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How to Rule at Creative Freelancing: 34 Hard-earned Tips 00

Be this bird

not this bird

GordGord May 11, 2015May 11, 2015

To hell with clickbait. This, right here, is an old-school, comprehensive, in-depth feature article, based on a whole

bunch of hard-earned experience. SEO be damned. This is actually intended to benefit mankind.

Going solo in the Creative Industries (advertising, editorial, TV production, web

design, video editing, whatever) is a dream for many of us creatives*. Freedom

from office hours, status meetings, meetings about meetings and, of course,

traffic**! The freedom to work when you want, to manage your own time and to

pursue those fulfilling creative projects of your own Bliss!

Or, you could face the other side of the freelancecoin, which involves uncertainty as to whether the

next months bills will be paid, no paid sick days,

working your arse off trying to get work, and having to chase down every cent youre

owed, sometimes for months.

This is not clickbait. Or I would have divided it into a series of 5 articles, with each tip

as a separate page. And, I would have made the ideas insultingly simple, practically

useless and as pseudo-motivational as possible. Ive been happily consulting for more

than a year now. My second foray into freelancing. This time has been awesome. The first time (in 2011) sucked, big

time. Here are the lessons I have learned

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1. Have agency experience1. Have agency experience

Monday-morning Status Meetings: always a jol.

Whether its on a news desk, in a production company, as a photographers assistant or (especially) in advertising, its

important to have worked inside the industry for a year or two at least, before you can serve that industry from theoutside. Not only because you need to get to know good people (see the next point) but also to learn industry jargon,

internal processes and understand the everyday stresses that you will be called upon to face and/or solve.

Probably the main difference between this time around and my first attempt at freelancing, is having worked in an ad

agency. It allows me to work in the ad industry, in TV and radio production, and not just the editorial world, which was

my original background.

2. and make friends.2. and make friends.

Before you can go solo, you need to build up a network of allies. As a habit, always stay in touch with good people, even

if theyre a lighting-guy you used once for a shoot in another country, a client of a previous agency, or a talented

colleague you worked alongside, back in the day. Even if freelance is just something youd maybe like to try one day in

the future, start building a list of contacts who can give you work, refer you, or just keep you on their radar for the

future.

In short: Be cool. Make friends.

3. Prepare before you leap3. Prepare before you leap

Prepare thine self

Unless you have a large windfall of cash set aside and youre prepared to spend it do not go freelance as a resultof suddenly resigning in a knee-jerk hissy fit. Firstly, because its a lifestyle-change that really benefits from being

approached with positive energy and an optimistic outlook. Secondly, because that final pay-cheque will run out just as

quickly as those good ol debits arrive, bang on time.

Plan the plunge for several months, at least. Start saving. Buy equipment. Chat to potential clients. And, importantly

July 2014

June 2014

May 2014

April 2014

January 2014

December 2013

October 2013

September 2013

March 2013

February 2013
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That Sam is dodgy, Frodo

Dont put all your metaphors in one wheelbarrow.

Never put all the nuts in your mouth at once.

4. Talk to those whove done it4. Talk to those whove done it

If you know people who work for themselves even in industries completely

different than yours pick their brains. Ask for advice, learnings, useful tricks, and

stories of triumph and failure. Youll be surprised how many people are willing to

share their story. Ive told mine in detail to two former colleagues whove since gone

solo, and some of their questions surprised me in that Id learned to take the answers

for granted. Tax, for example, often features as an intimidating and bewildering

perceived obstacle.

Like everything in this world, though; once you understand it, its fairly easy.

5. Open a second bank account5. Open a second bank account

Before your colleagues even throw you that bitter-

sweet, boozy, Friday-afternoon send-off, open a

second bank account. You will use this to receive

payments, to pay yourself a salary, pay work-related

expenses and to keep perspective on how much money

you actually have in the pipeline. Not using the newaccount for day-to-day life transactions will also make

any forensic book-keeping a lot easier if, down the line,

if you need to go and figure out who paid you for

something (or didnt), and when. Most importantly, this

is the account from which you will

6. Pay yourself a salary6. Pay yourself a salary

Strict discipline is required here, especially in the beginning. Once

youre established, this needs to have become a non-negotiable

habit.

Work out the minimum amount you will initially need every month

in order to survive with some level of dignity and a semblance of

security. Be realistic, but not greedy. Pay this amount on payday

and not a day sooner into your regular, good ol transitional

account (the one your old salary used to land in every month) and do

not dip into your business accounts surplus (when indeed you get to

the point of having one) no matter how tempting it may seem.

Mark my words:Mark my words: If you try to receive payments from clients, pay

your debits, indulge in extras, buy groceries, pay for a night out, pay

for a sudden car repair or doctors visit (or whatever unexpected

costs arise) all from one account, your life will descend into chaos.

You will lose track of who owes you and whom you owe. And,

suddenly a miscalculation will result in overwhelming stress about how youre gonna pay rent and medical aid thismonth. Then you fall behind, and the Cycle of Chaos begins.

7. Start two months ahead7. Start two months ahead
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When you find the future, stay in it. And make some calls.

As Ive mentioned already, you need to properly plan for this lifestyle change. One of the first things you should do is

to start squirrelling away money, until you have two months of your newly calculated salary-need (see above) set

aside. Save this money separately from whatever existing savings, nest-eggs or or investments you may already have.

It is its own, separate-entity buffer to start you off. An investment in yourself. If you dont have the discipline and

means to set this aside over time, its not a good indicator for managing yourself as a business going forward.

It will, in all likelihood, take at least two months for your client-base to grow sufficiently to meet your initial

salary targets (possibly longer), and for the first of your invoices at the end of Month One to start landing in yourbusiness account. Some will take longer as a matter of process. Others, because people are often very slow to pay. Be

prepared for this or it will ruin your life. Or, less dramatically, just make it stressful and angry all the time. If youre

not at least getting near to your salary targets after two full months, it may be time to re-evaluate your lifestyle

decision. At least you wont have starved in the meantime.

8. Stay two months ahead8. Stay two months ahead

This ones a little personal challenge I set myself. I treat it

like an ongoing video game. In trying times, its a self-

preservation mechanism. In times of plenty, its kind of

fun. Make it your determined mission to get and keep your cashflow two months ahead of your the next payday.

In other words, if youre paying yourself your salary

tomorrow, have all of next months salary and most (if

not, all) of the following months arriving, or invoiced out

and due.

Its tricky to get right, it seldom lasts more than a week

or two, but it prevents cashflow panic, gives you a feeling of achievement when youre in the green and (heres the fun

bit) lets you know when you can go and splurge guilt free on a pair of Nike Airmax Ones, a bicycle, a unicorn, or

if youre very responsible make a nice cash deposit into your unit trust or boob-job/lasik-surgery savings fund. Or

whatever. Conversely, when youve fallen to only one month ahead (or even less) you know its time to knuckle down,

tighten the belt and start urgently following up your outstanding invoices.
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Bill Murray has a routine. Be like Bill Murray.

This one sounds like a big ask, but its actually not asking the world. The pay-off is terrific peace of mindand a real barometer for how well youre doing as a business.

Its tempting to spend the extra cash, but if you can just get yourself two months ahead, and then spend (or invest)

anything above that, your life becomes an exciting, secure place, rich with prospects. All it takes is two months worthof discipline and extra-hard work.

9. Live in the green9. Live in the green

Ryan Reynolds is green. Live in Ryan Reynolds

A quick addendum to the above point: stay away from credit. Well, at least in as much as you presently do, anyways.

Its not my place or business to pontificate about how to manage your credit card/s. Just treat it as you probably

presently should as a buffer against your regular, on-the-25th, monthly salary. Dont use it to bankroll clients who

are late for paying you, to pay your fixed life expenses because youve fallen behind the salary buffer or worst of all

to live off permanently with your incoming payments merely servicing a permanent, negative cashflow.

I tend to use my credit card to occasionally make up a four or five-day cash shortfall at the end of each month, when

my day-to-day account hits zero. I then pay it back on payday, from my salary. I could just use my business account to

lend myself money when I fall short, I suppose. My way works much better for me psychologically, though. See, Imnot some super-responsible, financial Bhuddist or anything. Ive just done it the wrong way before and suffered the

endless cycle of misery and worry. This approach makes my life suck less. A lot less. Plus, this way, your emergency

credit is actually there in the event of a real emergency.

Freelancers should, the vast majority of the time, rely on less on credit than employed people. Not more.

10. Have a routine10. Have a routine

So far, Ive focused a lot on preparing for the change.

Then I shared my methods of managing the financial

differences. Now, Ill look at some of the lifestyle

leanings that have benefited me. Or bitten me in the

ass, as the case may be

Yes, working for yourself should mean having a bit

more flexibility, time-wise. You wanna work until 3am

and then sleep in until 11 the next morning? More

power to you. But it really helps if you find a ritual you

can stick to nine working days out of ten. It keeps you

in sync with the rest of the world and the rest of your

industry. It gives you a sense of organisation, purpose,

and direction. Descending into what feels like a permanent holiday quickly leads to self-loathing, inertia and

financial panic.

Even if it involves catching the morning sports highlights on Blitz every day, checking through 9Gag and then reading

the news headlines online before sending out emails, have a more-or-less consistent expectation as to what
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This supremely hot man: not a slob.

tomorrows flow will be like. Remember; your job is to be executing work. Or, looking for it. Its fine for a day or two

after a series of intense (and ideally, lucrative) deadlines, to park off and feel good about your life.

But, generally speaking, having nothing to do is the last reason you should have for doing nothing.

11. (Physically) Go somewhere11. (Physically) Go somewhere

Floki: Hes going places.

This one really helps me. Staying cooped up inside the home office can do your head in. You end up spending days in

your pyjamas, living in a very small, isolated world. My work sometimes has me in my home office at length. Usually,

Im fortunate enough to regularly revolve around a few other clients premises with people I know that work there.

But, whatever happens, I get up, go to gym, dress for facing the public (as I would have done at my old job) and then

come home or head out into the world.

Maybe going to the nearby coffee shop for an orange juice and a toasted sandwich is more your speed. Great. Just add

to your day, a place where someone will notice if you dont arrive for a while. Even if you just leave for half an hour and

then go back home again to work.

12. Dont be a slob12. Dont be a slob

A follow-on to the point above Grooming and general

upkeep is not just about impressing others, its also for

the benefit of your own self-esteem. Plus, freelancing

means clients, who will often require meetings in

person or on Skype. Be presentable. If you like me

are not the typical corporate-looking professional,

thats fine. I have a million tattoos (many of them of

skulls with stuff carved into their heads) and I dress a

bit like a white rapper with a sneaker fetish. Im not

rocking ties and chinos. But, my clothes are always

clean and pressed, my hair is always neat and my

sneakers usually match my shirt. Helps me walk into a

room (even if its my own home office) with my head

held high. And thats half of any battle won, right there.

Dont look like a stoner student unlessyoure happy to be treated like one.

13. Get the best Internet you can afford13. Get the best Internet you can afford
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Your boss is probably clever.

Learn from him/her.

Im, like really good at this

one thing.

The more of this high-speed, magic blue stuff your internet-connection has, the better.

You should be able to run a relatively lean shop as a freelancer. Whatever equipment you need (more for

photographers than art directors, more for art directors than copywriters, and so on) will require a capital outlay.

Obviously you need a premises. After that, though, your overheads should be low and you should try to keep them that

way.

With that in mind, dont skimp on your internet. Get the best damn internet you can afford. For the sake of your

sanity, your quality of life outside of work (needing good Internet is a perk unto itself) and, especially, Skyping and

sharing large files. The difference between a 4mb line and a 10mb is a few hundred bucks. And, a great deal of

happiness. Plus, if that expense the difference between sink or swim, you have bigger problems than download speeds.

PS, also try have a back up. A dongle and a small data bundle is super-useful if you work on the road or youADSL goes down.

14. Do not fear learning14. Do not fear learning

The more you widen your skill-set, the more employable you become. Working in and

around different offices with different staff members will mean exposure to

different methods and talents. If youre asked to join for a presentation, go. Watch

how different seniors handle presentations. Pay attention to how different clients

brief you. Who does it well and who doesnt. Keep an eye on the parts of jobs

youre not executing. Pick things up and make mental (or actual) notes of them.

Youre probably going to see a lot more people do their jobs than you would in anagency. Learn from the good ones and the weak ones alike.

15. Dont be enslaved by your specialisation.15. Dont be enslaved by your specialisation.

In big agencies, people are often placed at a desk, set to a task, and shielded from

other aspects of the process. The logic is something along the lines of, You just sit

there and focus on what youre good at, and dont bother with all that other

business stuff Well take care of that. The other way to look at it is, You just sit

there on your conveyor belt, and get better at that one thing, churning it out until

you hate it, but become dependent on it as the only thing you can do.

Youre creative. Good at it. But you also exist in a business context. Asuit cannot learn creativity. But anyone can learn basic billing, clientservice and traffic. I mean, literally anyone.

The difference between those creatives that become all-powerful bosses and designers (etc) who just design forever?

Learning to understand the other junk.

16. Be a solution16. Be a solution

Youre there to solve a clients problem, not to add new ones by pointing out all the problems with their situation and

the turn-around. They wouldnt have called on you if they could handle it in-house or the job was simple. If the job is
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A solution.

too big (or the pay too small), say no. Otherwise, get them what they need, when

they need it, and do it well. Take the job in your stride, or make it look like you

did. That way, the client will mark you as the solution to their problem and

continue to call upon you in future. Problem solved!

As my friend and former CD Mike Cook (now co-owner of Workbench check

them out, theyre awesome) once taught me, Understand their stress. Alla client wants from you is something they no longer have to worry about. Dont

be difficult Be a solution.

17. Be available17. Be available

Be as available as Dylan.

When I started out, a very clever dude called Brad Dessington (head honcho at Rogue Agency and, incidentally, husband

of my awesome former work partner and current Art Director of preference, Beth Dessington) took the time to give

me some advice from the perspective of a person who frequently hires freelancers. One thing in particular stood out to

me. Be available.

What he meant was, either take a job and say thank you, or if you really cant manage it politely decline. Dontaccept it, but then go on about what a nightmare turnaround it is for you, how busy you are, and how helping them

out is a huge ball-ache. Thats why theyre calling on you; to relieve their pressure, usually in a hurry. Plus, they really

dont care. If you can do it, just do it. That way, after eleven jobs, when you do eventually have to explain that you

legitimately cant meet their deadline this time, they might find the extra two days you need because(A) you dont bitch for nothing, and

(B) youre their go-to guy and theyve come to depend on you.

18. Clients = good18. Clients = good

Heres something that will blow your mind if youve

done time in a big agency clients are good! They meanincome, relationships, new leads and if you make

them happy more work! In an agency, you have to do

whatever comes your way and you get paid the same

every month. Of course youre going to hate the

committee of accountants that want you to make the

logo bigger.

Youre no longer going to be fed work that more or less

suits your skillset on a steady basis. Now, you must
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Make the logo bigger.

A tenuous link was reason enough to include

this cute-ass hamster in my article.

seek work out. When you find it, present as much value

as you can. If you hear your client mention a challenge

or a need that you can help with, say so. If you spot a place where the campaign can be better, politely suggest some

ideas. If clients like you, you get work. If they dont, you dont.

Plus, when you go in with a smile, youll find theyre usually just pleasant-enough people. Looking forsomeone to smooth something over for them. Be that guy.

19. Retainer up!19. Retainer up!

The principle behind finding a good retainer is a little like dating

someone with whom you have really good electricity, but without

having to live together, nor commit to any of that pesky monogamy

business. If you find that one specific client keeps you nicely busy,

treats you well and has come to depend on your because you do a good

job, strike up a retainer. They commit to a set amount of pay each

month, you commit to a certain amount of work. If they dont have

quite enough for you in a given month goodie for you! If its slightly

more work now and then, take it on the chin (erm, Im no longer

referring to the dating metaphor, btw) and do them a solid. When its

considerably more work, you agree on a pro-rata rate that benefits

everyone.

In an ideal world, a good retainer client should bring you at least half

your required income in one third of your available time, or less. Then,

you can roll the dice with the rest of your time, knowing that the rent,

medical aid and cat food will at least be covered each month. For

freelancers who prefer security, two or three manageable retainers can mean a greater income than full-time

employment, with a similar workload, minus the 8am status meetings.

20. Market yourself (I): be a brand20. Market yourself (I): be a brand

My CI. Designed by Indent Design Studio. Im pretty chuffed with it.

Build a website. Design (or commission) a decent CI. Make up an impressive-sounding title and get some business cards

professionally printed on decent paper. Write articles and blogs on your field of expertise. Post your work online. Make

a fancy-looking email signature for your non-schmoe email address.

Its a mission once. Then you look legit forever. Be your first client. Take the brief seriously.

Then, mail your network of friends, former colleagues and clients and let them know youre available and, critically,

what it is exactly that you do. Include a call to action asking when it would be convenient to meet or Skype. Then follow

up. A face-to-face is so much more effective than a lone mail. My CI was designed by Denton Pretorius at Indent.

Hint:Hint: when you do talk to your client, ask them all about what theyre working on. Theyll talk. Youll learn. Boom! A

relationship!

21. Market yourself (II): reach out daily
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Now, how long exactly will this take you to do?

Thoar upon golden wingth, little fellath

Felix Kessel is a very clever man. He once told me, No matter how much or how little time you have, do something to

market yourself every single day. If youve got some time, put together a presentation or create new content for your

website. If youve got no time, send out one introductory email to one potential client.

Spread the word far and wide. If no one knows youre out there, no one will hire you. Simple as that.

22. Try to agree on per-project fees22. Try to agree on per-project fees

Per-hour billing is the industry norm. And, while you

can take every measure possible to be as ethical and

accurate as possible, someones always going to lose

out. You, or the client. If you have to stare at a wall

stressing your tits off because you cant crack a brief,

only to crack it ten minutes before you present, why

should that cost the client more? If you crack it with

the best idea youve ever had within minutes of taking

the brief, why should that pay you less?

Try to agree on a project fee upfront for the work to be delivered. Base this fee on an hourly-rate estimate, if that

makes the client happy. Give yourself a little wriggle room without ripping the client off. Then, if you work extra-fast,

good for you. If you end up pulling a week of all-nighters, not the clients problem. You have a deadline, you know what

needs to be done by that time, and you know what youre going to earn. Easy peasy.

23. Learn tax23. Learn tax
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Aint no fun if the homies cant have none.

Get the bastards or they will get you. Simple.

Tax, like everything else in this life, is only complicated until you understand it. Then its simple. Anyone capable of

doing any kind of quality freelance work is, by default, competent enough to handle the fundamentals of income tax. I

used to be terrified of it. then I had to learn it. Now I wonder what the fuss was about.

Get a good tax person to do your returns each year (should cost you less than ZAR1000 each year) after you hand over

all your expenses. Its simple. Basically, you pay income tax on whatever you earn, minus whatever it cost you to make.

As a freelancer, there are loads of things you can claim as an expense to lower the amount of income you pay tax on.

Restaurants, computer stuff, travel heck, even rent if you work at home.

Do it. Its money you dont pay the government. How can that not be awesome?

24. Hook your homies up24. Hook your homies up

Throughout your career, youll meet and get to know

people who are rad and talented. When you need a

contributor or collaborator, or one of your clients is

looking for a good person to do something that isnt

your territory, youre too busy, or its dog work that

you dont want (but a promising junior you know could

really use) hook them up. It builds networks, makes you

a valuable source of resources to your clients and,

importantly, comes back to you eventually.

People remember your vibe far longer thantheir (or your) jobs last.

25. Skype25. Skype

It just needs to be really edgy. You know, out of the box and dynamic.

Have a decent internet connection and get on Skype. It makes long-distance meetings far more personal than the

phone, and enables you to work with clients far away. Use it, get your clients onto it, make it part of your life. Its also

great for combatting work-at-home cabin fever.

26. Follow up26. Follow up

Such a simple thing that makes such a difference. When a job is done, mail your client a week later and ask how it

went. Ask how their other accounts are doing, how theyre doing, and send them a useful link to an online story you

saw that made you think of them. Think of it like dating; dont just get what you want and disappear. Between

delivering work and chasing up your money, check in with your clients. Being top-of-mind and building relationships is

worth the effort.
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Its worth millions,because I

said its worth millions.

27. Charge what youre worth27. Charge what youre worth

Too many freelancers make the mistake of trying to build up a client base by taking

work on risk, undercutting their fees or agreeing on whatever is offered, no matter

how insulting.

You sell time and expertise. And no amount of the latter creates more of the former.

Youre worth what you say youre worth. Clients will never pay you more

tomorrow because you worked for less today. Dont make the mistake of charging the

minimum amount per hour that you need in order to just scrape by if youre working

14 paying hours a day, 31 days a month. Because you wont be. And even if you do, it

will kill you.

Being cheap doesnt make you desirable. It makes you cheap.

28. Never work for free28. Never work for free

And you shall even be paid!

An add-on to the point above: Doing work because it will lead to more work later is not a good strategy. Its

insulting. Its exploitation. Its even theft. Its why theres so much garbage work out there and so many garbage

creatives undercutting everyone elses prices.

If you want to work for free so you can grow, do yourself, the Industry and the world a favour and go getan internship somewhere that will teach you a great deal.

29. Reverts29. Reverts

Agree upfront on a number of reverts with your client.

My brilliant friend and long-time collaborator Beth

Dessington (check out her magnificent Art Direction

stuff here) taught me this one. We offer clients a two-

revert system, which we stipulate in the brief. It goes

like this

When you present your idea and plan to your client,

they must sign the plan off. Then, you start on it, mock

it all up and show them your direction. They can make

changes in direction at this stage (thats Revert One).

Then, when its done, they get to look at it and make
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On second thought, I think I might prefer a panda,

instead

Drummers: lonely.

Timesheets: they give

everyone that feeling.

changes (as long as its not stuff they previously signed

off no changing their minds) again (thats Revert

Two). Then you hand the work over.

Any additional changes beyond these reverts (or mind changing) are requoted and treated as a new job, with new

fees.

30. Be a team player30. Be a team player

Going solo does not necessarily mean working solo. Of course, there will be long

hours of solitude. But, you might find yourself working with more people than

before, as you move between and touch base with a greater number of businesses

and their internal teams. Be helpful, be friendly, be social. Dont sweat the small

stuff or count the minutes when it comes to your regular clients. They dont own

you like they would a salaried staff member. That doesnt mean, though, that you

shouldnt go the extra mile or take the odd one for the team.

31. Invoice. Hard.31. Invoice. Hard.

Thou owest me loot

Im crap at this, still. But Ive devised a system. You need to invoice for the work youve done quickly and

systematically. It feels a little needy to invoice the second you hand over your work. Put a reminder in your calendar to

invoice for a job one week after its done, and then do it. Otherwise, youll put it off until you badly need the money for

the work youve done, at which point youll send the invoice and immediately become needy and irritating about trying

to expedite payment.

Companies usually 4 8 weeks to pay. Sometimes longer. Deal with it.

32. Timesheets32. Timesheets

The very mention of the word draws the kind of hatred and seething disgust from a

creative that is usually reserved for kiddy-fiddlers and bank managers only. Im not

saying you should install Chase onto your computer and spend hours a month tryingto account for all the hours you spend working, but keep a list.

Write down what you did, for how long, for whom, and when. Otherwise, when you

get behind on your invoicing (which you will) trying to forensically figure out what

you were doing a month ago will not only be pain in the arse, itll also jeopardise

your ability to be honest and fair and, with that, potentially ruin relationships.

33. Lists win wars33. Lists win wars
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List of Things that Meatloaf

Would Not Do For Love: 1.

That.

Draw your cock, if thats what makes you happy.

Look upon my website, friends. It lies to thine left

There is nothing more powerful in the freelancers life than a regularly updated (and

then mercilessly whittled-down) list.

There is great joy in being free of nagging account managers and soulless traffic

drones, but there is also a great potential for chaos.

Do whats important, and what might feel like it isnt. Set a to-do list. Allocate time

periods to the things in it. Do them on time. Work late if you dont. Then have a good

think before making another list. Lists win wars. Its that simple.

34. Have background projects34. Have background projects

Whats the point of struggling for your freedom if

youre not going to have time to do some things that

you love? Agencies will always tell their creatives to

enrich themselves creatively with outside projects,

then keep the same people chained to their desks until

whatever-o-clock every day.

Allocate time to yourself. Create. Make stuff. Have fun.

Go to galleries. Sing songs. Spray-paint trains.

Whatever. Doing what you love is the whole point. Give

yourself the occasional brief and then see it through.

I for example, like writing really long, overly detailedarticles

[THE END][THE END]

*I HATE THE TERM BECAUSE IT USES AN ADJECTIVE AS A NOUN AND IS INHERENTLY PONCY, BUT I HAVE CONCEDED THAT ITS A BATTLE I

SHALL NOT WIN. SIGH.

**THOSE READERS IN ADVERTISING WILL SHUDDER AT THE MENTION OF THE WORD. FOR THE REST OF YOU, SUFFICE IT TO SAY, ITS AN

AGENCY THING; EVEN WORSE THAN THE KIND YOU GET ON THE N1 JOHANNESBURG BETWEEN 7 AND 9AM.

A little bit about my experience with this subjectA little bit about my experience with this subject(I tucked this bit away at the end, in case no one cares)(I tucked this bit away at the end, in case no one cares)

Ive taken the freelance plunge. Twice. The first time

was when I left FHM at the end of 2010, after 8 years

there. My first and only job from my varsity internship

until I was 29. For all intents and purposes; a lifetime.

Going freelance was essentially an experiment to see

how slowly I could whittle away all my meagre savings,

while working harder than Id ever worked. Most of the

time, in a gruelling, ironic effort, trying to

earn paying work. It lasted about 14 months and was,

in retrospect, the most stressed Ive ever been in my

life, even if my friend Dale Imerman and I did make

some work Im pretty proud of on our website,

Mojodojo. Check it out here. When I was offered an out-

of-the-blue job at an ad agency called Owen Kessel, I

took it.

There, I was a senior copywriter. Soon, a Creative Group Head and, ultimately, a Creative Director. A rich but

punishing experience, packed with learning and some wonderful people. But I never quite got used to having my diary
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COPYRIGHT 2014 - GORD LAWS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Scroll upTHEME MOD BY METAIMAGO

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managed (and not always efficiently) by someone else. I just dont like office hours especially the advertising

variety.

Early in 2014 I quit my job and became a Creative Consultant. A fancy way of saying, I went freelance. And its

been great.

The article above is about some of the things Ive learned along the way, that have made all the difference between

2011s nightmare and 2014/15s far more successful incarnation.

advertising advice cape town copy writer copywriter Creative Director

creativity freelance freelancing gord laws rules success tips

About the Author

Gord Laws is an independent Creative Consultant, advising on brand strategy, positioning, contentconceptualisation, creative direction and copywriting. Gord's won some awards in advertising andjournalism. He's also a professional voice-over artist,co-owner of Hailstorm Radio-AdvertisingAgency, a tattoo collector, and in 2009/10, he lost 67kg.Twitter - Facebook

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