Freelance Heroes

“If you don't see the book you want on the shelves, write it.” ― Beverly Cleary, American Writer

But what is the writing process? Should I write with an ebook in mind or a printed version? How many words should it be? And, arguably most importantly, should I pitch it to a publisher or self-publish it? 

Even before your pen has been put to paper, then are many things you should know about the book you are about to write, and Eloise Cook, Publisher at Pearson, is here to help as she answers your questions. 

About Eloise Cook

Eloise is Publisher of the Trade, Consumer and Professional Business Publishing list at Pearson, and looks after the Financial Times Publishing and Pearson Business imprints. She is an engaged hands-on editor who's part author coach, part content editor, working with authors to help develop and shape their idea from concept to publication, and always on the hunt for practical, informative and engaging books that help readers improve their personal and professional lives. So if you're a subject expert with something interesting to say, get in touch via eloise.cook@pearson.com.

Ayo Abbas started her Marketing Consultancy with verve and energy. Then, a few weeks later, a global pandemic hit which impacted Ayo's ability to grow the business as planned. Did it dampen her spirit? Not at all. Like many freelancers, Ayo had to dust herself down, look for the opportunities in front of her and grow her not let the world around her affect her new freelance business any more than it needed to. 

In this episode, Ayo candidly tells her story and shares her experiences to help any new freelancer, or experienced one, looking for diamonds in the rough to help their freelance business kick on. 

Ayo Abbas, Marketing Consultant, Abbas Marketing

How has the pandemic changed the perception of freelancers? What value do freelancers truly add to the wider business community? How can freelancers get in front of the exciting businesses they truly want to work with, and the right people who work within them? How can freelancers help themselves when it comes to late payments?

These topics and more were discussed at Freelance Heroes Day and this episode is a recording of one of the panel discussions. This episode looks deep into the future of freelancing and its relationship with start-ups and bigger businesses. 

Joining Ed for this recorded Zoom chat are:

What is it like to start a freelance business in 2021? How do you attract and win your first client?  What is the transition from an office environment to a company of one like? How should you manage your time? There is a lot to focus on, both big and small, when starting a freelancing journey. On top of that, there is the matter of a pandemic too.

This week, Ed chats to the third in a series of conversations with freelancers who launched their business in 2021.

Nakita is a graduate of the University of Cambridge where she read Politics, Psychology, and Sociology (specialising in Psychology). Since graduating, Nakita has spent several years in research (resulting in several papers of which she is a co-author). Nakita then went on to work as part of Human Resources coordinating Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion-related projects. This included working in higher education and supporting the construction and submission of Athena SWAN applications, the building of wellbeing programmes, and critical analysis and action planning following staff surveys.

This background and experience led Nakita to set up Five Ways Consultancy to bring together interrelated areas of work under the heading of staff engagement. Five Ways now offers a range of packages and individually tailored services to help companies critically assess and improve staff engagement.

What is it like to start a freelance business in 2021? How do you attract and win your first client?  What is the transition from an office environment to a company of one like? How should you manage your time? There is a lot to focus on, both big and small, when starting a freelancing journey. On top of that, there is the matter of a pandemic too.

This week, Ed chats to the second of in a series of conversations with freelancers who launched their business in 2021.

Gareth Hawkins is a time-served Managing Director and an MBA Graduate, He has acquired, built and sold businesses over a 20-year career in the industrial engineering sector, and, in Q1 2021, he founded Enterprise Insights Ltd.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” – Walt Disney

What makes someone start a business in 2021? How different is it from when you started yours? This week, Ed chats with the first in a series of freelancers who launched their freelance careers in 2021.

In this first episode, we meet Deborah Frampton, a VA from Trowbridge in Wiltshire to learn why she started and what the journey has been like for her so far.

Deborah Frampton (in Her Own Words)

I help busy business owners leverage the Pinterest platform to drive traffic to their website and increase leads. As a search engine, Pinterest provides answers to questions that people are searching for along with eye-catching graphics.

I also assist the busy business owners with their email management, calendar management, and appointment booking, so they don't need to worry about forgetting to send that zoom invite or double booking their time.

Facebook groups are a fantastic way of building community with your potential clients/customers. However, they are very time-consuming. I offer to manage the day-to-day community management (post scheduling, commenting, event scheduling, etc) so the busy business owner can focus on other things they cannot outsource.

Last week, Ed spoke with Freelance Heroes members, Les Howard, for (almost) weekly "Thank Freelance it's Friday - Live" show on Youtube and Facebook. As ever, during the conversation, they spoke about the hot topics raised in the Freelance Heroes community. This week, they covered:

Tips for Managing Clients
What is the Imposter Syndrome to you?
Community and Circles
Jots and Tittles
Tips for Tracking Time
...and, of course, VAT.

You can watch the show here on Youtube and, when you do, subscribe to be alerted ahead of the next show.

Cambridgeshire-based, Les is a partner in VAT Advice. They are a specialist VAT consultancy practice that works largely with Charities and Churches and also provide support for other professional advisers. He blogs a lot on VAT issues for a number of technical websites and, from time to time sits as a non-legal Member of the Tax Tribunals.

Some people dip their toes in the pool of support offered to others. Tony Robinson OBE dives into the deep end and has been a long vocal campaigner for freelancers, micro-businesses, and (more recently) those excluded by Government support during the Covid pandemic. What drives him on? How can freelancers, and other business owners, help each other? How would Tony's business world differ from the one we're in now?

All these and more are discussed in this week's podcast. 

About Tony Robinson OBE

Tony Robinson OBE is the Micro Business Champion, multiple business owner, #PayIn30Days Campaigner, Co-Founder of the Annual #MicroBizMatters Day and Movement, Co-founder of the Micro Business Awards UK, Founder of the SFEDI Group, Chair of Yorkshire in Business Limited and Patron of the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank.

Tony has been awarded an OBE for services to small firms and two Lifetime Achievement Awards for Enterprise. He was the National Enterprise Network's Enterprise Support Champion 2019. He is a judge for the UK's most prestigious entrepreneur awards competitions and a prolific author of fiction and non -fiction.

Tony's latest business book is the culmination of a two-year project with co-author, Taryn Lee Johnston, to write the new 'Small is Beautiful ' entitled 'The Happipreneur - Why MicroBizMatters?'. He is on a never-ending tour with his 'Who Wants To Be A Happipreneur?' talk to raise funds for the #ExcludedUK Hardship Fund.

Of the many technologies and emotions that freelancers need to juggle, productivity is one that is so often talked about in the Freelance Heroes community. It comes up time and time again, since before the pandemic began, during (unsurprisingly), and it'll no doubt come up after. 

However, we know why we are freelancers and what work we need to do, so why do we struggle so much with being productive? How to try to avoid it before spending all day doing nothing? Do we procrastinate to put off doing what needs to be done, or is it our subconscious saying "Hold on, I haven't worked this out yet"? Is procrastination a form of stress relief?

All these questions, and many more, are discussed when Ed chatted with Grace Marshall, Productivity Ninja and author of "Struggle - The Surprising truth, beauty, and opportunity hiding in life's sh*ttier moments". 

How do you fan the flame of creativity and keep going when doubt and fear are threatening to put it out? How do you find motivation when you don't know where you're going? What's the difference between motivation and a spark? What can I do to get myself motivated in the morning?

Motivation matters. But it’s also mysterious. We all know what it feels like to be driven to act, but we don’t always know why we feel that way. Nor do we always know what we can do about it? 

These questions, and more, are discussed when Ed meets Louise Harman, and aim to inject a heavy dose of motivation into your freelancing lives. 

About Louise Harman

Lou runs an online business support service for small businesses and entrepreneurs who are struggling to get things done due to lack of time or simple overwhelm. Lou has a team of VAs, each with their specialist area ranging from admin to digital design, marketing, content creation, and copywriting. Lou provides strategy sessions with clients and considers herself a pro sh*t sorter-outer. 

She loves helping people figure it all out and get cracking on whatever it is they’re putting off. She’ll force you to get out of your own way and get sh*t done, so be sure to contact her if you need some tough love and a helping hand.

Anna Codrea-Rado is a journalist, podcaster, and campaigner, and her writing appears in the New York Times, the Guardian, BBC, Wired, and many others. She writes about business, culture, and technology, with a particular focus on working life.

In 2021, Anna published her first book, "You're The Business" which includes everything from finding clients and setting rates, to saving for taxes and dealing with insecurities, You're the Business will help you build a long-lasting career you love. Packed with everyday examples and transformative insights, this book will remind you that although you're now going it alone, you don't have to be alone.

In this chat, Ed Goodman (Co-Founder of #FreelanceHeroes​) chats with Anna about why she wrote the book, what Anna has learned about herself and freelancing, how she sees freelancing changing in a post-Covid world, and so much more. 

Last week we looked at tools to grow a freelance business and those who play the biggest part in that are our clients. This week, we look at how to best pitch ourselves and our business, when speaking with new and existing clients. To help you with this, Ed speaks with Jenna Davies, who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners to pitch with confidence and impact.

Topics we will be covering, and questions we will be answering, include:

• What are the key things that make a big difference when pitching your business online?
• Tips on how to come across more confident online
• How much of a difference does investing in quality equipment make? E.g. camera, microphone, lights, etc.
• When I have the opportunity to pitch my business to someone, how can I make a great first impression every time?
• How should I structure, start and end a pitch?

…and so much more.

Jenna is a highly experienced training professional with a flair for public speaking. Since starting her career as a broadcast journalist, she has successfully navigated an exciting and varied career path that has led her to become a specialist in empowering others to up their game with their communication skills, through her business, The IAM Hub.

Jenna has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners to pitch with confidence and impact while supporting teams of all sizes to present, network, and speak up with influence, reaping the career and business development rewards that come with it.

She is a speaker, event host, and pitch coach and her expertise has supported a wealth of organisations from start-ups to large corporates, alongside ambitious founders, to engage and inspire their audiences.

In this latest episode, we take a look forward to how you, as a freelancer, can pick up the pace of growth in your business. Ed talks with author, entrepreneur, and business coach, (and Guinness World Record holder) Robin Waite, about the actions he has taken and the lessons he's learned as an agency owner and freelancer. Robin also answers your questions too, including: 

• How about getting in front of the right people
• How to discover what one’s single defined goal is
• How to scale in an hours-based business
• Are there times where value-based pricing and time-based pricing can co-exist in one’s business?
• What are the top 3 tasks to focus on, to help grow quickly?
• How would you prepare for rapid, unexpected, growth?
• What is a healthy marketing campaign to facilitate growth?
• How do you manage personal values versus the need for income in order to generate ethical growth?
• How do you / would you approach charging more?

...and so much more. 

Since setting up in 2013, Digital Mums have supported thousands of women and mothers to learn new skills and to gain digital confidence, and even have big ambitions to support a million women by 2025.

In this week's Freelance Heroes Podcast, we speak with Digital Mums' Co-Founder, Kathryn Tyler to learn more about the Digital Mums story, We learn more about what drives them to make a difference to the many women and mums they support, as well as the good, bad, and bumps in their efforts.

This week, we cover 3 key topics that affect all freelancers. It's all part of a new weekly Livestream called, "Thank Freelance it's Friday" in which Ed is joined by a guest to chat through the most popular topics that have been raised in the Freelance Heroes community.

The 3 questions that we answer in this podcast include:

What does it mean to be a freelancer?

Should Freelancers display prices on their website?

What is the impact of saying "No" to clients?

About Helen Hill

Helen Hill is a self-employed Digital Learning and Content Designer at Unlikely Genius Ltd.

Unlikely Genius is based on the principles of ensuring the user comes first, communicating in plain language, and making content available and accessible to all, living by the mantra 'The content you make is not for you'.

Being an eternal student who picks up new hobbies by the week, Helen fell into the eLearning industry by accident and found her place in the world – creating enjoyable learning for others.

She works as a contractor for eLearning agencies in the UK and Europe, plus has ongoing projects with the NHS, charities and a number of private sector clients in industries from health, to technology and media.

Helen lives in semi-rural West Yorkshire with the long-suffering Graham, and two extremely fluffy, diva rabbits Tiffin and Strudel.

Freelancing does have an image problem. This is why, across the Freelance Heroes community, we like to play our part on improving that and shout about the benefits of freelancers to many bigger businesses out there.

From time to time, as we have done previously with Coconut and Farilio, we like to talk to a business that truly understands the freelance community.

If you’ve ever worked for a bigger business, you will be aware of the experience of immediately slotting into a structure of work that was in place before we arrived. The hours, the tools, the environment, etc., have already been set. We just need to learn what they are so we can do the job on day one. However, when you started, did you think about the structure and processes you need for your business to function? Rebecca Seal didn’t and didn’t know a single solo worker who did.

In September 2020, Rebecca published “Solo”, which addresses what we gain but also miss when we shift from the structure of an office environment to the solitary confines of our homes or studios. It’s a fantastic book full of the stories we will all recognise in ourselves as freelancers.

In this episode, Rebecca shares some of those stories and talks about why she wrote the book, what she learned about herself as a freelancer while writing it, and how she sees freelancing evolving in the coming years.

Do all freelancers really need a client contract? If so, what should it contain and is an email sufficient?

What is IR35, how does it affect me and what do I need to do?

What is the best way to get clients to pay me on time?

What does GDPR mean for Brexit?

How important are privacy policies and what do they cover?

Do freelancers need to register a trademark? 

In this latest Freelance Heroes podcast, we address all these questions are more and uncover the legal responsibilities of freelancers, as well as deal with any myths. Some of the questions asked have been submitted by the Freelance Heroes community. For this, we need to point out that this podcast is for information only and cannot be considered as advice. For that, speak to Babs via the links below.

About Barbara Jamieson

Babs advises on UK and US law, mainly on a wide range of corporate and commercial law matters. After she saw the issues with the legal sector, Babs was on a one-woman mission to shake things up! She has worked in big law firms, and with lots of small to medium-sized businesses, and knows there is a disconnect between what clients are looking for, and how big firms treat their clients.

Babs places huge value on building relationships - understanding a client's business, supporting a growth journey, and being that port of call along the way. She firmly believes that all legal advice should be easy to understand, straightforward and easy for small business owners to understand and apply.

How positive are you feeling right now? How do you look for the positives when you’re feeling the opposite? How do you stay positive? And what impact does this all have on your freelance business?

This week's Freelance Heroes podcast aims to bring some positivity to you and your freelance business, and Ed would love to know how you go about that yourself, however, you are feeling. For example, you may be a generally positive person anyway or you may be feeling worried or anxious or something else and looking for those morsels of positivity. Do email your stories to podcast@freelance-heroes.com.

Today we meet Sophie Cross who is very much a positive person. Who Ed met on social media, either Linkedin or Twitter, about a year ago. Recently, Sophie hosted a Freelance Heroes Twitter chats which focused on the big wins, small wins, planning, and general positive outlook on freelancing. We find out how Sophie has kept that way in a difficult 12 months while moving to a new house…twice. We also learn how Sophie sets her goals and how she deals with so much chaos around us.

About Sophie Cross

As the travel and hospitality industry shut down in 2020, a lot of my freelance marketing and copywriting client work went with it.

After more than a couple of very long, thoughtful walks, I knew this was the time to start doing my very best marketing - to stand out, stay positive, and support others.

I decided to put all my experience into creating marketing and mindset courses for ambitious freelancers and small businesses which would also put me at the forefront for clients. But as the client work started to pick up again, I was already getting really good feedback and sales for the courses, not to mention loving doing them.

2020 has affected freelancers in so many different ways and in this week's episode, we focus on the musical career of singer-songwriter, Paul Henshaw. Paul had a goal to build a business as a performer and to be entirely self-sufficient from it. All was going well having released a new album towards the end of 2019, but we all know what happened soon after. So how did lockdown affect him, as a  performer, as a human, and as a business person? What did he do to mitigate the damage? What are his goals for 2021? 

This time of year can be a lonely one when you’re a freelancer, with no office parties to attend. Highlighted, of course, by the restriction of movement in a pandemic. But all is not lost. Put on your Christmas jumper, and grab your favourite festive food and drinks, as this week, we invite you to our first Freelance Christmas Podcast Party.

Seth Godin once wrote that “people do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic” Mark Schaefer wrote that “Research shows that trust in companies, brands, and advertising has declined worldwide 12 years in a row. Who do people trust? Other people!”

The advantage we have as freelancers is that we are our brand. We don’t have to rely on others to convey our message behind why we do what we do, as we get to tell that story ourselves.

In last week’s Freelance Heroes podcast (Episode 30: A Podcast about Podcasting”) we learned how podcasting can be a highly effective way of getting our voice out there. Today, we learn why personality and tone of voice are so important too. So how can we showcase our personality? What are the benefits and risks? What if we don’t consider ourselves to have a personality?

About Dave Harland

Podcasting is all about giving your freelance business a voice. As we learn, in this episode, the average number of different podcasts that a podcast fan listens to is 6. In this week's episode, podcast producer and expert, Charles Commins, shares his knowledge on the reasons for starting a podcast, the equipment you need to get going (whether on a budget or not), sponsorship, timings, content ideas, software to use, how to promote your podcast and more. 

Charles Commins has presented and produced over 500 podcasts for people all over the world. He has worked on branded podcasts for companies (such as Proofpoint and Malwarebytes), charities (like Human Story Theatre), and independent bedroom podcasters too. He also produces and presents his own podcast about his beloved Northampton Town Football Club, which is called It’s All Cobblers To Me.

Manchester-based freelancer, Lisa Gust, is not one to ask for help. But in November 2020, this translator, copywriter, and teacher of German as a foreign language, wrote a heartfelt post, asking for help, in the Freelance Heroes community. Why now? What was it about her current situation that made her feel that this was the right time? What impact did it have on her and her business? Would she do it again?

Being part of any community takes time and commitment. Like a physical networking event, you cannot just walk in and expect others to come flocking towards you. So how much time should you commit? And how do you measure what you get out of it? Also, if it’s not all about selling and letting people know what you do…what is the point of it all? In this episode, we travel to Northern Ireland and meet Dawn Baird, and here her answers to these questions, and how being an active part of a community has helped her own freelance business to start and grow.

Marketing is a topic that comes up frequently in the Freelance Heroes community, so it's a surprise that we've left it until Ep26 to talk about it. Well, it is worth the wait, as Ed puts your questions to Marketing Strategist, Georgina Lewindon. 

Georgie is the owner of Glew Marketing and a strategic marketing consultant who specialises in helping small businesses develop a more measured, structured approach to their marketing.

A qualified Chartered Marketer, Georgie has over 16 years' experience building and managing marketing functions across a diverse range of industries and sectors.

She is also a board member for the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in Wales, and enjoys writing about the parallels between marketing and parenting on her Marketer Mum blog when time allows!

Sarah Townsend is a Freelance Marketing Copywriter and Editor, who set up her business in 1999. In June 2020, she published her first book, "Survival Skills for Freelancers: Tried and tested tips to help you ace self-employment without burnout" and in this episode. Ed chats with Sarah to understand how freelancing has changed for her in the last 20-ish years, what compelled her to write the book, and what did she learn about freelancing (or other freelancers) during her writing journey. 

The Office of National Statistics reports that 2% of the UK's self-employed population class themselves as "Black/African/Caribbean". In this episode, Ed talks with Lauren Rosegreen, Toks Adebanjo Coyle, and Ella Orr about being freelancers and black.

Lauren Rosegreen

Matthew Mottola is the co-author of "Human Cloud: How Today's Changemakers Use Artificial Intelligence and the Freelance Economy to Transform Work" and Co-Founder of Venture L, a platform for freelancers to run their business. In this episode, Matthew talks about the importance of freelancers the startup and growth of bigger businesses, how they can go about finding the right freelancers to support them, and offers tips on how freelancers can get in front of those bigger businesses too. 

Freelance Business Month is an initiative designed to unite the European freelance ecosystem and to show the power of growing independent businesses. It was founded by Freelance Event Manager, Elina Juteyte, who tells us more about what lead her to start the event, why being part of a community is so important to her, and how she sees the European freelancer ecosystem evolving in a Covid19 and post-Covid19 world.