Freelance Boot Camp

Freelancers work in a range of fields – from musicians, designers and photographers, to writers, coaches and virtual assistants. For many people, freelancing is a full-time profession. For others, it can be an opportunity to share their skills and make some extra money outside of their day jobs.

I’ve developed a half-day workshop specifically to support and encourage people who are considering freelancing in the future.

Read more about my enterprise education experience

I regularly run the Boot Camp for universities and the feedback is always very positive, with students saying that the sessions boost their knowledge and confidence.

“You presented the ins and outs of freelancing in a really simple way and were up-front about the advantages and challenges. The workshop has given me plenty to consider.”

– University of Winchester student, March 2019

What’s involved?

The sessions are designed to inspire, but they also give an insight into the realities of freelance life and the challenges that people are likely to face.

The Boot Camp is not another business lecture! This is key. We cover some theory, but all the speakers are current freelancers keen to share their real-life experiences.

This is an interactive workshop. Throughout the day, participants get a chance to meet each other, collaborate and ask plenty of questions.

We cover a lot, and we point the participants towards additional sources of support for when they are ready to look at topics in a bit more detail.

What the sessions include

• Freelancing 101 – We talk about motivation, the benefits of self-employment and some of the pitfalls that participants need to be aware of.
• Is there a market? – We look at some questions to help determine if there’s a market for a service, and we introduce the Business Model Canvas as a tool to capture ideas.
• Are you ready? – We review 20 of the skills that successful freelancers tend to share and participants are encouraged to celebrate their strengths and identify areas for development over the next 12 months.
• My network – We help participants to map the supporters and mentors that they already have around them and consider who their first phone call might be if they went freelance.
• Our journeys – We tell our own stories and describe how we got established in our industries and how we market our services.
• Getting started – We go through some practical steps for actually getting started as a new business and then invite participants to think about where they would like to be in a year’s time.
• Ask us anything – We close by answering any remaining questions, which often range from how we structure our time, how we stay motivated and how we find new work. Afterwards, we stick around and talk to participants 1:1.

The sessions and timings can be tailored, and I can identify additional speakers if there are particular topics that the participants would like to cover – anything from building confidence to social media for small businesses.