The Freelance Mum summary

Achieving a decent fee for your freelance services isn’t always easy. As a self-employed copywriter, Annie was once approached by a women’s charity and asked to write something for them. The purpose of the piece, the charity said, was to promote female empowerment. Of course, they added, they couldn’t pay Annie for her work. Thankfully, this is an extreme case – most clients will offer to pay for your services. However, knowing how much to charge them can be tricky. 

There’s one thing you can be sure of, though: When deciding on the rates for your services, it pays to do your research. 

One of the most exhilarating things about freelancing is saying goodbye to the 9-to-5 grind. But your newfound freedom can also pose challenges. You no longer have the structured routine of a steady day job and without this, everyday life can feel chaotic – particularly with young children in the mix. So it’s up to you to take control and carve out a new routine. 

As a freelance mom, you can devise an early morning routine to enhance your productivity. 

We’ve all heard about moms who have it all: superwomen who run around after their children while simultaneously keeping their impressive careers on track. Unfortunately, the reality of modern parenting is often rather different. In Annie’s experience, moms who care for their children single-handedly while also working full-time, are usually doomed to fail. Sadly, you really would have to be Wonder Woman to work this hard. And with this in mind, the freelance mom needs reliable childcare. 

Fortunately, putting your child into a nursery can offer a handy solution. 

As a freelance mom, things can get very tough. But struggling doesn’t make you a failure. You might hear other freelancers say they found looking after a baby and working from home straightforward, but this isn’t everyone’s experience.

Anna Jones, for example, is a food writer who bravely accepted a commission to pen a cookbook while pregnant with her son. She was optimistic about the project, especially as a fellow mom had reassured her that her new baby would sleep most of the day and that she could write the book as he napped. 

Annie has always been a little ahead of the curve. As a journalism student in 2008, she was one of just two students in her class that wrote a blog. Back then, instead of using it to further her career, Annie simply wanted to write about all the things she couldn’t in her journalism day job, such as feminism and art. So she started a blog about her interests outside of work, called Annie Loves, never once thinking it could be a source of income.

Now, just a decade later, blogging is so much more than a hobby – it’s a vital part of Annie’s business. These days, Annie’s online magazine The Early Hour has a large following, and she monetizes this by posting sponsored content. 

Networking can be a tricky thing to master. While attending a blogging awards event, the author met a fellow blogger. After a few minutes of polite conversation, the woman announced that it had been good to meet her but that she needed to move on now and speak to other people. In other words, she needed to go and network. 

At the time, Annie admired her upfront approach to networking, but looking back, she thinks this woman missed a trick. Why? Because good networking isn’t just about meeting people – it’s about building enduring relationships with them. Tellingly, Annie never had any contact with that person again. Not a great example of networking after all. This just goes to show that fleeting, one-off conversations rarely lead anywhere.