Moving to a small town for lower costs almost wrecked my freelance business

Everyone said leaving Chicago for a cheaper place like Carbondale, Illinois would be a smart money move. I was skeptical but went for it, only to find my main client base dried up because I was no longer in easy reach for quick in-person meetings. It took me over eight months to rebuild a remote-only workflow that actually worked. Has anyone else faced this after moving away from a major hub?

4 comments

4 Comments

tessap972mo ago

Was it really that big of a deal though?

green.laura2mo ago

Well @tessap97, what would make it a big deal to you?

sanchez.ivan2mo ago

Look, tessap97, people are acting like it's the end of the world. It's just not that serious.

sanchez.ivan16d ago

Four months after I moved to a smaller town outside Denver, I lost three retainer clients because they wanted to meet in person for "strategy sessions" and I couldn't get there fast enough anymore. It's not like I vanished off the face of the earth, I just wasn't twenty minutes away by train anymore. But yeah, rebuilding that trust and proving remote work can be just as effective took way longer than I expected. Honestly though, is it really that big of a deal in the long run? Freelancing always has these ups and downs.