Good for you ! There's nothing more thrilling then working on your own products. And nothing nicer then having products selling while your working on new products. It's called freedom. One thing I realized today is that if you combined passion with inspiration you can have a lot fun and still learn and stretch yourself to the next level. Good Luck man!

@amber -thanks a lot. Actually, I saw what you were doing after our meeting and it motivated me to have a plan we will see how it goes.

So, have you considered Android development? No Apple to deal with and very open, it has a lot of appeal. Maybe we should talk again, meet up for lunch sometime?

Rob,

I came across your blog via a quick google on getting Instant Rails up and running (I'm a .net dev wanting to kick rails' tires) to the newest version. With that said, I don't really know you, but I can certainly relate.

I started a 'company' (mostly me freelancing under an umbrella) while in college and maintained it for about 3 years. The entire time I was working with it, I kept telling myself that I would 'get around' to all of the ideas for web apps I had lined up. With the falling economy, I ended up having to forgo my company and instead work as a full-time contractor. Its not an ideal solution by any means, but as soon as I finish up the last project I have remaining (a non profit system built for free to boot) I hope to devote a lot more time to personal projects.

Even though I dislike working with 1 client, it does free up time in a lot of ways. A great deal of effort in freelancing is put into accruing new work. Whether it is actually putting on the boots and hitting the street, meeting to discuss preliminaries, or just having a casual chat to demonstrate continued interest in their gig - it all takes time.

Sorry for the rather long-winded comment, but essentially all I'm saying is good luck. I hope it all works out for ya.

@Rob, I am signed up for the android marketplace, but have not started anything with the platform. Definitely on the lunch, really heads down right now, but soon..

Good luck, Rob. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your new products.

I share a similar goal. I want to acquire 25% of revenues from product(s) this year.

Amy Hoy actually just did a decent workshop on how to get started. It was a good use of time. I'm reviewing some of her PDF materials now. Might be a good start as a framework to take you through the process.

@Chance - thank you for the thoughtful comment. You understand perfectly well what I am referring to and can appreciate the challenge. I admit that my plan for products were a bit dashed in 2009 because of the economy. It certainly was a challenge in the first part of the year.

The good thing is our ideas don't die and we can return to pursuing our dreams. Freelancing is simply an means to and end and you can easily pick up where you left off. I hope you do. I would like to hear how it goes, email me directly if you prefer.

@Dan Thank you, good luck to you. I didn't realize you were moving toward products. Any details you can share?

I heard about Amy's workshop, wish I could have attended. Are those materials available from her for anyone or only attendees?

2009 was great for me too! I made my own website and finally started making a little extra cash on the internet! I also graduated highschool! and start college :)