Recap of Season 11 of the Being Freelance Podcast
I’m writing this at the end of July 2020. Finally back in my cowork space.
Though it’s now covered in perspex screens and sanitiser. What a weird few months it’s been.
Being freelance isn’t always easy. But those who make a success of it are resilient and adaptable.
Big thanks to all of the guests who managed to show up for me during lockdown still brimming with positivity despite all that was going on.
Below is a summary of what freelancing is like for them right now.
Hope you get a chance to listen to them all!
Steve 🎧🍪
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The Being Freelance Podcast Season 11 - A recap of every episode
We kicked off the season at the end of April with Nadieh Bremer, whose first freelance client was Google.
Nadieh and a friend started a personal project and documented the process closely, sharing in-depth blog posts that explained the hows and whys behind their decisions.
Six months later, Google got in touch to ask if she’d like to work with them. Of course she she said yes - because she couldn’t not - and went freelance from there.
If you need an example to illustrate that sharing the process can = success, this is it!
Next was Paul Sutton, who reflected openly about a period of bunrout that reminded him just how crucial proper breaks are. I’m sure most of us have felt that at some point this year.
When he’s not taking time off to be with his young family, Paul keeps busy with a consultancy business, a podcast, a conference and an industry Slack group.
He chats about how each drives new business for him and how he manages his time with so much going on.
Helen Pollock shares her LinkedIn success story with a nod to season 10 guest, John Espirian.
After setting up her second business, a marketing and PR consultancy, Helen’s found a niche coaching entrepreneurs to write books. She does other work too and says she enjoys the variety of what she calls a “portfolio lifestyle”
She also reflects on her experience of making the “classic freelancer mistake” of undercharging.
Kingsley Nebechi says his only real competition is himself. He looks at what he’s done previously and then gets to work trying to double the outcome.
And his motto? To give 100% on everything he’s working on.
Kingsley talks about finding high profile clients, such as Nike and the BBC, and reflects on the way his business has grown organically through Instagram and word of mouth.
P.s. Kingsley’s Black Lives Matter illustration was featured on front cover of The Guardian Weekly recently - big congrats to him! See it on Instagram.
Skiing photographer Reuben Krabbe graduated during the 2008 financial crash. He’s found his own way since then without any staff jobs or an apprenticeship.
Reuben talks in detail about how he found work and clients at the beginning (and now), including through networking, pitching, making a film and forming a production company with other freelancers.
Reuben says: "You have to walk in the door asking yourself, ‘What can I do so you guys get so much value that, even if I get paid a lot, it looks like a deal?’"
Someone else who was keen for that sense of freedom from the beginning is Lina Forsgren. Lina’s been freelancing since college, where she founded a feminist communications agency with a friend.
She operates independently these days but still teams up with others for bigger projects.
She chats here about the speaking gigs that make her anxious for weeks and the community she created for women and non-binaries within the creative industry.
For Christian Tait, the lure of freelancing remained even after a couple of trial runs that didn’t work out.
On his third go around, Christian was determined to bring in his own clients rather than set up in the corner of an agency. And - third time lucky - he’s made that happen.
He chats about what working at home with his wife (a fellow freelancer) is like, and explains why he spends his Fridays playing on tractors at the local nature reserve.
Related: 5 proven ways to get your first freelance clients
This episode, with Eman Ismail, is full of practical tips for freelancers, particularly copywriters.
Eman was managing the communications department at a small charity before she went freelance. She was learning a lot on the job but the commute was a killer. Out of the house from 8am - 8pm, she was exhausted and missing her young son.
These days, work-life balance looks a lot better for Eman. Plus she’s finding time to continue her professional development with courses, mentorships and masterminds that fit in around life and client work.
For Rafal Tomal, balance became important when he found his days filling up with project management tasks rather than design work. He walked away from an agency he’d formed with friends so he could spend more time doing what he loves.
Rafal talks about finding clients, growing an email list, selling digital products and courses, and figuring out what to say no to.
When Steve Zavitz started out, he had dreams of building a name for himself as an action sports photographer. But with little money to be made in his sport of choice, Steve soon turned to the food industry and began shooting for restaurants instead.
These days, he has a portfolio of work spanning both niches and he picks up marketing and design work on the side.
He explains how he presents the two sides of his work online in a way that appeals to both types of client. He also talks about finding work, figuring out what to charge and trying to move on from Instagram and YouTube.
Museum Freelance’s Marge Ainsley joined us at the start of July to tell her freelance story. Marge does a lot to support other freelancers in the Arts & Heritage sector, but how has her own freelance business developed?
After she took some time out to reflect on ten years being freelance, Marge discovered the power of choice. The choice to work with clients who have the same values. To take a month off every summer. To start a second business that fills a creative hole.
“For years and years I just was tied to my desk, and I felt guilt for having a lunch break or not being there 24/7 during the holidays. It was a revelation having someone say to me ‘Who are you waiting for permission from?’”
From part-time, on-the-side freelancer to founding an agency that employs over a dozen people, Ross Simmonds has spent the last eight years building his reputation and his business.
He was living in his parents’ basement in Nova Scotia when he began building up a roster of small, local clients. Over time, his portfolio grew to include Fortune 500 companies and some of the fastest-growing startups in the world.
“If you can come in with value,” says Ross, “you’re less intimidating. Add value before you ask for it.”
And finally, we finished off the season with Sarah Townsend, whose book, Survival Skills for Freelancers, is the Being Freelance Book Club’s summer read.
Sarah’s freelance life began back in 1999 after the arrival of her first child. Unsure how to be a mum or run a business, Sarah struggled and says it took her far too long to get to where she is now, mostly because she didn’t have the business skills she needed.
She chats to Steve about getting your prices right, learning to find balance and putting boundaries in place.