How to be a consultant / freelancer / contractor - non perm

It’s not for everyone but if you do the work to think it through first it can be the best thing to happen to you.

In the book (and Rethinkers) I talk about the choices of Stick, Twist and Bust when you want to career change. The majority of people who we work with Twist. That is they take their expertise but they do it a different way. It’s certainly how I started over 7 years ago now. I did the Twist and became a contractor.

As I got more confident and got my message out there I added freelancer to my portfolio. And after two years I finally decided consultant was the way to go! It’s funny how labels can make a big difference to your psyche.

Despite working in internal / employee communications for 23 years at senior level (Board / Head of) for big brands (including Virgin Atlantic, Costa Coffee, RAC, Vodafone) it’s amazing how one career confidence wobble can set you back to what can feel like square one. So I started out contracting in quite safe roles, slowly finding my way.

As my mojo returned I began posting on LinkedIn (which I hadn’t been on up to that point) about things I was noticing, asking others opinions, all very straight forward. I secured a few freelance projects about internal brand values, change communications and a few restructures. I have done this ever since, except I would call myself a consultant now and charge 3 times as much as when I started out.

My advice to people is start where you are, where you feel comfortable. And charge what you feel comfortable to get you up and running. Labels, pricing, the ways of working are all very personal decisions that you have to work out yourself. No one else can tell you. People can share their advice, but it has to feel good for you because you are the one that’s got to go there and sell yourself.

Becoming a consultant (freelancer/contractor)

There are many reasons why you might want to be a consultant, freelancer, self employed person. If you have an idea this might be for you do a bit of work on what you expect from it and why you want to do it. Making a list of non-negotiables will help you to see if it’s going t work or not. It certainly isn’t for everyone.

There was a view that people who consult do it because they can’t do. I realise now that ‘view’ came from people in permanent jobs who were probably fed up of paying out a lot of money, for sometimes what you aren’t sure. From personal experience it used to feel like ‘who you know club’. A consultant coming in to help you out who also happens to be very good friend with the Director who wants the work from you.

That’s maybe why I had attached certain beliefs about consulting, who did it, and why it wasn’t for me.

What you call yourself

Check-in with the narrative running in your head about self employment and labels, and who does what and where you fit. It might be true, but it also might be a complete story of fiction that is your unchallenged belief.

Using the word consultant added another digit into my hourly rate. As a freelancer I started low. As a consultant I got bigger. This isn’t what reality is by the way, I know freelancers who charge wonderful day rates as much as consultants who charge hourly. It is just what you think.

You have to call yourself the label that works for you.

Why do you want to do it

As I mentioned before, why you want to do it is important, and what you expect from it. Sometimes people say they want ‘freedom’ from their self-employment but far from free they find themselves stuck in a cycle of needing to work. (Sometimes permanent work gives you more freedom, it depends what you mean by free). So dig deep on these questions. Think about lifestyle, what you need to earn every month, what you’d like to earn, how you want to work and who you’d prefer to work with. You have to set yourself up for success, but you also have to be ready to take a few off track opportunities every now and then.

Consulting mindset

Non-permanent work is a different mindset. You have to work around what you are there to do and what good work looks like from your clients point of view. It’s sometimes about your opinion, it sometimes isn’t.

You are there for a different reason to perm role. Work on how you create a formula to understand the brief. I don’t mean asking for a brief, although that’s a start. I mean how you really understand what the requirement is. As you get more experienced this becomes easier. I know usually within a few hours of talking to stakeholders what the requirement is. This would take me longer, maybe a few days, even weeks sometimes in the earlier days.

The bit I enjoy the most is not being involved in politics. It means work is a joy. Of course you might time across it still but you always have this overwhelming feeling that if something something isn’t right you can walk away that day (sort of - subject to terms).

Tune in

The final bit of advice is tuning in to where you are and what you are needing from work at that moment. Do you want challenge, do you want ease, do want convenience, do you want something exiting to work on. Tuning in to this will also mean your work works for you, not the pother way round.

It’s not always about taking the biggest roles or projects. Even though I’ve worked at a strategic, senior level for al this time I do often take smaller briefs. Sometimes I just don’t have the headspace for a big transformation or strategic review. Sometimes I just want something straight forward, a few days a week to cover bills while I develop Another Door.

So keep yourself open to what you need, and want, and be clear in setting expectations when you agree terms / scope of work. There have been a few times where I’ve done a nice straight forward project to be found out and the client try to use me for bigger strategy palling - no that’s a different term, different rate, different me!

You need to constantly work on self awareness. Review what you are delivering, what you are worth and what you need.

No one is there to give you an appraisal, to suggest development needs, to keep you motivated so you have to find your own way around this. (Which is why I started the Rethink Work community).

Make yourself do quarterly reviews. Review your work, how it’s going, what you’d like to change. Schedule into the dairy and either find a buddy to do it with, or a mentor, or join Rethink Work of course!

Getting work

Getting work. So after the naming yourself, knowing why you want to do it, self development etc - you have to actually get work! There are the obvious ways of approaching people in your network and telling them what you are doing. Don’t be shy doing this. You don’t need a website, Tik Tok or Facebook. You need a good old list of emails or go onto LinkedIn. At the beginning drop at least 5 people a message every day. Tell them you are starting out on your own and open to work. Update your LinkedIn and post an article about what you are doing. Add your new status to your profile and LinkedIn will share it automatically.

You cant be shy right now, go all in and all look forward.

You will definitely get ghosted, face rejection, and feel deflated often but keep going. My first business coach uses the formula 70+20+1 - 70 warm leads (people you’ve approached), 20 conversations or could be interested, 1 client. So keep going.

This is where having a supportive community is invaluable!

Finance / risk planning

The final part is the very practical financial planning. Know your numbers. Know what you need to earn in a month to cover bills, the set a target you want to achieve. Two different things. Plan in holidays, days off and at least 50% days you don’t have work. Also find a financial adviser to help with pension, insurance and accounting. I try to have at least 3 months cover always in the bank. This ran out last year and it was a very stressful time, and when the pressure is on trying to find work is like wading through the tide come in.

So there are many up sides of self-employment. But it’s not for everyone.

Dig deep on understanding what you want from it. There will be days maybe even months you don’t have work. Know your numbers. If you can reduce your risk you can be bolder in your work.

This is just my version. If you have other tips and recommendations please feel free to leave them in the comments. And if you want a supportive community head over to Rethink Work.

eleanor