Working for yourself is an extremely romantic idea. It's all about taking the leap, chasing your dreams, and building a life you love, isn't it? At the heart of it, this is absolutely the sunny side of being self-employed. But not every day ends up feeling this way.

The Self-employed illusion

I've been working for myself for just about 10 months now. At first the freedom was all but intoxicating. I mean, I get to work from home, I can wear whatever I want (most often yoga pants), and there's no onslaught of annoying meetings to keep me from doing the work I love. Amazing, right? At first it absolutely was.

After a while, however, it gets old. When the novelty wears off, working for yourself can get pretty lonely. I started feeling sloppy, anxious, and absolutely starved for company. It felt like I had to wait forever for my husband to get home, and yet I simultaneously felt like I was behind on everything and never had enough time. Couple that with not knowing where your next project is coming from, and you've got one stressed out mess of a girl.

Solving the Struggle

As you can probably tell, the struggle has been extremely real for me recently. I'm a firm believer in being very open about this journey (even the not-so pretty parts), so last week I took to Twitter and Instagram to talk about it. After sharing my own challenges, I was amazed at the overwhelming response I received.

As it turns out, so many freelancers and business owners share my dilemma. Better yet, many of them began sharing their own amazing stories, encouragement, and their answers to the solopreneur struggle. I wouldn't dream of keeping this wisdom to myself, so without further ado, I'm excited to share our answers with you!

Whether it's a logo and brand identity, package design, or a full website, professional design is an big, exciting investment. You've put a lot of thought into this decision. So now that you've decided to hire a designer, how can you be sure to get the most value for your time and money? Well, friend, these 7 tips will help you do just that!

Just as logo and brand files can be a bit confusing to implement, I've encountered more than a client or two that is totally baffled by their brand's color palette. Although they're absolutely smitten with their brand's new color scheme, it's all those color values that are the issue! Pantone, RGB, CMYK, and hex—what does it all mean? Which ones do you use for print? What about web? Does it really even matter?

Although it can be frustrating at first, it absolutely matters. Not to worry—your brand's color palette doesn't have to be another headache! I'm here to break down the different color terms you'll likely encounter in your brand guidelines so you know what they mean and how to use them.

The branding process takes an extraordinary amount of time, effort, and collaboration between designer and client. But what about all those mysterious final files? Too often they're just passed on as an afterthought with little explanation of where and when to use them.

So when should you use which file type anyway? What's the difference between web and high resolution? What if you need to use your logo over a photo? What then? Well, that's exactly what I'm hear to share today. So bear with me, and I'll do my best to shed some light on all those shiny new brand assets you can't wait to use!

So you're thinking about investing in a new logo and brand identity, huh? Congratulations!! This is such an exciting time and a huge step for your brand! So what's next? Well, whether you're starting from scratch with a new business or you're ready to take your existing business to the next level, it's essential to find the right designer for the job.

Granted, there are countless designers out there with all kinds of styles and stories, so how in the world are you supposed to find the right fit for your business and vision? Well, lucky for you I'm here with 6 steps that will guide you down the path to finding the best designer for your brand. Let's dig in!

There are two kinds of people in this crazy world—those that let life happen to them, and those that build the life they want to live and own the heck out of it. Most of us start out as the former.

Then one day, you wake up.

You realize you're tired of living in the shadows and talking about all the things you want to do instead actually of doing them. You're sick of window-shopping the life you want instead of creating it. You know you're capable of amazing things, and it's time to prove it.

A few years ago, things were getting pretty serious between Sam and I (my then-boyfriend, now-husband). We knew we wanted to tie the knot and settle down, it was just a matter of popping that question. Of course being a designer and a bit of a control freak, I insisted on picking out my own engagement ring. It took some serious convincing, but after weeks of persuasion Sam finally agreed.

We stopped at shops large and small. We scoured Jeweler's Row in Philly, but I was looking for a very specific combination of antique style with modern utility. I wanted just the right amount of ornamentation, a simple profile from the top, and to have it fit with a straight wedding band. As it turns out, this was a pretty tall order. Sam continued to be patient with me, even though he admitted at least one nightmare where I looked through an endless wall of rings and still couldn't find the one. Yeah, he's a trooper, my Sam.

After months of frantic searching, I still couldn't find exactly what I wanted. Then, finally, it occurred to me. If I couldn't find the right one, why couldn't I just make it myself? So that's exactly what I did.

A little over a month ago, I decided to participate in my first 30 day Bikram Yoga challenge. Bikram is the type of hot yoga where it's 105° and you practice the same flow of 26 postures each time. Keeping myself fit is super important to me, especially since I spend the majority of my week sitting behind a computer. Nothing seems to help relieve my back and shoulder pain quite like Bikram does. Beyond that, the meditation element leaves me feeling tired yet energized—excited yet calm. Needless to say, I'm hooked.

A 30 day challenge was a huge commitment for me. It was far from easy showing up day after day. But I really wanted it and I wouldn't allow myself to think that I couldn't do it. I just showed up one day, and then the next. It wasn't about dropping everything to religiously do 30 days of yoga. It was about integrating the yoga into my life (not the other way around) and showing up in the best way I could whenever I could. 30 days later, I consider this a serious personal breakthrough.

My Year of Breakthroughs

For me, 2016 has been a year of breakthroughs and 30 days of yoga is just one of them. Blogging weekly was a big one for me, as was taking the leap to start my business. It's not because I have magic powers or unfathomable talents that these things were possible for me. It's because I got sick of living my life in the shadows. I wasn't unhappy, but I wasn't overjoyed either and I want a joy-filled life. I wanted it bad enough, and dared to ask “why not me?” Most importantly, I stepped out from where I felt comfortable and I went for it.

Sure, it's downright terrifying to journey out into the unknown. But if you're not overjoyed with your current circumstances, I say it's worth the risk. I've been thinking a lot lately on what it takes to create your own breakthroughs and after some serious self reflection, I've realized these steps have been key for me. I hope they can bring some clarity to your own path and help you take that essential next step.

I used to have a very different picture of what my life would look like and who I'd be sharing it with. If I'm being totally honest, I always imagined that I'd marry another creative or designer like myself. I had this grandiose plan that we'd join forces and spend our days making incredible things together, with no discernible line between work and play.

Then I found Sam—a hard-working, strong-willed, volleyball-playing, IT guy with the absolute best heart. He wasn't what I'd always considered my “type” to be, but life's funny that way. Sam wasn't what I expected, but he's exactly what I needed.

When Form Marries Function

When it comes to how we operate, Sam and I are polar opposites. IT versus design. Function versus form. Logic versus emotion. I want to make everything beautiful, and he wants it to be as efficient and inexpensive as possible.

Our differences come up constantly, from decorating our home to planning getaways and even making quesadillas (mastering that 1st flip was quite the ordeal). Of course it can be a bit of a struggle, but our differences have also taught us both so much.

As we celebrate our first wedding anniversary and my first 6 months of owning a small business, I can't tell you how much I've grown. I've discovered so many parallels between my marriage and business, and my relationship with Sam has taught me so many priceless lessons I use constantly in my business. So without further ado, I'd love to share a few of my favorites.