Joshua Fulton is an experienced contractor, call center manager, and sales professional. He never thought freelancing would become a full-time opportunity until he found goLance. Joshua felt that living life in a "cubicle farm" was not his calling, and after working as a consultant in the CRM industry, he became a full-time freelancer and now leads a team on goLance.

World Meet Joshua Fulton– Our Featured goLancer …

INTERVIEWER: Where are you from, where do you live, and what are some of your interests?

JOSHUA: I'm from the town of Biddeford Pool, Maine. It's a little fishing village. My ancestors were some of the original settlers – my family has been here for almost 400 years. I had the privilege of being raised by my grandmother, who has the largest wild horse rescue east of the Mississippi river. It's known as Ever After Mustang Rescue, and I have put a lot of time and effort into it. I grew up saddle breaking mustangs. It was a blessed life.

You know how coastal communities in the Northeast get taken over by people from away (and the taxes increase)? I was amongst the last generation to have the privilege to grow up there. The small family homestead in Biddeford Pool has an astronomically high property tax rate, hence the fact that I landed in the town of Acton, Maine.

INTERVIEWER: What are some of your work experiences outside of freelancing?

JOSHUA: In my younger life, I started out as a contractor building houses. Before the crash of 2007/2008, I started to see the housing (market) go down. I sold my business. I ended up getting into call center work, and grinding out sales on the phone. I quickly moved up to management, and ended up managing 150-250 agents. I cut my teeth in direct response.

With my experiences on the affiliate side (of CRM) that's where I started to meet people like Michael Brooks and became involved with goLance and ResponseCRM. It really turned into something else. I started consulting on integrations, consulting on user interface on certain systems. It just took off from there.

Joshua with goLance's founder and CEO Michael Brooks. Michael is also the President of ResponseCRM, which utilizes certified goLancers for customer support.

INTERVIEWER: Was there a specific event that caused you to freelance?

JOSHUA: No one gets out of school and says "I want to go sell stuff." No one working in the direct response industry gets into it on purpose.

INTERVIEWER: So, you kind of fell into freelancing?

JOSHUA: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: How have your experiences been as a freelancer?

JOSHUA: Freelancing has really expanded my horizons. I've gotten to meet people from all over the world. I have gotten to develop new relationships. In my little corner of goLance, we've actually started to build a real culture. A lot of mutual respect and love. I work with Pavel Koshelev, he and I are like brothers. We get close, we introduce families, we've been on Skype. Our kids have played together through video streams.

INTERVIEWER: What impact has goLance made on your freelance career?

JOSHUA: I didn't have a freelance career before goLance.

INTERVIEWER: How do you keep current with the changes in the industry?

JOSHUA: You keep current by talking to people. You always find out something new everyday. If you wall yourself off and think that you're an island, you're going to lose.

You constantly have to be accepting new experiences and new information all the time: its what you do with it that matters.

INTERVIEWER: What would it take to give up freelancing?

JOSHUA: I would never give up freelancing.

INTERVIEWER: What are some of the lessons that freelancing has taught you?

JOSHUA: Freelancing has taught me to be a more patient man. And that you have to open yourself up and notice the cultural differences of the people that you are working with.

Joshua pictured with his wife Carol and their son Jack. The mustang is from Nevada and Joshua personally saddle broke the horse in his teens.

INTERVIEWER: What part of freelancing do you dislike, or wish you could change?

JOSHUA: That's a tough question.

INTERVIEWER: Take your time.

JOSHUA: (After a long pause) I wouldn't change anything about freelancing. It has it's ups and downs, but the benefits outweigh the negatives.

INTERVIEWER: What is your absolute favorite part about freelancing?

JOSHUA: I'm constantly meeting new people, and having new experiences. Life is short. Never deny yourself experiences; to meet different people, experience different cultures, and being able to go to different places.

INTERVIEWER: What advice would you give to your younger self?

JOSHUA: It doesn't happen overnight.

INTERVIEWER: Is this just for life in general?

JOSHUA: My grandfather used to tell me, and after he died it started to ring true, "Patience isn't just a little girl's name."

INTERVIEWER: Wow, that's really deep. It can be used for anything in life.

INTERVIEWER: What advice do you have for someone that wants to be a freelancer?

JOSHUA: Be open. Be open to what your skill level is. Be open to the different experiences and different jobs that could push you beyond your comfort zone. It will only make you grow.

INTERVIEWER: Is there anything else you’d like to touch base on?

JOSHUA: The funny thing is, people aren't their governments, people are all the same. Our concerns are all the same. We put our pants on one leg at a time, we make sure our children are OK, and our families are provided for...the basics of what really matters.

Why Did We Pick Joshua As the Featured goLancer?

Joshua knew that he wasn't meant to work in a cubicle for the rest of his life. He brings truth to the statement "Success is just outside of your comfort zone," and brings a level of patience and understanding that is necessary in order to succeed in this industry. He loves everything that freelancing has to offer, and has experienced more as a freelancer than he could have ever imagined if he continued working at a job. Joshua is a great example of how freelancing isn't the first career choice, but then becomes the best choice.

Where Can You Hire Joshua?

You can say "hello" to Joshua and hire him by visiting his profile on goLance.