Being Freelance

Steve Folland
  • 4.8 (42)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Freelancing? Being boss of your own life and business can be tough and isolating. But it can also be totally rewarding. Pick up tips, advice and thoughts on how to make it as a freelancer, an entrepreneur, as the owner of your own business, by hearing other freelancers share their experience. Hosted by Steve Folland. Come join us in the Being Freelance Community - You're not alone being freelance. Not anymore. www.beingfreelance.com/community

  1. Field Trip Fridays and Four Bank Accounts - Illustrator Perryn Ryan

    2H AGO

    Field Trip Fridays and Four Bank Accounts - Illustrator Perryn Ryan

    Perryn Ryan didn't set out to become a freelance illustrator.  After a degree in computer information systems (to keep her parents happy), years in tech,, and a long stint in the fashion industry, she eventually gave herself permission to just... draw stuff she liked. Nothing serious. Then a stranger with a million followers re-shared her work, the enquiries started flooding in, and a freelance illustration career was born almost overnight. In this episode of the Being Freelance podcast, Perryn talks about: How a career in fashion taught her to cost properly - including the "invisible costs" most freelancers miss What happened when she dived into her first illustration brief without a contract, and what she learned from it Why she approaches every client relationship as a partnership - but with clear limits on revisions, timelines, and communication Her surcharge system for clients who insist on net 30 or longer payment terms How her niche grew organically by simply making what she loved - flowing line art, wellness themes, women-focused brands Why she's stepped back from Instagram and leans on direct outreach to art directors instead The Illustrator's Business Journal; her writing project sharing business lessons through storytelling rather than how-to lists Her four-bank-account system for managing freelance finances without the end-of-year panic Protecting her creativity with time blocks, no weekends, and Field Trip Fridays Enjoy a story with a few twists, a couple of false starts, and the reminder that every weird job you've ever had is probably preparing you for something.   JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    47 min
  2. Chase Those Late Payments - Graphic Designer Laura Whitehouse

    MAR 8

    Chase Those Late Payments - Graphic Designer Laura Whitehouse

    Laura Whitehouse didn’t follow the usual path into graphic design. While studying archaeology and anthropology (told you) at university, she started designing posters for student theatre shows. At first for free, then for £20 here and there (or sometimes just a pint). What began as a creative outlet quickly became the foundation of a freelance career. Thanks to word of mouth clients and the help of various mentors, she built skills and confidence.  Until five years on, one of those mentors simply told her: "Just do it". So she did. She quit. And start freelancing full time In this episode Laura talks about: Building a business through word-of-mouth referrals Gradually increasing her rates after nudges from other freelancers Showing only certain types of work online to shape perception Running her one-woman studio Mighty Fine Why she prefers working with freelancers rather than building an agency The reality of managing 45 projects at once Being completely unapologetic about chasing unpaid invoices Why the financial side of freelancing can be the most stressful part And the strange phenomenon of people wanting to “just grab a coffee” to pitch startup ideas Laura also talks about working in film and TV graphics, co-hosting the podcast Opening Credits, and how reading fantasy novels recently helped her switch off from work in the evenings. It’s a fun and honest conversation about building a freelance business your own way, without necessarily following the usual advice about niches, marketing strategies, or growth. Sounds like a mighty fine idea. JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    55 min
  3. How to Find Your Freelancing Niche

    MAR 1

    How to Find Your Freelancing Niche

    In this short compilation episode, Steve revisits conversations from across 11 years of the Being Freelance podcast archive to explore what actually happens when freelancers specialise in a niche. Full of stories of how these freelance creatives found their niche and the impact it had. You’ll hear: THE IMPACT OF NICHING How specialising can make marketing simpler and sales conversations easier Why expertise can lead to higher-value opportunities HOW TO FIND YOUR NICHE How to choose a niche based on experience, enjoyment or values Why your niche doesn’t have to be permanent Featuring insights and stories from James Barnard, Liz Painter, Katie Chappell, Ayo Abbas, Louise Shanahan, Eman Ismail, Estelle Hakner, Ebonie Allard, Hannah Dossary and Stephen Adams. Whether you’re just starting out or rethinking your positioning years into freelancing, this episode might help you scratch that niche itch. FULL EPISODES for each guestJames BarnardLiz PainterKatie ChappellAyo AbbasLouise ShanahanEman IsmailEstelle HankerEbonie AllardHannah DossaryStephen AdamsPaul Jarvis Q&A Hosted by freelance podcast editor and video podcast editor Steve Folland. JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    19 min
  4. When Freelancing Goes Quiet: Getting Proactive with Mark Grainger

    FEB 22

    When Freelancing Goes Quiet: Getting Proactive with Mark Grainger

    For years, Mark Grainger’s freelance business ticked along nicely. Referrals. Word of mouth. Repeat clients. And then… things went quiet. In this episode, we explore what happens when the reliable stream of freelance work slows down. And what it really takes to respond proactively rather than panic. Durham-based freelance brand copywriter Mark shares how he: - Repositioned himself from a company name back to his personal brand - Niched by service rather than industry - Started experimenting with LinkedIn outreach - Refocused on building more durable business foundations - Leaned into community rather than retreating Mark is refreshingly honest about the uncomfortable parts of freelancing, especially business development. “I have a business, but I’m not a businessman.” We also talk about lifestyle businesses, pricing flexibility, work-life balance, and why it’s vital to acknowledge the harder seasons of self-employment rather than pretending everything’s fine. If freelancing has felt quieter lately… If you’ve relied on referrals and now need a Plan B… Or if you’ve ever felt uncomfortable selling yourself… This conversation will reassure you - and might just nudge you to get proactive too. Go say Hi to Mark on LinkedIn!   JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    40 min
  5. Freelancer BTS - What happens when they click?

    FEB 16 · BONUS

    Freelancer BTS - What happens when they click?

    This is the first time I've done this as an episode. A quick behind the scenes of what I'm up to with my own freelancer business - as a freelance video and podcast editor.  If you'd like to go even more behind the scenes, check out my freelancing life vlog on YouTube. If I'm going to pay for an advert for my services, there's something I need to do first... And you can do this too. It's not about a major overhaul of your website.  Instead sit with a fresh cuppa and fresh eyes and see as if you're someone discovering you for the first time. If someone clicks through on LInkedIn to your profile, what will they find? Mine is linkedin.com/in/stevefolland Likewise to your website. Mine is stevefolland.com Look at your LinkedIn profile.  Is it up to date for the work you're doing today? Do the links they click out function properly? Look at your website.  Are the services you want to be known for the most obvious?  Does your contact form work?  Is your blog active or making it look like you've gone out of business? If you're going to shout about yourself so that people pay attention, make sure what they find is true to you today. JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    6 min
  6. From Freelancer To Studio - The Power Of Positioning

    FEB 8

    From Freelancer To Studio - The Power Of Positioning

    Laura has been a professional graphic designer for over 20 years, but her freelance journey began in 2008 after the birth of her first child. With daycare in Manhattan costing more than rent, Laura started piecing together freelance work from home; juggling projects from a tiny dining table in a fourth-floor walk-up. Freelancing wasn’t always smooth. But eventually, after settling in Massachusetts, it clicked. After a particularly harsh freelance interview left her devastated, Laura made a decisive shift. She stopped calling herself Rizby Designs and became Rizbee Studio instead - a small but powerful change that reframed how clients perceived her work. And how she saw herself and her business. Laura began positioning herself as a studio, using “we”, and gradually building a trusted team of contractors around her. Over time, Laura discovered what she truly loved: designing brand systems, particularly for consumer packaged goods in the food and beauty industries. Finding her niche was the next big change. Laura’s growth has been fuelled by intentional networking. From women-led business groups locally, to major industry expos across the US. Laura shares how she approaches events, follows up thoughtfully, and builds genuine relationships that often turn into work, even if it’s months later. Laura also shares why she’s invested heavily in her business over the past few years: hiring a business coach (who’s helped her double revenue year-on-year), bringing on a social media manager, fractional CMO, director of operations, CFO, and freelance designers - all while remaining the creative heart of the studio. Beyond client work, Laura has created something rare: a true client community. Including hosting a client appreciation dinner (first time we’ve heard that on the podcast!). She explains how fostering connection between clients has become a defining part of her business. It feels amazing the difference defining herself as a ‘studio’ instead of a freelancer has made. JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    56 min
  7. Cold Outreach: What Actually Works for Freelancers

    JAN 31

    Cold Outreach: What Actually Works for Freelancers

    Cold outreach can often get a freelance business started.  But in this episode I propose even those of us years down the line don't give it the cold shoulder. When you need to bring in clients, maybe a period of cold outreach, or even a consistent long term pattern of it, could be exactly what warms our business back up again. Cold emails. Cold calls. Reaching out to people who didn’t ask to hear from you. It can feel awkward, uncomfortable, and very easy to put off. But again and again on the Being Freelance podcast, freelancers have shared how proactive outreach - in many different forms - played a huge role in getting their business started, or getting it moving again when things felt quiet. This episode is a little different from the usual Being Freelance format. Rather than a single guest interview, it’s a reflection on conversations with freelancers who’ve taken a deliberate approach to outreach. You’ll hear how copywriter Adri Kopp refined her cold email process, worked out who she should actually be reaching out to, and set herself daily outreach targets - discovering that volume and timing mattered just as much as personalisation. You’ll hear how fintech copywriter André Spiteri approached cold outreach as a simple, repeatable habit, deliberately avoiding emotional attachment to individual emails so he could keep momentum going. Designer and illustrator Iancu Barbarasa shares how sending hundreds of emails wasn’t about asking for work, but about starting conversations - conversations that later led to some of the biggest projects of his career. The episode also explores outreach beyond email. Sustainability copywriter Raymond Manzor talks about cold calling, sending physical letters with samples, and following up by phone. Standing out simply because hardly anyone else was doing it. Whilst visual storyteller Ashwin Chacko shares how self-publishing a book and proactively sharing it opened doors to workshops, conversations, and paid work. Alongside the tactics, there’s plenty of honesty about rejection. Most people won’t reply. Some will say no. A few might tell you to get lost. And that’s all part of the process. The freelancers featured here talk candidly about learning not to take it personally, separating their identity from their work, and trusting that being in the right place at the right time often comes from showing up consistently. What comes through most clearly is this: Cold outreach doesn’t have to be spammy, pushy, or salesy. And while outreach often becomes more selective as a business grows, it never completely goes away. So even if your work mostly comes through referrals, word of mouth, or SEO, this episode is a gentle nudge to ask: Is there still a place for cold outreach in your freelance business? Featuring insights from these brilliant freelance guests, whose full episodes you should absolutely check out: Copywriter Adri Kopp Fintech Copywriter André Spiteri Designer & Illustrator Iancu Barbarasa Sustainability Copywriter Raymond Manzor Visual Storyteller Ashwin Chacko Conservation Illustrator Stefán Yngvi Pétursson JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    16 min
  8. How Katie Chappell Built (and Unbuilt) a Scalable Freelance Illustration Business

    JAN 25

    How Katie Chappell Built (and Unbuilt) a Scalable Freelance Illustration Business

    Katie Chappell is a freelance live illustrator based in the UK - and her story takes some unexpected turns. After being sacked from a graphic design job, Katie slowly built a freelance illustration career through side jobs, teaching guitar, working in retail, and even becoming a nanny abroad. A 100-day drawing project helped her find confidence, momentum, and visibility - and eventually led her into live illustration and graphic recording. Things really took off during the pandemic, when Katie adapted quickly to online events and found herself booked solid. At one point, she scaled the business into an agency-style setup with salaried staff and 24 illustrators on the books. On paper, it looked amazing. In reality, it nearly broke her. In this episode, Katie talks honestly about scaling up, scaling back, pricing, niching, marketing, work-life balance, and the moment she realised something had to change.  We also get into the practical stuff: working with a virtual assistant, setting clear prices, and why “make work, share work” is still the foundation of her marketing. Katie is part of The Good Ship Illustration - an education and community space for illustrators, that she founded with two of her friends. If you enjoy Katie on here, do check out The Good Ship Illustration podcast!     JOIN THE COMMUNITYYou'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 MERCHGet Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelanceYouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFollandBeing Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

    55 min
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4.8
out of 5
42 Ratings

About

Freelancing? Being boss of your own life and business can be tough and isolating. But it can also be totally rewarding. Pick up tips, advice and thoughts on how to make it as a freelancer, an entrepreneur, as the owner of your own business, by hearing other freelancers share their experience. Hosted by Steve Folland. Come join us in the Being Freelance Community - You're not alone being freelance. Not anymore. www.beingfreelance.com/community

Information

  • Creator
    Steve Folland
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    357
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Steve Folland
  • Show Website
    Being Freelance

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