Being Freelance

This time we're off to South Africa to hear the freelancing story of writer Shea Karssing.

Shea was changing jobs every couple of years. Boredom setting in again.
Taking freelance projects on the side to keep things interesting, she eventually realised she didn’t need a ‘job’ after all.

In this episode we chat about
- setting boundaries
- building a business without relying on social media
- working from home
- building a one-on-one netwo...

Meet multifaceted designer and illustrator and one-person agency, Andy Hau. 

Andy shatters the typical freelance mold by sharing his unique journey from architecture to the wide world of design, revealing how a chance encounter with musician Imogen Heap kickstarted his career in a new direction. 

Andy discusses the challenges of marketing yourself, the evolution of social media in bringing him opportunities, and the importance of spe...

Age doesn't matter.

Until it does.

Until you get the feeling people won't hire you anymore because you're too old.

For Mary, she was 58. From New Zealand, but having spent 30 years in Australia in 'normal' full time jobs.

Faced with ageism, she realised maybe it wasn't just that the interview panels didn't want her. Maybe she didn't want them anymore either. Maybe it was time for a change. To reinvent herself.

Someone suggested being a ...

James Barnard shares his journey of becoming a freelancer and the strategies he uses to find clients and grow his business. 

He emphasises the importance of niche specialisation. When James focussed on logo design it made it much easier to attract clients. 

Steve and James discuss pricing strategies in attracting the right clients. When to first discuss budget. And how James uses forms and a CRM to help him filter who will be a good ...

Dan went freelance twice. First for creative freedom. Secondly to free him up for his family.

Starting out as a designer for McDonald's but wanted a more varied diet of projects. With a lot of time freelancing in agencies, Dan learnt to stand out, be indispensable and build relationships to expand his chance of finding work. He also flexed himself creatively with illustration side projects (after college tutors said he’d never make ...

From big cat zookeeper to taming words as a freelance copywriter, Adri's freelancing story starts a little differently. Burnout led to her quitting the zoo before even securing a paying client. A persistence in cold emailing, dealing with rejections that would have made many give up has led to warm relationships and a niche in emails themselves.

Adri shares her approach to cold and warm emailing. And discusses the way she pays atten...

This time we're off to India to chat to self taught Logo & Brand Identity Designer Blesson Varghese.

We cover the importance of networking, 'silent' mentors, balancing work and life, and the challenges faced by freelancers in a society that doesn't yet fully value creative professions. 

Additionally, Blesson shares insights on his approach to handling clients and projects, and his continual quest for learning in his field

JOIN THE C...

Meet VA & Social Media Assistant Erin Buck. Not that she knew what that was 5 years ago.
But then, she was happy working in a school. She didn't need to know.

But then a twinge in Erin's back turned her world upside down.

Nerve damage could left her housebound, watching daytime TV. 
Instead she propelled herself into an online business world she hadn’t known existed.

Erin’s optimism, hard work and ability to figure things out, won out.

S...

Early success on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork led to Andréa expanding her services and horizons. Using video and podcasts she built trust. She also built an agency.

Dealing with the challenges of managing a team, working around family, and staying focussed in a world of shiny objects.

With the 'Savvy Social' Podcasts, YouTube, Membership, courses, retreat… as Andréa points out: it can be summed up quickly, but it happened slowly…...

In this episode, Steve catches up with previous guest Rebecca Shipham, a freelance exhibition designer with 13 years of experience. 

They first spoke for the Being Freelance podcast in October 2015 - you can hear how Rebecca got started by listening to that.

Here we are, eight years on - time to hear what happened next, through the challenges and rewards of working directly with clients, her strategies for attracting and maintaining ...

In 2014 Eddie started the Very Good Copy blog. Using it to educate himself, to explore copywriting techniques whilst working in-house. But he wasn’t the only one reading it. As it grew in popularlity, people started reaching out, offering him work.

He turned them down. Until eventually in 2020, an opportunity came along that was too good to refuse. So he quit his job and went full-time-freelance.

In our conversation Eddie shares the ...

From starting as a PR freelancer to accidentally heading a small agency, working with her husband and then transitioning back into solo freelancing, Lucy shares the challenges she's faced along the way - both professional and personal.

As the creator of ‘Hype Yourself’, we hear how showing up daily even in her darkest days has built Lucy’s reputation. But maybe she wouldn’t quite do it all the same again. This episode is practical, ...

Study, determination, and a knack for design were going to take Robert out of his poor upbringing in South Africa. But the death of his brother, drew him back again. To help young people see a brighter future for themselves, he needed time. To have time, he needed to go freelance.

Faced with the daunting reality of having to survive without savings or a backup plan just one month before COVID kicked in, Robert shares how he made the...

Hannah wondered how the people she met whilst travelling could afford to travel non-stop. It turned out, they were freelancers.

And so began a journey into figuring out how she could make that happen, whether she’d like it when she did - and finding her niche along the way. Now back in the UK, she is ‘Hannah from Shiny Happy Digital Design’.

Happy when working. Happy when on holiday. Happy to put her prices on her site thanks very mu...

Joel was originally on the Being Freelance podcast in November 2015.

Now it’s time to catch up on the intervening 8 years. As he’s gone from a single solo copywriter to being a married father and founder of a company.

We hear how Case Study Buddy grew out of a freelancing side project into a company with major clients and seven figure revenue. But is the grass greener? 

From freelance to founder - Did being his own boss set him up wel...

Sam was drawn to freelancing when the bar he pulled pints for, asked him to design a poster.

The writing was on the wall. Well, it wouldn’t have been a great poster otherwise. Sam became known as a designer/illustrator for bars, pubs and clubs.

And then covid hit. Overnight all those places shut. But Sam’s happiest when he’s working…

You'll find full show notes and transcript for this episode at beingfreelance.com
 

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For a long time Kayleigh didn’t even see what she had as a 'business'. 
She was trading time and skills for money.

But a few years ago she embraced outside help. Coaches. Group coaching. Working with a strategist, a photographer and copywriter. She polished her brand and found her niche. With this new confidence and focus, her rate quadrupled. As did her satisfaction. Working with clients with the right vibe for her and them.

She wasn...

8 years after Franky first appeared on the podcast, it’s time to catch up.

Still a freelance copywriter. Still in Bristol. But so much has changed. 
Not just her kids getting taller.

In this episode, Franky shares how she had to reshape her business around a chronic illness, diagnosed less than a year after we last spoke.

And how she found a co-mentor in the back in the taxi. It’s been one heck of a journey. Not just the one back to th...

In this special bonus episode of the Being Freelance podcast we take a selection of the regular Live Q&As that we host in the Being Freelance Community and let you soak up the wisdom once more.

You can catch full video replays of all of our Live Q&As in the Being Freelance Community.

In this episode, we've got:

- Freelance content marketing and SEO strategist Beth Gladstone

- Tom Garfield who creates websites alongside his wife Ellie, ...