self-employed life

Ross started freelancing on the side of a full-time agency job back in 2013. Fast-forward to today and he’s running his own agency that employs over a dozen people.

Ross was living in his parents’ basement in Nova Scotia when he began building up a roster of small, local clients. Over time, Ross’s portfolio grew to include Fortune 500 companies and some of the fastest-growing startups in the world.

He chats to Steve about how he found clients in the early days, how he’s built his reputation and business, and how he manages his personal brand alongside that of his agency.

This episode of the Being Freelance podcast is supported by Gold Stag Accounts.

Plain talking, friendly, freelance accountants. Masters of Xero, FreeAgent and Quickbooks, they love to help freelancers get their finances sorted.

Set up a free chat today at goldstagaccounts.co.uk/beingfreelance

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Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance vlog - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Who the hell is Steve Folland?

You know how everyone bangs on about how powerful video and audio content can be? Yeah, well Steve helps businesses make it and make the most of it. Find out more at www.stevefolland.com
Track him down on Twitter @sfolland or lay a trail of cake and he'll eventually catch you up.

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Matthew left uni in 2009, right after the financial crash. Ready to find a way to combine his love for music and games, he started freelancing immediately, picking up small projects and commissions, getting involved with whatever he could outside of his full-time job. 

But it wasn’t until 2016, after he was made redundant, that Matthew went freelance full-time. He had plenty of good contacts and some work in the pipeline, and things snowballed from there. As his clients grew so did he, and he began picking up referrals the more he got his name out there.

He doesn’t have plans to grow his business to be any bigger than him. He simply wants to be a good craftsman, he says, and he’s very happy that he’s able to provide for his family while doing work he loves.

This episode of Being Freelance is supported by Coconut.

Coconut is the ultimate accounting and tax tool for self-employed people.  With expense tracking, receipt capture, invoicing and tax all in one easy-to-use app, Coconut gives you the power of a finance team in your pocket. 

Free yourself from business admin at getcoconut.com

Love learning from other freelancers like this? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, be part of the Being Freelance Community!

You'll also find useful links for this episode. That's beingfreelance.com

Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance vlog - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Who the hell is Steve Folland?

You know how everyone bangs on about how powerful video and audio content can be? Yeah, well Steve helps businesses make it and make the most of it. Find out more at www.stevefolland.com
Track him down on Twitter @sfolland or lay a trail of cake and he'll eventually catch you up.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You're not alone being freelance. 
Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).
beingfreelance.com/community
 

NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!

The Being Freelance course is made for you!
Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.
 

FREELANCER MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop

Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Stanley’s first break came when he was doodling on a bit of paper in the fish and chip shop he worked in. The customer he was serving was an art buyer, and he set Stanley up with an interview that landed him an agent.

Later, back in the days of MySpace, when Stanley first began building a profile online, he got a 3am phone call from The White Stripes’ management team. They’d seen his illustrations online and they wanted to commission him.

Fast-forward to today and Stanley has his own studio as well as a booming print shop, and he’s worked with every dream client he had on his list.

“You spend so many years slaving away, not really knowing what direction you’re gonna head in,” says Stanley, “and then 10, 11 years down the line, you realise things have actually worked out really well.”

This episode is supported by FreeAgent - online accounting software that makes managing your business finances a breeze.
With an award-winning UK based support team on hand to help out, it’s easy to stay on top of your expenses, invoices, banking and tax.
To claim your 1-month free trial, visit FreeAgent.com/beingfreelance

Support also comes from With Jack
With Jack exists to help keep you in business by supporting you financially or legally if you have problems with a client.
With Jack is all about giving freelancers the insurance they deserve.
Visit withjack.co.uk and be a confident freelancer.

Love learning from other freelancers like this? Check out the website beingfreelance.com, be part of the Being Freelance Community!

You'll also find useful links for this episode. That's beingfreelance.com

Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance vlog - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Who the hell is Steve Folland?

You know how everyone bangs on about how powerful video and audio content can be?
Yeah, well Steve helps businesses make it and make the most of it. Find out more at www.stevefolland.com
Track him down on Twitter @sfolland or lay a trail of cake and he'll eventually catch you up.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You're not alone being freelance. 
Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).
beingfreelance.com/community
 

NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!

The Being Freelance course is made for you!
Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.
 

FREELANCER MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop

Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland