When Gareth was made redundant from the building trade he found himself out of work for months. A new dad at risk of losing his house, car, self-esteem... Until he found a freelance job site and started to wonder if he could make money online.
Gareth started writing. He didn't know that might have a job title. But years later here is. He's built himself a career in copywriting from the ground up.
Read MoreWhen Emma became a mum, she also became a freelancer. Trading as Big Bear Creative, she thought she'd get 15 hours of childcare a week and do little bits of work... But her freelance baby soon started to grow and need more attention.
Now, not only is she working four days a week, but her husband has joined the business too. Big Bear got bigger. And so did their plans.
Read MoreAfter being made redundant Tia Meyers didn't just take her experience of social media and start being freelance. She also decided to take it and grow a community of other freelancing females.
2 years on, we chat about the many lessons learnt both in adjusting her services, getting paid and work-life balance AND from growing a Facebook Group of 8000 members with meet ups globally.
Read MoreRon's success as a freelancer stems from talent, hard work, generosity, seizing opportunities and... Instagram. The app is at the heart of it all. Giving him the confidence to be a pro photographer. Finding an audience and community. Bringing him to the attention of big brands and opening doors that he's more than eager to burst through. The power of putting yourself out there and making and taking opprtunities shines through.
Read MoreElliot doesn't shy away from making a change in his life. After a string of non-coding jobs, he self-taught himself WordPress and became a freelance developer. From that he built up a successful agency - Raison.
But when fatherhood beckoned he stripped back the pressure of being a boss to freelance once more. More flexibility, more time for his family, more ability to be a specialist. And plenty more to hear about too…
Read MoreTidying her child's room Annie suddenly found a name for a business. With it she found a way to make work fit with family, she found meaningful work in a remote location and found a community of other freelancers to help her along the way. Now all she has to do is find time for herself...
Hear Annie's journey as self-employed virtual assistant 'Hello My PA', becoming one of the freelance heroes.
Read More'Social Mouth' Sam has a story of reinvention, investment, belief and community.
We hear about the power of Instagram Stories and her Small & Mighty podcast in helping people get to know her. The benefits of a business coach. And the impact that ill health, a dog and a dad can have on your future.
Read MoreWhen Dan was made redundant two weeks before his second child was born, he knew failure wasn't an option. He had to make a success of being freelance.
Hear how he's made that happen - the coworking studio, networking and adapting to a changing world - always learning new skills, reinventing.. and never with his shirt tucked in.
Read MoreFor German freelancer Uli, it all started with sharing. Using Twitter to share and make reality her dream of living and working in London.
Since then she's been sharing work spaces, sharing in communities, sharing thoughts, groups, content, challenges, knowledge and now she shares it with us
Read MoreComposer Grant Kirkhope has spent the past 20 years not just making video games music, but making a name for himself.
From the lessons and habits learned as an in-house composer, to breaking out as a freelancer in a new country: looking for opportunities, an agent and a day off.
It may seem like a series of ‘happy accidents’ but it’s a tale of persistence, creativity and professionalism. Doing whatever it takes to get the job.
Read MoreWinner of the IPSE UK Freelancer of the Year 'Aspire' 2017 for young, up and coming self-employed talent.
We hear a snapshot of how Nisha got started as a photogapher: finding funding (without a loan in sight), and with it, finding community, clients and self belief.
Read MoreRedundancy isn't the end.
It's a new beginning.
For Caroline that meant retuning and retraining from radio to design.
Key to surviving both business and relocation has been Caroline's ability to get out there and meet people.
Not networking. It's meeting people.
And one person can make a difference.
Australian animator Chris had a side project.
That led to big projects all over the world.
Chris' gif loops have been viewed millions of times on the likes of Giphy, Dribbble, Behance, and Instagram.
We chat about dealing with clients, being paid, switching off and getting out - or not.
Read MoreAs an editor in publishing Rose is used to reshaping people's words.
She's also done it with her life.
Cutting out the full time job for flexibility as a working mum. Stripping out the management role to focus on the work she enjoys. Reforming her hourly rate and rejecting the projects that won't hit it. Whilst creating The Freelancer's Cookbook.. well, that's a whole new tasty chapter in itself.
