10 - The Power of Getting Started - Freelance Life with Caroline Saunders

In this episode of Between the Bells, I’m joined by my longtime team member and friend Caroline Saunders. 

Caroline shares her honest and relatable journey from big-brand marketing in the corporate world to building a thriving freelance PR and marketing business around school hours. 

We talk about juggling house moves, raising two boys, winning awards, and why flexibility has always been her north star. Caroline opens up about the confidence it takes to work on your terms and the tools that help her stay on top of things

A grounded, inspiring listen for anyone growing a business their own way.

🎙️ Edited with precision by podcast editing master, Mike Roberts of Making Digital Real

⏺️ Got feedback, a question, or want to be on the show? Leave me a voice message by CLICKING HERE – we might even feature it in a future episode!

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🌐 Learn more about Get Ahead: getaheadva.com

Transcript

So I literally got a map where I lived. I thought I don't want to be too far away from the kids, let me go and focus on some agencies and clients within my radius. And yeah, my first client, I didn't expect it. 

I work with small companies, big companies, and we managed to, with a lovely little agency, we collaborated and we won our first client, which was Weight Watchers. Today on Between the Bells, we are joined by Caroline Saunders. Caroline is a marketing and PR manager and someone I've known for probably 12 years. 

She has supported me within my get ahead business with PR, and I can't thank her enough for what she's done for me. So it's lovely to have her on the podcast today. I know her really well, and I was really keen for her to share her story with you because she's managed to do exactly what she wanted, as well as juggling two boys, a number of house moves, and she's just always been very clear on what she wanted to achieve and how she was going to achieve that. 

And it's been a joy to see her develop and grow over the last 12 years. So I know you're going to enjoy this episode. Caroline shares some really good tools that work well for her and ones that are free and easy to access. 

So I am delighted to welcome Caroline to Between the Bells. So a huge Between the Bells welcome to the wonderful Caroline Saunders. Lovely to have you here, Caroline. 

Thank you very much, Rebecca. It's my podcast debut, so I'm very excited to be with you. It's a real treat, and you're my second podcast guest of the day where it's your first one. 

So yeah, I feel privileged to have you here. So Caroline, I know your story inside out as you've been a wonderful part of my team for a long time, but I would love you to share with our listeners your story because it's one I'm sure a lot of people are going to relate to. Yeah, so I said it's a sort of classic working mum story really. 

So post-graduation, I did 12 years working in corporate FMCG marketing, working for some massive international company, big brands like Bisto Gravy, Robertson's Jam. I worked on cider, on pregnancy products, all kind of big range from big companies right down to small companies. Then had my babies and didn't want to work full time, and back then part-time marketing management jobs didn't exist. 

Sadly, I'm not quite sure they really even exist now, but certainly back then the option for me was really to go freelance in order to be able to work around those school hours around my children. I wanted to work, so it was a couple of days a week to begin with whilst they were young and at nursery. So they did one day at nursery, one day at grandma's. 

So they were long days, and then obviously as they started school, then it was school hours. So I'm now 12 years down the line, still working and juggling school and running a marketing consultancy. Oh, wonderful. 

And I remember, Caroline, you telling me when you were pregnant with your second baby, and that feels not that long ago. But it's been wonderful for me to observe you doing everything that you want to be doing and doing it flexibly, even transitioning from a house moved down to the coast and all your different house renovations and things. But you've recently, I think last week, won an award. 

And it's lovely for that as well, that you're still doing what you need to be doing. So yeah, big round of applause to you, Caroline, because it shows it can be done, but it's hard work. Yeah, two years ago when the business was 10 years old, it really kind of gives you that option to reflect and say, well, actually, I've been through house relocations, obviously school changes, having a baby, having a puppy, COVID. 

And during that time I'd seen friends also go self-employed and go back to corporate. And obviously they made those choices. But yeah, I did kind of feel lucky to still be here 10 years going. 

But actually, I think over time, you also grow in confidence and you go, well, actually, if I'm still here, I must be doing something right. And that gives you the confidence to go forward. No, absolutely. 

And I think that confidence is critical, isn't it? And it's interesting where we get that confidence. So for me, you in your role as PR manager for me has been amazing, because you've given me those opportunities that have sort of reinstated why I'm doing what I'm doing. So we guess our confidence in different ways, don't we, I think? Exactly. 

And I thought I was listening to one of your previous episodes with Erin, and I totally agreed with what Erin said, that thing about sort of two things about one, just because I say I work school hours doesn't mean I don't care. It doesn't mean because my children come first doesn't mean that my clients come last, it just means that we work around them, I still produce top quality work, I'm still dedicated to my clients, just as I'm dedicated to my family. So we should be confident enough. 

And it's definitely taken me years to develop that confidence to say, actually, I work around my children. And I'm not ashamed to say that, that actually makes me a better person, because it gives me that better balance overall. So certainly, if you say having that confidence to say I work flexibly around my children is I've had to develop over the years.

Yeah, no, and it's lovely to see that being the thread by which you do everything. So Caroline, I know you've got lots of favourite tools, but for your sort of quick fire question, what would be your overriding tool that you'd like to share? I think the one tool that I sort of pay for, which to me is going to be they've got to be worth good if they're worth paying for. There's two, I've fairly recently moved to zero and found that really has made a difference with my invoicing, particularly I have a bigger portfolio of clients now than I used to. 

So I'm dealing with a lot more invoices, and it does just make the whole process quicker and simpler. So when I finally bit the bullet and rested in it, I found it worthwhile. And also another tool I pay for is Grammarly. 

So a lot of what I do is writing as a PR and marketing manager, I'm writing press releases, award entries, lots of emails. And I find Grammarly really helps me, and I'm a very quick typer, but not necessarily the most accurate typer. So it does just kind of keep me in track. 

Like any tool, clearly you've got to take it with a pinch of salt. Sometimes I write passively for a certain reason when it really wants me to write actively. But over time, it has definitely helped me be much more conscious of writing shorter sentences, using active language, as well as those basics of, you know, punctuation and things like that, that make things easier to read for the audience.

So quite a good sense check then, which is helpful. Yeah. Yeah. 

And definitely quicker. I mean, you've still got to check it because sometimes it will miss meanings of things like any, you know, kind of AI automated tool. But generally, a lot of those basics of punctuation, spelling and grammar, your red lines come straight up and you're like, yep. 

But also it will give you suggestions of how you can rewrite a sentence in a more active way. And I find that particularly useful because I think the way we were taught at school was very much kind of like passive writing. But the way people like to read now is much more short, snappy sentences and much more active language. 

So it really helps me with that, giving those suggestions of how I can swap something around. And sometimes I'll go, you know, actually, Grammarly, I don't agree in this occasion. I'm going to ignore you.

And other times I go, no, actually, that's much better way of doing it. Let's use that version. Lovely. 

And I think when we are working for ourselves, it's about cherry picking that support and where we get it from. So, no, brilliant. Well, I'll be adding Grammarly to the list then. 

Thank you. So in terms of your Belvinger moment then, again, I'm sure you've got lots of pieces of advice you could give us, but what would be your overriding one? The one that really sticks out is actually way back 12 years ago. So when I was starting out my business for freelance, I went to a local networking meeting and I literally stood up and said, hello everyone. 

My name's Caroline Saunders and this is the first day of my business. And I'm a PR and marketing consultant. And at the end of all this sort of introductions and around the table, when it was the open networking session, the first thing that happened was this other marketing consultant walked straight across the room directly to me and said, without a second of a doubt, so you're the competition then. 

And I was completely taken aback. Here I was, first day one of my business, had no idea what I was doing. Just like, okay, that wasn't really what I was expecting. 

I was expecting a nice friendly welcome. And we got chatting and we established that actually we had very different backgrounds and very different skills. And by the end of it, you know, it was all very positive. 

But when I was talking to a graphic designer who I met next to me afterwards, and I just sort of said, wow, I really wasn't expecting that. She was lovely. And a big shout out to Lisa Clooney, a branding expert. 

She said to me, she said, don't worry about it, Caroline. She said, there is plenty of work out there for good people. And those words have really stuck with me for the whole 12 years, especially when I was starting out. 

No one's really sure, am I going to get work? You know, who's going to pay me? Am I good enough? All those kinds of questions. I just kept repeating that, you know, whenever the other marketeers are out there, there's plenty of work for good people. So if I'm confident in my own skills and my own ability, then, you know, the potential is out there for me. 

So that's what's really stuck with me over the years. I mean, just amazing, isn't it? That attitude. And I would hope that now, because networking is, that there's so much more of this out there. 

So Caroline, in terms of your school drop-off shout out, what I'm finding interesting, a number of my guests no longer have a school drop-off. And I think you're the same as that, aren't you? Now the boys are older. Yeah. 

So I did do school drop-off for years. I was very lucky. We've always chosen to live very close to school. 

So it's always been a five or 10 minute walk for us. Weirdly, potentially in two years time, I may end up driving the school run for the first time ever with a year 10 and a year seven, which seems bizarre. But yeah, I've been lucky to walk the school run many years. 

And now I get those bonus minutes at my desk because my eldest is, or my eldest gets the bus and my youngest can walk around the corner to school himself now. I think what I take away from the benefit of it is the time in nature. And I'm lucky that having a dog, I have no excuse that even if I don't get to walk the school run these days, I still have to get out every day and walk the dog. 

And I definitely value that time in nature. So whether it's used to be walking the kids to school and the dog or just the dog now, I am my most creative when I step away from the desk and when I'm walking around the marsh, looking at the sea, I suddenly have all these brilliant headlines that come into my head. I suddenly think, oh yeah, I'll do that. 

So much clarity of thought, you know, I am busy and it's easy to kind of be a bit at your desk. What do I do? And trying to think and solve problems. So I definitely encourage anybody to, whenever you can get out for a walk, walk the dog, walk yourself. 

It really doesn't matter. But that time away from your desk actually genuinely makes you more productive. I definitely think so. 

As well as obviously having the physical benefits and the mental health benefits, it genuinely makes me more productive as well. And do you have headphones in or are you without headphones when you're doing walk? No, I have to admit my naughty is I'm sometimes looking at my phone, don't get me wrong. Well done. 

But then I sometimes also capturing notes of all my brilliant ideas that I'm having while I'm walking. But yeah, I've never been headphones in. I do try and appreciate the view.

So I'm lucky I get to go and see the sea every day. So I do try and make the most of that. Yeah, no, I find that interesting as well because I don't have headphones in, but I'm the same as you. 

I want to capture something when it comes in my head. I do get my phone out and then I go into that. Oh, quickly have a little look. 

And that's my downforce. Yeah, but no, I'm pleased. I think you've got the most.

And it's all about balance, isn't it? You know, I don't think we should beat ourselves up, you know, like we're not perfect. I'm not perfect. I look at my phone too much like most of us do.

But then it's my business. I remember talking to a business coach once and he was like, oh, you need to stop over servicing your clients and you need to start, you know, billing by hours and all this kind of thing. And I said, although I think you're right, equally, I wouldn't have a business 10, 12 years down the line if I wasn't good at what I did, if I didn't probably give that extra five or 10 percent. 

So there is a balance. And I think, we're all too good at beating ourselves up. And actually, we should remember that we're all doing our best. 

And the vast majority of the time, that is more than enough. Yes. No, no, no. 

Really true. Yeah, really true. OK, Caroline, so probably my most favorite bit of these episodes is the homework assignment.

We've had so many varying ones. So I'm really interested to know what you're going to share with us. Yeah, it's tough to think about, isn't it? You know, my homework could be make sure you write on social media more often. 

If I think about what I do for a business, make sure you update your blog or your website more often, those kind of things. But I think, you know, thinking beyond the business and more for business owners and for people that are running businesses between the bells or wanting to run between the bells, I think my big advice is about just get started. So I find that working from home, it can be quite difficult with those boundaries between work and family life.

My desk is right next to the kitchen. So I'm like, oh, put the washing on, do this, that and the other. It's hard to find those boundaries.

And often I find when I sit down at my desk, particularly on a Monday morning, between the kind of life admin, kids admin work, and I think different deadlines, different clients, I don't know where to start. And what I found over the years is actually, yes, of course, it's important to think about client deadlines and things like that, but it's also important to just get started. So as soon as I start on one thing for one client, I then get my head back into that work frame of mine. 

And then suddenly everything sort of seems to click into place. I've often found like over the holidays when I work less hours because I want to spend that time with the kids, I then find work harder because I'm not doing as much of it. So I'm like, oh, should I do this? Should I do that? You know, things get more difficult.

The more I work in my business, the more I love my business. So I definitely find to sit at your desk, get started with something and everything else will start to fall into place because you get that mindset going. Yes. 

And I think you can easily put blockers in, can't you all think, oh, I just need to do something else or something might over fill your head. You think, oh, how am I ever going to tackle that? But it's, yeah, you're right. It's taking action, isn't it? Which actually, once you do that and I find if I've got something I really don't want to do, I might just break it down and think, well, look, I'll put a timer on and I'll spend 10 minutes. 

At least I'm chipping away at it. Absolutely. No, really interesting. 

Oh, well, Caroline, thank you. You've shared some wonderful insights. And as I said, it's been a joy to watch you grow and scale the business in your way, because I think that's another big thing, isn't it? You never talk about we, we, we, that you're very open, that this is your business. 

You've obviously can bring people in when you need to. But I love the fact that you've been authentic and following your own journey. And it's been a privilege to have you as part of my team. 

And that's something that, again, from the start, originally I was a bit like, oh, should I kind of pretend I'm an agency because people have more confidence in agencies. But I was like, do you know what? My clients buy me. And what they, they buy is my mix of all that big company corporate experience with small business understanding. 

They're buying me. And I think the other thing, a bit like what Erin said, is this thing about managing expectations. So when I started out, my target was, I said to myself, if I can earn working part-time around the kids, doing marketing, what I could do working full-time on a checkout, then I've done my job.

Because I have enabled myself to work flexibly around my children. And that was my barrier. I wasn't saying, well, I should earn what I used to earn. 

I wasn't saying I need to have this, that and the other. My measure of success was, am I earning in part-time hours what I could earn on a full-time, you know, sitting on a checkout, average minimum wage kind of job. And that was my measure. 

And then, so everything else becomes a bonus. And it's easy to set, you know, high expectations to go, well, if I've left a corporate job, I still need to have that kind of income or somewhere towards it. I think I was very, my husband and I were very much, you know, it is one or you have to make a choice and there are, you know, trade-offs of every choice. 

And we always say to the children, you know, you've got mummy at home and mummy's been able to walk you to school and mummy comes to every concert and mummy comes to volunteer at school once a week. And, and all that kind of mummy's here after school. And therefore we have, yes, not such a bigger house as other people, or we have not such a flashy car as other people, or because we made that choice as a family, what was right for us and what other families is right for them. 

And that's great, but it's all about what's right for us. And that's the authenticity that you can live by, isn't it? As long as you know you've made the right choices for you and your family, and then that's what you make the most of. Absolutely. 

Very wise words, Caroline. So, it's been lovely to have you on today. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Thank you for looking after me today. A pleasure.