What is the main message of The Freelance Mum?

The main message of The Freelance Mum is how to successfully balance motherhood and freelance work.

How long does it take to read The Freelance Mum?

The reading time for The Freelance Mum varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Who is the author of The Freelance Mum?

The author of The Freelance Mum is Annie Ridout.

Career & Success

The Freelance Mum Book Summary - The Freelance Mum Book explained in key points

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The Freelance Mum summary

Name: The Freelance Mum
Rating: 4.2 (22 reviews)
Author: Annie Ridout

Annie Ridout

A Flexible Career Guide for Better Work-life Balance

4.2 (22 ratings)

20 mins

Brief summary

The Freelance Mum by Annie Ridout is a practical guide that helps mothers to establish freelancing careers without compromising motherhood. It provides tips on time management, finding clients and setting boundaries.

Topics

Entrepreneurship Working from Home

Table of Contents

The Freelance Mum
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Ditch the day job and become an entrepreneurial mom.

Do you ever wish you had more time to spend with your children, had a higher income and a better work-life balance? It may sound like an impossible dream, but it needn’t be – you can make it a reality by becoming a freelance mom. Over the last ten years, the number of mothers working for themselves has increased by a staggering 70%, and these blinks will show you how to join them.

You’ll learn from the experience of successful freelance writer Annie Ridout and find out how she’s gone from being asked to work for free to commanding £1,000 a day for her services. Packed with helpful insights and practical advice, you’ll discover how the author changed up her career and made it work for her young family – and how you can too.

From figuring out childcare to blogging, and from setting rates to networking, these blinks will take you through the ins and outs of getting started as a freelancer and give you the confidence you need to strike out on your own.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why freelance moms should act like swans;
how much you should be charging as a freelancer; and
the morning routine of an extremely successful freelance mom.

Be clear on what your dream job looks like and don’t despair if it doesn’t pay right away.

Being a new mom can be daunting. Your body has gone through major changes; you might look or even feel different from how you used to. But don’t lose heart. Not only are you just as competent as you once were, you’ve probably also got a lot of knowledge and experience under your belt from your previous work. Now you just have to put these skills to good use on your new freelancing journey.

Once you’ve decided to go freelance, the first step is thinking about what you want from your new career. Ask yourself: What kind of work would I enjoy doing? Do I want to work from home? Am I willing to work on weekends? Clarifying your ideal scenario, right from the start, will focus your mind on achieving it.

Francesca McConchie, for instance, was a personal assistant before becoming a mom. When she decided to go freelance, she knew her priorities were to spend more time with her young children and to do more of what she loved: baking. Francesca also decided she wasn’t prepared to pay expensive childcare fees, but she was willing to work weekends. Armed with her newfound clarity, she set about transforming her favorite pastime into her dream job. Nowadays, Francesca works from home as a freelance baker, making delicious cakes for special occasions.

Importantly, before Francesca began freelancing, she already made birthday cakes as a hobby. This meant that by the time she turned baking into a business, she already had plenty of friends and acquaintances who had tried her cakes and were interested in buying them. But for the rest of us, it can take time to get paid for our passions.

With this in mind, you should be prepared to take on less exciting projects, as well as dream jobs.

Annie’s dream, for example, was to have a book published. Of course, she knew this wouldn’t happen overnight. So, in the meantime, she also freelanced as a copywriter. This wasn’t her dream, but it did teach her to express her ideas concisely – a useful skill when writing her book. If your ideal freelance work doesn’t arrive right away, don’t forget that even the freelancing you do purely for money might still help you achieve your ultimate goal.

When it comes to fees, understand your costs and do your research.

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.

A strict morning routine can help you get the most out of your day.

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.

Freelance moms need good childcare and supportive partners.

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.

Most mothers find freelancing difficult, but be confident and fake it ‘til you make it.

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.

Blogging can be a powerful way to build your business.

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.

Don’t network – make friends instead.

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.

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What is The Freelance Mum about?

The Freelance Mum (2019) offers friendly advice and practical tips for kickstarting your freelance career while also navigating the challenges of being a mom. Drawing on her wealth of experience as a successful freelance writer, Annie Ridout explains how you can make money doing what you love and reclaim your family time.

The Freelance Mum Review

The Freelance Mum (2021) is a practical and relatable guide for all mothers looking to build successful freelance careers while balancing family life. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It offers insightful tips and strategies on managing time, finding clients, and staying motivated, empowering mothers to thrive in their freelance journeys.
Annie Ridout shares her own experiences and interviews other freelance moms, providing real-life inspiration and a sense of community for readers.
With its down-to-earth approach and practical advice, it keeps readers engaged and motivated, ensuring the topic of freelancing remains anything but boring.

Best quote from The Freelance Mum

Dont feel your freelance career has to come second. You matter, and so does your work.

—Annie Ridout

Who should read The Freelance Mum?

Entrepreneurial moms
New mothers seeking a better work-life balance
Parents hoping to go freelance

About the Author

Annie Ridout is the founder and editor-in-chief of the digital parenting and lifestyle magazine The Early Hour, which began as her personal blog. As a freelance writer and journalist, Annie has also contributed to publications such as The Guardian, Stylist and Metro.

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