Have You Got What It Takes?

Working for yourself and servicing clients remotely — whether through writing or another creative skillset — can be fabulously freeing and bring an enormous sense of pride and achievement. But only if you’ve got what it takes.

I knew from having cut my teeth working full time at agencies in my 20s, that being self-employed was gonna suit me just fine.

I’m creative, unstructured, entrepreneurial and tenacious. I have an aversion to lanyards — love variety as much as I love an afternoon nap. I also get bursts of writing-energy at the wrong end of the day. And I feel ever so smug in a ‘I’m so on top of things kinda way’ if the white goods are whirring while I’m working.

I’m not saying you must be all these things — but if you’re looking for control over your life (aside from your laundry), there’s nada. Zip. None at all! And so, ask yourself if you really think you can hack it if a client doesn’t pay or takes months to do so?

Also, if there’s a lull in your workload, will you seize the day (which could be a bank holiday) to work on new business or write some blogs — or will it send you into a spiral of panic and/or guilt?

The desire for flexibility and being your own boss must be the biggest drivers — and certainly were for me — particularly if you’re planning on having kids or have already reached the keeping a tiny human alive stage. That and the overwhelm of thinking that god forbid, I might have to get a proper job!

Working Mums (& Dads) Then and Now

Being a working parent really does seem so much easier than in the 90s and early 2000s — particularly for women. An interesting stat is that at 74%, we females are still the primary caregivers.

Here’s what I see as different:

– Working from home is the norm (yay Covid)
– Dads are cool for being the stay-at-home parents
– It’s totally acceptable that one, you have children at all and two, if said child is ill, you can still function and meet a deadline — and the sky isn’t going to fall in if it’s extended by a day or two.

Even in the mid-2000s I recall a colleague saying that her kids knew when she had ‘her work face’ on — and were under pain of death not to make a noise when she was on the phone to a client as it would be perceived as unprofessional.

She once looked on in horror as one of her kids lurched dangerously close to a swinging swing — fearing the sound of an almighty cry. Today I’m pretty sure it would be fine to say:: “Can I call you back in five minutes as little Johnny is about to have his head chopped off”.

The Discipline of Compartmentalising

We’re all guilty of being glued to our screens — but even in the 90s I found it hard to put down a piece of work.

It’s so important to be disciplined about when you do and don’t work — and know when to step away from the laptop and leave things well alone. Knowing when enough really is enough.

By this I mean — not revisiting a piece of copy (or design) because you’ve become so obsessed with it and want to keep tweaking it until it’s perfect — when it’s teatime for example. I wish I had been better at compartmentalising — downing tools completely so my two boys had my full attention. I think today it’s called being present.

Get Out Before Burn Out (WARNING: contains graphic detail)

I worked when both my kids were babies — almost as if I was trying to prove to the rest of the world — and myself — that I could have it all.

I fancied earning my own money and being married to a teacher meant it would be down to me to fund treats and nice things like holidays. I think I was also fearful of losing my identity having worked hard to build up a good reputation and client base.

My worst ‘what the hell was I thinking’ story was when I was living in Surrey but supporting Welsh Government on the development of Cardiff Bay with some event management and copywriting. I also wrote a huge inward investment brochure for Cardiff Council — before the days when research could be carried out on the internet.

Off I headed to Wales for a meeting — leaving my 8-week-old baby at home with my mother-in-law — and during the meeting I began to bleed. The stress of what might be happening to my dress and unsuspecting chair then caused my just-had-a-baby boobs to leak!

After the meeting was over and we stood up to shake hands — I had to choose which wet patch my cardigan would be used to cover up. Plus, to make matters worse, on the way home, the batteries on my breast pump died!

And so — sadly — I reached burnout a couple of times. I remember standing at the school gates with my toddler in a buggy, waiting to collect my eldest son — and bursting into tears as the overwhelm of writing 12 different commercial property brochures was just too much.

To admit that to the client (all stale, male, pale and public school) would have felt like a huge failing — so I battled through.

They’re Not Little for Long

Finding childcare may seem unsurmountable and expensive — but they’re not little for long, so my advice is maybe to work less if you can afford to — or cut your cloth accordingly. And don’t go back too soon.

I’m sure other been there done that mums will agree that at times, having babies and toddlers can be mind numbingly boring, so the urge to have the best of both is understandable. Plus of course there are bills to pay.

Out there on the freelance circuit — Jo Martin positions herself as a writer for female business owners and freely promotes when she is not available as these are her time with her kids days. I admire this confident, boundary setting stance and she seems to have the balance just right.

Knowing When to Say No

I also wish I hadn’t said yes to every client brief that came my way. As freelancers there’s a sense of — if I turn this down then the work will dry up and I’ll never work again.

But if you keep networking and reaching out — then I can assure you it won’t. And if you are good, even the client you rebutted will likely return.

Take A Break or Ride With It

All of this begs the question — should I have taken a break from it all for a few years to focus on being a mum (and a wife)?

But then — would I be in the position I am in now — to be able to still work with confidence?

If working hadn’t caused me stress, then — back to that if I had my time again thing — I’d pick the break option. If you can write, you can write — that’s never going to leave you no matter where your words are needed or what new trends or digital platforms come in. These can be learnt as and when.

The work I’m getting now is mostly from new connections — and my longevity in the business is no more relevant than someone with several years’ experience and a passion to do good work.

What to Charge

Tricky! And a popular topic on LinkedIn it seems — with ‘what does everyone else charge’ type polls popping up regularly.

From my experience, it’s all about the client and what you think they will expect to pay — and how much you need the work.

Most creatives will have their day or hourly rates on a sliding scale — charging a higher rate to London-based or big companies (nice work if you can get it).

Time Waits for No Woman (or Man)

You’ll know what you need to earn each month and how long it takes to do a piece of work — debatable as to whether you can charge for all that thinking in the shower or on a dog walk time! As well, when chasing business and doing admin you won’t be generating fees so be realistic and factor it in to how much ‘billable’ time you really do have.

The fact you’re sparing clients having to pay NI, pension contributions, sick pay etc makes you bloody good value. But it’s extremely competitive out there — so you’ll have to go with the flow and see what sticks.

If it helps, a good benchmark is Welsh Government’s Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP) which used to pay £450 a day to consultants whatever their skillset. However, I know freelancers who charge way more and others less.

Start high then negotiate downwards if necessary but if you find you’re doing the writing bit for less than £50 an hour, then you’ve got to wonder if your passion for words is greater than your need to pay the bills.

What Not to Charge

In my former running-an-agency-alongside-someone-else phase, we lost out to a web writing project because we quoted too low. We clearly sent a message of not valuing our services — so why should they? Lesson learnt.

What You Could Have Charged

Another story relates to a friend of mine — also a freelancer — who really didn’t want to work on a project any longer. She’d been on it for over a year, and so she quoted £650 a day to lose the contract — when previously it had been £450.

“Fine,” they said — and she thought, “Bugger, I could have been earning that all along.”

I think in copywriting (which usually involves helping to pinpoint messaging and a fair bit of strategic thinking) it’s important to remember that not everyone can do what we do — and make it look so easy.

It’s a skill — and a passion — and if you’ve got it, charge for it.

It’s taken me a long time to learn that, and it reminds me of yet another bonkers ‘what was I thinking’ habit from when I first started freelancing.

I used to delay invoicing thinking I wasn’t worth my fee! Yup really. Now, as soon as the end of the month comes round, or a project is complete, those invoices fly across the ether quicker than you can say “sod AI”.

Call on Me

Thanks for reading my second set of musings. But wait — there’s more!

Part three is a tad more serious. It’s a kick-ass take on looking after number one — and how to future-proof you.

If you’re in need of a copywriter who blends experience with a dash of humour — I’d love to chat. Get in touch at bron@broncomm.com.