Freelancers speaking frankly: Part IV – the power of support networks

As I continue my project to interview freelancers from around the world, it's been fascinating to see common themes emerge.

In my last few blogs , I've been focusing on the challenges that freelancers face.

My subjects are of different ages, genders and ethnicities, and work in a wide range of sectors. Some are busier and better paid than others. But they all seem to relate to a version of the following:

1. ISOLATION: Feeling alone and unsupported
2. OVERLOAD: Feeling depleted by the demands of working for multiple clients and running a business
3. TIME MANAGEMENT: Struggling to create and maintain a productive schedule
4. CLIENT GENERATION: Failing to find interesting, decent-paying and loyal clients

All sounds rather depressing, doesn’t it?

But here’s the thing about freelancers:

We didn’t strike out on our own by mistake.

The gig may have its tough moments, but we are tougher. As independent workers, we soon learn that no one is going to deliver ready-made solutions to us. So we go out there and find them.

In the next couple of blogs, I’m going to share with you some smart, practical and downright ingenious ideas that my interviewees shared with me about how they’ve overcome these persistent challenges.

We’re going to start today with isolation.

THE PROBLEM: Feeling alone and unsupported

Isolation is not just about missing social interaction, or the pressure of having to deal with all aspects of your business by yourself. If you’re cut off, you run the very real risk of missing crucial information you need to run a flourishing business, such as changes to the law. Not to mention losing out on opportunities to generate business.

Here’s what my interviewees told me:

“It can be lonely and tough to do everything by yourself.”

“There’s no one to confide in or lean on, and you certainly can’t let on to clients if you’re struggling.”

“No-one talks about setting rates … I feel like I’m fumbling around in the dark.”

“I feel like I can’t talk to other freelancers about my problem of being too busy, as they won’t have any sympathy.”

“Friends and family often don’t ‘get’ what I do. Worse still, some disparage it and try to discourage me from what they see as an unstable job.”

THE SOLUTION: Create a comprehensive support network

Just because you no longer have colleagues doesn’t mean you’re now doomed to a life of loneliness. Nor do you have to flounder by yourself when you come across something challenging.

Since the only people you’re guaranteed to speak with on a regular basis are your clients or suppliers, i.e. people you generally need to impress and remain professional with, it’s crucial you create a trusted circle where you can express your vulnerabilities and get access to relevant support.

Many of the people I interviewed stressed the importance of creating and maintaining a comprehensive support network.

Typically it consists of a 6 component parts: peers, experts, the industry, collaborators, community and loved ones.

Let’s take a look at each one in depth.

1. YOUR PEERS: Other self-employed people and/or people in your sector

Their role: To be your comrade-in-arms

Where to find them: freelancer membership groups; LinkedIn; Facebook groups; co-working spaces; mastermind groups; business networking groups and societies

Fellow freelancers, or others operating in the same niche as you, are a great place to start when it comes to building your network.

The relief of speaking to someone who ‘just gets it’ is immense. A sounding board, someone to rant to, maybe even a new friend or professional partner – the benefits shouldn’t be underestimated. If you can find a way to meet regularly and IRL (the dream), even better.

“I’ve got a better grip on freelancing by simply watching and speaking to other freelancers”, said one of my interviewees, who makes a point to reach out to fellow freelancers on LinkedIn every week.

‘Why would I talk to my competitors?’ some of you may be asking. But if you’re doing freelancing right, you’re not an interchangeable commodity (see this excellent blog from Benek Lisefski ). Besides, when you approach someone with no agenda other than to connect, share and learn, they almost always respond in kind (and often with relief that you’ve made the first move).

2. EXPERTS: Coaches or mentors

Their role: To lead and inspire you

Where to find them: LinkedIn; word-of-mouth recommendations; mentoring programmes; webinars and masterclasses; books, podcasts & conferences

Recently I’ve been reading about the trendy-sounding concept of forming your own personal Board of Directors . While some of us may cringe at that idea, having experts in your corner makes complete sense when you’re going solo. And I don’t just mean reading someone’s book or following a business guru on Twitter. I mean forming a personal, two-way relationship where they know you and you know them, and their advice is tailored to you.

“Investing in my growth through the use of a business coach has been critical to my progress”, said one of my interviewees, “Many self-employed people see this as a waste of money. But when you think about all the time and money you potentially waste procrastinating or going down the wrong path, it makes complete financial sense. The new business I’ve generated thanks to my coach has easily covered the cost of the coaching itself.”

Mentoring on the other hand usually comes from free, and is perfect if you’re looking for someone to support you more informally.

Importantly, having these expert figures in your life keeps you accountable – no one wants to show up to their next session having accomplished nothing. And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of healthy fear to drive progress!

3. THE INDUSTRY: A training provider or industry/umbrella body

Their role: To train and educate you

Where to find them: Google search; Twitter; conferences; taster training sessions

Much value can also be found in engaging with industry bodies and training providers.

If you work in marketing, like me, you’re in luck – there are organisations falling over themselves to give you access to advice, data and the latest trends (much of it free or low-cost), such as HubSpot , Think With Google and TrendWatching .

What are the equivalent organisations in your space? Make a list. Don’t ever assume you’re done learning your craft – there are always new developments and you need to remain up-to-speed to future-proof yourself.

There are also organisations whose raison d'être is to support freelancers and small business owners such as IPSE and Enterprise Nation . One of the people I interviewed recommended Leapers , a company dedicated exclusively to supporting the mental health of the self-employed.

Bottom line: there’s no reason you should be an expert on everything that goes into running a business – so seek out the organisations that are. They want to support you!

4. COLLABORATORS: people you might want to partner with

Their role: To work with you

Where to find them: membership groups; networking events; co-working spaces; hackathons and sprints; former colleagues or suppliers

There were a couple of freelancers I spoke to who struck me as extremely impressive – they had a tonne of work and yet they also seemed to have mastered the art of work-life balance.

Their secret ingredient? Working with other freelancers.

One woman I spoke to has a team of 8 freelancers she share projects with and outsources work to. Her primary skill is lead generation – she’s a genius at attracting clients. When she was working alone, she soon realised that demand was outstripping supply. So rather than do what most people do, and simply turn the work down, she set to work finding trustworthy, high-quality collaborators she could feed the work to.

There are so many benefits to this model, from generating work for others, to earning more, to having a better work-life balance. Siphoning off more straightforward client work has freed her up to work on complex projects she finds the most satisfying, and play to her strength of finding and nurturing clients. “It’s also great to have multiple brains on a project”, she notes, “I don’t simply tell them what to do. They’re skilled professionals. Often, we ideate and what we come up with is better than either of us would have alone.”

Another woman I spoke to is working in this way, albeit on a smaller scale. She’s paired up with a fellow freelancer with the same skillset and they’ve been able to take on an exciting new client that neither of them had time for alone. “I’m now actually on the lookout for a few more specialists to ‘have in my back pocket’ – a PR person, a designer and so on”, she says. Sounds smart to me!

5. YOUR COMMUNITY: people you can physically be around on a day-to-day basis?

Their role: To keep you company

Where to find them: co-working spaces, local community groups and venues, Next Door app; local community/resident Facebook groups

Sometimes, we just need to be around other humans.

This is where real-life, real-time community comes in. It’s great to have a thriving virtual network but it shouldn’t come at the expense of physical places where you can hang out with like-minded people.

From co-working spaces to laptop-friendly cafes, pubs and gyms, if you go to the same places often enough, throw people a smile and stick around to share a drink at the end of the day, you’ll start to make friends. Conferences and networking events can fulfil this need too, but bear in mind they’re usually sporadic and it can be harder to forge ongoing relationships.

Leaving work aside, hobby and community groups are a great idea for those who spend the majority of their time working alone. Whether it’s book club, choir or the local rugby club, not only will it satisfy your need for company, it could lead to work too (you’d be amazed how opportunities appear once you start being open about your skills, and what you’re working on).

Bonus tip: don't forget your neighbours! There might be great people living and working on your doorstep who you haven't yet made the effort to meet.

6. YOUR LOVED ONES: friends, family, partners ?

Their role: To love you

Where to find them: In your house and in your Whatsapps

Last but by no means least is the need to lean on your loved ones.

While it’s important not to let your business bleed too much into your leisure time, that doesn’t mean you can’t confide in your partner, friends or family.

This is a strange one though. On the one hand, these people are closest to you and know you the best. But, unless they’re self-employed too, they’re probably the least able to relate to what you’re going through, of all the groups on this list.

Your brother seems to switch off when you talk about your latest lead gen issue, while your friend seems mystified by your plans to become a digital nomad. It can feel deflating.

But it's not that they don’t care – it’s just very different from what they know.

On the other hand, people can surprise us – you never know when a loved one is secretly planning to go self-employed themselves. And some people are just so empathetic and interested, they’re happy to chew the fat with you even if they have no lived experience.

Over time, you’ll learn which loved ones you can open up to in a way that’s safe and helpful.

In the end, the biggest gift this group has to give is love, as well as the reminder that there’s more to life than work. And that's priceless.

Conclusion

You may not need all of these groups as part of your self-employed support network.

You might be looking at this list thinking ‘when am I going to make time for all that?!’

Just remember that each group has a distinct role to play, and you may not need to do as much as you think to start reaping benefits. Signing up to a handful of newsletters, having coffee with a fellow freelancer or occasionally dropping in to a co-working space might be all you need to feel dramatically more supported.

Colleagues can be great, but they can also be awful. It’s luck of the draw.

As freelancers, we have the unique opportunity to handpick our support team, carefully curating it to feature only those people and organisations who truly ‘get’ us, lift us up and help us grow.

How amazing is that? It’s an opportunity we shouldn’t waste.

Next time I'll cover some of the solutions to overload and burnout.

In the meantime, I'd love to know what role support networks have played in your self-employed life. Drop me a line in the comments or feel free to DM me.

Till next time,

Fabienne

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