Before going freelance I thought there was just one flavour of freelancing. To me it meant deciding on which projects you worked on, working with a variety of clients, having autonomy over when and where you worked and how much time you took off. Since going freelance last October I’ve worked with 3 clients on 3 vastly different projects. Each has felt like a completely different flavour of freelancing.
Flavour 1: Freelancing
With my first client, I was given a brief, an outcome that the client was looking for, and after agreeing on plans and costings I was given a lot of autonomy to complete the project. I had check-ins with the client to update them and get their input but mostly I worked independently to complete the work. The client was based in London and I’m in Bristol so I completed the work remotely from home.
What I liked about this style of working was the freedom, flexibility and autonomy I had, mostly I could craft my day and my week and work when I wanted. I took full advantage of this and mixed things up by having baths in the middle of the day, going for afternoon swims and meeting people for mid-morning coffees. I also found that working to set outcomes rather than set hours meant I worked much shorter and more focused days.
But these shorter days did make it financially a lot less stable. Over the 6 week project, my total billed hours added up to less than 7 days of work! And it was tricky at times working in isolation and not having a team or someone to bounce ideas around with.
Flavour 2: Consulting
With my second client, I’ve been brought in to support the team once a month on a project that spans 4 months. The project is in female health, which I have lots of experience in from working at Elvie. I’m not responsible for delivering the project or any components of it, but instead for supporting team members to deliver it. It feels slightly similar to mentoring, but I would describe this type of work as consulting.
I love my days in the office with the team, it’s a lovely company with a great vibe and it feels nice to bring value by drawing on my previous experience. Not being directly responsible for the delivery is refreshing, and definitely takes the pressure off. I think it helps me to think more clearly and have a bit more fun with it.
The downside to this way of working is that after spending a day getting excited and invested in what the team are doing, it can feel strange to dip out of a project for a whole month. I also think if all of my work was this type I would miss the delivery part and the sense of satisfaction you get from that.
Flavour 3: Contracting
With the third client, I’ve been taken on as an extra team member to help deliver a big project that they don’t have enough capacity for in-house. I’m working with them for 3 days a week over about 5 months. Again it’s a fab company and I really believe in their mission; to help disabled people live with greater independence. From the get-go, I felt like part of the team and compared to my first client it feels much more like being a part-time member of staff.
What is great about this type of work is the stability it gives me, I have set days and a predictable income, which definitely takes some of the stress off. I also love working with a team to deliver something collaboratively. It’s much more fun than always working in isolation and gives a lot more opportunity for learning and growth.
However, all of this collaboration and stability has come at a bit of a cost to my flexibility and freedom. My week is much more structured than with my first client and there isn’t space for those mid-day baths, but my bank balance is definitely happy I’m not spending quite so much time in the bath. 🙃
So those are the 3 flavours of freelancing I’ve experienced so far, and I’m sure there are many more flavours I have yet to experience! I didn’t set out for my first 3 clients to be so different, but I’m glad it worked out like that as it’s been so interesting for me to contrast and compare the different styles to figure out what I like best. I would love to find a way to combine all of my favourite elements in something that is outcomes-based, gives me good freedom and flexibility, allows me to work collaboratively with others and also gives good financial stability. I’ll let you know if I manage to make that happen!
This is a great reflection. It’s funny how we think we know how something will look and then it turns out to be much more varied and complicated in reality!
I think it’s good you’ve experienced such variety because it will help you to become more selective as time goes on as you know which flavours you prefer. I suppose what you want at any given time might change because you may seek contrast from the previous job. And that’s the beauty of freelancing!
I really do love following your journey, so thank you for sharing. I also hope that daytime baths can make a return soon for you as I feel they’re important!! 🛁
It is so true we think we know what something is and then we experience it and it’s totally different. Glad you’ve enjoyed reading, been thinking about bringing back my weekly reflections so maybe will start doing more writing about freelancing again! And yesss to bringing back the mid day baths, essential to get through January 😅