Finding your community as a freelancer
Can you see the strings we’re holding in this picture?
They’re a perfect symbol for something I’ve been thinking about lately – embracing community as a freelancer.
Earlier this week, I joined fellow mentors to celebrate the end of a brilliant pilot programme, delivering peer-to-peer mentoring for leaders of socially trading organisations with North East Enterprise Agency Ltd (NEEAL) and North East BIC. The strings represent the connections we’ve built as we shared our experiences. Huge thanks to Robert Laycock and Dr Julie Scanlon for leading such a great programme and sparking ideas for a future North East mentoring collective.
But back to embracing community – something I didn’t realise I needed so much in my freelance journey.
For years, I focused on getting the work done, grateful for word-of-mouth opportunities. I used to see networking as just self-promotion (which, frankly, makes me feel ick). But last September, when my daughter left for university, I promised myself I’d reconnect with my career and find others who do what I do.
Since then, I’ve:
Launched Charity Freelancers Connect & Co-work, a monthly in-person meet-up.
Joined the North East Freelance Network, attending a co-working event and a mind-blowing webinar on next-level use of AI.
Joined Richard Berks online Charity Freelance Chat (which was fab!).
The results have been more inspiration, more knowledge, more support – and falling back in love with my career. And yes, new work opportunities too, without my ick of traditional networking!
Now, making time for community isn’t an ‘extra’ – I’ve realised it’s essential for my mental wellbeing and growth.
So if you’re freelancing – whether you’re new or feeling a bit stuck – I encourage you to find your people. There are so many brilliant networks out there. Step away from your desk, get out there, and embrace your community. You won’t regret it.
