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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Freelance Mum summary
Annie Ridout
A Flexible Career Guide for Better Work-life Balance
20 mins
Table of Contents
The Freelance Mum
Summary of 7 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 7
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.
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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.
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
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