry, brought to you, by Porter. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:08:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Giving Yourself Time - Porter's World http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-788 Giving Yourself Time - Porter's World Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:09:58 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-788 [...] going to want in the flash game industry, especially if you’re new. As mentioned in my post, Being Your Own Boss, it’s incredibly hard to get started as a member of the self employed world; you better have [...] [...] going to want in the flash game industry, especially if you’re new. As mentioned in my post, Being Your Own Boss, it’s incredibly hard to get started as a member of the self employed world; you better have [...]

]]> By: Flash Indie Developer Part 3: Short list of risks | der hess http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-662 Flash Indie Developer Part 3: Short list of risks | der hess Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:47:48 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-662 [...] you go ahead with your complicated or less complicated tasks... Porter wrote a nice blog post about being your own boss and the problems with the motivation. Please feel free to read [...] [...] you go ahead with your complicated or less complicated tasks… Porter wrote a nice blog post about being your own boss and the problems with the motivation. Please feel free to read [...]

]]> By: Klok | ArcadePortal http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-574 Klok | ArcadePortal Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:55:19 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-574 [...] that will not only keep track of your hours, but help motivate you. I recently wrote an article on being your own boss, and how complicated that could be due to motivating yourself to put in a proper amount of hours; [...] [...] that will not only keep track of your hours, but help motivate you. I recently wrote an article on being your own boss, and how complicated that could be due to motivating yourself to put in a proper amount of hours; [...]

]]> By: Chaz http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-498 Chaz Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:25:13 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-498 Great article, written very well and I think it's very accurate, the advice can definately be applied to anyone thinking of becoming their own boss and dropping that dull, un fulfilling 9-5 that so many people seem to fall trapped into. Thanks! Great article, written very well and I think it’s very accurate, the advice can definately be applied to anyone thinking of becoming their own boss and dropping that dull, un fulfilling 9-5 that so many people seem to fall trapped into.

Thanks!

]]> By: Porter http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-469 Porter Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:07:11 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-469 Thanks a lot for pointing out Klok, that program could likely be a life saver. It only took me a few minutes to learn my way around it, it's sleek looking, and it'll get the job done. The pyramid was pretty great too, there's definitely a lot of truth to that for many people. Thanks a lot for pointing out Klok, that program could likely be a life saver. It only took me a few minutes to learn my way around it, it’s sleek looking, and it’ll get the job done. The pyramid was pretty great too, there’s definitely a lot of truth to that for many people.

]]> By: Florian http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-468 Florian Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:00:15 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-468 Hey, thanks a lot for this article. I tried almost the same thing as you did and I have the same problems with the motivation. So I am not a lazy person but distraction is very worse thing for me. I run very often in this pyramide of digital distraction... http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/the-hierarchy-of-digital-distractions/ But a few weeks ago, I defined an outline for my usual day and it works fine. Timetracking is in this case very important for me. I use this very cool Adobe Air App: http://klok.mcgraphix.com/klok/features.html So keep Coding ;-) Hey, thanks a lot for this article. I tried almost the same thing as you did and I have the same problems with the motivation. So I am not a lazy person but distraction is very worse thing for me. I run very often in this pyramide of digital distraction…
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/the-hierarchy-of-digital-distractions/

But a few weeks ago, I defined an outline for my usual day and it works fine. Timetracking is in this case very important for me. I use this very cool Adobe Air App:
http://klok.mcgraphix.com/klok/features.html

So keep Coding ;-)

]]> By: rosedragon http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-467 rosedragon Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:43:44 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-467 I would like to add that being your own boss also means there is more responsibilities and knowledge you need to have. To be success on here and really make money, you will struggle with more than 8 or 10 hours, until you are recognized enough to get better money. My own lifestyle is not healthy, I wake up and sleep randomly though I can estimate that my time in front of computer is almost 16/7. I have fun when making flash games, mostly when doing my art, or take caring bunni community. My other entertainments is including playing (flash) games, drinking coffee at the cafe while reading or writing (still I will go online from my cellphone), and eating. I hasn't makes schedule. What I'm trying to struggle now is to go out 30 minutes every day, even if I ended buying something for my stomach lol.. I would like to add that being your own boss also means there is more responsibilities and knowledge you need to have. To be success on here and really make money, you will struggle with more than 8 or 10 hours, until you are recognized enough to get better money.

My own lifestyle is not healthy, I wake up and sleep randomly though I can estimate that my time in front of computer is almost 16/7. I have fun when making flash games, mostly when doing my art, or take caring bunni community. My other entertainments is including playing (flash) games, drinking coffee at the cafe while reading or writing (still I will go online from my cellphone), and eating. I hasn’t makes schedule. What I’m trying to struggle now is to go out 30 minutes every day, even if I ended buying something for my stomach lol..

]]> By: HybridMind http://blog.princeporter.com/being-your-own-boss/comment-page-1/#comment-464 HybridMind Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:18:35 +0000 http://blog.princeporter.com/?p=965#comment-464 On the self-employed tax front, Turbo Tax online can definitely become your new best friend--well worth the $100 or less (sometimes you can even file online for free if you qualify for <a href="http://turbotax.intuit.com/taxfreedom/" rel="nofollow">Intuits Tax Freedom</a> guidelines! I've been using it for the past 5 or 6 years now and it turned what used to be horrible paper form drudgery into simply filling out a java web app form (with animated green / red numbers as it computes your refund/what you owe on the fly!) Basically you will be looking for terms like filing your 'Schedule-C' when you are self-employed. It is basically where you take all the data from the 1099s you'll receive from companies that you filled a W2 out for. It really isn't that bad once you get into it and an online program like Turbo Tax makes it for less worse then it used to be for me. The only other major point is the quarterly estimates you have to file but unless you are making major bank the tax penalties were usually quite small for missing them when I was starting out years ago. I didn't even realize I was supposed to file them the first year or so and it wasn't really a big deal after all so stay calm... ;) Good you have all your records as that is very important. As far as motivation goes I do remember it took me the first year or so of being self-employed to really sink in that if I didn't get work done I wouldn't get paid. I mean it sounds obvious but that first year or so it was really a slow learning curve until it became natural that it was up to me. Now, 5 years later I just have internalized the fact that this IS my job and it is far more natural to me than the thought of working for someone else. That seems alien now! Sounds like you're doing good though and your logging your hours as your own boss so it should just continue to get more and more internalized as the months pass. I hear you on the problems of having that freedom to attend events for sure it is definitely a curse sometimes. Good post as usual and I wish you continued good luck in your pursuits. Now I've got to stop slacking off and get back to coding on my game... ;) On the self-employed tax front, Turbo Tax online can definitely become your new best friend–well worth the $100 or less (sometimes you can even file online for free if you qualify for Intuits Tax Freedom guidelines!

I’ve been using it for the past 5 or 6 years now and it turned what used to be horrible paper form drudgery into simply filling out a java web app form (with animated green / red numbers as it computes your refund/what you owe on the fly!)

Basically you will be looking for terms like filing your ‘Schedule-C’ when you are self-employed. It is basically where you take all the data from the 1099s you’ll receive from companies that you filled a W2 out for. It really isn’t that bad once you get into it and an online program like Turbo Tax makes it for less worse then it used to be for me.

The only other major point is the quarterly estimates you have to file but unless you are making major bank the tax penalties were usually quite small for missing them when I was starting out years ago. I didn’t even realize I was supposed to file them the first year or so and it wasn’t really a big deal after all so stay calm… ;) Good you have all your records as that is very important.

As far as motivation goes I do remember it took me the first year or so of being self-employed to really sink in that if I didn’t get work done I wouldn’t get paid. I mean it sounds obvious but that first year or so it was really a slow learning curve until it became natural that it was up to me. Now, 5 years later I just have internalized the fact that this IS my job and it is far more natural to me than the thought of working for someone else. That seems alien now! Sounds like you’re doing good though and your logging your hours as your own boss so it should just continue to get more and more internalized as the months pass. I hear you on the problems of having that freedom to attend events for sure it is definitely a curse sometimes.

Good post as usual and I wish you continued good luck in your pursuits. Now I’ve got to stop slacking off and get back to coding on my game… ;)

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