Being Freelance
Freelancing? Being boss of your own life and business can be tough and isolating. But it can also be totally rewarding. Pick up tips, advice and strategies on how to make it as a freelancer, an solopreneur, as the owner of your own independent business - by hearing other creative freelancers share their experience.
Hosted by fellow freelancer Steve Folland. Serving the world's self-employed with episodes since 2015.
Come join us in the Being Freelance Community - You're not alone being freelance. www.beingfreelance.com/community
Episodes
370 episodes
5 Ways AI Could Be Tripping Up Your Freelance Business - Bonus - with lawyer Ingrid Fernandez
AI is already in your freelance business, whether you invited it or not. The usual Being Freelance podcast is on its summer break, but here's a bonus treat for you: a replay of a live LinkedIn session Steve did with lawyer Ingrid F...
The Blogs Became Books... Became Clients - David Airey
David Airey is a freelance graphic designer based in Northern Ireland, self-employed since 2005. He's the author of several best-selling design books including Logo Design Love and Identity Designed - both of which...
Freelancer BTS - Not rushing on
New full episode coming soon. But in this super short one - Steve Folland explains why he's not publishing a new interview this week.Too often we rush on from one thing to another.But by doing so we don't do justice to the thing we j...
Freelancing Through Every Tech Shift Since the 90s - Lisa Emmington
Lisa Emmington is a freelance instructional designer (or as her newly SEO'd website puts it, a training course designer) based near Milton Keynes. She's been freelance almost her entire career, starting out as an IT trainer back whe...
Chase the Happiness: Meaningful Freelancing - Filmmaker Zoe East
Zoe East has never had a proper job. A work experience placement at a big TV channel that felt old-fashioned and sexist put her off the traditional route before she'd even graduated, so she went freelance instead and never really looked back. T...
The Recipe Is Always the Same: Reach Out, Follow Up - Émilie Chen
French creative Émilie Chen had what she calls her dream job: senior designer at The National Theatre in London, working on posters she'd dreamed about since university. Years later though, it had turned sour in the studio, her mental health to...
Freelancing as an Unpaid Carer - Adrian Ashton
Adrian’s been a successful freelancer for 21 years. But in the past 7, his definition of framing success has changed.For the last seven years, Adrian has also been an unpaid carer for three immediate family members. He talks honestly abo...
Her Niche Is Fishe - Becoming The Ocean Writer - Melissa Hobson
Melissa spent over a decade in PR & Comms. She was good at it but she was drawn to the ocean.So she started pitching dive magazines on the side, moved to Mozambique to volunteer with a marine conservation charity, and when the ...
Becoming a Freelance Illustrator for Marvel, Disney and DC: Doaly
How does a creative side project turn into a decade long freelancing business working with the biggest names in pop culture, like Disney, Pixar, Marvel, DC Comics, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros and Sony Pictures?All good super-heroes have an or...
Business Name vs Your Own Name: Which is Better for Freelancers?
It's a question Steve Folland gets asked a lot: as a freelancer, is it better to have a company name or use your own? In this compilation episode, Steve digs deep into 11 years of the Being Freelance podcast archive - pulling together vo...
Becoming the go-to freelancer in your niche - Jessi Illustrates
Jessica Hartshorn was trained as an illustrator, but unable to get work as one she went in another direction. Jessica spent the next 16 years working in museums and galleries. But the itch to illustrate never went away. So she set up a s...
Freelancer BTS - Some things are more important
New episodes with fresh freelancing stories coming very soon. But as Jess Bruno said on her episode of Being Freelance: "Content can always blood wait". JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou're not alone being freelance.&n...
Stop Waiting for Clients. Start Making - Charles Commins
Charles Commins handed his notice in at his pub management job with no plan and no business. His partner gave him one month to figure it out. All he knew was that he wanted to love his job. Seven and a half years later, he's an a...
Field Trip Fridays and Four Bank Accounts - Illustrator Perryn Ryan
Perryn Ryan didn't set out to become a freelance illustrator. After a degree in computer information systems (to keep her parents happy), years in tech,, and a long stint i...
Chase Those Late Payments - Graphic Designer Laura Whitehouse
Laura Whitehouse didn’t follow the usual path into graphic design. While studying archaeology and anthropology (told you) at university, she started designing posters for student theatre shows. At first for free, then for £20 here and th...
How to Find Your Freelancing Niche
In this short compilation episode, Steve revisits conversations from across 11 years of the Being Freelance podcast archive to explore what actually happens when freelancers specialise in a niche. Full of stories of how these freelance creative...
When Freelancing Goes Quiet: Getting Proactive with Mark Grainger
For years, Mark Grainger’s freelance business ticked along nicely. Referrals. Word of mouth. Repeat clients. And then… things went quiet. In this episode, we explore what happens when the reliable stream of freelance work s...
Freelancer BTS - What happens when they click?
This is the first time I've done this as an episode.A quick behind the scenes of what I'm up to with my own freelancer business - as a freelance video and podcast editor. If you'd like to go even more behind the scenes, check out ...
From Freelancer To Studio - The Power Of Positioning
Laura has been a professional graphic designer for over 20 years, but her freelance journey began in 2008 after the birth of her first child. With daycare in Manhattan costing more than rent, Laura started piecing together freelance work from h...
Cold Outreach: What Actually Works for Freelancers
Cold outreach can often get a freelance business started. But in this episode I propose even those of us years down the line don't give it the cold shoulder.When you need to bring in clients, maybe a period of cold outreach, or eve...
How Katie Chappell Built (and Unbuilt) a Scalable Freelance Illustration Business
Katie Chappell is a freelance live illustrator based in the UK - and her story takes some unexpected turns.After being sacked from a graphic design job, Katie slowly built a freelance illustration career through side jobs, teaching guita...
How These Freelancers Work ON Their Business All Year
As freelancers, it’s easy to spend most of our time in the business - delivering client work, meeting deadlines, keeping things ticking over. But if we never step back, time has a habit of running away from us. We can be swept along on a...
Graphic Designer & Illustrator Itzel Islas
From an overworked designer posting “a visual diary” on Instagram to running a multi-stream creative business, Itzel Islas has built a freelance life entirely on her own terms.After almost a decade in apparel design, she started illustra...
I’m Not a Machine - Freelancing Balance & Bandwidth with Katie Tucker
Freelance market research consultant Katie Tucker shares how being intentional - with her time, energy, and choices - helped her build a freelance life that truly fits. From walking away from a corporate job for a family adventure to lau...
Slow Down - Lineo's Intentional Freelancing
From choreographing dance routines and directing a TV show at a South African megachurch… to running her own freelance business - Lineo Kakole’s journey into branding was anything but traditional.When no one would hire her after she quit...
