Being Freelance

Steve Folland chats to Front End Web Developer Barry McGee on stepping out from the BBC and being freelance. Barry's experiment with paying for 'promoted tweets' to find himself work is a fascinating new technique to land his CVs on the desks of decision makers. But did it work? Don't forget to subscribe via iTunes and the Podcast app for iPhone etc and also via Stitcher who have an Android app, or scroll down and download from here - If you like the podcast, please do leave a review if you get a chance. Here’s some of the key takeaway points: Hear how Barry experimented (successfully) with paying to promote himself on Twitter Taking on small freelance projects alongside a full time job gives you experience of dealing with clients and getting your head around the financial side of things like invoicing and taxes You will never think you’re experienced enough… just get started and learn by doing Job boards and agencies are fine, but you’ll get more valuable contracts if you can figure out how to get your CV in front of the people who hire direct LinkedIn has been really useful for Barry in keeping connections alive from job to job and for being tracked down for future work More from Barry Barry on Twitter Barry's site Useful Links Stackoverflow Twitter for Businesses The McGuire Programme (‘Beyond Stuttering’) 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

Steve Folland chats to Brand and Web Designer Liz Elcoate. How she went from pension advisor to banking on a freelance career for her future. It's not enough to be a passionate freelancer, you need to be a business person and this episode includes cracking thoughts on: payments, contracts, commanding respect and finding a niche. This conversation also touches upon mental health issues: if this resonates with you, please do check out the 'useful links' at the bottom of these Show Notes. Liz co-hosts The Freelance Web podcast - it's great, so check it out! Don't forget to subscribe via iTunes and the Podcast app for iPhone etc and also via Stitcher who have an Android app, or scroll down and download from here - If you like the podcast, please do leave a review if you get a chance. Here’s some of the key takeaway points: As a freelancer, being passionate about your field isn’t enough, you have to become a business person Be professional and be firm over your terms or clients won’t respect you Break large projects into smaller sections and take payment on each deliverable 30 days payment terms can kill your business (Liz never accepts them) Try and work with people you like - it makes a difference Find a sector or industry you want to work with, it helps you market to those people - it can also help you become known in that field Being a freelancer can be tough mentally as it's so isolating; become part of a community (Liz met many on Twitter) More from Liz Liz on Twitter Liz's site The Freelance Web Podcast Useful Links Behance How to Kill Your Business: 30 Day Payment Terms Andy Clarke's Contract Killer Sean Johnson's T&C's Everything from Geek Mental Help Week including resources 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

Steve Folland chats to Motion Designer & Creative Editor Stu Denbigh on taking a step back to move forward early on his career, continually improving and learning, how finding two mentors made him stronger creatively and how he deals with the dreaded cash-flow - all part of being freelance for the past 10 years. Don't forget to subscribe via iTunes and the Podcast app for iPhone etc and also via Stitcher who have an Android app, or scroll down and download from here - If you like the podcast, please do leave a review if you get a chance. Here’s some of the key takeaway points: Sometimes you need to step back in your career to move forwards The importance of referrals in getting new work Even though his agreements say he’ll charge interest on fees not paid after 30 days, he’s never done it in case it harms the client relationship Ask your bank for you a big overdraft to help your cash flow be less painful How hard it can be fitting in to a company’s culture when you’re working on site as a freelancer The challenge of re-do loops for designers The benefit of working with other freelancers and learning from them by seeing how they work The importance of finding a mentor, someone to pull you up a level When putting together your portfolio, ditch your oldest work and show the most recent, it forces you to keep improving More from Stu Stu on LinkedIn Stu's site Useful Links Video CoPilot Film and TV Pro Mandy's Film and TV Production Resources Dazzle Ship "How to be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul" by Adrian Shaughnessy 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

Steve Folland discovers how CSS Wizardry's Harry Roberts went from secure staff job to in-demand consultant and international speaker. Harry now advises and runs workshops for the like of Google, BBC and NHS. But as a consultant, beware: if you're good at your job, you'll never get hired twice. You'll hear that there's a lot behind a Front-end Architect, as Harry shares great tips on self marketing, the importance of your own site's language to getting hired and the difference in being a freelance consultant and how to reach that point. Don't forget to subscribe via iTunes and the Podcast app for iPhone etc and also via Stitcher who have an Android app, or scroll down and download from here - If you like the podcast, please do leave a review if you get a chance. Here’s some of the key takeaway points: Before you leave your full time job: put time (years) into self-marketing Before you leave your full time job: give as much of a notice period as possible Give away a lot of your knowledge for free as 'content marketing' but don't forget to put a 'Hire Me' message across your blog and site Speakers don't often get paid, but there are many advantages Put something out there as soon as you can and then perfect it later, don't just wait Consultants should work to a 'value-based' pricing model More from Harry Harry Roberts on Twitter Harry Roberts' CSS Wizardry site Harry Roberts on GitHub Useful Links Harry's girlfriend's shop: Whosit & Whatsit A List Apart 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, Steve finds out what it's like being freelance for presenter Gema Enseñat: how she went from secondary school teacher to TV host and announcer, then self-styled her own direction as a craft blogger. Includes: finding your specialism and not letting finances run the show. Oh, and her dog. Don't forget to subscribe via iTunes and the Podcast app for iPhone etc and also via Stitcher who have an Android app, or scroll down and download from here - If you like the podcast, please do leave a review if you get a chance. Here’s some of the key takeaway points: Being freelance is a lifestyle choice, not just a career, remember the great flexibility in your day Try out a new 'career' on the side first without the pressure of having to bring in the money Don't be scared to apply for things and make connections, you've got to put yourself out there Find a specialism that you're genuinely passionate about, don't borrow somone else's Success is however you choose to define it Don't feel the pressure of finances, look to other cultures and you'll see not everyone is obsessed with owning houses and pension planning Don't rely on one or two big clients, spread out your work No one's 'job for life' is safe, the world owes you nothing, so do what you love More from Gema: Gema on Twitter Gema's Blog SequinsAndSlippers That Girl Off The Telly (because no one can spell her names) Useful links: Book: Stephen King's 'On Writing' 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, what it’s like being freelance for Musician and Producer Chris HollisHow Chris switched from being a freelance journalist for radio stations to creating a business supplying them with jingles. His strategy of building up an 800 strong mailing list to launch his products, whilst forming personal relationships has been huge.Here’s some of the key takeaway points:You'll know when it’s time to bring in other freelancers to help with your workload when you're up at 2am and about to let someone downBringing in others who add to your skill base will boost the quality of what you produce overallMake sure you get a really specific brief from a client before you start work or you can waste everybody’s timeFind your nicheHave an email marketing strategy: build a database, mail out and use the analytics to know who’s ripe for callingGetting to know people is one of the most important things you can do as a freelancerMore on ChrisChris' company New Noise AudioChris on TwitterUseful LinksTHAT Beyonce tribute videoMail ChimpLogicGadget by Korg (for iPad) 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, what it’s like being freelance for Cardiff based illustrator Jessica Morgan. How she dipped her toe, or pencil, in the freelance waters while employed full time and grew her reputation and her business to become a limited company. She may be freelance but she still has her 9-5. And her dog. Don't forget to subscribe via iTunes and the Podcast app for iPhone etc and also via Stitcher who have an Android app, or scroll down and download from here - If you like the podcast, please do leave a review if you get a chance. Here’s some of the key takeaway points: Use freelance websites to build up your confidence, client base, reputation and portfolio Be realistic with your first pricing, you need to build up a reputation first to deserve it Make sure you stay in touch with clients and chase follow up work When trying to win a client, be selective with your portfolio, you don’t have to show everything If you’re owed money have confidence in what you’ve delivered; be persistent and forceful Set out your payment terms at the beginning (works best with smaller clients) Note how many hours you do on each task in each project so you can refer back to it in the future when quoting Set office hours, you need downtime - and definitely tell clients you’re out of contact on holiday More on Jessica Jessica Draws site Jessica on Twitter Jessica on Pinterest Jessica on Instagram Useful Links Freshbooks PeoplePerHour Design Stuff Cardiff 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 week, what it’s like being freelance for London based photographer Tom Miles.With over 20 years working self employed in the industry: has he finally nailed pricing? How does he drop clients whose work he doesn’t enjoy? How does he evolve his portfolio to get the work he wants rather than what he’s offered?Here’s some of the key takeaway points:Connections matter; stay in touchIt’s a freelance obligation to do work that you care about: if you don’t like a client, don’t work for themSeek honest opinions on your work when building your portfolioTo get dream jobs? Look at your portfolio, look at where you want to be and bridge the gap yourself‘Become your own mentor’: log your creative process; build on successes & avoid repeating mistakesThe key to your 'personal brand' is essentially how professional you are: act with integrity, do the job you agree to at the price and timescale they expect and that is the essense of your brandMore on TomTom on TwitterTom's SiteTom's BlogUseful LinksAdobe Creative CloudEvernoteGoogle DocsLive DrivePhlearnStrobistChase JarvisTim FerrisRamit SethiTED TalksJoel SnapeArt & FearFour Hour Work Week 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