#WeeklyWins - runny fudge, topless selfies, and brave hamsters.

Well done freelancers, you made it to March - Q1 is almost over, hopefully your prospective clients have finally woken up from their post Christmas slumber, and we're heading into the month of International Women's Day, UK Mothers' Day, and the start of Spring.

Thanks to a bit of a snarky post about Neil Patel, we have a lot of new subscribers this month, so I'm going to start this week's newsletter by reminding everyone what it's about before we move onto your fantastic #WeeklyWins.

How #WeeklyWins started

I first asked freelancers to post their weekly wins in the middle part of 2023 when every other post from a freelancer seemed negative, and anyone reading LinkedIn would have thought that freelancing life was all doom and gloom.

And don't get me wrong, freelancing has its ups and downs - we've all had periods with no work, everyone has had late or no-payers, sometimes it seems like everything has gone wrong, and LinkedIn can be a great place to vent.

But being a freelancer has some awesome upsides too - whether it's a new client, someone you've worked with saying lovely things about you, a virtual cuppa with someone you love talking to, or finally finishing that job you've been putting off.

Freelancer #WeeklyWins was my challenge to others to put a little positivity back into the freelancing world, and rather immodestly, I think it's worked.

If you're new to this newsletter then please read to the end to find out how you can take part.

Some of the wins in the last week

It's always nice to read your #WeeklyWins - here are some of the more recent:

Lorna McGachie celebrated closing her laptop at a reasonable time each night and making great leaps forward with Obi the hamster, while Andy Goldman got some great client feedback and shared a LinkedIn tip he'd read, and was proud of his daughter's sporting prowess.

Alice Rowan ?? sent out a very well received newsletter, and got some lovely comments in return, despite using the word wanky in it, and Mel Barfield was excited to have manifested her speaker role at CopyCon 2024 - so excited she forgot to tag it with #WeeklyWins but I'm cheering it anyway.

Jonathan Wilcock – freelance brand voice copywriter got a standing ovation gif (that I'm sad he didn't shared) for some new client work and delivered 12 (count 'em!) blog posts for his favourite client, while Gillian Jones ?????? made runny fudge and finished a copy editing project.

Matt Drzyma?a got us all hot and bothered with his Late Night LinkedIn antics and recorder a podcast (hopefully with his top on!), Dee Primett was organising the Female Copywriters' Alliance meetup and met a long time friend and collaborator in real life, and Fi Phillips got paid on time and made birthday dog buns.

Rachel Bray had a call with me and celebrated life without booze (these two things are not related), Lesley Walsh ?? fixed her washing machine and gave us a celebratory giving birth carousel, and Hazel Jarrett was in a birthday mood too as well as celebrating some great new enquiries (and maybe working with ME!)

Be sure to check out all the wins and drop a comment - commenting on posts helps your reach on LinkedIn as well as theirs, so it's a win-win. You can find more wins by searching for the #WeeklyWins hashtag, or clicking this handy link I made for you.

Take part in #WeeklyWins

There are 3 ways to take part:

1. On a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, start a new post and tell everyone about a few of the wins you've had that week. They could be personal, business, or a mixture of the two. Anything goes, whether it's a great meeting you've had, a fab newsletter you've sent out, a project you've finished, or a testimonial that made you smile. Even if you've had a frankly shitty week, look for the positive bits that make it not quite so crap. Trust me, it'll cheer you up as much as the people that read it. Use the hashtag #WeeklyWins and tag me in it so I see it.
2. If you'd like to record a #WeeklyWins interview with me, book a slot to record the interview. It's informal, pretty much anything goes, and you can do it wearing your PJs if you like. All I ask is that you're a regular participant of #WeeklyWins. DM me if you want more details.
3. Every Tuesday PM, from 2-4.30, I'm going to run a drop in coworking session for freelancers that need a little accountability and some friendly faces while they work. It will be on Zoom, and run on the Pomodoro method, which is a quick intro, 25 minute sessions of working, 5 minute chats in between. Join for an hour, join for the whole session, cameras on or off, pop in late, leave early - it's up to you. There's one tomorrow, you can join any time from 2pm. The link will be the same every Tuesday afternoon.

And, finally

If you know someone that's struggling to post on LinkedIn, #WeeklyWins is an easy and lovely place to start without too much pressure. Please ask them to take part, and to drop me a DM if they're at all worried.

That's all from me for this week. Have a good one.

Nikki.

P.S. If you want to know more about me, this is a good place to start.