Conquering the freelance frontier

The concept of freelancing is not new or uncommon, especially within media and communications. However, from my experience it has always carried a level of uncertainty and fear. No monthly salary to carefully budget for, no sick or annual leave, then there’s the administration of paying super and tax – why would anyone voluntarily enter this!

However, fast forward to 2022 we are entering year three of a global pandemic, everyone continues to work remotely and life pre-COVID is a fond memory, especially within an urban environment (you don’t live in Sydney to stay confined within your apartment).

After work drinks are a distant memory, snap team brainstorms have been replaced with Slack huddles or Teams calls and the usual office gossip now exists only between screens. It’s tough, for sure, but the workforce is adapting and reforming to become something new.

As such, professionals of all ages are reassessing, resigning, and taking risks to punt on what the future could look like. Or at least this is my story. After years of working within public relations agencies, 2022 heralded a new path, one in which I have become the boss, accounts, strategist and everything in between as I embark on a new career as sole trader.

Having overcome the initial sense of terror at starting as a one-man band, you begin to realise maybe, just maybe this is possible.

The three key things I have learnt from this burgeoning journey is that belief and hard work are the two vital ingredients of success, especially within a service industry.

Belief that your work is of value, and you could potentially be of service and hard work because you must actually do the work you have committed to doing.

The third is trusting your contacts and building a network – I cannot speak more highly of LinkedIn for helping to create a sense of community and accelerating this process.

1.       Belief in yourself

I’m not sure where this happens or how, but somewhere throughout your experience your mind shifts from ‘proving yourself,’ and ‘getting experience’ to realising you are enough, and your skills are useful. Of course, there will always be new opportunities to learn and develop which will continue inevitably, however somewhere along the road you begin to believe and have confidence in your own ability. This might evolve from the tutelage of an attentive manager or client or a colleague that shows confidence in you. Maybe you learn to embrace the power within you on your own over time, whatever your ticket to the dance is once you have reached that stage of enlightenment it’s difficult to shake. You begin to feed the belief within you and realise that anything truly is possible, which is the most powerful tool in your arsenal as an individual.

2.       Work hard

I feel this goes without saying, but distilled hard work means to care about your work and take pride in delivering good results. There is a great sense of achievement in doing a good job and delivering or exceeding a client’s needs, find solace in this and enjoy the rush of completing a job well done, even if this goes without formal praise.

Sometimes this could be securing a great piece of coverage or delivering an important piece of strategy that aligns to a business’s objectives, whatever the case, work hard, be kind and don’t take things too seriously.

My first mistake as a junior and consummate people pleaser was always seeking praise through the work I was developing; this is unsustainable and will ultimately leave you dissatisfied and disappointed. Complete work to a high standard for yourself and for your clients, then let that be your north star.

3.       Build your network

Moving forward, consider every interaction you have as a potential client. You never know who a mutual friend of someone will be seeking professional comms support and you are only as good as your last interaction.

If I could offer one piece of advice to any young professionals burrowing headfirst into the workforce, it would be, to be kind and be true to yourself. It may not convert leads immediately, but these are all steps in building a reputation as someone people enjoy working with.

Full time work is often monotonous and unglamorous, especially within a service industry like PR where you are constantly solving problems across the spectrum. However, in this reality you are not doing it wearing Chanel in France al a ‘Emily in Paris’. If you can demonstrate you are capable and still manage to make people feel understood and heard, your reputation will be built on a strong foundation.

My expedition into freelancing is in its infancy, however my sherpa guiding my initial ascent is to focus on ‘always leaving a mark rather than a scar.’  Let me know if you have any tips or advice to share on either side of the aisle.