I’ve been working for myself as a freelance social media manager full-time for 6 years, and every year I write a blog post about how I don’t really believe it, and honestly. I still don’t.
But it’s true. I’ve worked for/with some amazing people and places – some from the very beginning of this self-employed journey – and I’m thrilled that I’ve turned this into a career. I usually tell people that freelance life has the highest highs and sometimes the lowest lows, and I’m very grateful that I’ve turned this business into an ongoing success.
I suspect that somehow I don’t want to get too excited just in case I somehow jinx things, but that’s a daft way to think.
I came into this job with a few years of practical experience from building my blog and then a social media following, and I’ve learned so much every step of the way: my ideal client vibe and positioning, that I should listen to my gut, how setting goals is really important, to ask for testimonials and how to manage a work/life balance.
As an experienced freelance social media manager, I’ve now worked with some incredible charities; Make-a-Wish, Girlguides, Breast Cancer Now, DKMS – all making a difference in the world, plus a variety of retail and service-based businesses with amazing teams who are a joy to work with. I’ve worked with very corporate clients, with husband & wife businesses, some incredible female-led businesses and grassroots pillars of their communities.
I’ve found that I really love teaching people (I often to one-to-one sessions with people who want to improve their social media channels) – I get such a kick out of seeing their eyes light up at the results – and I really enjoy running audits on accounts where people just need a guiding hand. I also give back as much as I can – with lunches and mentoring, giving practical advice and an understanding ear to grouch with – because this is real life, not some Insta-perfect Barbie world.
Creating content is also fun – who knew I’d end up with so many dog-friendly clients who pay me to pat their customer’s pups. I never thought that could be a work perk, but there we are! (Don’t tell my feline boss, ok?)
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I adore the flexibility – I can work overlooking the Kent coastline, or run in-person training sessions in frost-laced Surrey – and I love sneaking home to New Zealand every so often.
Oh, and did I mention I’ve started a degree in Digital Marketing? The first six months have flown by. I already have multiple certifications in several skills, but it’s always interesting to tie these skills together in a much more overarching manner. It makes life busy, but I feel like it’s a really positive stretching, knitting together all my practical experience.
I suppose the next step is to really think about how I want the future to look – I don’t think I want to scale or outsource, I’m quite happy providing a bespoke service (complete with terrible jokes) rather than having to rely on other people – but there is a lot to think about. And some more goals to set…
For the moment though, cheers to a very successful 6 years so far as a social media consultant – here’s to many more!