For those new to a tough economy, here's my story from 2008: I was laid off from the digital agency I worked at. I had been trying to find a new job for a whil

For those new to a tough economy, here's my story from 2008: I was laid off from the digital agency I worked at. I had been trying to find a new job for a while but no one was hiring at the income I needed to pay the mortgage on the house I just bought. So, I started my own digital agency. I tried to think of ways to make their model better/faster/cheaper. Better: I would routinely measure the impact of my work. Faster: I would do it myself, no teams slowing things down. Cheaper: I'd charge half of what my old company was charging. The business grew considerably despite the economic tough times. Everyone was looking for great work at cheap rates and I was willing to work long hours (8am - 3am for a few months to get off the ground). As the economy improved I hired a team, raised my rates and worked reasonable hours again. After 5 years it was a successful enough venture that I was able to sell the business. It's possible to make a great living in a bad economy, but you need some luck, some skill and a lot of hard work in my experience.