You may remember a podcast episode recently where I chatted to Jo Hooper all about Freelancers Vs The Patriarchy. Jo is a fellow coach who specialises in rebellious coaching to create a business that fits the life you want to live. As freelancers, our businesses should reflect us, our values and our priorities in life. Some freelancers may feel they can achieve this within the ‘conventional’ business rules that society teaches us. But there is another way. We should never feel confined by our own businesses and this Guest Blog by Jo Hooper is all about challenging the way we think and reflecting on how we view our own businesses.

Rebellious Business Advice for Freelancers by Jo Hooper

Mate, are you still living and working by these sort of rules:

• The client is always right
• We must be flexible to what the client needs
• Not everyone can afford me
• I’d better take this work, because I don’t know when the next project will come along

Weeeell? Any of those sound familiar?

Then I’m willing to bet that you’re working more than you want to be working, resenting AT LEAST a few of your clients and probs on the brink of burnout.

Hi, I’m Jo Hooper and after sacrificing my life for my work in the corporate world and having two breakdowns into the bargain, I’m on a mission to help burnt out business owners build successful, sustainable businesses they don’t have to sacrifice their lives for with my Me First Method. 

(It’s nothing too cerebral – the whole method can be summed up as: putting yourself first. In every decision in your business).

I run a wee series called rebellious business advice for… over on my Instagram and after chatting to Emma on her podcast earlier this year I thought freelancers should be next on my list of people to offer rebellious business advice to!

So if you want to get away from some of those freelance rules, read on friend for my rebellious business advice!

One: price based on packages not time 

If you price based on time you’re slapping an absolute ceiling on what you can earn and you are trading time for money, which means the better you get at a thing or the more efficient you get at a thing, the less money you can make.

MADNESS.

Move from time to package pricing and you can do your work when you want, you’ll stop those ‘oh if you haven’t used all your hours for us this month, can you…’ emails and be generally happier! Promise!

Two: Ditch the freelance fear 

You know the freelance fear – the fear that all the work will disappear? That you’d better say yes to that thing you don’t really want to do, just in case nothing else comes along.

That’s the fear of scarcity that keeps you wildly overworking friend and we gotta stop that, or you’ll be forever working more than you want to be and telling yourself it’s all going to fall over tomorrow. 

Keep fanning the flames of these fears and you’ll continue to overwork, under-earn and feel miserable. 

We know that other things will come along. 
Better things will come along.
Things that you actually want to do, with clients you actually want to work with, that will pay you money you actually feel is fair.

So ditch that fear that nothing else will ever come along and say a big fat NO (thank you) to the work you don’t want to do and don’t have time for. 

Three: think of yourself as a business owner 

Whenever I’ve coached people who refer to themselves as freelancers, they often have:
❌Fewer boundaries with clients (and they slip easily)
❌A firmer belief that all their work will disappear
❌More fears around raising their prices
❌A whole bunch of strongly held impostery beliefs
❌An underlying lack of self-trust

Often the people I’ve worked with have used ‘freelancer’ because they don’t see themselves as ‘proper business owners’.

If this is you, I have a question.

Why are you selling yourself short? You’re not just a freelancer – you are a small business owner. Start calling yourself one. 

Calling yourself a business owner immediately changes the power dynamic between you and a client.

You are providing them with a service (priced based on a package!), not with your time or a thing that they just want you to do. 

You are on a level playing field with a client, so think of yourself as a business owner and have the confidence of one. 

Please!

I hope this has helped you think a bit differently about how you can run your business (because it is one!). 

If you want more rebellious business advice, come chat to me on Instagram, or go watch my free workshop: 3 ways to work less and earn more.

Happy rebelling!

Rebellious Business Advice from Emma’s Freelancers Lifestylers Facebook Group

I approached my Facebook community and asked them all to share with me ways they are rebellious in their businesses or conventional business ‘rules’ that they choose to break. Here is their advice:

• Dawn Newton: https://charitymeetup.co.uk/
  • Before my diagnosis I tried more to fit in and be conventional in my appearance but now I have my hair rainbow colours and wear bright clothes. I used to think this would be to my detriment in business but now I think it’s the opposite, I stand out, I’m memorable but most importantly I’m being myself fully
• Amy Dawson: gatekeepercommunications.com/
  • My “rebellious” rule is that it’s perfectly OK to walk away from clients that you don’t think are a right match for you. It can be tempting to stick with any work that’s coming in, but you don’t have to take everything thats available. Being my own boss means that I want to focus on the work that I enjoy doing, and work alongside people that I genuinely like and care about. When I’m working at my best, my clients are recieving my best – so it works well for everyone involved.
  • Another rule that I have is that if a payment is late, I’ll “down tools” until the bill is paid. It can be easy to carry on working for a client, but if they are one or two invoices behind, all of a sudden they can be racking up big debts. In those scenarios, I’ll politely let the client know that I’m unable to continue working until the invoice has been paid. Almost always, the bill gets paid within a day or two. When it comes to finances, we have to be able to stand up for ourselves.
• Berenice Howard-Smith: https://hellolovely.design
  • I play with my business, it’s evolved as I’ve become more curious and I’ve used the opportunity of working for myself to learn my values. What I thought I wanted to do in my business plan isn’t the same anymore and rather than tell myself my plan wasn’t maybe so great, I’ve embraced the learning and it’s a better business for me and therefore my clients as it’s driven by passion and collaboration. I also include designers as my friends, I don’t view them as competition. I feel I’m rebelling against corporate culture where people are pitched against each other!
• Laura Summers: https://marketingwithconfidence.co.uk/
  • I would say that i don’t have to be serious to be good at my job. I love to be creative, colourful, fun and still professional. That the corporate world rules were all built around what is best for men and it’s a delight to rebuild them in a way that works for me.
• Alicia Cornell: https://theadminden.co.uk/
  • Setting my own hours and sticking to them. Originally it was only evenings and weekends, now it’s daytime but only some days. It’s definitely meant I’ve had people who have chosen not to work with me, yet I’m still fully booked with wonderful clients who don’t mind so long as the work gets done.
• Sarah Browning: http://www.browningyork.com
  • My ‘business plan’ is a sheet of flip chart paper that I stick on my office wall in January. It has an overall, high-level aim for the year, 3 slightly more specific ones & each month I write up a couple of one or two word priorities. I don’t have quarterly goals, I don’t have specific targets and, most rebellious of all, there are no numbers in my business plan. I’ve been freelance for 14 years though, so I must be doing ok
• Sharon Ashmore-Mobbs: https://sendallies.org.uk/
  • I think not giving out our phone numbers is a ‘rebellion’ to normal business expectations. I totally copied that from Emma Cossey as I really don’t like talking on the phone or listening to voicemails. I have a phone, I just don’t give people the number
• Lianne Marie Mease: http://www.butterlump.com
  • Being soul-led, not profit driven. I ONLY work with people who are doing something good in the world. To work with me you must be environmentally and socially conscious, inclusive, accessible and don’t exploit people or the planet for profit. When I tell people this they think I’m mad for turning down business but my business model works and I can sleep at night!!!
• Holly Close: http://www.goodegg.digital
  • Being very strict with the days and hours when I’ll have meetings. This was initially because I was in Vietnam and was 6 or 7 hours ahead of UK time, but even when I’m back in the UK, I still keep the window for calls very small, and never on Fridays. Keeps my introverted batteries very full. I also don’t start my working day til 10am (no 5am club for me thanks)
• Sarah Wayte: https://sarahwayte.com
  • I’ve done lots of things that people consider rebellious with my business. As another ADHDer, I flatly refused to have separate businesses for all my different things (copywriting, brand photography, creative writing, art prints etc) and found a way to keep it all under one banner.
  • I shook things up with my email list! I email my subscribers 3 times a week, with one of those emails being strictly no pitching – it’s just a letter!
  • I also decided to put out a personalised lead magnet instead of yet another pdf download and I love how many connections it has given me.
  • I’m always looking for new and interesting things to do in my business, especially if it’s something people say I “shouldn’t” do
• Rosie Farrer: http://www.rosiefarrer.com
  • I often don’t respond to emails straight away if they don’t need it. This seems contentious whenever I mention it but I’ve never had anyone pull me up on it. I think the instant email response culture is berserk, and it means you often don’t get a thought through response. I always respond but sometimes it’ll take me a few days, or a week. I once went back to someone 6 months later, explained my response had been marinading and set up a meeting…we got the work.
• Sally Todd: https://sallytodd.com/
  • I don’t have any goals. Never have, never will.
  • No business plan either
• Julian Gr: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-grainger
  • I consistently tell people what they don’t want to hear when they are acting unethically, putting their own interests above others, shy away from calling out sexism and or try to hide their own breaches in process.
• Alex Phillips: http://www.adrewittdesign.com
  • I don’t have a business plan, it’s all in my head!
  • I tell clients I’m in meetings when I feel it’s not necessary to let them know I’m doing school pick up, busy doing things that aren’t work.
• Vic Hancock Fell: https://www.faircollective.co.uk/ 
  • Swearing, not being “professional”, wearing whatever I want, just being totally myself and not a professional version of myself, no strategy or business plan just feeling my way through. Speaking truth to power and causing good trouble, not worrying too much about whether it will burn bridges or put people off working with me. It’s all worked for me so far!
• Adrian Ashton: https://www.adrianashton.co.uk/
  • Always question any advice you’re given by other people (especially if they’re “experts”) – it’s your life to live, not theirs, and you have to live with the consequences of your choices, not them.
  • Oh – and never be afraid to wear cycling lycra to client meetings, or talk about your mankini when giving presentations.
  • It may not always go well, but at least you’ll be remembered, and had some fun along the way…

What is your rebellious business advice? I’d love to hear from you, or pop over to the Freelance Lifestylers Facebook group and join the conversation!

Watch my podcast interview with Jo earlier this year here:

Why female freelancers are broke, featuring Jo Hooper

Jo Hooper is a coach who takes business owners on the brink of burnout to a bloody great life through challenging, intuitive and rebellious coaching. I live a pretty unconventional life – child free by choice, unmarried by choice, long term house sitting; and am very much unafraid of sticking my head above the parapet and saying the thing.

Jo Hooper is a coach who takes business owners on the brink of burnout to a bloody great life through challenging, intuitive and rebellious coaching. I live a pretty unconventional life – child free by choice, unmarried by choice, long term house sitting; and am very much unafraid of sticking my head above the parapet and saying the thing. I believe that capitalism, patriarchy and ableism are the trifecta keeping us small, pliant, kind, quiet and poor and am on a mission to help people recognise and change that.
Website: www.getwildlyfree.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getwildlyfree
Podcast: https://getwildlyfree.co.uk/podcast/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildlyfreejo
Jo’s Freebie: https://getwildlyfree.myflodesk.com/teu2r7qtv9

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Email: hello@emmacossey.com
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