This one really hits home with me Nathan. I’ve struggled with the craftsman vs. entrepreneur dilemma for years. I’ve written about it here, here, and here, yet despite all that thinking on the subject I’m not much closer to finding the right balance.

I love doing design work. I’m not interested in becoming a project manager or salesperson. I want to get my hands dirty with the creative stuff, not with meetings and personnel management. And I am too much of a perfectionist to trust others to do my work. That’s why I’m good at what I do and have earned a great reputation, but it’s also why I struggle to find ways to grow my freelance business.

Yet I’ve always been entrepreneurial too. That one of the reasons I chose a freelance career. But our culture is obsessed with growth, and I feel I need to grow my business too. Plus who wouldn’t want a bit more money from a little less effort?

It’s a struggle I’ll keep working on for years to come. But I know I’ll never stop being a craftsman first and foremost.

Thanks for your insights.