Being Freelance

Charlie started taking photos when he was 8 years old, but it wasn't until he fell and broke his back in 2017 that his current freelance journey began.With no insurance and a long recovery ahead of him, Charlie was left with zero income. He chats to Steve about how he slowly bounced back from the fall and built a new freelance business in the process. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be part of the Being Freelance Community!You'll also find useful links for this episode. That's beingfreelance.comLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance vlog - YouTube.com/SteveFolland JOIN THE COMMUN

From designing for his buddies to speaking at events all over the world, Aaron’s been riding the freelance wave for more than two decades now, and it’s going well.With speaking gigs, his ‘Big Three’ retainers, a stream of other freelance work, his own merch shop and the thriving product business he co-founded, Aaron’s got a lot on his plate. There wasn't a lot of balance, but he was determined to get ahead and win his freedom.Aaron talks to Steve about how he got there, how he keeps it together and what he’s learned along the way. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be part of the Being F

Salma made her first $3 online by selling a digital planner on Etsy. As she worked to grow that product-based business, Salma fell in love with design and began developing her skills. In time, she built a portfolio and a second, service-based business.Salma chats to Steve about setting up processes, staying organised and using content and social media to demonstrate expertise and bring clients to you. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be part of the Being Freelance Community!You'll also find useful links for this episode. That's beingfreelance.comLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freela

When his wife became ill and his employer wouldn’t offer paid leave, Adrian gave up his job to care for her and their two young sons. And that’s where his freelance journey began.Now with more than a decade of experience behind him, Adrian knows that there will always be challenges ahead. But with passion, joy and a determination to provide quality work, he’s confident that he can weather those storms. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be part of the Being Freelance Community!You'll also find useful links for this episode. That's beingfreelance.comLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freel

Her background is in marketing and fundraising but Vic knows that she was born to be a radio superstar. She stopped working for “The Man” in 2017 after redundancy and a particularly bad interview left her ready to set out on her own.Today she’s using her audio production skills to help organisations that do good. Vic’s set-up her business as a social enterprise, which means that the profits she generates go back into the pot to help her achieve her social mission. Listen to the episode for the full story. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be part of the Being Freelance Community!You'll

Hope woke up one day to realise that she hadn’t accomplished even half of the things she’d envisioned for her career. Motivated to recover from the low-grade depression she’d been in, she began making time for creativity again.Hope set out to find more purpose and meaning in her work, to connect with other creatives, and to explore her own interests and creative projects. She shares her story with Steve,  from bricks-and-mortar business owner to world-traveller; to mum of two and now brand designer with plenty of creative side projects on the go. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be par

In 1998 Andy gave up a comfortable position — “£35,000 a year to answer the phone about three times a week” — to start his own thing as a freelancer. It was the early days of the web and he didn’t have much of a plan, but he was keen and enthusiastic about doing better work.Two decades later, Andy and his wife Sue, who handles the business side of things, are still going strong. He chats to Steve about putting out good content to show what you can do, maintaining a reliable income with fewer clients, and why living at work, rather than working from home, is bad for you.  This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website being

Karmen was selling hair extensions online when she first got into web design. After designing a site for her own business, she began building on her skills and eventually developed a portfolio of demo sites to show what she was capable of.With part-time work in insurance to back her up, Karmen launched a web design business. She chats to Steve about finding clients through content marketing and social media, getting confident with pricing, and developing digital products to diversify her income. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be part of the Being Freelance Community!You'll also find

Austin wants to be the dad who goes on all the field trips. The dad who’s around so much, the kids get sick of him. He’s been self-employed for 12 years now, from freelance to fledgling agency, and while it’s been a bumpy road, Austin says he’s learned to embrace the mistakes and change the wrong turns into right ones.From his first client — the agency who’d made him redundant the week prior — to building a full-time team and learning the art of delegation, Austin shares his biggest lessons and discoveries so far, including this: don’t be the guy answering emails on your honeymoon. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the we

After spending seven years studying architecture, Sharm Murugiah realised he didn’t want to be an architect. He wanted to be an artist instead. And so, six months out of university, his freelance journey began.Since then, Murugiah’s worked with high-profile brands such as Wired, Vans and Adobe. From learning to manage clients, to finding the best places to share his work online, to booking projects through agents and then taking back control, Murugiah says there’s a lot he’s done over the past nine years that he wouldn’t do again.But, through all of that trial and error, he’s finally found confidence in his own creative style. Listen to him chat to Steve about how he got there. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out

Liz had been working as a newspaper journalist for two years when she began helping her husband set up his freelance photography business. With her own freelance journalism work on the side as well, it soon got too much and Liz left the newspaper to focus on the businesses.It’s more than 15 years later now and both businesses are still going strong. Liz chats to Steve about how she’s learnt to find and manage clients, develop herself personally and professionally, and get more of the high-paying work she enjoys. This episode is sponsored by the very first Being Freelance course!Steve’s rolled up everything he’s learnt from over 6 years of conversations with more than 240 freelancers.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 our experiences.Find out more about the course. Looking to learn from and connect with other freelancers? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, and be part of the Being Freelance Community!

 This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer.John’s first client was his mum, a teacher in need of a website so she could offer one-to-one tutoring. Today, after spending four years learning the ropes in an agency, John’s running his own agency as well as three other businesses and online courses.John worked 18-hour days while he was a full-time employee building his freelance portfolio on the side. Six years later and with everything he’s got going on, John’s enjoying a comfortable working week with plenty of time left over for his young family.He’s learned to trust his team and step away from the creative work to focus on managing projects and operations. He tells Steve how he’s built standard processes in his business that allow him to delegate easily and well. Love learning from other freelancers like th

Alex studied film at university but soon found that the immediacy of photography suited her better. She worked part-time on the side for years while building up her skills and portfolio, often shooting for free or a small amount.These days, with a strong portfolio including some famous faces, Alex says that she will still work for free sometimes because it pays later on. She chats to Steve about the different ways she’s made money, including from licensing her photos and selling prints.While she’s definitely got better at negotiating her rates, Alex believes that you have to be in it because you’re passionate about taking good photos. For her, that means capturing portraits of people she admires and believes in. This is her freelance story so far. This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer. Love learning fr

Chiraag got his start in TV after handing out CVs around Soho in London. He landed an entry-level job as a runner and was soon promoted to assistant editor.Chiraag moved to an advertising agency later, where he stayed for more than five years before setting up shop on his own. He planned it in advance, saving up a safety net of cash, updating his website and freelancing on the side to build up his network.Today, Chiraag’s an award-winning director and editor running an independent production studio with a freelance team. He talks to Steve about how he’s learned to build relationships and understand the numbers so he can take care of business development. This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer. Love learning from other freelancers like this? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, be part of the Being

Working in insurance and ready for a change, Shelly gave it all up after her fiancé encouraged her to find something she’d love doing.She began to pursue a career as an artist, slowly at first alongside a back-up study programme, just in case it didn’t work out. By the time she’d finished studying, Shelly was ready to take her art full time.Since then and with many lessons along the way, Shelly’s developed multiple income streams including custom work, in-person and online workshops, brand partnerships, a book deal and soon, an online course.She chats to Steve about how she’s learned to put herself out there, market her business and turn followers into customers and, since the pandemic, find a better work-life balance. This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer. Love learning from other freelancers like thi

When Graeme made the decision to go freelance, he changed his mindset completely and started saving every spare penny he had. He stayed in a full-time job, freelancing on the side until he had enough in the bank to cover him for six months.It’s around five years later now and introvert Graeme is in a good routine, happily working from home for clients new and old. He chats to Steve about how he got started, where his work comes from and how he balances everything without getting overwhelmed. This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer. Love learning from other freelancers like this? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, be part of the Being Freelance Community!You'll also find useful links for this episode. That's beingfreelance.comLike VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance vlog - YouTube.com/SteveFolla

For Tom, the guy behind the illustrations on the Great British Bake Off, freelance life was years in the making. After studying illustration at university, Tom worked in a series of full-time, temporary jobs while pursuing illustration on the side.Tom’s break came when, by chance, he landed a role as an editing assistant on a TV show. Tom was honest about his situation: “I’m not interested in a career in telly, this is just something to pay the rent. I’m going to be an illustrator.” Management paid attention and came back to him later with a proposal.That TV show was the very first series of The Great British Bake Off and, while maintaining his full-time role as an editing assistant, Tom spent his evenings and weekends illustrating for the show.Skip ahead to today and Tom’s running his own studio with a team of freelancers and a new intern every year. They’re producing work for the Bake Off franchise and other clients in the food industry, as well as selling prints through an online shop.Listen to hear how To

Innocent began developing his graphic design skills when he was working in a printing press during high school. He’d watch and learn from a colleague and then practice with YouTube tutorials.Today Innocent’s studying full-time, in his third year of university in the city of Kumasi, south Ghana, while building a freelance business and an online following on the side.He chats to Steve about how he’s learned to use YouTube in combination with Fiverr to demonstrate his value and win clients; how he manages the work-life-study balance, and the challenges he faces with accepting payment in Africa, where services like PayPal aren’t supported. This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer. Love learning from other freelancers like this? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, be part of the Being Freelance Community

Sharon has always known that she wanted to do her own thing. Her freelance journey began back in 2010 when she was in her mid-twenties, restless and ready for a change.After six years freelancing and with plenty of successes (and some failures) under her belt, Sharon felt that call again. She needed something new, or a break at the very least, and so she moved to the middle of the English countryside to take a waitressing job for the summer.Still there 3 years later, Sharon’s freelancing again, building her PR agency with a small team and running a second business - a networking organisation for women in business in the local area. This is her incredible story so far. This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer. Love learning from other freelancers like this? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, be part

For Jonathan, who was a software developer before he became a business coach, freelance life began after an epiphany. While working with a team as an employee, Jonathan realised that many of the problems they faced were caused by hourly billing.And so Jonathan started his own shop offering software consultancy with fixed prices based on value rather than time.Today, after a successful career in the tech industry that saw him flying all over the world to give talks and consult with businesses, Jonathan’s teaching independent professionals how to stop exchanging their time for money. This episode is kindly supported by With Jack!With Jack help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.Get the freelance insurance you deserve.Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer. Love learning from other freelancers like this? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, be part of the Being Freelance Community!You'll also find useful links for this episode. That's