Network, network, network

Flickr:Photo by zzathras777

Today I met with Janice Tullock (Janice Tullock: Archive and Heritage Consultants) who offered to meet with me to discuss setting up as a freelancer.

I’ve met up with a couple of people who freelance already and it’s been invaluable, but it’s not something I’ve been doing consciously it’s just something that’s happened by chance – either from setting up a coaching session with an experienced freelance trainer and coach, to Janice offering to meet me for a coffee through Twitter, or to my friend Gil asking her friend Tim whether he’d mind having a chat with me.

My meeting with Janice was no exception to this rule (I hope she won’t mind me quoting/paraphrasing her) and one of things she feels is really important, is to have a network of other freelancers at your fingertips. She said it’s useful on so many levels – knowing people who do ‘what you don’t or won’t or can’t’ is great – because when someone asks you to do something and you know it’s not something in your portfolio, then you can recommend someone else. You can, as I did today, get advice from those more experienced than yourself or those who have different experiences. It gives you someone to bounce ideas off.  You could even, if disaster struck and you became ill, pass work on to someone else. (Which would mean that your client isn’t disappointed and not put off from using freelancers in future.)

I hadn’t really thought about developing a network of other freelancers as such – it’s been more vague than that, more of a ‘ooh they’d be interesting to chat to’. I’ve been concentrating my thoughts on developing a network of contacts who would want me to train for them.

So from now on it’s going to be something that I consciously do, because it’s sensible, because I’m nosy and it’s really interesting to find out what other freelancers do, and because you really do pick up some cracking advice from those who have done it already.

The momentous decision

Hello 2012. Happy New Year to you all.

Photo courtesey of Lisa Charnock.

I’m starting out 2012, incredibly motivated and excited. But then, 2012 is the year of the momentous decision.

Well, when I say momentous I really mean incredibly well thought out and fairly cautious decision.

So, really I suppose we can say that 2012 is the year of THE decision. Heh. Alright I’ll get on with it.

I’ve reduced my working week to four days.

There, I’ve said it. and also I suppose, gone and done it.

Today is my first ‘non-working day’. And that really should have quotation marks round it because actually I’ve been working all day. But not for Mimas. For me. You see, I’ve decided to set up my own business as a freelance trainer.

It’s something that friends and colleagues have been aware of for a while. After all I’ve been talking about it for at least two years. Only I’ve been too scared to try. I talked a good game but I never ever got off my behind and did anything about it. I even had the support of a fantastic friend and boss, who said ‘go for it’, ‘you’ll be brilliant’ etc. Only, I sort of ignored her. (Sorry @joypamer, it was cos of the fear!)

Then in the Autumn, I had lunch with the wonderful Antonio Perkins. Antonio took voluntary redundancy in January 2011 to set up as a freelance graphic designer. (Gratuitous plug of Antonio’s website here: www.badbuffalo.co.uk) and along with lots of sage advice about putting 20% of each fee earned into your savings account for the taxman, took away my fear of failure. He didn’t say “Lisa Jeskins, you are soooo amazing you cannot possibly fail” (in case you were wondering) He just said, when I asked him about failing…

“So?”

“No really, so what? You fail? And? Does it matter? No, but at least you’ll have given it a go.”

So I went back to the office that afternoon and asked to reduce my hours. Which I have and I started today. Da Boss and work colleagues have been incredibly supportive. I can’t thank them enough really. Marvellous people, all round. I’ve also had a coaching session with Deborah Dalley who was brilliant and a huge help as always.

I’m eventually going to be putting courses together on social media, customer service skills, networking/communicating and presentation skills. However for now I’m starting with putting together course outlines on social media and customer service skills.

I’ve also got to get a website together. I’ve started this – kind of. What I’ve got so far is quite frankly and to quote an old colleague. Kak. (Sp?) I’ll let you know when it’s fit for human consumption

Just so you know… It IS scary…AND I’m probably never going out ever again. Well at least not for the next few months… until I make some money. And you know – you’re welcome to come round. I’ve got gin.

It might be scary, but it’s also really exciting and has motivated me in all sorts of ways I hadn’t anticipated. AND… if I get to do, what I REALLY want to do, which is train people, all the time, then if I get to do that, it will all be worth it, won’t it?