Icelandic artist Stefán Yngvi Pétursson, also known as Styngvi, shares his journey from working in an ad agency to becoming a freelance conservation illustrator. Inspired by shocking pollution during a trip to Indonesia, Stefán decided to use his creative skills for environmental activism, or 'artivism'. It's working out well for his business and the planet.

Freelancing is often quite a journey, and for content writer Rebecca it's not just metaphorical. Travelling the world whilst building a business. It's not just her locations she's got mapped out. Rebecca's strategic about her freelancing with quarterly 'CEO retreats' that put clients on hold whilst she works on her business. These days she's settling down for longer but as a freelancer she's still going places.

What if you could steer your career as a freelancer in any direction? Being location independent, working from London, Lima and Barcelona. Swerving between animating and illustrating for some of the world’s biggest media outlets and leading podcasts. Having fun and doing great work whilst freelancing? Dave’s doing just that. Come along for the ride.

After a near-death experience with her family, Yolanda realised filling in KPI reports for her boss wasn't the life she wanted. Enter the world of freelancing. Now she's her own boss of Pink Leaf Social; a purpose driven social media marketer. Building her connections, putting up boundaries and embracing the 'antisocial' by co-founding a community for other freelancers who don't like traditional networking.

Helen may have studied fashion illustration. But the idea of a career freelancing in it never occurred to her. So she waved goodbye to creativity and went to work for a decade in retail. It was the 2020 lockdown period that redrew her plans. Now Helen's a successful live illustrator with brand collaborations, weddings, pet portraits, workshops and a retreat. Having fun being creative and sociable, whilst getting serious about her marketing and what's profitable.

Meet Xavier Buendia and his journey from Mexico to England, and more importantly from the world of hospitality as a sommelier to a career as a successful freelance photographer. Covering 10 years of freelancing. A lot has changed. From building a business via Twitter to COVID & Brexit decimating the restaurant industry he’s was shooting for. A lot of food for thought.

Here we go with the freelancing story of Kate Taylor, a seasoned podcast producer and founder of the Feast Collective. Feast is a really interesting idea for the way freelancers can bond together as a community, but also work together as a production team. A way to combat the feast and famine of self employed life. Plus we hear about dealing with rejection and the benefit of winning awards. Speaking of celebrating - this is the 10th anniversary of the Being Freelance podcast. Thanks for listening - come and join the Being Freelance Community to help us celebrate!

Since Dave started making funny, creative videos for LinkedIn, not only has his freelance design business taken off. But it's the work that he wants to be doing that is coming his way. AND he's satisfying that creative itch, the urge to make something for the joy of doing it. Hear how Dave stands out by daring to be different than what's around him. It's a fun chat - enjoy!

Angela shares how her design business has evolved over 12 years - from being a home-based freelancer focused on client work and family life, to embracing visibility through communities, events and content creation. Her story goes to show how freelancing success can come through different approaches. But without a doubt through being visible, Ange is having a second wind and is now helping others to succeed around her.

How to build a successful career freelancing as an advertising creative? Author of 'Junior', freelance copywriter and creative director Thomas Kemeny has done it through reputation, experience, strategic partnerships, and gaining business knowledge & confidence. Plus don't underestimate the power of writing a book.

Freelance illustrator Hazel Mead has built a purpose-driven creative business. She speaks about managing social media success, developing multiple revenue streams and how pushing beyond her comfort zone leads to valuable freelancing opportunities.

Irish freelancer Raymond Manzor has been on quite a journey of professional evolution. From English teacher, to translator, to sustainability copywriter. We hear how he did that. Through niching, getting clients through cold calling, continuous learning and communicating what he is and who he does it for. Ray emphasises the importance of networking with your peers as well as potential clients and the delicate balance between the two. Finding a community through LinkedIn and virtual coworking has helped spread the word and bring him work. This is a really fun conversation. Raymond's great at chatting - turns out that's a key skill for a freelancer too.

We're off to Panama to hear how Mariery Young went from architecture to illustration & design. She highlights the importance of passion in work, effective project management, and how personal projects and bring in the right client work. Mariery discusses the challenges and rewards of freelancing, including not letting social media rule her day and avoiding becoming an influencer, building client relationships, and the value of a supportive freelance community.

You don't get to have a 35-year freelance career without learning a thing or too. In amongst Emma's story, she's highlighting the importance of strategic business planning and adaptability. That's not say this is all serious - Emma is a lot of fun to listen to. Emma's systematic approach to reviewing her work and the industry landscape has helped her stay relevant and profitable for over three decades. She emphasizes client management, embracing technological changes, and diversifying skills to navigate challenges like AI. Whilst Emma's a voiceover, composer and writer, this is all great stuff to consider in whatever field you're running your business.

Phil's first client walked into the computer game shop he was stuck working in. Since then he's consistently levelled up his freelancing with word of mouth & SEO - now celebrating 20 years of independent business. Phil shares insights on client relationships, the importance of recurring revenue streams, working around his family and the power of using past client reviews to win more clients. Playing the freelance long game and winning.

We're off to San Francisco to meet Desire Lacap, a freelance filmmaker who turned social media tips into brand partnerships. She discusses balancing passion projects with paid work, avoiding burnout, and the importance of industry connections. Desire's philosophy? "Passion over profit." Get insights on personal branding, client relationships, and maintaining creativity while meeting client needs in the freelance world.

Ettie struggled with undiagnosed ADHD in traditional education and employment. Starting her freelance business changed everything. The 'traditional' world of work is left behind. Ettie's leveraging the freedom of freelancing to suit her needs, to play to her neurodivergent strengths. She's made a change to her world, looking to make a difference for others through her purpose-driven work.

Brennan isn’t just embracing his love of design, but his nerdy love of business. He’s always looking to learn and implement new ideas while freelancing. How many freelancers have ‘annual reports’? Or ‘Straturdays’ where they take time at the weekend to relfect? How many offer a freelance design subscription model? Lots to discuss in this episode!

Hear Hannah Isted's journey to becoming a successful freelance social media manager, marketer and then beyond into running a membership and courses. She founded her business, HI Communications (when your initials spell HI you go with it right?), focusing on social media management. She quickly built her client list through word-of-mouth and community engagement, including organising local events - both her own networking nights and even the first Barry Pride festival. Recently, Hannah transitioned away from social media management to focus on her membership program 'The Best 90 Days Ever', which offers daily prompts to help business owners. Hannah shares insights on balancing various projects, the importance of community in business, and her belief in taking the plunge into new ventures sooner rather than later.

A lot of freelancers have a niche. But a lot of others wonder just how do you figure out what your freelancing niche should be? In this episode we hear how Kirth Noel explored what interested him, his passions, what he wanted to master.. but what also might make sense as a business decision. From hobbyist photographer to specialised visual engineer in the world of video production. And whilst Kirth now uses robotics to create his work, its the human connections that bring it to him.