Tips on Going Freelance

As part of my MA’s ‘Enterprise’ module, I’ve been speaking to people who run – or have run, consultative, freelance social media businesses.

On Friday, I met up with Karen Strunks at the Birmingham Social Media Cafe, which she also organises. Karen is currently providing online and 1:1 coaching for entrepreneurs, having previously worked as a freelance social media reporter and adviser.

The interview can be listened to in full here:

As someone working full-time and toying with the idea of setting up a freelance social media/webby/digital business, I was particularly interested in how much time running a business takes up. Recently, after reducing the hours per week she dedicated to her business, Karen’s online training has focused on helping entrepreneurs focus their business on dedicating their time on what they actually enjoy.

On Cutting Down Hours

“I was my own worst boss, so I left my 9-5 job, working 40 hours a week and swapped that for working 80 hours a week,” says Karen. “I thought that was maybe what you had to do to run your own business or be an entrepreneur, and to a degree, yes, you have to be willing to put in the hours, especially in the beginning when you’re building things up.

“When I think back about the time and effort I put into my business, it is quite incredible and a little bit crazy. But I thought maybe that’s just the way it had to be, because you read about other entrepreneurs who talk about working hard, late nights, three hours sleep, getting work to a client,  and you get caught up in that and think that’s just the way it must be.

“Then I thought, no, if this is what it takes to run a business, my way and follow my passions, then I don’t really want to do this anymore. I made the decision to design my business around the hours that that I actually wanted to work – which is 16-20 hours a week, which I’m sticking to, and now have loads of free time.

“I also thought; there are things that I’m doing in my business that aren’t filling me with complete joy. It’s how you’re spending your time on a day-to-day basis, because your day-to-day life adds up to your life in general, and how you’re spending your life.”

On Turning Down Work

“All the things I cut out, it’s all the kind of busy work we get caught up in; we think are important, but don’t actually contribute that much to the business, maybe like 5%,” says Karen. “So I concentrate on things that I love doing, and obviously things that will bring me in money, but I don’t concentrate on getting money from things I don’t enjoy doing. And that includes, turning down money – which is hard to do – from the wrong sources, the wrong people or the wrong clients.

“There have been times over the last seven years when I have worked with the wrong clients, because I have thought; well, somebody wants to pay me, so I better do it, I should be grateful. You end up saying yes to things, even if you’ve got that niggly feeling that that’s not the right client, or not the right client for me.

“You end up saying yes, and then it doesn’t work out, so it’s worth listening to your instincts, because no amount of money is worth working with the wrong clients, so I’ve become really, really clear on who I will work with, I only absolutely work with people I love working with.

“I do say no to money from the wrong sources. Which sounds really hard to do, and you have to kind of get over that. But when you do it, what happens is, you create time, energy, and room for the right people, the right clients. Because when you’re busy with the wrong client, you’re saying no to the right clients.”

On How I Should Structure My Own Potential Business

“What I would say to you is, decide what you want your business to be now, don’t fall into the trap of thinking it should look like a certain way, because other people are doing it a certain way,” says Karen.

“What’s your dream business? What are you doing? Who are you working with? Get it all down, write it all down, and then build it, as you want it, right now. Why not? Because if you’re going to be working for yourself it should be absolutely your way. If you’re going to be doing things that you don’t love, then go and work for somebody else.

“Decide what parts you want to automate, and what parts you want to do in person. If you’re doing things in person, maybe there is a higher end fee than if you want to do it in an automated way.

“My advice would be drop the freelance label, because it’s got the word ‘free’ in it; when I stopped using the word ‘freelance’ I stopped getting asked to do as much work for free. When I stopped calling freelance photographer and myself and started calling myself a professional photographer, those requests stopped.”