Tips For New Creative Freelancers
Register self-employed
Not the most exciting point to start with, but an extremely important one. Before I started FOSTER Studios, I had been registered self-employed for a number of years. This meant that when the government handed out grants during Covid-19, I was entitled to them. Had I not registered self-employed; this would not have been the case. Also, fairly obvious one, but you need to declare your income and pay tax.
Do SOME work for free
Every creative will have their own view on this with some poo-pooing it immediately and others strongly encouraging it. Personally, I see no genuine harm in offering a limited amount of your services for free to businesses that you admire and would like to eventually bring on as paying clients.
Having said that, I think it also depends on the individual in question and their background. If you’re a teenager looking to gain professional experience, this is the opportune time to take up some unpaid work. However, if you’re an industry professional and have worked in a company for many years but are now starting your own business, you would ideally want to charge immediately because you already have a wealth of experience behind you.
Don’t be afraid to say no
When money’s tight, it can be really easy to say yes to everything. Saying no to a paying client can be tough, but if the work is beyond your scope or you’re just not comfortable taking on the job, there’s no shame in saying no. More often than not clients will appreciate the honesty if you communicate quickly and help to offer an alternate solution.
As an example, if someone came to FOSTER Studios looking for someone to film their wedding, we would politely say we aren’t the right fit for that as our specialism is much more focussed on working with brands.
Engage your local community
This is something I should have done many years ago, but am only just seeing the benefit of it now. It can be easy to assume that the major clients you’ll be working with will be in the city, however this isn’t always the case. Tapping into businesses locally can be a great way to establish yourself in the community as the go to person for video, photography or whatever it may be. Post in local community Facebook groups, build up a reputation and ensure you have a strong network close to home.
Get your pricing right
This one can be extremely difficult and will have varying factors that ultimately determine your fee – some of these may be experience, equipment and time. For new freelancers, I think it’s best to charge a set day rate. But, be prepared for clients to come to you saying ‘we only have X amount for this project’ which may fall below what you’d charge for your time. It’s entirely up to you if you’re happy to agree to that. In the past I have taken a hit on the money if it’s work that I know will be a great fit and I’ll enjoy doing.
Get an accountant
It might not seem overly essential, but having an accountant who is on the ball will save you a lot of time and stress dealing with HMRC. Yes, it is an expense, but having an expert in that field is entirely worth paying for if you’re not comfortable with number crunching.
Have some cash in reserve
Really important one this. Keeping some money aside is essential for those dry periods when you want to maintain your way of living, but it’s also a good idea to have something put away for when you have to pay your tax return as this will come out in one big sum and will be less of a financial burden if you’re prepared in advance.
Build your personal brand
As creatives, we’re really fortunate to produce work that is visual. Making the most of platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram in particular is a great way of showcasing your work whilst also producing bespoke content that will tell your target market more about your industry. This is also a great way to network and develop working relationships.
Don’t let the stress get to you
Working for yourself is extremely difficult, especially at the beginning. It’s important to not get too downbeat if you are having a slow month, because chances are you may not be far away from an exceptional month. The reason we choose to be our own bosses is so that we have the power to decide what is best for us and sadly that does come with a fair amount of turbulent days, but in the end it’s entirely worth it!