If you’re working in a job that you no longer love (or never did) and dream about being your own boss, or you’re on maternity leave and dreading the ‘return to work’ so would like to look at becoming self-employed instead, this course is for you…
Since the publication of my book The Freelance Mum: A flexible career guide for better work-life balance, I’ve had hundreds of emails and spoken at dozens of live events. And the comment I come across most is:
“I really want to go self-employed but I don’t know how”
These women are either pregnant or already have children and they are finding, or predicting, that working for someone else – on their time; in their workplace – isn’t compatible with the type of mothers they want to be. There isn’t enough flexibility.
Perhaps they feel less valued since becoming pregnant or giving birth. I know the feeling, as that’s what happened to me: my full-time rolling contract (I was working as a copywriter for a tech company) was terminated when my daughter was born.
It took me a while to build up the confidence to say: I’m not going back. I’m going to be my own boss, decide my own day rate and be around morning and night to see my daughter grow. But I got there and I’m now earning more than I was pre-kids but working a lot less hours.
If you’re considering making the leap from employed to self-employed and would like some guidance and ideas about how to make this happen, you might like to join my four-week online course. By the end of the month, you should be ready to hand in your notice.
Here’s the course outline…
Week 1: What should my freelance work or business be?
You may have a job that translates easily into freelance work, or perhaps you’re keen to try something completely new. Either way, we’ll take a look at your deep-rooted passions, skills and experience and through a combination of practical and creative exercises, you’ll end up with a clear idea about what the focus of your work should be.
Week 2: Finding the confidence to make the leap
Now clearer on what your freelance work or business will focus on, it’s time to muster the confidence within yourself to believe that this can – and will – happen. With tips and exercises from a career coach, a life coach and a series of freelancers and entrepreneurs, you’ll soon be brimming with confidence and self-esteem. It’s all about mindset.
Week 3: Making it pay – short term and long term
It’s time to get practical because while becoming self-employed is great, without the monthly paycheque landing in your bank account each month, you’ll need to know that you can still cover the bills. We’ll discuss the various options for earning while you set-up-shop. And how to work out what to charge for your product or service – with guidance from an accountant. Plus a foolproof spreadsheet for ensuring all costs have been considered.
Week 4: Getting started
Now that you’ve decided what your freelance work is going to be, you have the confidence to ‘make the leap’ and you’ve done your financial planning – what’s next? In this module, I’ll walk you through the necessary steps for setting up as a freelancer, including: registering as self-employed, building a website, branding, social media, making contacts, spreading the word, childcare – and more.