Fearlessness and a lot of hard work are a couple of the factors behind the success of independent logo designer Aaron Draplin. I rounded up some of his wisdom this week in a blog post for the online education platform Skillshare.
I love hearing the perspectives of other freelance creatives on how to balance passion with the ability to actually pay the bills. As I’ve been growing my own content business, there’s been a few writers who have really helped me push things forward.
Jennifer Goforth Gregory‘s book The Freelance Content Marketing Writer is full of valuable practical advice, dispensed in a frank, conversational style that’s full of character. Since reading it I’ve joined the Facebook group that sprung up around the book, and I’ve benefitted from the the free Skype consultation that Jennifer offers to colleagues. I found it envigorating and came away with lots of fresh ideas.
Anna Codrea-Rado is another freelance writer who has been sharing her wisdom via a newsletter, Instagram feed and live events. I’m looking forward to the next one, a meetup for female freelance journalists at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch.
Finally, I’ve become a fan of Melanie Padgett Powers and her podcast The Deliberate Freelancer. I’ve been feeling the need to step back from the day-to-day running of my business and do some big-picture thinking about what needs to change, and the episode titled ‘Host a Solo Business Retreat’ gave me concrete steps for how to do this.
The life of the freelancer or solopreneur can often feel like an isolated one, but it doesn’t have to be this way, and these three woman have all shown how to build a community and prioritise collaboration over competition.
This is a focus for me, too, in 2019, and I’d love to hear from other freelancers out there, about what resources have helped you level up.