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Episode 6: Life as a Freelance with Alison Grade

Series 1 Ep 6: Life as a Freelance with Alison Grade

Podcast

April 04, 2022•3 min read

SERIES 1 - Episode 6:

Life as a Freelance with Alison Grade

In this episode Rachel is joined by Alison Grade to discuss Freelance work.

Alison is the author of The Freelance Bible and she joins Rachel to discuss the many elements that are involved in forging a successful freelance career. They explore the benefits of the freelance mindset - even when employed and the importance of understanding the needs of clients and how to help them reach their goals. They bring all this to life by sharing their own experience of the advantages and challenges of freelance working from their own careers and their work with clients

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

ABOUT ALISON GRADE

Alison describes her key skill as transforming creative ideas into a business reality. She accomplishes this with the films she produces, the creative entrepreneurs she mentors, SMEs and freelancers she advises and in her Penguin published book, The Freelance Bible. Alison has an unique skillset in that she has formal academic training (INSEAD MBA); has worked at senior level in many media companies; is an entrepreneur who has established several businesses and is a Nesta accredited Creative Enterprise trainer and mentor. She sits on the Creative Industries Federation UK Council as well as the Digital Leadership Board for the Centre for New Midlands. She brings her passion, knowledge and experience with her in all the work she does.

Email: hello@alisongrade.com

Website: www.alisongrade.com

EPISODE RESOURCES

TOP TIPS SUMMARY

Be open for business and really listen out for opportunities so that you are listening to your clients and you're able to relate to what they want and educate them and explain the value that you add. Understand why you add value to your clients and be able to articulate that clearly so they can see what they're buying and what they're going to get.
Do thorough preparation at the outset to make sure your pricing will enable you to support yourself allowing for breaks and quiet periods.
Don’t shy away from networking in order to find work, start small in a way that works for you.
Be clear about what makes you distinctive - what skills, experience and gifts influence your offering.
know your value in the marketplace, be aware of your pricing and be confident about what you are offering and keep an eye on that, make sure you are adjusting it as you evolve as a freelancer.
Make sure that you seize the benefits of freelance life-flexibility of choosing when and how you work and strike the balance that will work for you longterm.
When you get busy, consider taking on support to ensure you are operating as efficiently as possible
Be a nice person to work with because quite frankly, that does have a huge influence. Yes, you've got to add value and people aren't going to employ you just because you're nice, but it, it's definitely a major factor and a really important one to remember.