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.
Penny's always been freelance. We chat about when working for free has made a difference (and still can) and how being self employed has actually made being a mum easier (not sure it's ever easy!).
Despite a busy work-life schedule Penny seems really balanced. Maybe that's embracing work into your life. Or maybe it’s ditching the ‘day’ or ‘week’ mentality and instead looking at balance in the bigger picture.
In June 2018, Steve hosted a live version of the podcast at IPSE's National Freelancer's Day in London.
Not just one guest but two: athlete Gianni Frankis and business coach & digital marketing stratgeist Chichi Eruchalu.
They shared their freelance stories to the live audience - and now they share it with you and your ears!
Latasha's YouTube videos didn't just gain her an audience. She gained customers. Both for her social media business and her courses helping other freelancers.
Now, with her Freelance Friday podcast it's happening again.
There's a lot going on - and that doesn't happen unless at some point you stop listening and start doing.
Aussie freelancer Jacob has spent the last few years as a digital nomad. Freelancing on the road. And the plane. And the boat...
Before packing his bags, he packed a lot into building his personal brand. Growing his professional blog from his days as a student. So wherever he is in the world he knows potential clients will find him online.
When 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.
When Prerna’s husband couldn’t work due to ill health, her side project of writing suddenly became crucial for their family.
Over time they realised it had real potential, her husband joined the business, they hired others as ‘Content Bistro’ served up hungry businesses around the world. It’s an amazing story. She had no money, no other options and no fear. And no idea how much her life was about to change.
Are we stronger together?
Paris based freelance designer and art director Jonathan Da Costa thinks so. By collaborating with other freelancers he's managed to take on bigger projects - to grow his business whilst taking time out for his family.
The title may be unconventional - but so is Kirsty's story and what she does for her client's emails. From counsellor to copywriter via French farm hand.
Hear how Australian freelancer Kirsty discovered her skill, found her niche and figured out the business side. Still taking time for herself, finding wealth in life beyond money.
James should be used to a family business. Before he went freelance as a photographer, he worked for his dad. Now he's partnered with his wife - working from home with the three kids not far away.
Juggling the needs of his customers alongside those of his family. Where your business itself is like another child constantly after your attention as it grows.
After 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.
Ron'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.
Elliot 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…
Roxanne is a planner. She plans what she's doing with her business 'by bun' two years ahead. TWO YEARS. And yet she'd never planned to be an artist.
She spent six years in a proper zero-creativity job before realising she could make a living through her art. And she's done that by growing an audience who enjoy her content across various social media platforms. Who support her, both socially and financially. But she realises plans can change, things change. And that's okay.
Not long out of college, Kayla quit her PR job to become self-employed.
She was seduced by the idea of being a 'one to many' infopreneur - making money online from being an expert, selling courses etc.
The dream of passive income soon became a nightmare of over-work in order to keep her sales funnel topped up.
After a year of crazy 80 hour weeks she switched from products to services and became a freelance copywriter. Now she's built a business that gives her time for her life, instead of taking up all of it.
Ben O'Brien, started out as a freelance illustator and animator, even forming a successful studio. But being creative was usurped by being a manager. So he went solo again and freelancer 'Ben the Illustrator' was born.
Ben tells us about being there for his family, making connections to peers around the world through an awesome survey and whether by knocking on doors or using side projects and social media - making himself unavoidable.
A few years ago Amber felt like she'd failed at being a freelancer. Hear what changed.
What she learned from being back in full time work, how she worked freelance on the side, grew her portfolio, experience, bank balance and most importantly her network. Because now, in 2018 she can't think of a better time for being freelance.
From working for mega corporations to teaming up with another freelancer to form an agency. It's been quite a journey for Jenni. Rules or no rules.
We chat about the importance of 'systems, systems, systems', taking time for your own creative projects, letting go by using other freelancers, taking time off and the secret to letting potential clients know what it's like to work with you.
Mark's been freelancing on and off for years in between spells in companies, agencies and even running startups.
He's always had side projects. And whether or not they're a 'success', the experience still feeds back into his freelance skills. But now he's bringing his podcasting project in from the side to be centre stage, giving it more 'full time' attention to make it the focus of his business.
Jess knew she wanted to work on her own terms.
What she didn't know, was what a 'virtual assistant' was.
And yet when an opportunity came up to be one, to work remotely and become freelance... she jumped at it. As years went by, the amount of work started to overwhelm her. So she hired her own virtual assistants to help out... and her company Don't Panic Management was born. Everything 'virtual' had gradually become very real.
It feels like Karen is being freelance on her terms.
With her own voice, her own style. Stress free. Quite possibly in pyjamas.
Here we chat about how she got started as a copywriter, how she got started making money from courses helping other writers and how she got finished with trying to be a digital nomad.
Through podcasts Michelle gained the knowledge and confidence to quit the 9-to-5 and start being freelance... and now years later her own podcast Creative Playdate is helping herself and others navigate being freelance, whilst also being a parent.
From starting out, reaching out and figuring it out as a freelance mum.
At the heart of Matt's success are other people. Sure, of course he's good at what he does. But it's the people he's met along the way that have helped him grow himself and his business.
Put simply: the more people you meet, the more chance you have of working with them in the future. Be that fellow freelancers or potential clients. Just keep meeting people!
Tidying 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.
If you don't take yourself seriously, why would your clients?
South African photographer and digital artist Natalie chats about making connections, passion projects, hiring other freelancers, expanding her services and wrestling with being a workaholic learning when to say 'no'.
'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.
When 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.
For 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
Carson has always freelanced on the side. Chasing the cash and the creativity that freelance opportunities would bring whilst still studying or working full time.
He's learned how to find the good clients, set expectations, communicate and avoid work overload (eventually).
Chad's a firm believer that his time working in agencies, has made him a better freelancer. He got to know the ropes - the techniques, the business, the rates, the people... and most importantly his niche of premium packaging design.
But it's interesting: he isn't one of those freelance guests who puts much 'personal' into his brand - he may know the ropes, but do we know him?