Podcast Summary
From Freelancer to Agency Owner: Hiring Your First Employee: As a business grows, it's essential to find employees who complement your skills and create a cultural fit within the company to help manage workload and contribute to success.
Starting a business, whether as a freelancer or an agency, involves growth and the need to bring on talented team members. Fiona Bradley, founder of fbcoms, shared her journey from being a freelancer to transitioning into a digital marketing agency and hiring her first full-time employee. She emphasized the importance of finding employees who complement your skills and create a cultural fit within the company. Fiona's experience reflects the reality that as a business grows, it becomes necessary to delegate tasks and bring on talented individuals to help manage the workload and contribute to the organization's success.
Starting a freelance career through opportunities and networking: Overcome initial fear of finding clients by leveraging personal connections and building an audience on LinkedIn.
Starting a freelance career can be a result of various circumstances, including dissatisfaction with a previous job and the pandemic. For the speaker, it began with an opportunity from a former director, but ultimately led to a more fulfilling and successful path when she started reaching out to her network. Now, she finds most of her clients through LinkedIn, having built an audience aligned with her values. The initial fear of finding clients can be overcome by leveraging personal connections and putting oneself out there. With time and effort, the freelance dream of having clients come to you can become a reality.
Personal outreach can lead to more meaningful freelance collaborations than freelance platforms: Personal connections and referrals can lead to more satisfying and productive freelance partnerships than using freelance platforms alone
While freelancing platforms like Upwork, Bark, and Bidvine can be helpful in getting started, they may not yield the most fruitful or long-lasting relationships. Personal outreach, such as reaching out to family, friends, and potential clients through LinkedIn or other professional networks, can lead to more meaningful and successful collaborations. Cold outreach can be challenging, as it requires convincing potential clients of your worth and value. Building relationships with clients through personal connections or referrals can lead to more satisfying and productive partnerships. While freelance platforms can be useful for initial connections and building a client base, they may not provide the same level of relationship-building opportunities as personal outreach.
Personalization builds better business relationships: Tailoring messages to understand potential clients' businesses and showing genuine interest can help stand out from competition and build stronger connections.
Personalization goes a long way in building relationships, especially when it comes to business communications. Whether it's through personalized LinkedIn messages or customized cold outreach emails, taking the time to tailor your messages can make a significant difference. This not only helps in standing out from the competition but also in building a better connection with potential clients. It shows that you have taken the time to understand their business and are genuinely interested in working with them. Furthermore, starting out in freelancing or marketing can be challenging, and seeking guidance from experienced professionals can make the journey smoother. Lastly, it's important to align with the values and morals of the companies you work with to ensure a successful and fulfilling career.
Finding enjoyable clients and building long-term relationships: Select clients whose projects resonate, build strong relationships, offer retainer contracts, provide DIY options, leverage word-of-mouth marketing, and deliver high-quality work for freelance success.
Finding enjoyable and aligned clients is crucial for both personal satisfaction and business success in the freelance world. The speaker shared her experience of working with uninterested corporate clients in the past, which made her feel disconnected and unmotivated. However, she emphasized the importance of being selective and building relationships with clients whose projects resonate with her. Another key topic was retaining clients, which is essential for consistent cash flow. The speaker mentioned her strategy of moving towards retainer contracts, providing clients with a set amount of content or ads per week. In the early days, she also offered a DIY model to smaller businesses and trained them to be self-sufficient. The clients who enjoyed working with her returned, and she gained new clients through referrals. Word-of-mouth marketing was highlighted as an effective and organic way to grow a freelance business. Being personable, building strong relationships, and delivering high-quality work are essential for positive word-of-mouth. The speaker also acknowledged that a negative reputation can spread quickly in the freelance community. In conclusion, finding enjoyable clients, building long-term relationships, and delivering high-quality work are essential for freelance success. The power of word-of-mouth marketing cannot be underestimated, making it an invaluable tool for growing a freelance business.
Maintaining client relationships and work-life balance: Provide quality work, set boundaries, use separate devices, establish a team, take breaks, and trust clients
Providing quality work and maintaining good relationships with clients are key to retaining them. Burning clients or delivering subpar work can lead to negative word of mouth. To manage work-life balance as a freelancer, setting clear boundaries and separating work and personal life is essential. This includes using separate devices for work and personal use, setting office hours, and taking time off. Establishing a team or outsourcing tasks can also help lighten the load. Despite fears of being unreachable, taking breaks and disconnecting from work is necessary for mental and physical well-being. Ultimately, freelancers must trust their team and clients to handle situations in their absence.
Setting Boundaries and Outsourcing for Freelancer Success: To maintain control and focus, freelancers should set clear working hours and communicate them professionally. They can also delegate tasks outside their expertise or that consume too much time to improve efficiency and grow their business.
Setting boundaries and outsourcing work are essential for freelancers to maintain control over their workload and focus on their strengths. The speaker shared her experience of feeling overwhelmed with clients' constant communication and the importance of setting clear working hours and communicating them professionally. She also emphasized the value of outsourcing tasks that are not within one's expertise or that consume too much time. The speaker discovered her weaknesses in post-scheduling and reporting and outsourced them to a virtual assistant she found on Instagram. By delegating tasks, she could focus on her creative strengths and run her business more efficiently. It's important to remember that setting boundaries and outsourcing can be challenging at first, but they are crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and growing a successful freelance business.
Collaborative Ecosystem for Freelancers: Focus on strengths, seek complementary freelancers, and embrace self-promotion to build a successful network
Building a network of freelancers can be beneficial for both parties involved. Freelancers can complement each other's skills and offerings, creating a collaborative ecosystem rather than a competitive market. It's important to recognize that no one needs to be an expert in everything to start as a freelancer. Instead, focus on your strengths and offer those as your unique value proposition. Additionally, embracing self-promotion and being your own biggest cheerleader can help overcome imposter syndrome and build confidence in your abilities. By acknowledging your weaknesses and seeking out complementary freelancers, you can create a successful and supportive business model.
Embrace discomfort for growth: Document achievements, reflect on past experiences, and reframe negatives to foster growth and resilience
Embracing discomfort and fear is essential for growth. It's natural to feel uneasy when faced with challenging situations, but recognizing that these moments present opportunities for learning and improvement is crucial. Creating a "smile file" is a simple yet effective way to document achievements and positive feedback. This file can serve as a reminder of past successes and help boost confidence during uncertain times. Additionally, reflecting on past experiences and reframing negative situations into learning opportunities can help shift perspective and foster resilience. Remember, growth often stems from stepping out of comfort zones and facing adversity head-on.
Celebrate accomplishments with awards: Self-employed individuals should recognize and celebrate their accomplishments through awards, which can lead to business growth, exposure, and recognition. Don't hesitate to apply for self-nominated awards.
Self-employed individuals and business owners need to be their own cheerleaders. When working for oneself, there's no manager or superior to acknowledge a job well done. Thus, it's essential to recognize and celebrate accomplishments. Awards are an excellent way to do this and can lead to significant business growth. However, they are often self-nominated, so don't hesitate to put oneself forward. Awards ceremonies can be enjoyable experiences and can provide valuable exposure and recognition. Remember, no one will do it for you, so take the initiative and apply for awards that align with your skills and expertise. It's a great business development tool, especially during the early stages of building a freelance or professional career.
Entering awards can lead to opportunities and growth for freelancers: Embrace opportunities, champion oneself, and use discomfort as a driving force for growth.
Entering awards, even if it's just for the experience or to be in a desirable location, can lead to numerous opportunities and growth for freelancers. Fiona shared her experience of co-founding a business after attending an award ceremony, emphasizing the potential leads, connections, and personal development that can come from putting oneself out there. She also acknowledged the importance of embracing imposter syndrome as a catalyst for growth rather than a hindrance. Fiona encouraged aspiring freelancers to challenge themselves by stepping out of their comfort zones and entering awards as a means to boost their confidence and career progression. Her motivational mantra, although not deeply philosophical, is to remind herself that "it's not that deep" and to keep pushing forward. Overall, the message is to embrace opportunities, champion oneself, and use discomfort as a driving force for growth.
Projects may require more iterations than expected: Setbacks don't define personal worth, maintain a positive attitude and keep moving forward.
Setbacks in business or professional relationships do not define your worth as a person. During a recent conversation with a client, it was acknowledged that sometimes projects may require more iterations than initially anticipated. This does not equate to a personal failure or misalignment. It's essential to remember that our identity is not solely tied to our business or career. The speaker encourages listeners to maintain a positive attitude and continue moving forward. They also invite listeners to engage with the podcast by sharing, rating, and following for upcoming content.
