Marketer To Marketer: Advice To Anyone Ready To Take The Jump To

Anytime I answer the ubiquitous "what do you do?" question, the response is almost always the same: "Whoa. How do you keep that up?" The reputations around freelancing vary, but most of them come back to a similar point of instability, insecurity, and other scary words that keep many people from taking the leap. As a successful freelance marketer, I'll confirm it can be scary, but nothing's more empowering than being your own boss and taking charge of your own lifestyle. If you're intrigued but need a nudge, here are some tips to get started.

1. Never stop networking. Yes, you read that right. It might take a certain personality to keep this one up (guilty!), but the most important part of running your own business is telling just about everyone. You truly never know who will lead to who, and when, so find a way to naturally incorporate pitching into your life. This means being outgoing and reaching out to anyone you'd like to talk to, asking previous colleagues to pass along your info, and throwing away any fear around selling yourself.

2. Stay open minded. At first glance, a client might not seem like the right fit, but every conversation is worthwhile. Say yes to any meeting, then make a decision about next steps after you've connected to the human behind the opportunity. Maybe you're not passionate about the specific industry today, but once you give it a shot, you just might learn something to enhance your portfolio, or they'll connect you to your next big project!

3. Figure out what works for you. Once you're relieved of the corporate structure so many of us are used to, try out some new routines to find what makes you feel your best, your most productive, your most inspired. For some, this means sticking to the 9-5 hours to keep up the boundaries of your evening downtime, but others (me!) prefer to start the day slower and get a lot of work done in the evenings when our calendars are clear of Zoom calls and a clogged inbox. You might want to exercise mid-day to keep your brain sharp, or maybe you like to block off certain hours of the day for your focused work. Whatever it is that's optimal for you, do that, and notice your productivity skyrocket.

4. Ask for help. It's exciting when you get your first big project that pays more than you'd ever expected to earn while freelancing, but sometimes that same work needs some assistance. Once you get into the rhythm with a client and find opportunities for efficiency, like someone junior helping with social media, cold outreach, or tracking data, speak up! If you can make yourself more valuable by finding ways to maximize your hours through getting support from someone else who wants to learn from you, your client will most likely appreciate the feedback and perspective. This is how we all grow. Of course, use your own judgement, and if you know budgets are tight and you've just gotta keep your head down to get things done, then maybe the timing just isn't right.

5. Go for it. The last and most important piece of advice is to just get going. Take the jump! Tell your supportive network. Save up some money. Take some time to deeply think through what you can offer and what you want to do, putting imposter syndrome beside. Then, go! Good luck.