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 freelance copywriter. She didn't know what that was. But here are. 10 years later. 'The Wrinkly Writer'. Owning, literally as a business owner, her age. Turning ..read more

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 fit for his freelance business.  James also discusses the role of social media in lead generation. We hear how he creates valuable content for desig ..read more

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 fit for his freelance business.  James also discusses the role of social media in lead generation. We hear how he creates valuable content for desig ..read more

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 - usefu ..read more

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 COMMUNITY You're not alone being freelance.  Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends). beingfreelance.com/community   NEW ..read more

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 offli ..read more

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… With client work still the bulk of her income. Building intentionally as her family grows too. Andréa is the host of the Savvy Social Podcast - so, since you like ..read more

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 COMMU ..read more

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 process of building his newsletter audience, his decision to create courses whilst not abandoning client work, the danger to work/life balance when you get a high ..read more

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 SPONSOR This episod ..read more