Being Freelance

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 a living from drawing!)Adding a unique flair to his freelancer personal brand as 'Rubber Penguin’. Using a business name helped him be remembered and found - useful if you have a common name (Shout out to all the Dan Baileys of the world!). It also let him focus on adding character to his freelancing design work through illustration.When you're a freelancer, you're a business. And whilst Dan's time in agencies helped him with dealing with freelance clients professionally, he still struggled to have confidence in his value, his pricing - what he could charge for projects. Getting to know other freelancers and becoming co-mentors with them gave him a chance to discuss pricing strategies, finally getting that piece of the freelance puzzle in place.For all the talk of fast food, this is a slow burner of a career. Dan has gradually built his reputation within the industry. As a freelancer he's now getting the kind of work he wants to be doing at a price he deserves. Being able to to work around his family in a way that in-house demands would never allow.Happy Meal? No. Happy Freelancer? Yes. JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

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 attention to what in her work gives her energy. Adri appreciates the freedom and flexibility that freelancing offers and talks about how she deliberately chose to work less hours to avoid burnout, even if it meant earning less money.  JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

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 COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

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.She has ‘ideas’. Ideas that found her a constant stream of work. That took her into online communities, that then supported her back out into the offline world. Ideas of a future spending winter in the sun. When the real ray of sunshine is her being her true self all along. It’s an inspiring listen. The flexibility of freelancing. Business growth and personal growth going hand in hand. Buck up your ideas. JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

In this enlightening discussion, social media strategist Andréa Jones, who built her agency by mastering video and podcasts, shares her transformative journey from gig work on Fiverr to thriving in the freelance space. She delves into her experiences with burnout and the vital importance of setting boundaries for mental health. Andréa emphasizes the role of community in growth, as well as the challenges of balancing family life with professional ambitions. Plus, she reflects on evolving client relationships and the joys of building connections through her podcast and social media.

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 clients, the impact of the pandemic on her business (as exhibitions closed down overnight!), but the positives that emerged from it too.  JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Copywriter Eddie Shleyner shares his journey from blog to full-time freelance work. Topics include growing his newsletter audience, launching courses, maintaining work/life balance, and importance of testimonials. He emphasizes the role of luck in success and offers advice for new freelancers.

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, fun, candid. And very much worth the hype.You'll find full show notes and transcript for this episode at beingfreelance.com EPISODE SPONSORThis episode is sponsored by Freelancer Magazine - SUBSCRIBE today and get those sweet glossy pages in your hands!JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).A place to ask questions, sense-check, laugh and support.With LIVE Q&As, Coworking, Meet-ups, Socials and more.JOIN YOUR BFFS AT  beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!There’s no ‘one way’ to be a successful freelancer, but this course will help you avoid the many mistakes that most of us make. Learn from the experience of Steve and hundreds of guests of the podcast.Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.Find out more about the course. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

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 most of platforms like LinkedIn and ultimately doubled his income during the pandemic.He eventually had so many leads, he started hiring others. Plus, through content creation and organising meetups, he’s giving back, while moving forward.You'll find full show notes and transcript for this episode at beingfreelance.com EPISODE SPONSORThis episode is sponsored by Freelancer Magazine - SUBSCRIBE today and get those sweet glossy pages in your hands!JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).A place to ask questions, sense-check, laugh and support.With LIVE Q&As, Coworking, Meet-ups, Socials and more.JOIN YOUR BFFS AT  beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!There’s no ‘one way’ to be a successful freelancer, but this course will help you avoid the many mistakes that most of us make. Learn from the experience of Steve and hundreds of guests of the podcast.Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.Find out more about the course. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

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 much.You'll find full show notes and transcript for this episode at beingfreelance.com EPISODE SPONSORThis episode is sponsored by Freelancer Magazine - SUBSCRIBE today and get those sweet glossy pages in your hands!JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).A place to ask questions, sense-check, laugh and support.With LIVE Q&As, Coworking, Meet-ups, Socials and more.JOIN YOUR BFFS AT  beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!There’s no ‘one way’ to be a successful freelancer, but this course will help you avoid the many mistakes that most of us make. Learn from the experience of Steve and hundreds of guests of the podcast.Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.Find out more about the course. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance. Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).beingfreelance.com/community NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!The Being Freelance course is made for you!Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership. FREELANCER MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shopLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland