Allow the failures. They're the lessons - Brand and Marketing Designer Nik Jones
Ready for a career change in her mid-30s, Nik landed an internship with a local design company. She took a risk and went freelance soon after, with only 1 client on her books and no cash to back her up.
It worked for a while, and then Nik ended up back in employment with a boss she didn’t respect. It didn’t take long for her to return to the freelance world, and this time she came to it with fresh eyes.
Through working with a life coach to overcome burnout and tackle the psychological challenges that self-employment throws up, Nik’s found a way to make freelancing work for her.
It turns out you don’t need to wear shoes at home to trick your brain into thinking you’re at work. You just need to learn to say no.
MORE FROM NIK JONES
MORE FROM STEVE FOLLAND
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TRANSCRIPT OF THE BEING FREELANCE PODCAST WITH BRAND AND MARKETING DESIGNER NIK JONES AND STEVE FOLLAND
Steve Folland: As ever. How about we get started hearing how you got started being freelance?
Nik Jones: Yes. I've only been freelance for five years. Before that I was in an admin career for 20 years and I decided that if I carried on doing that, that I wouldn't have a soul basically. I loved doing a lot of it, but not enough of it. So mid thirties, or sort of early thirties, I decided to try and see how I could change things up and I always wanted to be a designer and I managed to get myself an internship with a local design company. And yeah, the company I was working for were really good. So they let me go off and do that and yeah, I became a freelance designer in 2014.
Steve Folland: So did you totally leave the company where you were doing admin and did the internship, or are you saying you did both at the same time?
Nik Jones: Yes. So it was a little transition. So the company that I worked for were quite a creative company anyway, but I was doing the admin for them, so they let me do a little bit of their sort of creativity, as well as allowed me a day a week to go off and do the internship. And that lasted for a year and a bit. So yeah.
Steve Folland: Wow. That is really decent of them.
Nik Jones: It was incredible. Yeah, it was incredible. Yeah.
Steve Folland: But they only got that opportunity, I guess, because you brought it up with them rather than just quitting?
Nik Jones: Yes. Yeah. So it was really good to be in a company that cared enough. I'd been there, by that time, about nine years. So we knew each other quite well.
Steve Folland: So at the end of that year, what then happened? You left your admin job and went to work for the other company?
Nik Jones: Obviously it wasn't as sort of slick as that. No so the company I worked for were a web design company and during that time I realized that actually web design wasn't where I wanted to be, but they helped me, introduced me to people and it was a huge community and I got to know lots of designers and got lots of mentoring. And I got my first gig through that and it went from there. So the ball started rolling quicker. And then I got to a point where I was like, okay, I'm ready now to leave this career and move into this career. And I took lots of risks, but it paid off.
Steve Folland: So did you go freelance straight away?
Nik Jones: Yes. With nothing, apart from a client? Nope. No spare money. It was crazy.
Steve Folland: But through doing web design, you decided that that wasn't what you focused on?
Nik Jones: Yes, yeah.
Steve Folland: So when you launched yourself as a freelancer, how did you go about getting those clients?
Nik Jones: Well as I say, because it was a community, I was getting lots of contacts through that. And it turned out that I had more of a flare for sort of branding and the graphic side of it. And yeah, it just sort of went from there. I got clients via the people that I was working for.
Steve Folland: I guess if we rewound and looked at your site and who Nik was back then, how were you putting yourself across?
Nik Jones: I think it was being in the right place at the right time actually. I can't really remember myself, back then, that feels like years ago, even though it was only like, I don't know seven maybe. Yeah, I honestly can't remember her. She's dead to me.
Steve Folland: That's funny that, so you feel like being freelance has changed you?
Nik Jones: Oh my God, 100%. I've got myself a life coach because I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning, as we all do, and I've really learned from them. And yeah, I do feel like I am a completely different person to who I was.
Steve Folland: Going back to how you were finding your clients and building your business right at the beginning. Was that it then? Just word of mouth?
Nik Jones: Yes. The first project I ever did, I'm still really proud of it even though you know it's a bit rough around the edges. It's something that was pretty big in Bath, where I come from, at the time and I'm really proud of it. And that sparked off people seeing who I was and yeah, I got clients through that. It wasn't a linear path. I think after that I then got a job, a sort of freelance job, but it was more of a kind of going into an office and doing the freelance work for a company that did, I can't remember what you call them, they're like property leaflets. So, you know, you get the leaflets through the door that says, Oh, are you interested in selling your property? And we can help you. And that sort of thing. I did that for a bit. Yeah. So I'd sort of taken a few different turns to work out what it is I wanted to do.
Steve Folland: And how did you find the, I guess running a business side of it, because presumably you were pretty organized if you'd been doing admin that long.
Nik Jones: Exactly. Yeah. I think, yeah, my admin side definitely helped. And obviously the later part of that career I was office manager so I was looking after a lot more of the in depth stuff. I was looking after staff and all that. And whilst I don't have staff, you learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about how to manage stuff from that. So that definitely helped. And I'm still pretty organized today.
Steve Folland: Are you somebody who has lots of systems in places or how do you stay organized?
Nik Jones: I try and keep it as minimal as I can, especially now that I'm working on my own. When I was working for people, I was really good at creating systems and putting them all into place and all that. But I find I get really bogged down by the processes and apps and all that crap. So I've got it down to an absolute minimum and that's the way I like it.
Steve Folland: What's your minimum? So you avoid apps?
Nik Jones: I try and avoid apps, yeah. Well I use Slack and I use Bear app for notes and that's pretty much it. It's really easy. It's like basically going to the old days. When I first started working, we didn't have apps, you learn how to adapt to not having apps. I mean, I'm kind of addicted to technology, but I don't really enjoy having them kind of barking at me all the time. So I've always got my notifications off, so I keep it as minimal as I can.
Steve Folland: When it comes to your finances and stuff, do you go to spreadsheets?
Nik Jones: Okay. Yeah, I mean, when it comes to ... The first thing that I did when I became freelance was got myself an accountant. Because I can't do maths at all. That is one side of the admin thing that I was never in charge of, ever. People realized that I wasn't that good at that. So yes, I do use Free Agent for that.
Steve Folland: Okay. So there's one friendly app, but the rest of it you just try to ignore?
Nik Jones: I try to avoid. Yeah. I've tried using productivity apps and Trello and all that, but I just find I get bogged down with all the lovely pictures that you can, you know...
Steve Folland: So has your business changed over time over the past five years, or whatever it is?
Nik Jones: Yeah, it's gone through a few iterations. I think a couple of years ago I had a bit of a tough time. I hired a life coach to kind of help me and it turned out that actually I needed more help with my personal stuff rather than the business stuff. And that's where we sort of headed off and I decided actually, I'm going to get a job because I can't concentrate on that. So I went off and got a job and realized I hated it and it made me really appreciate being a freelancer. So definitely worth doing. Because now I'm really determined. So yeah.
Steve Folland: What was it about being a freelancer that you missed when you went into that job?
Nik Jones: Oh, everyone's going to know what the answer is to this. The freedom, obviously, not working for someone. Can I say this? Possibly not. Sometimes you have bosses that you don't really respect. And this happened at this particular point, and working for myself is absolutely bliss, not having to answer to people that I don't respect. So cut that out if you want. But that's the truth. It's the truth.
Steve Folland: So when was that then? When did you step back in and how long for?
Nik Jones: That was about two years back, I think. And I was only out for about say two or three months. I realized, yeah.
Steve Folland: That was enough, it made you want to-
Nik Jones: Yeah.
Steve Folland: And so what changes did you put into place?
Nik Jones: In what way?
Steve Folland: To get you back on track? Or was it more just that it was your personal life rather than the work life and it was figured ... because the two become so intertwined.
Nik Jones: They really do. They really do. Yeah. I think, at that point, because I was changing so much of the personal stuff it helped me change my work attitude as well. And also having that job also helped me change my work attitude as well. Because I was becoming stale and at that point, I don't think I was in any sort of freelance groups. I hadn't met any of you guys and I hadn't met any of the Contact Club people and I was very alone and that was proving kind of difficult as well. It felt a bit like I re-emerged anew, if that makes sense. I rebranded at that point.
Steve Folland: When you came back to it, was that when you started to discover online communities?
Nik Jones: Yes, I think so. I can't remember the exact timelines, but it felt a bit like I had different eyes, if that makes sense? And I was looking at it differently and taking it more seriously. And yeah, the groups popped up. So maybe the universe was providing me with the peeps.
Steve Folland: So you found a community online. Did you try and find community locally?
Nik Jones: Yes, I had a little look around, the town that I used to live in, I set up my own photography group, which is still running and I feel very proud of that. And the community there is amazing. The town that I now live in, I've got met with some really odd reactions to asking whether there was freelance community groups existing, or if I could set one up. And a guy responded with we have enough. So it put me off, it put me off to be fair. Right?
Steve Folland: Wow. Well you tried. Okay.
Nik Jones: I did. And honestly, I can't be dealing with that.
Steve Folland: But we were talking about how your business evolved. So partly it evolved out of going back in and coming back out. So has it changed since then?
Nik Jones: Yeah, well I guess it has, because at the moment I'm predominantly working for Unsplash, in a freelance capacity, doing the odd brand job here and there.
Steve Folland: Oh right. So as in they're your client, you're doing design work for them?
Nik Jones: No, no, no. So back, I think about a year or so ago, it was after the disastrous working for somebody thing, they were advertising for people to become keyworders, and that's something that I used to do at the company that I worked for before, in my admin thing, because they were a cartoon image library. So I got a job with them doing that along with a few other people. And that came to an end last year, I believe. Then another thing came up and because they knew of me, they came to me directly and said they want some help with submission. So all the images that come in, I go through and put them into their state. So I help Annie with all of that.
Steve Folland: Oh wow. Are you a photographer? Did you have a link to Unsplash in the first place?
Nik Jones: I was a photographer for a bit and I did some commercial work. I wanted to see if I could become a photographer, and eventually found I ended up hating photography because I had to do it for a job. So I decided I'm not going to do it commercially, I'm just going to do it for my own fun. That was when I set up the photography group in the town that I used to live in, which is still running. Yeah. So since then I've been taking photos as a hobby, since. And yes, I upload to Unsplash. But, as I say, because I got the tagging job, they knew of me and what I could bring. So they approached me to help Annie with the submissions.
Steve Folland: And so how does that fit alongside your design work that you're doing?
Nik Jones: At the moment it's predominantly Unsplash. That is pretty much full time that I'm doing that. And if I get a brand job in I'll do that alongside, so I can shift my hours about and make it work. But yeah, it's predominantly Unsplash at the moment.
Steve Folland: I must say. I do love ... like you share a lot of your photography on, I guess probably Twitter.
Nik Jones: Twitter.
Steve Folland: But what I like about when you're sharing your photography on Twitter is that you, obviously that's not what you're marketing yourself as, as a brand and marketing designer, and yet it gets across, I don't know, a sense of style. Yeah, I think it speaks volumes about you and your work despite not actually being your branding work.
Nik Jones: Yeah. That's really nice to hear. Thank you.
Steve Folland: And how about the way you've positioned yourself, because I love your website. How has that changed over time?
Nik Jones: Oh gosh. Well I've had a couple of names. Previous to Hello, I'm Nik was a mixed media, which looking at it now, it's ridiculous. What the heck was I thinking? That didn't last very long. And obviously, as you grow as a person, the business will grow as well. You are your business. So yeah. Then I became, Hello, I'm Nik, which is friendly, it's open. And my previous logo was a little bit more playful than the one that I have now. So the one that I have now is more kind of professional, I would say. But also it shows that I've grown. If you look at the sort of timeline, you can see how much I've kind of grown.
Steve Folland: How did you find that process of rebranding yourself?
Nik Jones: It's so hard. When you're branding or rebranding somebody else you can step away from it, you can have all the information in front of you and there's no emotions attached to it. And obviously there's the challenges and stuff, but when you're doing it for yourself, all the emotions are in there. You want it to be 100% perfect. And because I'm a perfectionist, honestly, it's the hardest thing.
Steve Folland: How do you find balancing work and life now?
Nik Jones: A lot easier. Yeah. I went through a few stages of burnout in the beginning. That was when the life coach really came into her own because she deals with that side of things. And another thing that's really helped with that is, is knowing my worth and knowing when to say no. And honestly the learning how to say no was probably, I would say the biggest lesson that I learned. Because I'm a people pleaser, so I like to just be like, yay, I can do all the things and it doesn't work when you're a business person, at all.
Steve Folland: You work from home, right?
Nik Jones: I do, yeah. Some days get kind of lonely so I'll go to the local library, sit there and do some work.
Steve Folland: Do you give yourself a structure or, because it can be possible just to get up and just work all day.
Nik Jones: Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it's just become really ingrained now. When I first started freelancing, I made a point of always wearing clothes, obviously not my pajamas like people think, and shoes and not slippers, or bare feet, because it gave me the feeling that I was working. So I always wore shoes at my desk at home. But obviously now it's very different and it's more relaxed. But yeah. So my day is I'm able to do some work, take breaks and yeah, it's just become normal now.
Steve Folland: I like the psychological thing of the shoes.
Nik Jones: Yeah. Honestly, it worked for me.
Steve Folland: See for me, when I work from home it's like, Oh I'll get to wear my slippers.
Nik Jones: It is like that for me now. It's brilliant.
Steve Folland: And now I'm wondering about taking another pair, because I've, in the past year or so, moved into a co work space, and I wonder about taking a pair of slippers into there, and whether that would look weird.
Nik Jones: Why not? I bet everybody will be following suit as soon as you do it.
Steve Folland: Join the slipper club, before you know it though I'll have a little dressing gown or like a freelancers robe.
Nik Jones: In the corner.
Steve Folland: What would you say have been the biggest challenge of being freelance?
Nik Jones: The psychological side? 100%. I didn't anticipate it being so tough and I don't think anybody really does. And I'm seeing a lot of articles now, and Dave Smith has done a couple, about how it's not for everybody. Because you see the glamor and the glitz on Twitter and stuff. But actually, the learning how to say no, the valuing yourself, the perfectionism that I went through, all the burnout that I went through. It was really tough and that's why, I think I wrote something on that not that long ago about, actually, the practical side of it is the easy bit, the psychological side. Ugh, yeah. Tough.
Steve Folland: How have you got around that?
Nik Jones: Life coach.
Steve Folland: Okay. I need to ask you more about the life coach as well. Because, I think I mentioned this to Hillary a few weeks back, I'm intrigued as to how you know when a coach might be right for you.
Nik Jones: I personally am a huge fan of therapies and counseling. I've had some personal stuff back years ago, I had quite a bit and it really helped me. I don't know if that helps everybody, but I would absolutely urge people to at least look at it. I think a lot of people, a lot of people are kind of scared or you know, they don't want to kind of delve too deep and all that. I love it. I absolutely really enjoy it. So it works for me. I would heartily recommend it.
Steve Folland: And how did you find a life coach?
Nik Jones: This particular one was recommended to me by a friend who is kind of similar to me in thinking, she's very kind of open minded about lots of stuff and we're kind of similar on that and we just clicked, me and this woman that I use. And yeah, it's been brilliant. I've been with her for two years. Don't use her that often now but back in the early days it was every week. And incredible, yeah. And not all life coaches are that, you've got to be really careful and do a lot of research. And normally they'll give you kind of like an hour of a taster. It's always worth doing that to sort of get to know the person and whether you're going to click with them.
Steve Folland: Yeah, that's really interesting. You obviously decided, first of all, to change your life by leaving admin and becoming a designer that you wanted to be. Are you somebody who continues to look forward?
Nik Jones: Yes. I want to keep growing as a person. That to me is really important and I think that comes across in my business, because obviously the person I was about five years ago isn't who I am now. As I'm getting older, it's getting slower. But I think having an open mind to things and trying new things and allowing the failures is really important. Even as you're getting older.
Steve Folland: Allowing the failures.
Nik Jones: Yes. I'm really not comfortable with failing, even now. But you have to allow the failures, because they are the lessons
Steve Folland: Now, if you could tell your younger self one thing about being freelance, what would that be?
Nik Jones: Don't listen to your dad. That's what I would tell her. My dad is all very kind of earn money, grind your day, do normal things. And he's never really understood me and my brothers need to be different. And my brother was self employed for a lot of years. He isn't now, but he was. And he never understood it. I wanted to be a graphic designer back when I was young and he was like, no, you don't want to go to university. Just go to college, work a job that you'll get money in for the rest of your life. Yes, it worked. It was fine. And I got money and I was dead solely and yeah, don't listen to your dad.