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Chaotic. Anxiety-inducing. Exciting.
That’s what the first 90 days of Heartwood Agency felt like.
When I was suddenly out of a job, I did the only thing I knew: kept showing up. The next morning I went to the office like it was a normal day. No plan—just momentum.
Those early weeks weren’t about code; they were about building a business: finding the right clients, saying no when I wanted to say yes, managing cash flow and taxes, deciding how to spend each hour, and knowing when to bring the right people on.
The biggest shift was moving from contractor to builder. A business has a name, a purpose, values—and a responsibility to people.
The stress is real, but it feels different when you’re steering the ship.
If you’re in your own “day one,” keep moving. Work creates clarity.
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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