setting up a business

The joy of freelance – a personal story

March 11, 2015 By // by DigitalJenIPC

I can still remember the heady excitement of becoming self-employed over 17 years ago. I had planned it for 6 months, the market was ripe and I was ready.

I have always been independent, the no 2 child of 4, my Dad was self-employed, my Mum worked from home most of the time, so it felt like she was self-employed. I detested politics and ‘playing the game’. I didn’t and wouldn’t, it felt fake and realness and authenticity are important to me.

My career heritage is in marketing and brand strategy and communication, useful in marketing myself, and something I now help my clients with. I had researched the market thoroughly and knew that there was a shortage of strategic planners due to a combination of lack of training and recruitment in the late 80s/early 90s downturn and more communication agencies wanting to get bigger higher value strategic projects from clients.

I has also set up a database of contacts in Excel, my Mum created my first logo on her computer, I had saved a financial cushion of 6 months’ money to cover bills and I had low outgoings as I rented a room in my sister’s flat.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” I told myself. “You can always go back into full time employment.”

I especially enjoyed thinking through the strategic options for my business and what to call it, something I ended up doing a lot for clients as a freelancer. All the company names I liked and wanted were taken and I felt like I was going down a cul de sac with this important issue to sort.

Then one day, I was reading a document and this word jumped out at me: ‘Energise’. That was it. I then did an exercise with a career coach which helped me identify what motivated me and then distilled this down to ‘energising connector’. This later evolved into my personal brand ‘Talent Liberator’. I use this exercise with my clients today.

I crafted a letter and posted it to my database. I can still remember the joy, the relief, coming back home 2 days after mailing the letters to see my answer phone red light flashing. Not flashing a little, but flashing a lot; 18 red flashes in fact. I had not even done any follow up calls to the letter, and they were chasing me, wanting to speak and meet! It was going to be alright. Woo hoo! That moment, sending out my first invoice and being paid for being me and what I offered were wonderful moments that made all the hard work worthwhile.

The only thing I missed about being employed was my company car and the IT help line! Life as an independent contractor and being self-employed isn’t for everyone, but it does give you freedom, choice and the opportunity to control and influence your own future. That, for me, an independent spirit, is priceless.

3 ways we help our clients.

• Defining your personal brand – this is vital with more competition and a growing trend
• Crafting a compelling CV which helps you stand out and be noticed – we have 35 years’ experience doing this
• Self-awareness to maximise the fulfilment from your work

Read our client testimonials:
http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/energise-client-testimonials/

View our LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/energiseliberateyourtalent

Discover your transferable skills with our free report:
http://careerstrategies.co.uk/changingcareersreport/

10 tips for happy self-employment: part 2

September 22, 2012 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Here is the second of three parts with tips for happy self-employment. We have been self-employed for over 14 years, and were employed for ten years before that, so can see work from both sides:

Make technology an enabler
Have a good support system
Do ‘wants’ not ‘shoulds’
Get a virtual PA
Apply the 80:20 rule
Go for ‘Bull’s eyes’ – make the most of the time you have
Be courageous/fearless
Ask for help/support when you need it
Ask for feedback
Never stop learning

What would you add to the list?

Pondering Becoming Self-Employed? Part 2.

January 11, 2012 By // by DigitalJenIPC

Here is part 2 – more top tips to help you from members of The Chartered Institute of Marketing. (CIM)

“I would focus on the vision and proposition of your business first and then optimize your network, and use your contacts to get referrals/introductions, generate word of mouth and help create awareness and interest in your business. You should never underestimate the power of networking as a marketing tool.”

“Do not venture out on your own if you don’t have active customers/clients in hand and then build from there. For a small start up, word of mouth marketing is probably the soundest way to go.”

“Work out what knowledge you have that a group of people (your potential customers) are willing to pay for, collate contact data on the group so you can reach them, and then ask them how they would like to hear about what you have to offer. The above is much harder than it sounds. Bernadette Doyle of Client Magnets has excellent advice on how to do this http://clientmagnets.com/ She has helped me enormously over the last couple of years.”

“Develop a thick skin too. That need not be as painful as it sounds. Also, obtain testimonials – be direct and ask for them if necessary – particularly if you’re offering a service and if that service is yourself!”

“Very few people get the success right first time but if you do a bit of research into what you think are your segments, talk to key stakeholders in those markets, create a ‘niche’ for yourself and do a 2-3 year marketing plan as identified above covering – external environment P.E.S.T.E.L., the specific market you are going to be trading in, your products/services, S.W.O.T. analysis, are you going to have the capital to sustain the business given the difficult economic challenges you face and a contingency plan if things start to go pear-shape? It’s not easy to go out there and crack it but you really need to ‘market’ yourself and your products well. Get out and talk to people, network, fish around in the small ponds to get known and established. Most of all, believe in yourself and your products – even when things don’t seem to be going right!”

“Be creative, follow your instincts and have fun with it. You are allowed. Everything else is a process and sensible.”

“You can sub-contract much of the marketing – even get people to help you with strategy.”

“The one thing you MUST DO yourself is take total responsibility for SALES.
It doesn’t matter if you employ a sales manager (or even director) get good at sales.”

“The hardest thing is to employ yourself, anticipate the staff you will need and start setting out the culture of your organisation drawing up job & people specifications as you are actually doing the job.“

“BRAND the business. Plan it based on future expectations.”

Source = Chartered Institute of Marketing LinkedIn group January 2012

Here are some client examples of people who we have helped become self- employed.

Becoming self-employed as a working mum:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106769308248.html

Evolving a business with changing market conditions:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106770475879.html

Turning a passion into a business:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106787631322.html

Self-employment in your 50s:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs042/1102862873131/archive/1106768912605.html

Why are we useful to help people become self-employed?

Background in marketing, brand strategy and communication; design, innovation and advertising
Helping people to ‘blow their own trumpet’ is a specality – we have published articles and done events on this topic
Good at coming up with insights and ideas to help you achieve results fast
We have been self employed for 14 years including doing contracts, freelance and marketing a service
Certified coach so help you focus and overcome actual and perceived blocks
Lots of practical tools and tips giving you more for your investment; 60 articles, 40 career guides and Energise bulletins on Self Promotion, Career Strategies and Smart living and working topics
Great connector of people and resources to save you time
Energise ‘Marketing what I do’ on-line prgramme, e mail us for details:

rachel@liberateyourtalent.com

Click here for details of our service setting up your own business:

http://www.liberateyourtalent.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=37

Thanks!

Rachel