Being Freelance

Moving from Brazil to London to learn English in 2016, Andre De Almeida didn’t just pick up the language - he picked up the Being Freelance podcast and studied a new way to live and work too!
After being made redundant from an in-house role, he used what he’d learned from listening to jump headfirst into full-time freelancing. The key to his growth? In-person networking, vulnerability, and a constant willingness to experiment -from the events he attends to testing titles like CMO vs. Fractional Marketing Manager.
In this episode, Andre shares how stepping away from "corporate polish" helped him find his voice, build long-term client relationships, and win through collaboration over competition.
And we're not joking when we say he found a friend and a client collaboration on his very first Being Freelance Community event - Mini Golf! You can see him and Cat (and Steve!) in this video of our day.
In this episode of the Being Freelance podcast, Andre shares:
Vulnerability builds genuine connections: Showing up authentically and admitting when work is slow resonates far more with people than pretending everything is perfect.   
Positioning makes sales easier: Replacing titles like "CMO" (which sounded out-of-budget) or "Freelancer" with "Fractional Marketing Manager" made prospects immediately understand his availability and offering.   
Collaboration over competition: Connecting with peers in community spaces doesn’t just bring you friendship and support, it can result in long-term client sharing and referrals.
Networking extends beyond the room: In-person networking starts the conversation, but consistent 1-on-1 follow-ups on LinkedIn build the long-term relationship.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You'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 MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop
Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

Photographer and creative facilitator Celie Nigoumi shares her journey from severe burnout and chronic health challenges after university to building a thriving freelance business that works for her in a way normal employment and fluorescent offices never could. 
Celie talks about navigating neurodivergence, merging multiple niches into a single authentic personal brand, and using boundary-setting tools like quarterly planning and bi-weekly 'buffer' days to safeguard her well-being. 
We also get deep into pricing/packages her freelance business, and her About page messaging that spills across her website steeped in her core values - this helps her attract ideal clients while turning away the wrong fit.
Topics Covered include:
Transitioning from in-house corporate photography to full-time freelancing
Managing ADHD, chronic fatigue/ME, and burnout in a self-employed career
Merging wedding and personal branding photography into one personal brand
Using Instagram, story-led email newsletters, and SEO to generate client leads
Establishing clear core values on your website to attract the right clients
Hosting community photo walks and collaborating with purpose-led organisations
Structuring personal branding packages and conducting discovery calls
Using support tools like Toggl and the UK Government's Access to Work scheme
Implementing bi-weekly buffer days, quarterly planning, and extended time off
How a mentor and community have helped focus her and encourage her forward
You can find Celie's website at celienigoumi.com
More details on the UK Government's Access to Work scheme: get support if you have a disability or health condition.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You'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 MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop
Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

What happens when the industry you’ve worked in for a decade gets shut down overnight? In this episode, host Steve Folland chats with Helen Carrie to talk through her complete freelance overhaul when COVID hit.   
Helen worked in UK television production: traveling the world, interviewing celebrities; before the pandemic brought it all to a stop. Forced to evaluate her skills, she decided to try her hand at writing, starting at the very bottom.   
Over a five-year gradual transition, Helen phased out TV production and built a thriving, sustainable B2B copywriting business focusing on brand copy, executive ghostwriting, and conversion copy. Keen to keep her skills and clients diverse to protect herself. 
In this honest, funny, and practical conversation, Helen reveals the exact numbers behind her cold pitch strategy, how being intentionally "weird" on LinkedIn transformed her client base, and why setting boundaries gave her a much better quality of life. 
In this episode of the Being Freelance podcast, Helen shares:
The reality of TV "freelancing" – Why traditional television production contracts often trap self-employed creatives in high-burnout, all-consuming feast-and-famine cycles rather than offering true flexibility.   
Rebuilding a creative career from scratch – How an industry-wide shutdown forced a 5-year pivot from TV into B2B copywriting, starting with content mills paying fractions of a penny per word.   
The power of "weird" cold outreach – Why sending highly personalised, quirky connection requests and emails generated a reliable 1% conversion rate to build her client base.   
Finding your authentic voice on LinkedIn – Moving past corporate posting habits to turn social media into a steady inbound client lead generator.   
Securing recurring revenue with retainers – Smart strategies for structuring ongoing client work, from fixed monthly project fees to quarterly brand strategy reviews.   
Beating the "bad boss" mindset – Practical advice for us busy being our own boss, on setting firm boundaries, taking time off, and designing a business around your life instead of your life around your business.   

Website>  B2B Copywriter Helen Carrie
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You'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 MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop
Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

AI is already in your freelance business, whether you invited it or not. 

The usual Being Freelance podcast is on its summer break, but here's a bonus treat for you: a replay of a live LinkedIn session Steve did with lawyer Ingrid Fernandez, part of the Being Freelance community, looking at what AI means for freelancers legally - not "will it take my job" but "how does it change my contracts, my responsibilities, and my relationships with clients?"
Ingrid walks through five areas that could be tripping freelancers up:
Putting client information into AI - what counts as personal information, why transparency with clients matters, and why your privacy policy needs to name the tools (including AI) that touch client data.
Clients handing you AI-generated materials - the IP risk when a client passes over AI-made brand elements, logos or source material without saying so.
Using AI in the services you deliver - the reputational and trust risk of client-facing work that's gone through AI without disclosure, and why it's worth putting in your contract.
Clients putting your deliverables into AI - what happens to your IP once a client feeds your design, copy, or podcast into their own AI tools to create derivatives.
Confidentiality clauses and AI - how modern confidentiality clauses are increasingly naming AI specifically, and why redacting a client's name doesn't necessarily get you off the hook.
Ingrid's steer throughout: this isn't about being anti-AI, it's about being transparent, thinking about where you stand, and then getting your contracts to reflect that - so you can stop worrying about it case by case.
Find Ingrid at herlegals.com.
Catch the full library of Q&A replays in the Being Freelance Community.
This was originally a LinkedIn Live - so come find us on LinkedIn:
Steve Folland on LinkedIn
Being Freelance on LinkedIn
Ingrid Fernandez on LinkedIn
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You'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 MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop
Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

David Airey is a freelance graphic designer based in Northern Ireland, self-employed since 2005. 
He's the author of several best-selling design books including Logo Design Love and Identity Designed - both of which started life as blogs, before turning into books... before turning into a steady stream of client work.
In this episode, David talks with us about:
Persuading his former employer to be his first freelance client
Why his early "business blog" flopped, and how switching to writing about design (not just his own) changed everything
Launching logodesignlove.com in 2008, and getting an out-of-the-blue email about a year later from a US publisher that led to his first book deal
How that one book grew into four published titles, translated into multiple languages
Niching down into logo and identity design after realising it was the part of the job he loved most
The costly early lesson of doing design work before securing payment upfront - and how he gets paid now
Why he's deliberately kept his business to just himself for 21 years
How those same blogs, barely updated these days, still bring in client enquiries years later
What makes a good client relationship, and why he pushes back on purely subjective feedback
Why he doesn't set long-term goals and prefers to stay focused on the present
Find David at:
davidairey.com
logodesignlove.com
and identitydesigned.com
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You'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 MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop
Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.