I just got back from the most impactful conference I’ve been to in years.

“Double Your Freelance Conference” was an event targeting freelancers and consultancy owners across disciplines headed by the venerable Brennan Dunn. You could have guessed when I said the word “conference” that the speaker lineup would be impressive, that that would be correct — we had Brennan himself, Amy Hoy (300×50), Brian Casel (Productize), Kurt Elster (the Unofficial Shopify Podcast), Kai Davis as well as many new folks that for some reason I haven’t been exposed to (sorry if we met up at the conference and I didn’t get you in there!).

Getting away always gives me perspective, but this time it was different. Normally when I go to a conference I feel as though I’m looking up at the speakers from far away; they’re too busy to possibly get to know me and my real challenges. Not so this time; I felt up close to the speakers in a way I haven’t before at a conference.

Here’s why: I’ve followed these speakers and in some cases done business with them for over a year!

I’ve watched them all from a distance as they’ve made decisions and scaled their businesses…always impressed, and always wondering “just how did they pull that off?”. You will understand my eagerness to talk to them in person and understand how they “work magic” (insider reference to Sarah’s talk!).

What I hadn’t prepared for was the clarity I would gain about the opportunities staring me in the face, and the way I’ve been blocking my own progress.

Here’s what I discovered: these folks are working magic by doing things I already know but haven’t really been doing!

To summarize what I’m coming away with:

1. Focus on where I work magic (and never, ever work on anything else)
2. Put my best foot forward as-is (rather than perfecting the packaging)
3. Systematize and simplify (to deliver more in the same amount of time)

These may sound obvious to you (and they probably are obvious), but I haven’t been thinking this way. The last seven years of my life I’ve focused on perfecting Sellry’s delivery of an evolving suite of solutions to ecommerce merchants. By now, I’d like to think our work is pretty high quality.

Before this conference I could scratch my head and wonder. Now I have no excuse not to put into motion what I’ve learned.

Thanks, Brennan, and the rest of the gang, for getting our toes to the fire!