Work Coaching
I’ve recently started something I’ve been thinking about for a while – coaching. But for myself, rather than offering it to others. I’d heard from a few people that they found it really useful to talk to someone independent, that it helps them work through certain decisions or situations as well as helping…
A-Z of Freelancer Costs
There’s been some interesting discussions lately amongst freelance colleagues about whether some organisations understand the value of work they’re after and by extension what goes into people’s rates. It got me thinking about the costs of being self-employed, and how little I understood before I went freelance myself. I was definitely one of…
The Charity Ghost
A few weeks ago I was so excited to get my first referral – a charity I’ve worked with a few times had recommended me as a facilitator. It felt incredible to have someone value me/my work highly enough to recommend me. Plus it was to a new organisation, a charity I hadn’t…
Lessons in Policy
I’ve recently been doing a fair amount of policy work, with two charity contracts running concurrently focused on this. One has now come to a close after 5 months, and here’s what I’ve learnt: 1. What even is policy? It’s not the easiest work to explain to people. As soon as I’ve said…
Pensions as a Freelancer
How do pensions work when you’re self-employed? I always hoped that I’d be able to continue paying into a pension while freelancing, but I knew it was something I may have to compromise on. With my income being a complete unknown for this first year, it’s one of the few financial responsibilities that’s…
The Power of Networks
When I started out freelancing, I dusted off my LinkedIn account. It’s something I’d set up years ago and until last year I had occasionally gone onto it to update job roles but that was about it. I’d never really put too much value on it. However, something made me realise it needed…
Co-Working Trial
This week I ticked off one of my 2023 goals – giving a coworking space a go. After 9 months of working from home, apart from the odd meeting or event, it was about time. I’ve heard of a really lovely space near me, so a freelance colleague and I decided to spend…
Week in the Life
This week is a continuation of the balancing act, with three active clients taking up roughly 4 days total each week. I’m doing different roles and work for each and sometimes I’m able to keep the work very boundaried to specific days, and some weeks I end up doing bits for all of…
New Year Commitments (Belatedly)
I don’t know how I feel about new years’ resolutions. There’s something exciting and daunting about a whole new year, and the ability to use it to mix things up, set a new challenge or change direction completely. It’s a good time to take stock, something about doing it in the cold/dark/rainy-ness of…
What Work’s Out There
What is it that freelancers do? Most of the time I get asked the question, people presume I do fundraising because I work for charities. It’s interesting that a lot of people can’t conceptualise a charity as a whole organisation, with all the internal and external functions needed to run it effectively. To…