7/21/09

Keeping Your Freelance Business Going when Things Go Wrong

Well it's been a while since I wrote in this blog - but a lot has happened in that time. My beloved aunt died, which saw me take a few days off to simply get my head around it all. She was young, vibrant, bubbly, intelligent, beautiful and more like a sister and a best-friend to me than an aunt. She was close to my age, so we kind of grew up together. I'll miss you more than you know, Tiana.

When I did feel up to working on my freelance stuff again, I switched on my computer and my hard drive decided it was time to die in sympathy. It went out in spectacular style, with some hissing and a little show of fireworks. It would have been pretty if it wasn't signifying the death of my work-machine.

Without my laptop, I can't work, which means I can't earn money. My computer is my most essential piece of work equipment.

While my computer was busy dying, it decided to fry my wireless modem as a bonus. Unfortunately, I also had my external hard drive hooked up to the machine because I was only backing up my files that same instant. Of course, my melodramatic computer decided to sizzle my external hard drive as well.

So for the past two weeks I've been frantically trying to replace my computer and get my internet connection up and running properly again, re-install software and programs I need to stay working, figure out the missing entries in my income spreadsheets, find files and articles that needed to be sent to clients, locate lost email addresses and then catch up on a back log of work that had gone past deadline during the crisis.

I bought two smaller computers and a new external hard drive. If one computer decides to go wrong, then I now have another in the study that contains just the essential business information (income spreadsheets, expenses, work schedules etc).

This also meant that I was behind with my work load by several days. I spent five days just writing at double time to catch up to where I should have been.

Now the work files are operating again, I realize that I'm missing some of my most cherished photos of my daughter and my aunt together.

A computer wiz is working hard to retrieve my information off the external hard drive right now for me - but I learned that if you truly value your freelance writing business, you'll remember to back up everything very regularly.

9 comments:

Morgan Drake Eckstein said...

Your computer failure made my recent one look nice in comparsion.

Sorry to hear about your aunt's death.

ebele said...

I'm sorry you lost your aunt, Bianca Raven. She sounds like she was special lady.

take care...

Main Account said...

Bianca, I'm sorry to hear about your Aunt.

Computers.....love and hate them. I know that I should backup my stuff everynight, but I am still intimidated by the thought.

However, since I have ventured out on my own, I have learned more computer related things. I can remember the days when I would just pick up the phone and call someone from the IT Dept. I can't do that anymore...

Here's wishing that things get back to normal in your life.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry about the loss of your aunt. I hope that you are able to replace/rescue the photos.

I lost a hard drive on two different occassions. Why can't they give us a warning instead of just imploding?

parsibagan said...

Hello Angel, Sorry to hear about your aunt's death. May her soul R.I.P.

As far as backing up essential data is concerned, would you please check this out?

http://www.getdropbox.com/

It has saved my skin on a couple of occasions.

Bianca Raven said...

Thank you all for your kind wishes. I miss my aunt and best-friend more than you could possibly know. She was my inspiration and closest confidante.

I have learned my lesson with computers and have two smaller computers now - both of which are backed up at the end of every day to an external hard drive for safety. Let's hope life goes back to normal from this point onwards. :)

parsibagan said...

SPAM ALERT! Don't these idiots have anything else to do???

Bianca Raven said...

Thanks again Parsibagan. I deleted the spam comment. You're like my own personal security guard!!

parsibagan said...

SPAM ALERT! please do the necessary, Bianca angel :)