5 Lessons I Learned Last Year
Some thoughts on freelancing, starting a small business - and surviving 2020!
2020 was an impossible year - even now, it remains impossible to define and impossible to comprehend. However, it definitely had some positives, and lots of opportunities to learn and grow.
Although being stuck in a small apartment, unable to access the facilities and libraries (I miss them so much!) at university, I had the privilege and good fortune of an incredibly supportive partner and a great workspace. Last year, I started my small business, releasing my first sticker, stationery and jewellery designs, and had some incredible freelancing gigs - I published my first website; got my first article published in the Cambridge daily paper; continued my column series on unusual education provision around the world at Tes; working with my first consulting clients; and racked up hundreds of hours of tutoring with students new and old.
With all of that said and done, there have been some major challenges: new roles mean new skills, and I’ve been given some great advice as well as learning on the job. As we head into the new year, I thought it might be helpful for people in a similar position to me to see what I’ve taken from the rollercoaster that was 2020. So, here are the top 5 lessons I learned last year:
Diversifying your skill set is a really important step as a freelancer/small business owner!
It means you can take advantage of new opportunities as they arise, and looks great on your CV.
Try new things - even if you’re not sure about them
I’m starting with the most important point on this list! I would never have started new social media, tried digital design, built my own website and published my first online course if I had listened to the all-too-familiar thoughts in my head: you don’t know what you’re doing, no-one will care, it won’t sell. Actually, it will - and even if it didn’t, it was still worth doing!
Trying something new - especially if you have a social media audience - can be daunting, but it’s always worth it. At worst, you realise it’s not for you, but at best you find a new skill that means you can offer more services, make more products and enhance your skill set.
This point is particularly important for women - it is all too easy to convince ourselves that we don’t know what we’re doing, haven’t got the skills and don’t deserve opportunities we don’t feel confident about. A study I read recently suggested that the women surveyed would only feel confident enough to apply for a job if they fulfilled 100% of the hiring criteria, while men would apply even if they only fulfilled 60% of the criteria - and were still more likely to get the job!
This isn’t to say you should go too far the other way and try absolutely everything, because rejection is always frustrating, but if you are in need of a sign telling you to try that new thing - whether it’s investing in those product samples or pitching that big publication - then this is it!
Start small, and work your way up. Enjoy photo editing? Get the Adobe Creative Suite free trial and work through all of their free tutorials. Want to try journalism? Check out my Student Journalism 101 course over at the Indiependent, and visit Instagram to join a like-minded community full of free advice (@soyouwanttobeajournalist and @thefreelancesessions are a great place to start!). Like crochet? Grab a hook and some yarn on eBay and find a YouTube how-to guide. Want to make some earrings? Head to a jewellery suppliers (KernowCraft is my personal favourite) and invest in some tools and starter supplies. Even if you start out just making a few bits for yourself or your family, or send your first pitch, that’s all it takes to build confidence.
What will you pick up in 2021? Photography, opinion writing, making videos, Procreate, knitting, jewellery-making…if you have the time and energy, pick something new to learn this year!
Don’t undervalue your work
Whether you’re copywriting, pitching or starting a small business, always remember: your time, effort, ideas and energy are worth money. They’re also worth so many other things, but in today’s capitalist world, money is the way we measure their value and trade it with others. Be sure to check that your rates and prices are earning you adequate compensation for your time and ensuring that your practice is sustainable - even if you’re not paying bills yet, you still deserve that money. It’s good for you, for your mental health, and for the broader economy of freelancers and small business - by upholding decent pay for yourself, you’re ensuring that everybody benefits from reasonable offers from customers, editors and commissioners.
Make friends and ask questions
Don’t worry so much about ‘networking’ - if it’s not absolutely vital to your industry, it can feel inauthentic and cliquey at times - but do make the most of social media. Reach out to editors, influencers, fellow freelancers and small business owners - get to know people, ask for advice and offer it in turn! Don’t take up too much of people’s time without compensating them (be sure to support their Patreon/Ko-Fi/small business if you are able), and do remember to support people in the same way you would want them to support you - likes, shares, saves and comments go a long way!
In times like this, where the usual channels of find new friends aren’t an option, using social media to your advantage can be a great way to make new connections.
Aim high
There’s an old phrase a teacher at my secondary school taught me: “aim for the sky, you’ll end up on the ceiling - aim for the ceiling and you’ll stay on the floor.” What it really means is the more you work towards, the better off you’ll end up - you’ll achieve more than you would have, even if you don’t reach your goal, because it’s easy to underestimate how much you can really do. Of course, there’s another important saying about moderation that should really go in here too! It’s not about taking on more than you can manage, but now is perhaps the perfect opportunity to set yourself some new goals.
Set yourself some SMART goals for the year:
S - Specific, M - Measurable, A - Achievable, R - Relevant, T - Timed
Want to have made 20 posts by February? To have sent 12 pitches this month? Sold 5 pairs of earrings? Write your goals down somewhere, track them on your calendar, and set aside time each day/week to make sure you get to them.
Enjoy your successes
Finally, remember to take time to enjoy the things you achieve! So often, we just bank that article, that sale, that success, and move onto the next without allowing ourselves some time to take a step back and be genuinely proud. Whether that’s tweeting a link or texting your mum, or just smiling at your computer screen for a while, it is really important to allow that hard-earned dopamine hit to sink in before looking for the next one. Last year, we lost so many opportunities to COVID-19, and with no end in sight losing motivation is a real issue, so take the time to rest and reassure yourself how good you really are as we head into the new year!
I hope this blog was helpful and maybe even interesting - if it was, consider sharing it on your social media or checking out my Shop!