A month in and I’m still cold!

Well, I’ve made it a month being self-employed. It’s been a month of steep learning, getting to grips with setting up on your own, the discipline that comes from working at home and not managing to waste several hours trawling the internet mindlessly, working out budgets and watching your spending when no actual cash is forthcoming and getting used to ‘selling’ yourself at every opportunity and not be embarrassed by it.

What I have learnt over the last four weeks is that I do have many friends and acquaintances that have given great advice, support and also pointed me in the direction of potential work and for this, I’ll be forever grateful. I’ve also learnt that even double-glazed houses get REALLY, REALLY cold during the afternoon when the heating hasn’t been on since 8am that morning. Yes, I am writing this with the blanket around my legs – the woolly hat also made another appearance this week, it was last worn at my desk when the snow was here.

However, if anything, the last month has proved to me that (barring another global economic meltdown) is that I may just make it in this freelance world. From both perspectives, I have seen how some businesses have been set up from home and, over 15years later, are employing a team of staff and are very successful - Sue Sowerby of Sowerby Advertising is a prime example. I’ve also witnessed (on my legendary Tax workshop) how other businesses are set up, managed without any book keeping or common sense, pay hefty fines to the taxman AND still make profit. Both examples, in their own way, make me think that I may just be alright! (let’s hope that I emulate the Sowerby model and not the tax-paying-fine one).

This week has mainly been about mailshotting, cold calling and getting ready for next week’s activities. I have just sent out a large mailshot to local recruitment agencies in Southampton which won’t have their own dedicated marketing department. As mentioned last week, I did start cold calling Estate Agents, however, most of their marketing is done internally or by the property papers which they advertise in and whilst they admit it could be better, they won’t pay money to have this done for them. Dammit.

So I’m now going to play to my experience and hit the recruitment agencies. I’ve called a couple up and I have to say, one of them was immediately struck off the list. He wanted free internet job postings, fair enough, but he wanted me to set it up for him as he didn’t know how to – however, he wouldn’t pay me to manage this ‘Because I want FREE postings, I don’t want to pay you or the job board’. Needless to say, I politely told him I would put something in the post. Hmmmm, not going to waste a stamp on that one...

Next week though looks to be an interesting one. I’m going ‘Speed Dating Networking’. Yup, off the success of speed dating (has it honestly ever worked for anyone?), Business Link have set up an evening of speed networking for local businesses. Now, it could turn out to be a bunch of people, like myself, who have just set up, not got much business and are hoping that this event is going to the holy grail of getting new contracts. However, I think it will be more like a game of ‘see who can get rid of the most business cards’ evening. I’ll be practising my business card shuffle tonight...

I’m also attending another ‘networking event’ later on in the week (honestly, they are like buses these events...) and this is dynamically titled ‘Meet, Greet and Prosper’. Now, it’s safe to say, I’m a little more worried about this one that the speed dating networking one. Meet, Greet and Prosper. Is it me, or does it sound like something out of Star Trek? Am I going to turn up to some convention with middle aged sci-fi enthusiasts clutching prized signed photos of Mr Spock?

Oh well, I’ll boldly go and you never know, they may want a monthly newsletter written and published...

Speaking of which, (apologies for the blatant hard sell here to all my friends who loyally read this each week and have no requirements for marketing, but hey, pimping oneself out is the name of the game and all that) I am offering a 10% discount on all copywriting booked before the end of February. It could be for a newsletter, brochure copy, online website copy, mailshot, press release, love letters (Valentines Day is just around the corner), parole requests (well, I have a wide readership audience).... the list is endless.

So with a Zzing in my step (geddit?!) but with the slight hesitation that next week I am going to be attending a speed dating networking event and a Sci-Fi convention for people who speak Klingon, I spring into February and all that it brings!