Being Freelance

Be bold - Photographer Jon Enoch

04 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Let's be bolder. Let's push ourselves forward. It's certainly working for Jon Enoch. Bold enough to make and seize opportunities. From entering compet...

Keeping business afloat - Cartoonist Sarah Steenland

28 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah and her husband always wanted to retire and go cruising around the seas and oceans. They'd work hard in the construction industry, save their mo...

Business before art - Photographer Vicki Knights

21 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Leaving a successful high-level radio job behind, Vicki went freelance when she became a mum. But you won’t hear say “Hi, I’m a freelance photog...

Freelancing with a full time job - Digital Marketing Strategist Nathan Allotey

14 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For years Nathan’s been freelancing on the side of his full time jobs. It’s given him an extra income but also a reason to learn extra skills that...

25% Marketing - Copywriter Kate Toon

07 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There’s so much in this conversation. What will you take from it? It could be how Kate built up her SEO reputation to rank number one as a copywrite...

Side Project Benefits - Animation Director James Curran

30 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When you love what you do, it’s no chore to put in extra hours on the side to create something special of your own. Your own creative project. It c...

Niche Reputation - Facebook Ads Consultant Mojca Zove

23 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The first part of Mocja’s freelance career was spent building her reputation. Starting with local companies in her native Slovenia, eventually sprea...

Fostering Trust - Marketer Gareth K Thomas

16 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

First and foremost Gareth is a foster carer to three children. Whilst he’s busy mentoring them, a business coach is helping him find his way. Creati...

Ridiculously Useful - Email Strategist Val Geisler

09 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when we keep an open mind to the path we might take? When we listen to the needs of others? When we experiment - see what works? When we ...

Know the ropes - Graphic Designer Chad Michael

29 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chad's a firm believer that his time working in agencies, has made him a better freelancer. He got to know the ropes - the techniques, the business, t...

Building from scratch - Copywriter Gareth Hancock

22 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When Gareth was made redundant from the building trade he found himself out of work for months. A new dad at risk of losing his house, car, self-estee...

The Bigger Picture of Balance - Photographer Penny Wincer

15 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Penny's always been freelance. First as a photographer's assistant, learning the ropes, making connections - and then as a photographer herself. We ch...

Being Freelance LIVE at National Freelancer's Day - with...

08 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday 28th June 2018, Steve Folland hosted a live version of the Being Freelance podcast at IPSE's National Freelancer's Day in King's Place, Lo...

You Listen, You Do, YouTube - Social Media Marketer Latasha James

01 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Latasha's YouTube videos didn't just gain her an audience. She gained customers. Both for her social media business and her courses helping other free...

Freelancing while Travelling - Graphic Designer Jacob Cass

24 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Aussie freelancer Jacob has spent the last few years as a digital nomad. Freelancing on the road. And the plane. And the boat... Before packing his ba...

Bear Essentials - Branding Designer Emma Sheppard

17 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When Emma became a mum, she also became a freelancer. Trading as Big Bear Creative, she thought she'd get 15 hours of childcare a week and do little b...

No Fear - Copywriter Prerna Malik

10 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When Prerna’s husband couldn’t work due to ill health, her side project of writing suddenly became crucial for their family. Over time they realis...

Nous sommes forts ensemble - Designer Jonathan Da Costa

03 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Are we stronger together? Paris based freelance designer and art director Jonathan Da Costa has found that to be true. By collaborating with other fre...

Pug in a banana costume - Copywriter Kirsty Fanton

27 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The title may be unconventional - but so is Kirsty's story and what she does for her client's emails. From counsellor to copywriter via French farm ha...

Family focus - Photographer James Melia

20 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

James should be used to a family business. Before he went freelance as a photographer, he worked for his dad. Now he's partnered with his wife - worki...

Building a Community - Social Media Consultant Tia Meyers

13 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After being made redundant Tia Meyers didn't just take her experience of social media and start being freelance. She also decided to take it and grow ...

Instagram Success Story - Photographer Ron Timehin

06 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Timehin thought he would work in the music industry, but he went a completely different route. Playing music since he was 7, reaching the highest ...

Raison d'être - Developer Elliot Taylor

29 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Elliot doesn't shy away from making a change in his life. After a string of non-coding jobs, he self-taught himself WordPress and became a freelance d...

Plans change and that's okay - Artist Roxanne Coble

22 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Roxanne is a planner. She plans what she's doing with her business 'by bun' two years ahead. TWO YEARS. And yet she'd never planned to be an artist. S...

The Passive Income Wake Up Call - Copywriter Kayla Hollatz

15 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Not long out of college, Kayla quit her PR job to become self-employed. She was seduced by the 'one to many' infopreneurs - making money online from b...

Make yourself unavoidable - Ben the Illustrator

08 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ben’s always been self-employed. Right after graduating college, he hustled as a freelance illustrator and animator for two years, and grouped toget...

Making Connections - Graphic Designer Amber Asay

25 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Working for agencies and studios as a graphic designer since 2012, Amber Asay hated that she couldn’t interact directly with her clients. She also c...

Create Your Own Rules - Brand Strategist Jenni Heffernan Brown

18 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jenni Heffernan Brown has had a pretty interesting path to freelancing success. Working for mega corporations, then to graduate school with a bit of f...

Bringing Side Projects to the Centre - Developer Mark Steadman

11 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Steadman has had a self-described checkerboard career. Freelancing on and off for years in between spells in companies, agencies and even running...

Don't Panic - Virtual Assistant Jess Ostroff

04 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jess knew she wanted to work on her own terms. What she didn't know, was what a virtual assistant was. And yet when an opportunity came up to be one, ...

Untamed Freelancing - Copywriter Karen Marston

25 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It feels like Karen is being freelance on her terms. With her own voice, her own style. Stress free. Quite possibly in pyjamas. Here we chat about how...

Creative Mandate - Illustrator Michelle Kondrich

18 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Through podcasts Michelle gained the knowledge and confidence to quit the 9-to-5 and start being freelance... and now years later her own podcast Crea...

Just keep meeting people! - Podcast producer Matt Hill

11 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

At the heart of Matt's freelance success are other people. Sure, of course he's good at what he does. He's not just made podcasts, he's both made and ...

Taking time for yourself - Virtual Assistant Annie Browne

04 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Tidying her child's room Annie suddenly found a name for a business. With it she found a way to make work fit with family, she found meaningful work i...

Take yourself seriously - Photographer Natalie Field

28 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you don't take yourself seriously, why would your clients? South African photographer and digital artist Natalie chats about making connections, hi...

"I feel like I know you" - Social Marketing Consultant Sam Burgess

21 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

'Social Mouth' Sam has a story of reinvention, investment, belief and community. We hear about the power of Instagram Stories and her Small & Migh...

Reinvent Yourself - Illustrator/Designer Dan Bramall

14 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When Dan was made redundant two weeks before his second child was born, he knew failure wasn't an option. He had to make a success of being freelance....

Secrets of Sharing - Social Media Consultant Uli Schulz

17 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For German freelancer Uli, it all started with sharing. Using Twitter to share and make reality her dream of living and working in London. Since then ...

Freelancing on the side - Web Developer Carson Shold

03 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Carson has always freelanced on the side. Chasing the cash and the creativity that freelance opportunities would bring whilst still studying or workin...

Whatever it takes - Composer Grant Kirkhope

19 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Composer Grant Kirkhope has spent the past 20 years not just making video games music, but making a name for himself. From the lessons and habits lear...

Finding Funding & Belief - Photographer Nisha Haq

12 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Nisha was the winner of the IPSE UK Freelancer of the Year Aspire 2017 award. 'Aspire' is all about recognising and supporting young, up and coming se...

Finding Balance - Freelance Illustrator Holly Exley

05 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Holly chats about first finding enough freelance work to hang up her waitress apron... and now finding balance from all of that work. We chat about th...

Get out and meet people - Infographics Designer Caroline Beavon

22 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Redundancy isn't the end. It's a new beginning. For Caroline that meant retuning and retraining from radio to design. Key to surviving both business a...

Hype a Loop - Animator Chris Phillips

15 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Phillips, or 'crispe' is an illustrator and animator based in Sydney, Australia. Chris' gif loops have been viewed millions of times on the like...

Time is money - Editor Rose Parkin

08 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As an editor in publishing Rose is used to reshaping people's words. She's also done it with her life. Cutting out the full time job for flexibility a...

What to remember when things get tough - Filmmaker Ben Warburton

01 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Early on, London based filmmaker Ben started juggling life as a freelancer and studying. Here, he chats about working for free and how he transitioned...

Blogging Boost - Graphic Designer Lauren Hooker

23 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After six months of struggling to get her freelance career off the ground, Lauren started blogging. Every day. For a year. It took off. Her diary book...

Don't let Freelance fill all your time - Graphic Designer Jon Hicks

16 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After 15 years of being freelance has given Jon plenty of thoughts to share. the benefits of long term gigs versus variety the way he found other fre...

Start A Cowork Group - Squarespace Developer Katy Carlisle

09 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After six months of working remotely from home on her company, Katy realised she needed company. Eventually she founded a weekly pop-up co-work group ...

It takes time - UX Designer Anton Sten

02 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's our 100th episode! It's taken time to get this far and that's something Swedish freelancer Anton knows all good, long lasting things need. Be it ...

Adapt to your clients - Photographer Tara Sura

25 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Adapting her services to what her clients need. Meeting them. Listening to them. Partnering with other freelancers to collaborate or refer work. While...

Strip it back - Web Developer Matthew Brennan

18 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After starting out portraying himself as an agency that covered everything graphic & web design, Matthew's discovered a) his natural niche of web ...

Being every role - Illustrator Emmeline Pidgen

11 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Since leaving university Emmeline has been freelance, building her online presence and her business. In 2016 she was named as the UK's Freelancer of t...

Fitting work around life - Copywriter Rachel Ramsay

04 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel always wanted to work for herself. Once she decided to' take the plunge and make a success of it' there was still plenty to learn, like pricing...

Instagram Stories - Designer Jimmy Bryant

28 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Second time round at freelancing Jimmy knew he needed to put himself out there and found a use for Instagram. Since then, people around the world have...

Little Things Every Day - Digital Marketer Josh Hoffman

21 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

US digital marketer Josh took his skills, took his definition of success and took his passport as he travelled the world on a journey of epic freelanc...

Wise Words - Marketer Luan Wise

14 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After years of agency and in-house experience, Luan stepped out into being freelance. A story of spotting opportunities, maintaining relationships and...

My work is my life - Illustrator Tatsuro Kiuchi

07 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tokyo based illustrator and painter Tatsuro has been freelance since leaving art college 25 years ago. Working remotely with clients around the world ...

Bouncing Back - App Developer Jason Kneen

30 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In 2000 Jason and (his now wife) Hannah started 'Bouncing Fish'. Working first as freelancers it grew into an agency with a big team, big office and w...

Draw on your experience - Illustrator Jess Engle

23 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jess spent the first decade of her career in the corporate world. She did branding, marketing and advertising for global businesses . Now, she's a fre...

For The Hell Of It - Writer Bryce Bladon

19 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Bryce is the freelance writer behind the Clients From Hell blog and podcast... but how the devil did he get to where he is today? He takes us through ...

Daily Vlogging - Designer Ran Segall

12 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ran is a designer working amongst the start-up community of Tel Aviv. As part of that he also works on his own start-up and products. For a year Ran's...

The Code Guy - Software Engineer Paul Allington

05 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paul shares his journey from agency life, to freelance life... to forming an agency... to losing it... to going solo as The Code Guy and becoming IPSE...

Freelance Mum - Voiceover Artist Faye Dicker

19 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Faye is a radio presenter turned freelance voiceover artist. Borrowing money to build her own studio, she's since built her reputation, her business a...

Stop Being So Available! - Communications Strategist Emelie Fågelstedt

12 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An offer of a freelance project whilst Emelie was still at uni kicked off a 7 year journey. From managing Social to strategising and forming a 'networ...

The Adventures of Superlogoboy - Branding Designer Paddy McGrath

05 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paddy spent 10 years in agency life working his way towards the top... and then looked down at the view and decided to take a leap into being freelanc...

Vlog Like A Boss - Amy Landino

29 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hear how Amy went from being the person in town who knew about Facebook... to being a YouTuber, international speaker, video consultant and influencer...

People, Process, Product - Motion Designer Adrian Thompson

22 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Having started out as a freelance motion designer, creating videos in the San Francisco Bay area, Adrian realised all the things he didn't like about ...

You're A Startup - UX Designer Katrin Suess

15 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Katrin has used life as a freelancer to travel from her native Germany and is currently based in Sydney, Australia. Having founded her own Startups sh...

Career Reboot - Illustrator Kirk Wallace

18 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Having trained in computer science, Kirk came to realise it was the visual design of software and sites that he most enjoyed. So he rebooted his caree...

6AM Side Projects - Femke van Schoonhoven

11 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Femke manages to fit in a lot alongside her full time remote design job. Freelance clients, a podcast, speaking, blogging, conferences, a social life....

The Value of Value - Data Visualisation Specialist Andy Kirk

04 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In 2010 Andy started a blog exploring his passion for data visualisation. It led to a huge multi-national knocking on his door as his first client and...

Creative Block - Illustrator Emma Block

27 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When a 16 year old Emma started sharing her artwork on her blog, she had no idea how quickly she'd turn from teenager to freelancer and ultimately fro...

Taking The Plunge - Photographer Matt Porteous

20 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How does a builder from Jersey end up photographing a future King? Hear how Matt took the plunge, followed his passion, knocked on doors and took ever...

Blogging & Business Chops - Motion Designer Austin Saylor

13 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A year before he went freelance, Austin started blogging. Not only did it give him a space to document and reflect on his progress, but it brought him...

Instagram Changed My Life - Writer & Photographer Sara Tasker

23 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When Sara went on maternity leave it wasn't just her child that was born. A business was too. Her story shows what can happen when you find and connec...

Self Developer - Developer Sara Soueidan

16 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How do you go from having no idea of a career... to becoming Net Awards Developer of the Year? For Lebanese freelancer Sara it's been a journey of sel...

Portfolio Power - Illustrator & Designer Paddy Donnelly

09 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Paddy left agency life behind to satifsy a craving for creativity and diversity in his work. Dividing his time between home and co-work spaces, betwee...

AdWords With Yourself - Speech Writer Adrian Simpson

02 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A freelancer for many years, from magazine junior to TV presenter and wordsmith. Adrian shares his story from Top Gear to top wedding speech writer. P...

Start Up A Meetup - Developer Louise Swift

25 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Full-stack web developer Louise didn't know any other freelancers... so she started a meetup. From that came confidence, fun, growth, friends, collabo...

Creating Your Own Platform - Writer & Filmmaker Andrew White

18 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Freelancing for the best part of 20 years has seen Andrew go from filming anything corporate for money to shooting his passion and creating exactly th...

Printing Profit - Pattern Designer Elizabeth Silver

11 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

After a decade in New York, pattern designer Elizabeth swapped the city for the country and a regular job for being freelance. Despite her industry e...

Epic Mistakes - Developer Lee Jackson

04 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

After going freelance, Lee went from undervaluing himself and ignoring his family... to building an agency and reclaiming his weekends. Learning from ...

Worth The Risk - Journalist & Coach Janet Murray

28 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

After starting out as a teacher, Janet made her dream of becoming a national press journalist a reality. Years later and now she's helping small busin...

Power Of The Network - Digital Marketer Ben Matthews

14 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

From agency life to a freelance partnership with his wife that's seen him work with the likes of the UN. Ben's built a successful career on the back o...

Tweet Chat - Social Media Consultant Pippa Akram

07 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Pippa created a freelance social media business when she saw the need. The need of businesses local to her and the need of her family for her to have ...

Content To Grow - Copywriter Kelly Gilmour-Grassam

31 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Having begun freelancing whilst still at university, Kelly realised if she was going to be doing this for the next 40 years then she needed a plan. Sh...

Mused by Mouse - Graphic Designer Millie Cooper

24 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

There's nothing quiet about this Mouse. Millie's love of graphic and web design is amplified by her passion for business itself. Millie shares great t...

Diversify - Digital Trainer Ben Halsall

17 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

There's a lot in here: how Ben carved out a name for himself when moving to a new country; how he diversified his offering so he could be location ind...

Just Get On With It - Illustrator Sarah McIntyre

10 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How do you go from working for a Russian newspaper to creating successful picture books? By getting on with it! Sarah doesn't wait for things to happe...

Flash Arghhhhh - Animator Timmy Allen

03 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When his band broke up, he learned Flash. When Flash was killed by Apple (arrrrghhh!), he taught himself After Effects. When his little girl came alon...

Growing - Social Media Consultant Alison Battisby

26 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Alison began in social media at the beginning of social media itself, setting up the first Facebook pages for major brands. From within agencies, she ...

A Brush With Success - Illustrator Kyle T. Webster

19 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kyle built up a successful career as a freelance illustrator for major advertising agencies and the likes of The New Yorker... and then he had kids. H...

Got Your Triangle In Shape? - Photographer Phill Allen

12 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hear how university lecturer 'Mister Phill' reluctantly photographed a wedding... and then another... and then... well, seven years later chats to us....

Be Visible - Brand Strategist Kaye Putnam

05 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As a US military wife, being freelance suits Kaye perfectly. Wherever in the world she might find herself, she has the ability to work remotely with c...

Seriously Social - Digital Marketer Ian Anderson Gray

29 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How do you go from taking to a small stage in your home city to speaking at the world's largest social media conference in the US, just a year later? ...

Smart Processes - Coach Emma Cossey

22 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance writer turned career & life coach Emma takes us through automating her processes, creating online courses, hiring a VA and getting work ...

Get Heard, Get Hired - Composer Akash Thakkar

15 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Akash shares the networking tip that speaks for itself in breaking him into the video games industry as a composer and sound designer. We also hear ab...

Quality over Quantity - Copywriter Kaleigh Moore

01 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hear how Kaleigh's grown her business by using Twitter to build relationships and frankly, by being nice whilst being in competition with herself. She...

Your Stream Job - Illustrator Austen Marie

17 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

What if the world could watch you while you worked? What if they paid to watch? What if they interacted with you so you didn't feel alone while you wo...