Let's talk about why freelancing might not be for you

Happy Wednesday everyone, I hope you’ve had a lovely week so far!

How has your July been? I was off last week and had a lovely break! It’s so nice to step away from the screens for a while. This month has been amazing so far and I'm happy to be back working ?

Today we are talking sunshine, honest truths about freelancing and creating moments of joy throughout the week.

Let’s get started! ??

Today I’m speaking about 宜家 - here comes the sun ??

A recent campaign from IKEA highlighted that the Swedish summer can often be cold and unpredictable.

So to maximise the amount of sunlight during the day they created a specially built billboard, controlled by a GPS motor.

This billboard reflected natural sunlight to outdoor seating areas that would otherwise be in the shade. Thanks to the GPS, the mirror’s angle was automatically adjusted in real-time according to the sun’s position ??

This got people talking about IKEA and showed off their mirrors in a way that is meaningful

I LOVE this campaign!! What do you think?

I’m really excited to welcome today's guest. Meet Lois Nicole Baker . I have been connected to Lois for ages and she is so lovely!! Today she’s sharing her freelance journey with you all and giving an honest perspective on why it's not necessarily the right path for everyone.

“Marketing: choose your own adventure.

Hiya, I'm Lois. I've been working in marketing for over five years and I recently gave up freelancing to return to a full-time position.

At the start of this year, I was unexpectedly made redundant. I rocked up to the office in the morning and by the afternoon I was jobless.

After the initial shock wore off, I started considering my options and decided to have a crack at freelancing.

Freelancing has always been sold to me as the final and most powerful evolution in your marketing career. In my mind, when you become a freelancer, you've completed the marketing game.

I started making my logo, creating a website and getting the word out that I, Lois Baker, had bossed life so hard that I now had my own business at 27.

It felt good for a while. Work was coming in and I believed that being a freelancer was my 'final form'.

Then, I started not hearing back from prospects. I realised I was running out of money, and panic set in. My mental health was suffering; I was struggling to find motivation, and that feeling that I was bossing life soon turned into feelings of self-doubt.

I then realised that I missed a regular pay cheque and the support of an office environment. A regular 9 to 5 gave my life structure. Diving into being a freelancer felt overwhelming. However, I kept freelancing because, in my eyes, that was the coveted title that everyone in marketing wanted.

Everywhere I turned on social media, I was being fed content that said freelancing was the escape. I didn't feel that way, I felt trapped. I didn't want to look for full-time work because, in my head, I'd told myself that was a step backwards on the marketing monopoly board; I might as well just pass go without collecting ￡200 and go straight to jail if I went back to work for someone else.

In the end, I decided that freelancing really wasn't for me. I applied for full-time roles and found a job as a social media content creator for Vintage Cash Cow.

I'm now a month into my new role and feel a lot better.

I thought this might be a useful perspective to share as I often see a lot of the positives of freelancing online. You might try freelancing and have a positive experience, but you might try it and, like me, not enjoy it.

There are many ways to win in the marketing game. My personal victory came when I took the path that felt right for me, which was full-time employment. You should do what feels right for you in your marketing journey, whether it be freelancing, working in-house, or working in an agency. There are so many different options when it comes to working in marketing, so embrace the options and have fun on your journey.”

I love this advice so much!! Social media can be really misleading, freelancing is tough and it isn’t for everyone. It’s so important to find the path that works for you and not make decisions based off of what works best for others.

Today's advice is actually something I used to do last year but got out of the habit of doing??

I am a massive list maker, on a Sunday I usually make a rough to do list for the week ahead so I know what I’m doing each day and this piece of advice is great for anyone who likes to be organised too!!

Today I’m encouraging you to write down the days of the week and plan something to look forward to each day, it could be anything from having a hair wash or a dinner out to something as big as a day off or an evening away.

This is a nice way to brighten up your day and stop you from just wishing the weekdays away ??

Today my post prompt is to share a piece of advice your audience needs.

It can be scary to share your opinion incase people disagree, it can also feel vulnerable when you’re speaking about a personal journey.

But you have a voice and we want to hear it!!

So what do you think? Do you have a trick or a tip that will blow the minds of your audience?

Sharing unique insights will help you to differentiate yourself as well as showing your audience that you have lots of value to bring!!

I look forward to reading these, please use #DiaryOfAYoungMarketer so I can come and show your post some support.

Have a lovely rest of the day??

Speak soon!

Imogen xx