20 things I've learnt from 12 months of being self-employed
What I've learnt from a year of going it alone*
* With a community of like-minded folk.
There's a fair bit of stigma surrounding being made redundant, so much so that we have endless euphemisms for it:
Get the sack, be laid off, get fired.
My favourite? Being let go.
Mmm.
As in "we have decided to let you go", as if you were constantly pleading to be let out like a cat scratching at the door.
Like a cat basking in the sun of a salary, I wasn't asking to be let out, I just wanted to be close to the door.
Photo credit Arielle Holmes at Unsplash.
Last February, I was "let go" from an in-house position with zero warning, exactly two weeks before Spain declared a state of emergency and the first lockdown began.
Admittedly, the timing wasn't great.
But I soon realised that I had, in fact, been released, freed, let go.
It gave me the kick up the bum I needed to reflect on what I really wanted to be doing.
It's been one hell of a year but I am now older, wiser, and I love a good list.
So, whether you've been "let go" or "decruited” recently, or you've decided to go it alone as a freelancer, here are my lessons, 12 months on.
Tell everyone!
You never know where your next client is going to come from. It could be a chat on the bus, an old friend, your next-door neighbour.
Tell everyone again, this time with confidence.
None of this "I do a bit of translating", or "I'm a sort-of graphic designer".
Practice in the mirror if you need to.
Tell everyone again, in a succinct way.
Do you have a one-liner pitch for when we're next allowed to socialise?
Ideally you want your pitch to lead to more questions about what you do.
Then, you can bang on about all the stuff you love doing and why you are so great.
Get practicing your elevator pitch, in all your languages.
Photo credit: Russ Ward at Unsplash
4. 12-week plans are better than annual ones.
I felt so overwhelmed planning for year (especially in 2020), focusing on each trimester is much more achievable.
5. Remember, you're building an empire. Even if it's a little one. Build relationships and trust with real people and don't get bogged down with the numbers.
6. Always be interested. There is always more to learn, so commit to regular and on-going CPD.
7. Read books, listen to podcasts, and learn from others.
8. Other professionals are not your competition, they're your friends!*
*I might write an entire blog post on this one because I feel so strongly about it.
9. Remember that progress is slow and hard to measure. Counteract this by keeping track of all your wins, however small. I wrote about this here.
10. Also, keep track of your losses and mistakes. Learn from them, and move on.
11. Be kind to yourself.
You'll have bad days, just like everyone else. It will get better.
A long and perilous bus journey through the Himalayas that I took in 2012.
I'd still choose it over my previous commute to the office. Apologies for the bad quality, I’m a translator, not a photographer.
12. Spending 2.5 hours a day commuting on 4 different types of transport is an inordinately long amount of time.
Now I'm freelance, I can choose my commute.
Sometimes it's from the kitchen to the lounge, sometimes it has a walk around the block in the middle but it never takes 2.5 hours.
13. Sticking out a job you don’t enjoy because you believe it will “look good on your CV” is never a good idea.
You'll only get more work that you don't enjoy.
14. Being freelance means you can never get fired. You can't fire yourself! But, you can be a terrible boss so…
15. Work with people you get on with and whose work you admire, whenever you can.
16. Don't be scared to ask questions.
I love having conversations and discussions with my clients. No more right or wrong answer, now we have dialogue and it feels amazing.
17. Remember to enjoy the freedom of being freelance.
For me, in lockdown restriction times, this looks like:
Afternoon naps when I need it.
Going for a run while the sun's shining.
Doing a food shop when it's quiet.
Some of these are more mundane than others but it's the little things that make a difference!
Trust yourself that you'll get the work done later. Hold yourself accountable. And if you don't….
18. Get an accountability buddy or buddies. Or a team of buddies. Whatever works for you.
19. Embrace the process, not the outcome.
Make it measurable.
For example, I will post on social media x 3 a week, outreach x 50 new clients a month, start 5 valuable conversations a day.
Focus on what you can control and you'll feel less overwhelmed, I promise.
20. People who ask me when I’m going to get a “real job” can do one. No more explanation necessary.
Would you add any other tips to the list?
