I'm knee deep in a big project.

It's reached that point where the initial excitement has worn off and now it's crunch time.

Staying focused is a top priority, so here's what I'm doing to help with that:

I used to spend a large portion of my time trying to avoid any of the following:

❌ Sending messages that have typos.(omg the horror if people were to learn I'm NOT PERFECT!!)

❌ Asking a "dumb" question.(omg what if people think I'm stupid!!)

❌ Being anything but uber cooperative and "nice."(omg what if people think I'm a bad person!!)

One of the most common questions in get in my DMs is:

➡ "How can I become a freelance project manager?"

First things first: I would like to point out there are quite a lot of angles to this question. If this is something you are pondering, I suggest you get more targeted with your question to produce the answers you are seeking. 

Second, the journey looks different for everyone! There is no magic formula. It takes time and work.

Here are some things I would encourage you to consider:

How do you go from being caught in analysis paralysis to confidently making smart decisions?

If you are working on a project or initiative where the steps aren't always clear, you may have wondered this yourself.

You don't want to make bad decisions, but you also don't want to be that person who can't make up their mind for fear of potential outcomes.

Here are a few suggestions to help guide you through making more confident decisions:

When I was 25 I founded a business, but then literally GAVE IT AWAY 3 years later because I didn't know how to scale.That's right, I gave away my paying customers, which sounds absolutely insane when I say it out loud.

I had built more than I realized and could have leveraged what I had to create more, but instead I felt lost, confused, and burned out.

I existed in a vacuum and didn’t know how to change that.

“I can’t move forward because I am waiting on a response from a stakeholder. What should I do?”

I get this question a lot. And I understand, I’ve been there.

Being at the mercy of someone else’s decision to participate can leave you feeling helpless.

Here’s what I recommend:

Interviews can be daunting, and particularly interviews at startup are known for being long, unpredictable, and intense. As a startup project manager, you will be faced with interview questions ranging from the product management side of the spectrum, to leadership, to technical expertise.

As some employees go back to the physical office, many startups and small businesses have decided to permanently make the move to remote work. Along with this decision comes the opportunity to more carefully examine work habits, and adjust to fit the new normal. And, as a startup project manager, it's imperative to learn healthy and productive remote working habits to succeed in your role.

Putting out fires sounds so…unpleasant. If someone asked me if I wanted to do that, I would probably feel reluctant, resentful, and a host of other negative things! What if we had an alternative phrase to use when responding to these unexpected, urgent needs that inevitably arise in all of our workplaces?

I’ve mentioned before that as a Startup Project Manager, you will likely be the most cross functional team member that has ever existed! This is because at the core you are a communication facilitator between departments that are typically made up of people with very different personalities and ways of working.

One of my favorite past times is listening to audiobooks and podcasts about tech, startup, and leadership - specifically in the product management space. Historically, my work has had a lot of overlap in this area, and I have a particular interest in how to become better at this piece which is often closely tied to startup project management.

I want to share the three questions I was asked over and over in interviews with different tech companies. If you are preparing for a project manager interview, or just want some insight into this field, then this post is for you!

I recently listened to a Seth Godin interview where he shared some wisdom of his entrepreneurial journey. One comment in particular stood out to me, when he suggested that entrepreneurs don’t follow a roadmap, instead, they follow their compass.

Project Management itself may sound like a pretty clear job - - after all, it’s defined by process and organization, so how messy can it get?

It’s widely known that the Japanese company, Toyota, is an excellent example of lean manufacturing. Recently, I was reading about a concept Toyota employs called “genchi gembutsu,” which is translated in English as “go and see for yourself.”

If you work in a technical field then you are likely familiar with the overwhelming variety of options for project management software.

If you haven’t checked out LinkedIn Learning, I highly recommend giving it a glance. Once I started browsing the course content, I realized what a gold mine this platform is.

The book “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries defines a startup as “a human institution designed to create a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.” Ries offers the idea that a startup can exist just the same within a large corporation as it can in a Silicon Valley garage.

Project management is first and foremost about communication. It’s about listening to stakeholders, asking questions to clarify goals and expectations, then forming a well-defined scope around this discovery.