Coaching for Freelancers

Keeping You Creative — and Competitive — in Tough Times

If you’re a creative freelancer, you’re following the dream of earning a living doing what you love.

But if you’re not careful, you can find your creativity sidelined by having to run a business, market yourself, deal with clients, do your accounts and act as your own IT department. i.e. the kind of things you were probably trying to escape when you quit your job.

You can also find yourself working endless hours just to keep in the same place. If you costed it out, you might find yourself earning less than the minimum wage per hour. And you can’t get sick or take a holiday, because there’s no one else to keep things going.

All of which is challenging enough at the best of times — but you’ve probably noticed that the current economic situation isn’t making life any easier for freelancers and small businesses. To survive and thrive, you’ll need to be at your most creative and effective — consistently.

The good news is, you’re not alone. The challenges I’ve described are so common, they are almost a normal part of the learning curve you go through as a freelancer. As a coach, I hear the same problems over and over again. I often say to my clients, I wish I could get you all in a room together, so you could see that there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s just the challenges of freelancing as a situation.

All of which is why I offer a specialist coaching service for freelance artists and creatives.

I can work with you face-to-face (in North London) by telephone and/or via WebCam, helping you achieve your goals in the following areas:

1. Doing Outstanding Creative Work

After all, that’s why you got into this business in the first place, isn’t it?

Here we focus on:

Establishing creative work habits (including time management)
Getting into the ‘creative zone’ where you do your best work
Developing your unique creative talent
Overcoming creative blocks
Dealing with criticism and rejection of your work

I have first hand experience of the creative process, as a practising poet and one of the editors of the acclaimed magazine Magma Poetry. (My poetry website is MarkMcGuinness.com) I’ve also coached hundreds of artists and creatives since 1996 — including writers, designers, actors, musicians, fine artists, filmmakers, producers, architects and composers. The advice in my e-book on Time Management for Creative People is so powerful it’s been downloaded over 70,000 times. Finally, I’ve studied the various theories of creativity at Masters level, which helped me sort out creativity myths from the reality of what works in practice.

2. Communication and Collaboration

No one is an island — not even freelancers! Managing business relationships is critical to your success.

I can help you with:

Networking
Collaboration skills
Presenting yourself and your work
Selling (without selling out)
Managing clients and contractors
Dealing with difficult people

Over the past 13 years I’ve worked with thousands of people to develop their communication and collaboration skills. I’ve trained hundreds of managers to be better coaches for their teams. I’ve also sold my own professional services to clients ranging from private individuals to government departments and large corporations. Finally, I’ve done a lot of work as a therapist for couples and families, which has given plenty of experience of dealing with tricky relationship situations!

3. Internet Marketing for Creatives

The Internet is crucial to 21st-century business success.

The good news is you can market yourself for very low cost, and there are incredible opportunities for freelancers and micro businesses. But it’s a crowded field and getting harder to stand out. And the sheer variety of opportunities can be bewildering.

I can help you:

Dream up a website that will work for you
Use content marketing to promote your business
Devise viral marketing strategies
Use social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc) to build your network online

I promote my own business by writing the popular blogs Wishful Thinking and Lateral Action (which I co-founded with Brian Clark and Tony Clark). Did I mention that my e-boook Time Management for Creative People has been downloaded over 80,000 times? As well as helping a lot of people it acted as viral marketing for my business — bringing me plenty of new clients and business opportunities. And I’m active on Twitter and other online social networks, where I’ll be happy to show you the ropes.

Fellow coach Ed Batista described me as ‘the most tech savvy coach I know’. But the thing is, I’m not a programmer or web developer — I’m just a creative person like you, who wants to make the most of the exciting opportunities on the Internet right now.

4. Maintaining Your Enthusiasm

One of the hardest things about being a freelancer can be the sense that you have to do it all alone. There are days when it feels like the challenges are too great and you don’t have the support you need. So developing your emotional intelligence isn’t some fluffy touchy-feely idea — it’s crucial to your business survival (not to mention your personal happiness).

I can help you with:

‘Riding the rollercoaster’ — dealing with the highs and lows of freelancing
Keeping yourself motivated when things get tough
Managing stress
Resolving conflict with others

Motivation is key to creative and business success — to learn why (and for plenty of practical tips) download my e-book How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself).

In addition to my coaching skills, I’ve been a qualified psychotherapist since 1996 and have worked in private practice and the NHS. It’s fair to say I’ve dealt with a lot of people handling challenging situations. Now, if you come to me for coaching we won’t be doing therapy — but my clients tell me it’s reassuring to know they are working with someone who can handle ‘the emotional stuff’ as well as the creative and business side of things.

From Freelancer to Creative Entrepreneur…

As well as dealing with any (or all) of the above issues, I will be encouraging you to look at the big picture, and to see yourself not just as a freelancer, but a creative entrepreneur.

What’s the difference?

Freelancers typically work for hire, on client projects. This means their income is limited by the number of hours/days they can work, and the amount they can charge for their time. It also means their best work goes towards other people’s projects.
Creative Entrepreneurs work for themselves, building a business that increases in value over time. By creating systems and products that generate income, they free themselves from being paid ‘by the hour’. If they get it right, they end up working less time for much more money. Their energy and creativity goes towards developing business assets that generate ongoing value.

It’s not always a clear-cut distinction — many people are in transition from being a freelancer to a creative entrepreneur, doing client work to pay the bills, while also investing in their future by spending time on their own projects.

For a free, confidential, no-obligation chat …

I offer coaching face-to-face in London, as well as by phone/webcam, so wherever you are in the world we can find a way to work together. Coaching fees for private individuals start at £75 per hour.

Send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to answer your questions (by e-mail/phone/Skype) about how I can help you achieve your creative and business goals.