The Importance of Stalking Your Peers

Maybe stalking isn’t the right word.

I’m talking about keeping tabs, but digging deep, on other freelancers, entrepreneurs, designers, developers… your peers in your industry.  And not only the “rockstars”, but your true peers.  The ones who seem to be on the same level as you in terms of career goals, reputation, etc.

This is an integral part of what I do

Every few weeks, I try and take the time to seek out a freelance web designer I haven’t heard about before.  Sometimes I come across their name by accident via twitter or elsewhere.  Sometimes I find them while browsing for design inspiration (the majority of sites featured in gallery sites are designer’s blogs).  Sometimes I actively seek them out.  The FreelanceSwitch freelancer directory is an awesome resource for this.  Sortfolio aint bad either.

Once I find someone interesting, with a similar background as me, I start reading their recent blog posts.  Then I follow them on Twitter and scroll down through their tweets a bit.  Then I come back to their blog and dig through the archives, scanning and reading articles like if I keep doing it I’m going to win something (when in reality, I’m just burning away what little time I have left in my work day!).  I’m trying to learn their story, what they’ve done to get to this point, and where they’re going.

Sound creepy yet?

I think one of the key factors that drives me forward as a business owner and entrepreneur is my obsessive hunger for information.  I listen to podcasts while I work and watch video interviews on a daily basis.  I read Inc magazine cover to cover.  I bought a kindle so that I can read everywhere I go – that is when I’m done reading my RSS feeds on my iPhone.

Just as it’s important to stay on top of trends and happenings in the industry as a whole, it’s also important to see what others in the trenches are up to.  This is where I get my real inspiration and cultivate ideas for how I can move my business forward.  Seeing what others are doing and have done up to this point is one of the best ways to stay on your toes, keep the inspiration alive, and keep going.

Learn to love archives pages

Archives pages are one of the most important, yet undervalued pages in a blog.  They tend to be one of the last things we think about when designing a WordPress theme or reading a blog.  But there is so much to learn just by browsing through an archive page of a blog that’s been around for some time.

You can compare and contrast how their stories differ from the past to the present.  You can see how their writing style has developed.  You get an idea of the major events that happened in their career up to this point.  You can find the lessons they learned and shared based on those events.  And most importantly you can relate their past and present to your own path and draw inspiration for how you’re going to move forward.

Love your work.  Love your business.  Obsess over it.  But don’t forget to remain equally passionate about watching and learning from others.