text: Founders, Freelancers & Rebels - Campbell - Ressources professionnelles - A lire Ebooks
  Business Expert Press - Helen Jane Campbell
  EAN13 9781953349774
  Founders, Freelancers & Rebels: How to Thrive as an Independent Creative
  Cover design by Tamsin Baker
  ISBN-13: 978-1-95334-976-7 (paperback)
  ISBN-13: 978-1-95334-977-4 (e-book)
  startups; business; entrepreneur; freelancers; freelance; creative; starting a business; self-employed; founder; thrive; coaching
  Chapter 1 Prepare to thrive
  Chapter 2 What do you stand for?
  Chapter 3 Being productive
  Chapter 4 Unleash your creativity
  Chapter 5 Learn and grow
  Chapter 6 Attract new clients
  Chapter 7 Choose how you run your business
  Chapter 8 Love your clients
  Chapter 9 Work is not a place
  Chapter 10 Fail forward
  I'm writing the book I would have enjoyed reading more than a decade ago when I set up on my own as a PR consultant in London, UK. I'd run teams, managed budgets, been a spokesperson on behalf of eye-watering amounts of investment and worked with intimidatingly high-profile leaders. Unfortunately, that did not equip me for starting and running my own creative operation.
  When I worked inside agencies on behalf of household names with big budgets, it felt natural—even easy at times—to negotiate contracts, have tough conversations and develop creative campaigns. Yet, the same things that had felt so natural at a corporate suddenly felt foreign when I had to do them as a freelancer. Now I work daily as a coach, supporting creative freelancers and founders to fulfill their potential and enjoy the journey too. My clients are all incredibly talented and resourceful, but many share a longing for connection, reassurance, support and motivation.
  Over my two-year writing journey, I've interviewed inspiring, brave and creative people across the UK and United States, tapping into some incredible insights and pulling them together into this friendly guide, to offer that support that we all need from time to time.
  This book's for you if you've stopped feeling hungry for new client work, you're starting up for the first (or second or third!) time or you've simply run out of steam. My intention is to offer a wealth of ideas and fresh perspectives to inspire you at any stage of your independent creative career.
  I truly believe—like Julia Cameron—that all people are creative and can be creative. However, I've particularly aimed these pages at those of us who already feel the need and desire to put our creative ideas and work out into the world, or have somehow contracted ourselves into being creative on demand almost every day, which is a tough number. I'm thinking about the PR and advertising industries, actors and presenters, artists across all media, writers, makers and anyone who works in a slightly unconventional way. You know who you are.
  I'd love to hear from you all, and continue to document and share your inspiring stories and insights. This is, for me, just the start of an ongoing two-way conversation, and it's one I'd like to keep alive every day. I'm looking forward to meeting you all.
  Anne Brichto, you are an unending source of inspiration, food, literature and laughter.
  Sharon Wheeler. My warmest thanks and appreciation to you for reading every word of my draft manuscript and offering objective and thoughtful edits. I am so grateful to you. I understand you were paying forward a similar favor and I hope to be able to pay forward your support very soon to another author. Let's keep this going.
  Becky Matthews, I truly value both your friendship and insight.
  Charlotte Bailey, for your ongoing encouragement, support, good heart and cat pictures.
  Eleanor Goold, for motivating me with sound and inspiring advice, when I lost my mojo.
  Peter Beckett for telling me what my book was about when I wasn't entirely sure, and organizing my messy thoughts into a coherent structure.
  Fiona Chow for your perfect combination of surrogate tiger mom and shoulder to cry on as required.
  Dan Simon for letting me delve into your incredible brain and for your high levels of enthusiasm.
  Gina Cobbold for creating space for me to write in beautiful Alicante and recommending Big Magic to me (by Elizabeth Gilbert), you really got me unstuck.
  Mark Southern for somehow getting me to write 1,000 words a day for a month in addition to my day job.
  Amanda Holly, who transcribed the majority of these interviews, you are amazing.
  Tamsin Baker, for being magical.
  My clients for encouraging me and cheerleading me on this journey.
  Zoe Hawkins and Gillian Maxwell Carter, for holding my head together. I am very lucky to know you both.
  Becky Slack, who's been a wonderful informal mentor to me through this process, thank you so much.
  Seeking freedom: Find flexibility, balance and your sense of purpose
  The freelance market and gig economy are growing and thriving, with the annual Freelancing in America survey 1 offering optimistic findings and predictions 2 for an industry that it values at almost one trillion U.S. dollars—nearly 5 percent of U.S. GDP.
  While working for yourself can be associated with uncertainty, there's also a tremendous amount of flexibility, freedom and opportunity for those bold enough to grab it. There's the lure of remote working, control over your client base and the chance to build the lifestyle you aspire to, so it's an enticing route for those brave and savvy souls who embrace it.
  For the creative individual, freelancing or running your own business can offer the freedom to allow creativity to flow and to nurture and cultivate it—whether that's about exploring and experimenting with different media, seeking inspiration in fresh places or the chance to choose clients whose ethos resonates with your own. All of this can be extremely empowering. And yet, left to our own devices, we can sometimes find ourselves too far off course, and that's where a little coaching—or a few timely tips—can help us refocus and regroup.
  Having worked with hundreds of freelancers and founders over the years, and set up online communities connecting thousands of freelancers—with one another and with clients—I have brought together some of the key ingredients needed to create a thriving independent, creative career. I have also interviewed experts on some of the vital issues facing creative freelancers and founders, both the practical and existential factors, which may influence artists, writers and other creatives forging their own path right now.
  Firstly, I know it helps to have an appetite and hunger for working in a different way to the default employee role that most of us are raised to expect.
  That hunger and drive can help you through the lean times as well as the busy, abundant months. The term feast or famine is often associated with freelance life, and while a creative spark and appetite can drive your career, developing strong boundaries and a calm confidence will be your armor in the long term.
  You may be coming to this book as a long-time freelancer or founder who wants to begin a new chapter, or maybe you're flirting with the idea of setting up on your own and not even sure if it's for you. Some of us find freelancing and consultancy because we got made redundant, or are looking for a lifestyle change, other times, it finds us and we begin our freelance life around a project or client request. Whichever path you took to get here, I'm glad you're here, and I hope you never look back and are able to build the life you truly want and deserve.
  1 https://upwork.com/blog/2019/10/freelancing-in-america-2019/
  2 https://upwork.com/press/2019/10/03/freelancing-in-america-2019/
  Hunger, curiosity and creativity
  Creative people who are driven by their passion, curiosity and hunger can make amazing freelancers. We can also make very insecure freelancers who strive to create the most beautiful art, write an incredibly moving piece of prose, or compose the tune that becomes legendary. If you're a creative person seeking to make a living from your art (which could be writing, ideas generation, photography, music . . . any number of skills), then your passion can propel you forward and drive you. It can also sometimes get in the way. The key is striking a balance between your motivation and what your client wants and needs. It's also about finding the sweet spot where everyone's goals meet or align, and then replicating this in a sustainable way that enables you to pay your bills, enjoy your life and embrace the freedom of freelancing without lurching from famine to feast and back again.
  When you're setting out for the first time and starting to build your client base, then working out what drives you can really help you to stay motivated during the journey. It can also be handy to check in with that drive and motivation and work out if it's a healthy motivation, and—if it is—plan how to feed and nurture it and keep yourself on track. And, if it doesn't feel healthy—for example, if it is fueled by fear—then doing some work to unpick that, for example, with a coach, can be useful to help you create a strong foundation for your career.
  Katy Cowan runs the online magazine and podcast Creative Boom and is a huge advocate of creative people building their own businesses, working freelance and following their passion. She says:
  Often the hardest part of becoming a freelancer is taking that first step, as so much feels uncertain. But if I were to tell you that not even a full-time job is secure, would that change your perspective? We shouldn't glorify freelancing, as it's not for everyone. However, for those who do want to start a business, it's advisable to build a safety net and develop more contacts before going solo. The first couple of years will also be tough—but once you have some regular clients and you've established a reputation, you'll find the work keeps coming. You'll wonder why you didn't go freelance sooner. And if it doesn't work out? I tell myself I can always get a job again. But it's been 13 years since I started my own business.
  Katy identifies some of the biggest fears that prevent people from going freelance:
  • Not having enough work
  • Not having a good work/life balance
  • Fear of the economic climate
  The fears Katy identifies from her experience of running Creative Boom are exactly the same fears that my coaching clients bring to me almost every day too—whether that is in person, by e-mail or phone, or on the online forums I have run and been part of. At what point will these fears not exist for every freelancer? The same fears tend to affect a huge majority of freelancers throughout their careers. And, while this may not feel terribly reassuring, it also means that there is often no 'right time' to go out on your own, win new clients and be a huge success, and there is no better or worse time to fail trying either. Economic downturns can be an opportunity for independent consultants as much as they can be a challenge. Wherever you are starting from, that is where you are at and you can begin to move forward from that place to get closer to feeling fulfilled in your career.
  Let's unpack those fears a little bit further and explore them in more detail:
  Fear of the unknown, while it can be a concern, can also be a motivator and drive us forward in our creative journey. Think about how fear feels . . . perhaps your heart races, maybe you get a bit giddy, it might feel hard to focus. Now think about how excitement feels: Racing heart? Giddy? Finding focus a challenge? Perhaps, fear of the unknown is also excitement about what might be around the corner. Excitement about that ping as someone buys one of your products online or a new business enquiry lands in your inbox.
  The fear of scarcity and not having enough work or money is a practical and realistic fear. The reliability of having an employer and a contract can certainly feel safer than freelancing.
  As a founder or freelancer, putting some security in place, where it is lacking, can be vital. This could come from a number of sources and examples might include:
  • Putting insurances in place such as loss of income or health insurance.
  • Creating a budget and a financial plan and working with an accountant and financial advisor to future-proof your business.
  • Having a number of sources of income is also an option, so for example, a freelance writer may have a mixture of copywriting and strategy work, run courses, paid speaking slots and might also rent out their spare room. As long as you are able to find balance, it is possible to create a portfolio career. I have friends who run a canoe center and also sell Christmas trees, among various other successful enterprises. This may sound like two unconnected businesses, but they have land and when the water is frozen and canoeing is not possible, then the other business comes into focus for a few weeks of the year.
  • Having a 'Plan B'. This is something I talk about with my financial advisor. She checks in with me once in a while and we make sure that my actual circumstances and what I had anticipated are still matching up. If they are not, we might revert to Plan B for a while. Having someone pragmatic like that can really help—I'd describe her as head over heart (in a business sense) and myself as the opposite. For me, it's vital to have someone so practical on hand when I get a bit dreamy and idealistic. Although she has a huge heart too!
  These are simply a few examples and you will of course have your own ways of locking in some security. The freelancers and founders who worry about security and do not do something about it are the ones who will feel the pain if their clients do pull back. And the worry itself is simply a reminder that you need to address this, a bit like an alarm clock on snooze, the worry will keep popping up until we find a resolution!
  The freelance fear of not being 'good enough' works on two levels. There is the aspect of your actual skills and what you may wish to do to brush those up in terms of learning and development, and then the more psychological fear of not being good enough in terms of 'worthiness'. The first one is more easily addressed with an audit to work out where the gaps might be and creating a personal development plan for yourself, costing it out and ascertaining what the next step is (and how much it might cost in time or money). The second is a more in-depth dialogue that may happen with your coach, therapist or simply through journaling or other forms of self-reflection.
  Not having a great work/life balance is often a reason people go freelance in the first place. But, if it's your tendency to work hard and be a perfectionist, this can be a problem that follows you around if you do not address it! Notice what your go-to behavior is when you are really up against it and if working all the hours or perfectionism crop up, then perhaps this trend was not about the role you did before but about who you are as a person and how you respond to pressure. Bringing old behaviors into a new role is not always helpful.
  Putting strong boundaries in place and also checking in with yourself by completing an exercise known as the 'Wheel of Life' from time to time can help show up where your life and work are out of balance, allowing you to reconnect to the under-loved aspects of your wheel. So, for example, you may discover that work is getting so much of your time that your health is suffering. And, being aware of that, and creating a plan around how to re-balance it could help you to focus more at work, and make the time you spend there more valuable, as well as the obvious benefit of better physical and mental health. Search online for 'Wheel of Life' to find templates and instructions on how to go about this.
  Now, to be clear I'm not saying leave your job with no financial security, plan or preparation—quite the opposite. But, wherever you are in your journey, if a flexible creative life is calling you, then it is highly unlikely that someone will arrive at your door, or tap you on the shoulder and tell you now is the time to begin! This isn't a fairy tale. If you want magic in your world, you might have to bring it yourself. And, planning how to do that is either the first step or the start of your growth plan if you're already freelancing and looking for more income, freedom and success.
  If you're a creative freelancer relying on your career for financial security (as most of us do), then the start of your journey may seem especially daunting. But, what you need to get going can simply be boiled down to one word! There is one thing that you need more than a beautiful business card, fancy website or groovy logo to get you started on your journey, or to grow. It's clients . Clients, clients, clients.
  I learned this from my photographer friend Jon, in my first week of freelancing—in fact, he pretty much bellowed it down the phone to me. I was chatting enthusiastically about my plans to start working for myself and how I needed a logo and a website and so on. And he stopped me in my tracks and told me the only thing I needed to get started on my journey was at least one client and that without a client I did not have a business.
  He was right of course. Unless you have some investment or savings, then a logo and business cards are a luxury to schedule into your plan for Month 1. They are not essential during your first week and if you prioritize these things, there simply won't be any money in your business bank account to pay for them with. For me, the first step is to work out how to get your first client, what service or product you will offer to them and how much you will charge them. Create a short-term plan around that goal. Then go get that client.
  This will of course require a strong sense of self-motivation and drive. Other personality traits that will really enhance your freelance journey include:
  • A keen sense of curiosity and a willingness to ask questions
  • An appetite for listening and learning
  • A thick skin and a sense of ease around giving and receiving feedback
  Agile PR: A start-up story
  Sometimes a business is born through 'fear and necessity'. It's not always part of a beautiful strategic plan. Although luckily for Rachel Picken, who uses these two words to describe how she got going, she is rather talented at thinking on her feet:
  Rachel runs Agile PR, an independent consultancy based in Cornwall, UK. She specializes in strategic public relations (PR) consultancy, training and mentoring for PR and integrated marketing and copywriting. A twist in her business is that she works with Agile project management methodologies, delivering training courses and writing about Agile application at organizations nationally and internationally.
  Agile, as Rachel explained to me, is a project management and workflow methodology that started out in the software industry in 2001. It focuses on delivering value quickly and regularly, rather than project success being defined by delivery on time and on budget.
  It has since been applied to a broader range of industries outside of the software world.
  Rachel explains what prompted her to begin working as an independent consultant:
  Fear and necessity! But also realising it was the very best option to me as a working single mother. I split up with my husband at the end of 2015, and we ran a business together, so within six months I had to move house, leave a marriage and a business, and of course a job that I loved and was actually good at.
  Initially I did a phased exit from the business, but it became clear that I needed a clean break. I had been offered teaching work delivering diploma and advanced certificate courses for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). It was the baseline income I needed to take that step. So after coffee and some encouragement with a professional friend, I set up as a sole trader. My boyfriend at the time was also a very successful freelance crisis comms PR, so I could see the opportunities to fit a great career around my life and home.
  It wasn't plain sailing at the start and around a year in, Rachel told me she did apply for two jobs when things got a bit quiet. That experience in itself gave her a knock-back too: she recalls that she didn't even get called for an interview, which she remembers thinking was really odd because she was known to the company. The other job Rachel applied for, as an alternative to running her business, led her through to the interview stage, but she didn't get this either. She remembers crying her eyes out when she got the call, but she says it forced her to make her business work. And, she picked herself up and carried on growing and developing Agile PR.
  Now Rachel earns the equivalent of 'a really good salary', while working three to four days per week and being flexible around her two daughters, aged seven and ten. She can also prioritize herself and her health—some days she could be at the gym or a workout class, having a meeting or holding a workshop, then going on the school run or volunteering for the class bake sale. She's essentially designed her business and life to prioritize the things she is great at and loves doing and works incredibly hard but with space for her family too, demonstrating the sort of balance she can help her clients to achieve, as she does so. She said:
  Interestingly, the MD of the business where I applied but didn't get an interview messaged me on LinkedIn to invite me to apply for a job . . . pretty much the same job I'd applied for previously. The candidate hadn't worked out. I was flattered and did consider it for a moment, but said thanks but no thanks. It was full time hours, and as the MD herself recognized, I was being rewarded by "rowing my own boat." I've since set Agile PR up as a limited company, and I'm exploring opportunities to grow without compromising my work/ life balance.
  I asked Rachel what she knows now that would have helped her get started as a freelancer:
  That cashflow really is king. When you are the sole person responsible for keeping a roof over your head, and a client is slow to pay or you have a quiet patch, it can get a bit hairy. Also—I have some really huge, internationally renowned clients in the university/ higher education sector, and I have really small start-up and charity clients. The smaller clients can often be the better payers, because you establish a relationship with the person paying your invoice. So it's good to mix it up a bit. I once waited about four months for invoices to be paid from one big client because they had changed their finance systems. I was one of a number of suppliers to get lost in the system.
  The freelancers who are truly "adulting" are the ones who have 6–12 months of income saved in the bank before they start. I just didn't have that luxury. However one thing I really recommend is mapping out your projects and clients, particularly if you don't have retained clients. Be generous with your day rates, and don't fix your model in a way where you are billing for every day you work. You need admin days, marketing days, training, and let's face it—holidays!
  The best piece of advice I got was from a recruitment specialist called Liz Gadd. She was the one who encouraged me to go it alone and put myself at the top of my list of priorities.
  "How do I start to win work?" I said.
  "Make a prospect list," she replied. "30-50 names of people you'd like to work with."
  So on my first day, sat at my desk in my bedroom, that's what I did. I brainstormed contacts and people I liked or old clients, and I got in touch with them one by one. Hand-on-heart, about 30 percent of the people on that list that I contacted, I generated work with. I did this again earlier this year when I was staring down the barrel of little work—and it quickly filled up my schedule again.
  We also discussed what has been Rachel's biggest lifesaver since going freelance:
  Having a real niche which has enabled me to make a name for myself in a very specific area. It's opened me up to global clients—for example, I write long-form features for the Scrum Alliance (based in Colorado) for their magazine and website.
  Also, my shared office space. I pay a monthly fee to have a desk in a coworking space near where I live. The office is owned by a music distribution company so there is always a killer playlist on, great coffee, it's dog-friendly and the people are lovely. Ultimately it's about community—everyone is so supportive and we celebrate each other's successes, collaborate on clients but also act as a sounding board for each other. That is invaluable.
  Building your client base and maintaining healthy cash flow are the main priorities for most of us. But, for some artists, the primary focus is on being the best they can and putting art out into the world, regardless of the shackles of clients and money.
  One such artist is the painter David McAdam Freud, son of the artist Lucian Freud, who explained to me what it means to create art from his unique perspective:
  For me, being an artist is being free of financial motivations or the wish to have a job. I decide or agree that something is going to be made, hope it will appear without my consciously inventing it then compromise between manipulation and play while exploring the idea of the thing and its existence—texture, smell, shape, weight, taste, intention, effect it has on the space surrounding it. I try to hold at bay any thoughts of cost, marketability of the piece, acceptance by whomever commissioned it, as I think these considerations distract from the work but they inevitably occur and, if I am not very careful, overwhelm the process.
  While David's motivation and drive flies in the face of what most business books tell you, I'm writing this with an awareness that paying the bills is not always the 'be-all and end-all' of our creative endeavors. I'd like to leave our minds open to the possibility that sometimes—if not always—we work to create because it feels good to do so, not simply to pay the rent.
  I spoke about this with Eszter Iván, who's a UK-based dance movement psychotherapist, psychologist and coach. We talked about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a diagram and popular theory by American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943, 1954). His famous pyramid diagram displays a five-tier model of human needs, with those deemed the most basic and physiological (such as food and water) at the base of the pyramid and those at the top, being more psychological such as self-esteem.
  Eszter and I discussed how the top internal motivation is self-actualization: to become the most we can be—which includes self-fulfillment and personal growth—and how important this is if we think about becoming or being a whole person. She works with dancers and specializes in movement. Eszter emphasized the importance of balance and self-care, especially for those of us who are driven to create and fulfill our potential. In general, a balance between living to work and working to live is where most of us are likely to be. She said:
  For me it is about finding the right soil and environment for the seed to grow. It is hard work to find that! Self-actualization will happen only if there is passion, energy and possibility to flourish using our skills and learning within the process.
  As founders or freelancers, we must remember that we are managing ourselves as well. We are our own leaders. We need to make sure we value each step and everything that we do, not just think about big milestones which we want to reach, but see the journey and enjoy the journey. I think it's so easy to forget this when our internal dialogue might be: 'OK I need more money, I need more appliances' and so on.
  Whether your goal is making money, self-actualization or something else, keep connecting back with why you are doing what you do. Explore the things that motivate and drive you and what you are hungry for. This will put some gas in your tank for your freelance or founder journey. Having a clear awareness of where you're heading can help forward momentum, particularly on difficult days.
  • Choose what you stand for
  • Be aware of what motivates you
  • Decide what you want to spend more or less time doing
  One of the most joyful parts of running your own business or being a creative freelancer or consultant is the opportunity to build a business you truly believe in. To position what's important to you firmly at the core of your operation—whether that's amazing customer service, a passion for the environment, or the desire to build a multi-national business that turns over millions. Many people start their freelance career or business by answering an advert for a short-term contract, or responding to a request for ad-hoc support. Then they go where the work is, and that's how they find their first client. While this is a legitimate way to make a living, creative people who take this approach on a long-term basis can end up feeling despondent, finding themselves working at the whims of a mixed bag of clients and not being truly happy or congruent with what's important to them. I was lucky to be head-hunted for my first freelance role with a government department, and I do say it was luck rather than judgment, as I had a very vague and incomplete plan at the time. What I had done though, by way of preparation for starting out on my own, was to meet with people who I respected in the communications industry and ask them for advice and feedback, which I took on board, and I also gathered testimonials and recommendations from the most influential and well-connected individuals in my network. I'd suggest you start doing the same, even if you're not yet sure if running a business is for you.
  As a coach, I advocate working backwards. Start with a clear picture of where you want to end up, and map out a path that takes you there. The most important part is to start from where you are now, not from some future version of yourself, but with you as you are today. Build the business that you wish to work for and in. And, begin doing this when it is just you. It is entirely possible to have a company culture even when the company consists of one individual. So, for starters, rather than choosing any client, at any price, think about the power of having the right client as your starting point and what can lead on from that.
  The first step to building your new brand can be about acknowledging and tuning into your beliefs and values to establish exactly what it is you stand for—getting to the essence of you. And, if you have a business partner, then do this for both of you and find out where the overlaps are.
  At the start-up phase, give yourself permission to ask for the help you need. I've been involved in a few startups over the years and I've found people tend to be incredibly generous in letting you 'pick their brains' for half an hour, whether that is on legal advice, branding, human resources (HR), or something else. Being a startup is a great chance to get some really good professional advice, and then pay it forward when you have the chance by doing the same for others. And, yes you can speak to me for half an hour free of charge if you are thinking of starting up. That is absolutely okay.
  Define your brand and understand your values
  If you've never asked yourself this question before — what do I stand for? —then it might be handy for us to unpack what we mean by beliefs and values before we think about how it affects the start or growth phase of our freelance or start-up journey.
  Zoe Hawkins is a coach who trains other coaches. I turned to her to find out more about how she defines beliefs and values. This is what she told me:
  We are all driven by our unique values. Values are things that are important to us and need to be met in order to experience fulfilment. Everyone's values are different and they are shaped by our early experiences and influences in our lives. This can explain why some people choose to go down the corporate route, and others choose to work for themselves. For example, a value such as freedom may be easier to meet when you work for yourself and have full control over the work that you do, when and where you do it.
  Additionally, it is common for people to reach a phase in their lives where they crave more meaning. In our early careers many people choose the corporate route as a way to earn money, perhaps to buy a house and build their security. Once basic needs are met it gives space for other needs to emerge, such as giving back, helping others, or exploring aspects of themselves that they haven't felt they've had time for. You can take more risks when you have a strong foundation of security. It can be at this time of life that people make big career changes such as becoming a writer or an artist.
  Understanding your values and whether you are currently fulfilling them or not could be one of the vital keys to your happiness levels in your freelance career. Once you have done some exploratory work around defining what they are (which you may wish to do with the help of a coach or another business person), then you are in a stronger position to work out how to embed them—whether you are setting up from scratch or refocusing your existing role.
  A simple starting point that Zoe explained to me is to create a long list of words of possible values such as religion , power , friendship , spontaneity , creativity , sexuality , compassion and circle or cross out the ones that resonate with you. Add new words and see where it takes you. Then, you may wish to go further and explore what's behind your belief . . . ask yourself (or get your coach or mentor to ask you) why that value is important to you and see if actually there is another significant meaning behind that which you'd like to bring to the fore.
  When you are happy you have discovered your core values, you may wish to prioritize them before looking at how to embed them into your days, weeks and months—and into your business. Some may be easy to implement straight away, while others could be future ambitions and part of a timeline of goals for the next year, or even five years. Remember they are personal to your business and do not have to reflect what you see others doing—in fact, having different goals and values than other founders can be a huge asset, as demonstrated by small business owner Rich Leigh, who runs a PR business in England, UK. Rich recognized what was important to him and his staff and made a drastic change to the workstyle of his agency. In 2018, he introduced the four-day working week across his business, Radioactive PR .
  Rich's brave and thoughtful change took significant preparation and planning to achieve his goals of:
  • Lower rates of absence
  • Increased staff and client happiness
  Rich implemented a trial of the four-day working week after consulting with clients and staff, and when that went well, he used his tech knowledge to streamline communication and reporting processes, slightly reduce holiday allocations, and give staff a whopping 40 days back to themselves in return for losing just five days holiday a year. Rich also makes sure that clients can call on him or the team in emergencies. He explained:
  When speaking to marketing/brand directors in the past, one of the main reasons cited for leaving an agency/freelance relationship is the lack of communication, unless things are going well—odd when we consider ourselves to be good communicators. It turns out though that most PR people think communicating means sending results, whereas for us, especially since I started using WhatsApp groups with near-enough every client, it's more about day-to-day updates. On what's being worked on, on what's been asked for, on planning, on reactive opportunities, and then, of course, on results. Clients just want to feel in the know, and to feel like everything is on track to be delivered, to the best of our combined abilities—especially when the alternative to hiring an agency is developing the in-house team.
  Our client/agency relationships have definitely been made stronger since starting the four-day week, not least because I—and we—are incredibly conscious of the need to constantly communicate. Not that we weren't before, but it's one of the two main factors I asked for feedback on both during and after the six-week trial I implemented nearly a year ago—asking them to score us both on communication and results in surveys in light of the trial. This doesn't mean inane nonsense—although I really do feel like, within reason, our relationships with clients are far friendlier than I've ever had elsewhere—it means having something to say, and occasionally, telling the client what they might not want to hear. That a story isn't doing as well as we thought it would—so here's what we're doing about it, or that an idea of theirs might not be the best decision, in our opinion.
  In terms of always being 'on', as a result of emails/WhatsApp, the four-day week has given us the chance to have that really honest conversation with clients. They know that, should they ever need us, we are there—on a Friday at midday just as much as on a Saturday at 11pm—but in highlighting some boundaries, communicating that the time they pay for will be managed well and accordingly, to achieve the results we're all after, I've found that out-of-hours chat that can wait has reduced. Of course, there'll always be a reactive opportunity that happens outside of normal hours that we can talk about, or a budding crisis a client might want to discuss, but by and large, the thoughts and concerns of clients are kept to within office hours.
  And as you might expect, Rich's brave move has reaped plenty of press coverage and attention, as well as curiosity from people intrigued by the experiment and the long-term implementation of this approach.
  This also shows that making a change, which is positive for your freelance operation or your business, is not always about doing more of something, it could just as easily be about stopping something or doing less. The first step is to review what you'd like to change and explore what might be possible, with an open mind.
  The other powerful lesson that leapt out at me from Rich's experiment is how essential it is to tune in to what's important to you and make that the core of your brand. If you truly believe in those differentiators—what makes your business different or even unique compared to competitors—then it hopefully won't feel like a chore to market yourself, in fact it will feel authentic and natural. Rich's clear passion for, and belief in, the fourday working week has been a thread running through his business's communications and stands for much more than just days on the calendar. It is about trust and boundaries, freedom and open communication, about being brave and trying something different and also about evaluation and feedback. All of these elements are key to running a successful operation and yet by doing this so openly and bravely, Rich has also gained plenty of positive news coverage for his idea. Not only is this well-deserved, but it also demonstrates the power of "show don't tell"—a phrase I often use in coaching when explaining the difference between saying you have these values and actually living them. Rich lives his values, and if we can too, then we can hit our flow.
  Setting goals will guide you in running your freelance business and in pitching for, managing and reporting on your client work too. If no one knows where they are aiming, then it is incredibly hard to know if it's going well.
  When you set goals for yourself, or for a client project, then make sure they are SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound . And be aware of whether you are relying on anyone else to bring those goals to life or whether they are 100 percent within your control. That can seriously affect your chances of success.
  If you don't yet have a client base, or contracts, then your goals are likely to be around generating new business, creating a structure and bringing those new clients on board. Having a realistic and true understanding of the nature of the industry you're working in can be vital when you set your goals.
  Alexis Hightower lives in New York, and explained to me how her career has hit some incredible peaks. Yet she does not take that for granted or underestimate the need for us as creative people, to stretch ourselves in order to reach our goals:
  I've always been musical and started performing at a very young age. I would say my professional career began in earnest immediately after I finished college, so at the age of 21. That's actually late by entertainment business standards, but college was a non-negotiable in my household and I did not get a degree in music.
  The "highs" are two-fold really. Possibly the biggest high for me was performing my original music in front of 5,000 people at a San Sebastian music festival in Spain while opening for Bobby McFerrin. That was otherworldly and really stands out. I performed with the late, great Roy Hargrove's Big Band, opened for Gil Scott-Heron, performed as Mimi in the Broadway tour of "Rent" and I've taken my band all over the world. These are all highlights and are very precious to me. Of course, getting a coveted booking or getting a song placed in a film or other medium, is totally thrilling. Anytime you get to a "yes" it just feels good. The other type of high is connected to the process of being creative. Each day that I get to wake up and write, sing, create, practise, is truly a dream come true. Each moment that I get to spend working at my craft is a high unto itself. It also means that I continually improve because I get to put the time into doing what I love rather than say, going to work in an office or shop all day every day.
  I think a career in music and arts is always characterized by highs and lows. It's really just the nature of the industry. There's a saying that "you're only as good as your last fill-in-the-blank." It's not like the corporate world where once you reach a certain level and, generally, you stay there. The entertainment world stays being precipitous. Even the Beyoncés of the world have to constantly compete and stretch themselves in order to maintain their status at 'the top.'
  Figure out what helps you to thrive
  I could tell you to never work in your pajamas or to always sit at a desk in an ergonomic seating position—and while this might be great for your posture, only you can truly know what helps you to work at your best. Whether you need a standing desk, outdoor space, a pot plant or an office dog is up for you to decide, but do decide—my one piece of advice on your freelance office is not to leave it to chance or the default option. When you're thinking about your values and what drives you, consider what you physically need to operate well. And what you would like to look at and surround yourself with. And I'd encourage you to be incredibly honest with yourself, in truth very few of us really work at our very best in bed—but if you're someone who does then I'm not planning to stand in your way!
  It can be surprisingly difficult to admit to ourselves what it is that we need—not because we don't know, but because it's often the boring stuff.