CHAPTER 8: NETWORKING

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Task: make notes in your business plan of the key online and offline networking opportunities for freelancers.

Learning goal: to learn from others, get yourself noticed and access directories and job boards.

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Networking is an important part of your business strategy. It allows you to share with and learn from other people who are already doing the job.

Many of us become freelance because it suits our needs – moving house, moving country, redundancy, parenting, disability, and caring for dependents are just some of the reasons why people move their work base from the office to the home. These changes can bring rewards but also challenges, forcing us to withdraw from the traditional and easily accessible friendship and professional groups that we’d previously relied on. Many of us still miss the ‘office banter’ – the ‘colleague’ element.

Freelancing can be an isolating experience, and networking puts you in touch with like-minded colleagues – it’s your equivalent of the office water cooler!

It’s worth taking the time when planning your business to consider how freelancing will affect you, both negatively and positively. That way you can prepare yourself for any downsides and plan for solutions.

8.1 Social media

I surveyed some editorial freelancing colleagues in early 2012. Editorial association-based discussion lists, LinkedIn boards, Twitter and Google+ all came up as recommended spaces for connecting with like-minded colleagues in similar working environments, but Facebook stood out as the place to go to meet, chat, share ideas and let off steam. Facebook is the ultimate freelance water cooler! Using online networking forums means you don’t ever have to feel like you’re working on your own, even if there’s no one else in the room.

Although Liz has actively engaged in targeting potential clients in more traditional ways, she has been struck by how powerful social media is as a lead-generation tool. Through LinkedIn, Liz connected with an in-house editor with whom she had been out of touch for some years. This eventually led to the offer of work. Says Liz: ‘LinkedIn and Facebook are great for just keeping up casually with contacts and reminding them you exist’. The informal nature of these networks enables Liz to keep others’ awareness of her skills, knowledge and experience ticking over, but can be just as useful to the newbie looking to build up contacts over time.

It’s not just about creating awareness and the possibility of work, it’s about acquiring new knowledge, too, as Marcus reminds us in the following example.

Marcus interacts with writers in authors’ groups on LinkedIn. He posts his blog series on some of the discussion boards, which has generated further interest in who he is and what he does. Says Marcus: ‘You can learn a lot about the author experience, particularly in regard to self-publishing, from reading what writers have to say there, and from talking to them. There are some very perceptive, knowledgeable people on the forums, as well as a few shameless self-promoters, of course, and borderline trolls!’

8.2 Professional organizations

Joining your national editorial freelancing society may be a critical first step to accessing colleagues who face the same professional and personal challenges as you, as well as providing excellent social and learning opportunities. The society may have regular local chapter meetings, an annual conference, workshops, seminars and webinars, mentoring opportunities and discussion lists that you can join. Many have online job boards where you may be able to pick up work, and most have online membership directories that are searched by individuals/organizations looking for editorial freelancers.

Kate is an active member of her local SfEP group, which she set up and now co-runs. They meet bimonthly, sometimes for informal socials and sometimes for more organized learning sessions. The meetings have also been used as bridging points between members and local university tutors. Kate and her colleagues have also used ‘group power’ to bid for large projects that needed the contribution of more than one freelancer. Aside from generating work leads, this kind of professional networking has enabled Kate to share, and learn, fresh ideas about how to run a business effectively. ‘All businesses need to evolve and grow, so taking a different view will often bear fruit.’

8.3 Cafe culture

Take yourself off to your local coffee shop for a change of scenery. Even if you’re not directly interacting with other people, time spent outside your usual work space is an effective refresher. You can even incorporate your Java time with your work – the cafe may not be the best place in which to do editorial tasks that require deep concentration, but it may be a space where you can catch up on emails, invoicing or any of your more general housekeeping tasks.

8.4 Co-working and work hubs

One of the most innovative solutions is that of the work hub (or shared office). Here, freelancers work alongside each other in an atmosphere that’s somewhere between office and the cafe. Work hubs are in their early days, but a good place to start your search in the UK is the Workhubs Network (workhubs.com).

Anna has used a work hub for over a year. She believes expanding her editorial business into this kind of shared space has increased her productivity compared with home working. Moreover, ‘I’ve enjoyed having a bit of company in breaks, and I've got some great business tips from other members and from workshops run there’. Some work hubs offer ‘co-working days’ where others can try the hub for free. Hubs offer a range of facilities that may include meeting rooms, childcare, IT support, training and seminars.

KEY POINTS

~ Many of us need our ‘water coolers’, online or off, but we can also enjoy the solitude that our freelance homeworking status brings us.

~ Think about the kind of person you are. Extroverts may be hit harder by feelings of isolation. Introverts may relish the experience and enjoy the attendant privacy and freedom from interruption.

~ Planning ahead will enable you to think about the way you want to organize your time, and space, in a way that suits your personality.