by Fiona likes to blog | Sep 3, 2023 | LESBIAN LIFE
I’ve always been terrified of getting into debt.
Since my teenage years, my parents instilled in me the importance of seeking their support before resorting to credit cards or loans. On one hand, it demonstrated their generosity and love. However, now in my mid-thirties, I’ve come to realise that this well-intentioned protection inadvertently gave me a complex relationship with money.
Let me go back a bit, to the pivotal moment that shook my sense of self over the past two years. In January 2022, I came to terms with my true identity as a lesbian and made the decision to come out and end my marriage to my then-husband.
The emphasis here is on one word: “realised.”
I didn’t proclaim my sexuality to the world after a lifetime of concealing this truth. There were no sleepless nights rehearsing coming out speeches, no anxiety about how people around me would react. I had been – I thought – a contented, married heterosexual woman for my entire life.
And then, in a matter of minutes, I uncovered a facet of myself that had always been there, but concealed from my own awareness.
Like the finest plot twists in our favourite stories, my perception of reality was forever altered once the revelation occurred. I saw through the looking glass.
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But, much like the most memorable plot twists I’ve enjoyed, I spent considerable time retracing the steps that led to that pivotal moment. I revisited every aspect of my journey, searching for foreshadowing, hints, and evidence of the impending twist, feeling somewhat foolish for not having noticed it sooner.
As someone who absorbs stories like a sponge, I relish the opportunity to predict a plot twist. Therefore, failing to recognise my own hidden truths over the years has left me doubting my own judgment.
I thought I knew myself quite well. But clearly, I was wrong.
So, returning to the notion of my fear of money, what has recently come to the surface is my reluctance to seek financial support as I embark on this phase of life where I aim to become self-reliant.
Asking for financial assistance feels like an admission that I cannot be trusted to provide for myself.
Hence, I’ve been avoiding, postponing, and even rejecting the idea of seeking support from my parents. The question that keeps resurfacing is: why?
Why am I so determined to prove to myself that I can fend for myself when all signs (overdraft, empty bank account, self-imposed Klarna ban) point to the fact that I can’t?
Here’s what I think.
I’m not fighting against my parents; I’m fighting against the patriarchy.
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It’s the system that ingrained in me the notion that being a woman equates to weakness, that being a woman implies dependence on the stability of a man, and that being a woman inherently means needing help.
And that infuriates me.
The problem (?) is that I’m so furious that I’d rather dwell miserably in my overdraft than seek support from the people I love.
And the fact is I don’t actually know if I’ll be able to prove that I am, indeed, capable of supporting myself.
I don’t know if I’ll affirm the narrative that a woman on her own is helpless. Or perhaps, I’ll sail off into the sunset on a life raft fashioned from my own two capable hands.
Who knows.
But what I’m currently focused on, what holds the utmost importance for me right now, is learning to trust in my ability to make it work, either way.
What does it look like to rebuild that self-trust after concealing your true self for so many years? For me, it entails:
1. Believing in my own experiences.
2. Allowing my perception of those experiences to evolve over time.
3. Forgiving myself for keeping certain aspects of my identity hidden.
This journey is about embracing financial independence while simultaneously embracing trust in oneself, which means sometimes withstanding the uncomfortable truth: it is hard to do both.
by Fiona likes to blog | Sep 23, 2021 | Freelance
Are you wondering how to set your freelance rates? Struggling to navigate the world of hourly rates, day rates, retainer packages and the rest? I hear ya. Figuring out how much to charge for your services is a complicated topic and everyone has an opinion.
Hourly rates
When I first started charging an hourly rate, I didn’t think very much of myself. I’d been making sandwiches for a living for a few years and scraping by on £7 per hour and free food and coffees to make the day feel a little less dreary. So when I had to come up with a figure to charge for my services, I didn’t feel worthy of asking for very much at all. I charged £10 per hour.
Several years later I upped that to £20 per hour, and I’ve increased it yet again since then. I did some research into what other people were charging and also thought about how much I would realistically like to earn every month.
Watch this Instagram video to learn more tips on how to set your freelance rates.
Say for example you want to earn £3,000 per month. Great, now how many hours would you like to work in that month? If the answer is 120 hours (thirty hours per week), then you would need to charge £25 per hour. (Bear in mind that this is all before tax, so you would lose a certain percentage of this to the government.)
Consider your capacity
Instead of working backward thinking about hours worked, maybe consider how many days you would like to work, or how many clients you can comfortably work with, or how many products you would need to sell to make up that income.
Remember that just because the typical working week consists of five days this doesn’t necessarily mean you can dedicate five days to doing paid work. You’ll need time to do the work that doesn’t pay (in a direct sense anyway) such as sending invoices, implementing marketing campaigns, meeting with potential clients, etc.
As a rule of thumb, I would assume that at least one day a week will be required for various freelancer-related tasks and then take it from there.
Do your research
TIP: Talk to other freelancers and ask if they would give you a ballpark figure about what they charge. Do this with lots of people, not just one or two, because the chances are that they could be under or over-charging for their services! When I increased my rates recently, I asked for input in a freelancer Facebook group and people were more than happy to tell me their hourly rate.
Learn more from my book Out of Office: Ditch the 9-5 and Be Your Own Boss.
by Fiona likes to blog | Aug 19, 2021 | Freelance
On any given day, I can have a different opinion on whether it is ever OK to work for free – as it’s a complex, nuanced subject. I know that sentence doesn’t help you in the slightest – but hear me out. I promise I’ll offer some actually useful tips if you keep reading. Whether you’re starting a side hustle or a full-time freelancer, the expectation of working for free is something that you need to be prepared for.
This blog post is based on the Out of Office podcast episode: Is it ever OK to work for free?
How many freelancers work for free?
Half of all freelancers have been asked to work for free. Forty-three percent of all freelancers have completed a job without pay. And, there’s an ongoing joke in the freelance world that you can’t pay your bills with ‘exposure’. Gloomy stuff, right?
But: is it ever OK to work for free? And what value can working for free give you that will actually improve your business, aside from its financials? Call this blog post your guide to answering the ever-unanswerable question.
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In my book Out of Office, the no-nonsense guide for those contemplating freelance life and those already on the freelancing journey, I interviewed Digital Marketing Coach, Alice Benham. I knew she had some interesting thoughts on working for free and she gave me these nuggets of wisdom:
“Putting a monetary value on your work can have a direct impact on the quality of the work’s outcome. Any clients that have paid full price for my services have a better attitude. All my ‘bad clients’ have been ones that have got my services at a discounted rate, or for free.
“I think it says a lot about someone’s attitude when they’re willing to pay for a service. I have such a better relationship with every single one of my paid clients, because I know they are paying a price that’s genuinely fair for what my time is worth – and they know the value they’re getting.”
Choosing to work for free is a privilege
I have also experienced the horrors that can come with deciding to work for free; sometimes a client expects you to even get out of pocket to achieve the end result. So, rule number one when it comes to deciding whether you should indeed work for nada is to make sure you’re getting something out of it – even if it’s not money.
When choosing to work for free, it’s both a personal choice and a privilege. There’s no one answer because it depends on your mission and your current financial situation. In the early days, I did sometimes work for free, because I had a stable income in another job so I knew I could work for nothing and still pay the bills at the end of the month.
You just run the risk of a client perpetuating the idea that freelancers are less ‘valuable’ than employees – which is completely untrue. Even now, long into my freelance career, I still get asked to work for free. There’s a brash, no f***s given approach some employers have – that ‘expectation’ to sometimes work for free never goes away in the freelance industry, unfortunately.
But, sometimes, you can play the game to your own advantage.
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So, is there ever any value in working for free?
- Consider saying yes: if there’s a clear benefit you’ll receive that isn’t financial. For example, you might be asked to speak on a panel for free, as I have often done, and the audience you’ll reach may be much bigger than your own, and you’ll have the chance to speak about something that’s close to your heart. When I was promoting my book, Out of Office, my marketing strategy included reaching communities of side hustlers, business owners and freelancers at events for free because I knew that by sharing my knowledge with them, I had a chance to capture their attention, and, in turn, get them to buy my book. I was working for free, but I was making valuable connections and getting something out of it in the long-term.
- Consider saying yes: if you’re raising your profile by working for free. Value doesn’t exist just in monetary form – oh no. If you’re appearing as a guest on a monetised podcast, you’re working for free. But the ‘exposure’ (the dreaded word) could actually be valuable for you in this instance.
- Consider saying yes: if you’re building valuable networking connections. For example, if you’re a photographer, you could offer a free shoot to an activist whose mission you admire, or you could reach out to a digital marketer and for a shoot, you, in turn, get to build your portfolio and secure some banging marketing tips. If you offer people work for free, you never know: they might just turn into paying clients.
- Consider saying yes: if you want to build experience in something you’re not an expert in, yet. Reach out to people – offer your services for free – build up that portfolio that then attracts paying clients. You’ll see the results pay off.
- Consider saying yes: if it helps you build your confidence. I did this with public speaking. I wanted to be a better public speaker, and I wanted to learn in a pressure-off way. By taking free gigs, I didn’t feel that pressure to perform perfectly, because I was doing a client a favour. In turn, my confidence was built up from those free gigs, and then I started getting booked for paid work.
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When to say no to working for free
- Consider saying no: if it’s a BIG project, with multiple people working on it, that are all getting paid. Question why the company can afford to pay them, and not you, and get answers from the employer. If it’s down to differing levels of experience, and you’re not quite experienced enough, work out how much the opportunity is worth it for you before saying yes.
- Consider saying no: if you already have a busy work schedule. If free work is pushing you into burnout territory, that’s not the time to be picking more up.
- Consider saying no: if the opportunity gives you NO benefit. If you feel the company is taking advantage – perhaps they’re making you write for free, but they then won’t link to your website in exchange – question why you’re doing this. If you’re not wanting to be affiliated with their brand, necessarily, don’t bother picking up the opportunity.
- Consider saying no: if the client looks like they definitely have the budget to be paying you, but just aren’t coughing up. If there’s no money being offered, you have nothing to lose, so always ask if there’s a budget available. Often, it’s awful, but companies will let free work go ahead if you don’t ask for your worth. If you ask, they might magically have a budget available. Surprise, surprise.
- Consider saying no: if they’re not clear on exactly what the work is that you’ll deliver. Always ensure your contract sets out your terms, and be clear that if you’re writing one blog post for free, that’s all you’re doing for free. If they then ask you for more rounds of amends than you agreed to, or they’re trying to get you to work on the SEO for their website, be clear that that will incur a fee.
So, there you have it.
Yes, it’s a personal decision. Yes, a lot of it is based on privilege.
But it’s always important to stick to your gut and know your worth. Hopefully, this blog post has helped with that a little – and remember, if you get an offer to work for free, you don’t have to say yes straight away. Sit with it, work out what’s in it for you, and don’t be scared to challenge your potential client on their proposition. You’ve got this.
If you want to know more about setting your rates, handling awkward freelance conversations, and living your best out of office life get a copy of my book Out of Office now.
by Fiona likes to blog | Mar 13, 2021 | Freelance
Freelance insurance is something that I always knew existed but didn’t really want to think about.
“Freelancing is fun!” I thought, “it’s freeing!” – I don’t want to get bogged down in paperwork! But the harsh truth is that I was underprepared for the risks and responsibilities that come with running a business.
I know I personally didn’t consider getting insurance until I started writing my book Out of Office. It’s not legally required, so I just put it off, thinking that it wasn’t essential and probably too expensive.
I know that insurance gets a bad name because it’s literally capitalising on fear, but I can honestly say that now I’ve signed up I’m genuinely quite happy to pay £15(ish) for the peace of mind I have right now. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know about the types of insurance available for freelancers:
Professional Indemnity Insurance
This covers you against the business risk of causing financial loss to your client through your own negligence.
I spoke to Robert Hartley, who is one of the co-founders of Dinghy, an insurance company specialising in policies for freelancers, and he gave me an example of why you might need professional indemnity cover:
Imagine you were a graphic designer and you’ve created a logo for a client and a year later a larger company says that your design breaches their trademark. They’ve also got the funds to take legal action. You could be held accountable for this and need to pay for lawyers and damages.
‘You get your logo design put on your website, printed in a magazine, make loads of banners, and then suddenly someone says you’ve breached their trademark and you owe them £10,000. It’s the designer of the logo who would need to pay this compensation,’ says Robert. ‘Something like this is an honest mistake. You didn’t deliberately rip off this logo design and so professional indemnity cover will pay the compensation.’
Bear in mind, though, that this is only relevant when there has been some sort of financial loss. It can’t be a client saying that they just don’t like the logo!
Public Liability Insurance
This offers protection against injury to other people or their belongings. It doesn’t need to be a client; it can be anyone in the public who isn’t you as long as it happens when you are working.
Perfect for freelancers like me who work in public spaces like cafés, co-working spaces and libraries and live in fear of dropping a scalding hot chai latte over a stranger’s laptop.
Equipment Insurance
Things like your laptop might be covered under your home insurance, but that’s not always the case, so check with your existing policy to find out where you stand.
It’s also worth noting that your home insurance might not cover items when you are using them outside of the house and some policies totally exclude business items anyway. I personally have worldwide cover on business equipment so that if my laptop ever breaks or is stolen, I can get a replacement ASAP.
Cyber insurance
This is something that I don’t have, but might be worth considering if you handle a lot of customer data.
‘Say you visit a website and you accidentally download a ransomware virus and get an email saying you need to pay £500 or all the information on your computer will be deleted,’ says Robert. ‘The insurance company would help with that. If you hold a lot of customer data like addresses or bank details then you would want that protection.’
Income Protection
For most freelancers, loss of income is a major concern. This type of insurance helps by providing you with an income in the event that you are unable to work due to long-term sickness or as a result of an accident. Policies will provide you with a percentage of your gross income for a set time or until retirement, depending on the terms.
How much does it cost?
There’s no set rate for insurance policies as it depends on the cover you need as well as what kind of work you do. I currently pay about £15 a month for professional indemnity, public liability and equipment insurance, so that gives you an idea of what to expect.
Bonus tip: Look out for freelance specific insurers like Dinghy. They offer added benefits like Freelancer Assist, which gives you access to 24/7 helplines for legal matters, tax investigations and counselling. Dingy also has a team of experts on-hand who will chase up late payments (over £200) on your behalf.
For more tips on going freelance listen to the Out ot Office podcast or pick up my book.
