What's your biggest challenge as a freelancer or sole practitioner?
Jon Clayton:Dealing with tricky clients.
Jon Clayton:Avoiding scope creep on projects, or maybe it's simply combating the loneliness
Jon Clayton:and isolation of working from home.
Jon Clayton:Being your own boss is not always easy.
Jon Clayton:Thankfully, we've got some practical tips and a few stories that should help you.
Jon Clayton:Uh, in part two of my conversation on freelancing with
Jon Clayton:Angela lions on this episode.
Jon Clayton:Of architecture business club.
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Jon Clayton:Now let's continue our conversation about freelancing.
Jon Clayton:Well that's totally different, so that's A redesign, that's total redesign.
Jon Clayton:Oh, but that's a revision.
Jon Clayton:Like, where does it say in the contract that, you know, you said we could
Jon Clayton:have as many changes as we want.
Jon Clayton:And so, and that's where it can get a bit sticky, I
Ange Lyons:Hmm,
Jon Clayton:Have you had that sort of experience, Angie, in graphic design
Jon Clayton:and branding?
Ange Lyons:definitely, Um, I've had it recently with a website actually.
Ange Lyons:Um, and I'd spoken to the client from the beginning saying,
Ange Lyons:Are you sure you want this?
Ange Lyons:Because it wasn't looking like how we spoke when we actually
Ange Lyons:first started the project.
Ange Lyons:And she was like, Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Ange Lyons:And then a few months down the line, it changed and it was a redesign.
Ange Lyons:Hmm.
Ange Lyons:And it's just interesting because it is uncomfortable but it is uncomfortable and
Ange Lyons:I'm not we're all human um I wish I could be more ruthless in some things but I
Ange Lyons:did it and I've included it in the price I've had to reflect that because but it's
Ange Lyons:horrible yeah you see it gave you the ick talking about money it does but at the
Ange Lyons:end of the day I won't go into Sainsbury's and say I'm just gonna take that pineapple
Ange Lyons:um I'll pay you When I can, or, you know, you want your money, don't you?
Ange Lyons:They want their money.
Ange Lyons:So, um, it's the same with business and small, you know, being a
Ange Lyons:freelancer, you've got to, you've got to, you've got to list out
Ange Lyons:what you're going to give them.
Ange Lyons:And even if it isn't, when you say revisions, list out
Ange Lyons:what that revision entails.
Ange Lyons:This is like, this is what, this will be, Um, I don't know what the word
Ange Lyons:would be, say a tweak or a change to what we've decided on the first round.
Ange Lyons:A redesign is something completely different.
Ange Lyons:Um, and if you're not happy with that, maybe we need to have another sit
Ange Lyons:down and discuss, um, payment options.
Ange Lyons:Cause I know also with some clients, they might not be
Ange Lyons:able to have it all in one go.
Ange Lyons:Maybe discuss payment options.
Ange Lyons:It's still going to happen.
Ange Lyons:I'll still do it for you, but let's break it down into smaller payment plans.
Ange Lyons:You know,
Ange Lyons:so, um, so give them some options.
Ange Lyons:So there's always options, but if they still say, well, I'm not doing
Ange Lyons:it, I don't want that anymore.
Ange Lyons:If you're going to break the contract, you break the contract, but make sure
Ange Lyons:you get paid for what you've done.
Ange Lyons:And if you can get paid up front, get the rest of it,
Ange Lyons:because they signed the contract.
Jon Clayton:Yeah, it's so tricky.
Jon Clayton:I
Ange Lyons:It's hard
Jon Clayton:had my fingers burnt with a client and They basically they said
Jon Clayton:they already had some really specific ideas that they wanted for the renovation
Jon Clayton:and extension of their home They they wouldn't share them Because this was
Jon Clayton:really strange because normally it's quite a collaborative process with my clients.
Jon Clayton:So and I, I mean, I don't really do much kind of architectural design work these
Jon Clayton:days, but when I used to it's, it's been very much like client centric approach
Jon Clayton:where we work together, but they were like, well, we want to see your ideas.
Jon Clayton:We don't want, so they were like, we want you to basically, you know, this is kind
Jon Clayton:of, The rooms and spaces were after, but we want to see your ideas and inspiration.
Jon Clayton:That's what we're paying for.
Jon Clayton:And a normal circumstances, it should have rung alarm bells.
Jon Clayton:We did ring alarm bells, but the way that the, the opportunity to
Jon Clayton:come about was through a, another company that I was hoping to foster.
Jon Clayton:A long term working relationship with so I basically was like well, okay I'm feeling
Jon Clayton:that this might be a bit of a prickly client, but i'll i'll work with it and
Jon Clayton:we'll see where it goes Anyway, because there might be some other work that comes
Jon Clayton:off the back of it And I really should have listened to my guts because they were
Jon Clayton:a nightmare to work with I put my heart and soul into a design that I basically
Jon Clayton:Met all of the points on their brief and they took one look at it and were like No
Jon Clayton:we don't like it, that's not what we want.
Jon Clayton:So we want you to just read all of the work you've done throw it in
Jon Clayton:the bin and can you just now, here's our sketches that we wouldn't show
Jon Clayton:you before we now want you to now produce all of the 3D model based on
Jon Clayton:these sketches that we already had.
Jon Clayton:Can you just do that?
Jon Clayton:And because it wasn't, because I hadn't made it crystal clear in the
Jon Clayton:onboarding with that client to say to them, actually, the way I normally
Jon Clayton:work is, it's a collaboration.
Jon Clayton:And you do realize that if you just leave me to go down this, come up
Jon Clayton:with this design completely on my own, that if you don't like it, it will
Jon Clayton:be fully chargeable for anything else because I didn't have that awkward
Jon Clayton:conversation with them at the beginning.
Jon Clayton:I was in an awkward position because they were like You said we'd get revisions.
Jon Clayton:This is a revision.
Jon Clayton:Well, you know, we, we, we just want you to, make these changes.
Jon Clayton:And so I, I, in the end, I got really stressed about it.
Jon Clayton:And then I decided that to just take a hit on it.
Jon Clayton:And I did the same.
Jon Clayton:I was like, and then after that, I was like, right.
Ange Lyons:But
Jon Clayton:going to make sure that that's, you know, robust now moving
Jon Clayton:forward.
Ange Lyons:I think both of us, in both those cases, we learnt from
Ange Lyons:it and we've put things in place to learn from that experience.
Ange Lyons:And again, it's tricky being by yourself and not having, you know,
Ange Lyons:we've got so many hats in our business, just having that one.
Ange Lyons:It's like, we're not legal people either.
Ange Lyons:So now we've learned how to deal with a legal contract to say, this is
Ange Lyons:the, this is the project and this is what's going to be in the projects.
Ange Lyons:And if you do X, Y, Z, you're going to get charged that.
Ange Lyons:So, but again, we both learnt from that.
Jon Clayton:it's not mattered how clear I've thought.
Jon Clayton:Something was like a contract or an agreement like you can always improve
Jon Clayton:upon it and make it even clearer, you know Which actually that sort of nicely
Jon Clayton:segues on to a follow up question.
Jon Clayton:I was going to ask around Do you have any thoughts on sort of best
Jon Clayton:practices around things like handling?
Jon Clayton:Invoicing and contracts so that we can avoid some of these pitfalls
Jon Clayton:that we've just been talking about.
Ange Lyons:I would say invest if you can.
Ange Lyons:Invest in contracts that you can either pay for or get someone, a
Ange Lyons:legal person to have a look over it.
Ange Lyons:And there are, um, solicitors that just deal with freelancers
Ange Lyons:and smaller businesses that will look at their contracts.
Ange Lyons:There are actually also freelancers and independent companies
Ange Lyons:that just deal with that too.
Ange Lyons:So I'd definitely say get contracts in place and not just
Ange Lyons:get it's get them templated.
Ange Lyons:So have a contract for each.
Ange Lyons:part of your business that you think you're offering a service to.
Ange Lyons:So for example, I offer, I've got a contract for brand and website.
Ange Lyons:I've got one for brand.
Ange Lyons:I've got one for marketing services.
Ange Lyons:So in between all of those, and there might be one that's a bit
Ange Lyons:ad hoc, where I'll just pull bits of the other contracts.
Ange Lyons:But you put out, the basis is pretty much the same.
Ange Lyons:I suppose the foundation is pretty much the same.
Ange Lyons:But then you just actually build up what you're actually
Ange Lyons:going to deliver to that client.
Ange Lyons:And so.
Ange Lyons:Again, going back to that website that I got done over with the redesign.
Ange Lyons:Um, I've put in place where you decide upon this date, and then you pay me the
Ange Lyons:next part of my invoice on this date, and then we decide again on this part, and
Ange Lyons:then you pay another part of the invoice.
Ange Lyons:So that is all spaced out, and we know where we're going from the
Ange Lyons:beginning, and we break it down.
Ange Lyons:Um, I do that in a system.
Ange Lyons:I know a lot of people have CRM systems.
Ange Lyons:Um, some people don't.
Ange Lyons:You don't have to have a CRM system.
Ange Lyons:But that's one thing I did invest in this year.
Ange Lyons:It was, um, Moxi.
Ange Lyons:It's a CRM system.
Ange Lyons:And I get different templates in there.
Ange Lyons:And also do my timings in there.
Ange Lyons:I put my onboarding in there.
Ange Lyons:I have onboarding forms, offboarding forms.
Ange Lyons:Um, I don't do my invoices in there.
Ange Lyons:Because I've got it all in another software.
Ange Lyons:So, yeah.
Ange Lyons:Um, in FreeAgent and I'll do my invoicing in FreeAgent and then I'll um, but
Ange Lyons:then they'll kind of, not talk to, I've not got them to talk, you can do it
Ange Lyons:through Zapier but I've not got them to.
Ange Lyons:I'm, I'm fine enough to know that that's where my invoices, my invoices are and
Ange Lyons:this is where my contracts and forms are.
Ange Lyons:So at the beginning I, Again, I looked online.
Ange Lyons:I got contracts online and people sell them templates, um, they
Ange Lyons:could be legal contracts or you can invest in a legal person to go
Ange Lyons:over your contracts while you can.
Jon Clayton:the contracts, depending on what it is specifically
Jon Clayton:that you do within architecture.
Jon Clayton:So, um, some of the professional institutes have some contracts
Jon Clayton:that their members can use.
Jon Clayton:So if they're a member of, um, if they're an architect and they're a
Jon Clayton:member of the RIBA, that they do have some contracts that people can, can use.
Jon Clayton:And actually they do do some documents that.
Jon Clayton:you can, you can purchase from them.
Jon Clayton:Uh, so even if you're a consultant, you're not an architect, but you
Jon Clayton:work within architecture, you can still use some of their paperwork.
Jon Clayton:My, um, the professional organization that I'm in, CIAT, they also
Jon Clayton:have some templated documents that their members can use.
Jon Clayton:I'm not sure about some of the other organizations cause we've got, there's
Jon Clayton:various, like for surveyors, there's the RICS, you've got CIOB, um, there's
Jon Clayton:I'm sure that each of those institutes probably has some kind of templates
Jon Clayton:or contracts that people could use as a starting point, but your advice and
Jon Clayton:suggestion about finding somebody, a freelancer or a solicitor, somebody
Jon Clayton:to look over it, because as good as those documents are that we can get
Jon Clayton:from those institutes, they're not always a perfect fit for people.
Jon Clayton:Your particular business and the packages and services that you offer.
Jon Clayton:So I'd, um, previously used a combination.
Jon Clayton:I'd used a contract that I'd got from CIAT, which they call their
Jon Clayton:conditions of engagement, I think for like domestic clients, which is like
Jon Clayton:people doing home renovation projects.
Jon Clayton:But then also I'd used.
Jon Clayton:A letter contract.
Jon Clayton:So I'd sort of set out a template, which was a standard letter, which
Jon Clayton:went into the T's and C's in a bit more detail, which then that kind
Jon Clayton:of like had developed over time.
Jon Clayton:Um,
Ange Lyons:I know this, um, more so around, uh, architects, um, based
Ange Lyons:podcasts, but there's also, um, IPSE, um, and there's also that's IPSE
Ange Lyons:and there's also FSB and they're all good, um, um, I suppose organizations
Ange Lyons:that help with small businesses.
Ange Lyons:So there's the FSB is the Federation of Small Businesses.
Ange Lyons:And I know that they also offer, if you pay for their membership, they
Ange Lyons:also offer legal advice, um, especially when you're writing contracts.
Ange Lyons:So if there's any problems with your contracts, um, I don't know if I'm
Ange Lyons:allowed to mention it because, um, I'll just ask, I'll let you know.
Ange Lyons:If there's any problems with people not paying contracts, um, or invoices, there's
Ange Lyons:a solicitor's called Thomas Higgins.
Ange Lyons:They're solicitors, they're proper legit.
Ange Lyons:Engage with them.
Ange Lyons:If someone's still not paying you, say for example, after three
Ange Lyons:months, contact Thomas Higgins, set up an account with them.
Ange Lyons:They will send out a letter of payment to the company.
Ange Lyons:And normally, people, when they get this letter, because it looks very official,
Ange Lyons:um, and it is official, they will pay up.
Ange Lyons:Because they don't want to be taken to court.
Ange Lyons:And to engage with Thomas Higgins, it is 25.
Jon Clayton:Oh, wow.
Jon Clayton:That's really good.
Jon Clayton:Yeah.
Ange Lyons:So, somebody, again, Sophie, I think, Sophie,
Ange Lyons:yeah, she told me about them.
Ange Lyons:Um, but pretty much most of my clients have paid.
Ange Lyons:But, this is only in the jurisdiction of the UK.
Jon Clayton:Right.
Ange Lyons:I've had a client that's based in the Channel Islands and
Ange Lyons:they've not paid me and Thomas Higgins said, oh, we can't help you.
Jon Clayton:Oh, no.
Ange Lyons:know it's annoying, but um, um, but yeah, if you're
Ange Lyons:having any problems not getting paid, I'd say Thomas Higgins legal
Ange Lyons:wise is a good place to start.
Jon Clayton:That sounds good.
Jon Clayton:We also, um, I've got another recommendation for listeners that we
Jon Clayton:did an episode earlier in the year.
Jon Clayton:Um, I can't remember which number, but it was, the guest was Rhonda Jackson
Jon Clayton:and we talked specifically about fee recovery and about how to go about
Jon Clayton:recovering fees if clients hadn't paid.
Jon Clayton:So if you are struggling, um, you might want to, go and check out that
Jon Clayton:podcast episode as well because there's some useful insights in there about
Jon Clayton:specifically about recovering fees from clients that haven't paid and
Jon Clayton:actually some preventative measures you can take, to make sure that they pay
Jon Clayton:in the first place and you don't kind of have to, um, to go down that road.
Jon Clayton:and something else that can be a challenge for freelancers is the social isolation.
Jon Clayton:It can feel quite isolating, especially, you know, if you're
Jon Clayton:working on your own at home.
Jon Clayton:I wondered if we could just talk about that for a moment and to discuss like,
Jon Clayton:if you've got any suggestions for how we can, how we can approach that.
Jon Clayton:Because I've certainly experienced it over the years.
Ange Lyons:Yeah, I say him.
Ange Lyons:It's hard because you are working from home.
Ange Lyons:Unless you engage, I think, in certain communities, you
Ange Lyons:will still be by yourself.
Ange Lyons:And that's, you know, that's, I suppose that's a fact.
Ange Lyons:But if you start engaging with them, as I said before, locally,
Ange Lyons:that's the best place to start.
Ange Lyons:You could even like take yourself down to a local co working space.
Ange Lyons:They're great places for meeting other, most, do you know what they are going
Ange Lyons:to be small businesses there pretty much most of the time because if they're in
Ange Lyons:a full time office they're going to be in their full time office with their
Ange Lyons:colleagues, they're not really going to be in a co working space but, well they
Ange Lyons:might be, but the majority of people in there are people of us that are
Ange Lyons:freelancers, have their own business, I'd say take yourself off to one of those.
Ange Lyons:If you can't, if there's nothing near you and you don't feel quite ready
Ange Lyons:for that, there's online communities.
Ange Lyons:I'm part of the Be In Freelance community.
Ange Lyons:We often have co working sessions on Fridays together.
Ange Lyons:And then there might be an in person meetup.
Ange Lyons:There's also, I know there's a few portals online where you can, um, It's
Ange Lyons:weird because when you, I don't know if people know about this, but when you
Ange Lyons:co work online, you're on a Zoom call in a room with maybe 20 other, could
Ange Lyons:be 5, could be 20 other freelancers, say what you want to achieve during the
Ange Lyons:session, um, and then start working.
Ange Lyons:And, um, I know when I told this, I told this to Emma Jones actually,
Ange Lyons:she's part of Enterprise Nation.
Ange Lyons:Actually, that's another really great organisation for freelancers to check out.
Ange Lyons:They've got lots of lunch and learns on there.
Ange Lyons:Um, so it's Enterprise Nation.
Ange Lyons:So, um, I met Emma Jones, I was telling her about it this year and
Ange Lyons:she was like, co working online?
Ange Lyons:I don't quite understand.
Ange Lyons:I was like, yeah, we're just literally on a Zoom call and we're working and
Ange Lyons:then we check in with each other about 45 minutes in and then we'll have a chat
Ange Lyons:and then go back and work and then, you know, Do another session 45 minutes and
Ange Lyons:then be off on our days, but you've made a connection there with people online
Ange Lyons:Another one that another Organization I work with is freelancer magazine
Ange Lyons:and we do online co worker sessions.
Ange Lyons:I'm a host of one of them we always like make people feel
Ange Lyons:welcome and Everyone's just on a, you know, just on the same level.
Ange Lyons:Everyone's just like working by themselves.
Ange Lyons:No one's got no, you know, no frontal ears and graces.
Ange Lyons:And do you know what the best thing out of that is like collaboration.
Ange Lyons:Someone might find out that somebody else is down the road for them and
Ange Lyons:they won't meet up for a coffee.
Ange Lyons:It's so, it does happen.
Ange Lyons:Somebody might say, oh, I need a copywriter.
Ange Lyons:Oh, I know that copywriter's in that group.
Ange Lyons:Let me pass on these details.
Ange Lyons:So it's just, it's, you know, Again, that networking of just turning up and
Ange Lyons:I've had freelancers come after the session and said, Oh my gosh, I didn't
Ange Lyons:realise it was going to be like that.
Ange Lyons:Thank you so much.
Ange Lyons:And it's just, I know that's the one thing about meeting people
Ange Lyons:is that some people just feel quite scared or nervous about it.
Ange Lyons:Um, I try to welcome everybody.
Ange Lyons:Well, I do try to welcome them.
Ange Lyons:I do welcome everybody.
Ange Lyons:Um, But, pretty much everyone's in the same boat, so don't worry about it,
Ange Lyons:don't, try not to overthink it too much.
Ange Lyons:Just come and say hi, and if that's all you say, that's good.
Ange Lyons:If you just want to say hi, just say hi to somebody, um, but you're
Ange Lyons:starting, and then you'll build on that.
Ange Lyons:Um, what else around, loneliness, do you know what I offer, um, um,
Ange Lyons:sometimes I offer Zoom cuppers.
Ange Lyons:Um, and that's free, just if someone wants to come and say hello to me.
Ange Lyons:I've got it on um, um, on my, on my Moxie site.
Ange Lyons:I've built that in.
Ange Lyons:So people can book in um, 15 minutes just to have a Zoom cuppa, um.
Jon Clayton:Oh, that's nice.
Ange Lyons:It's just sometimes you just, if you're by yourself, you just
Ange Lyons:might wanna chat, 15 minutes, just chat.
Ange Lyons:And then go about your day.
Jon Clayton:Well, I think otherwise you can end up sort of stuck in your own head.
Jon Clayton:And, um, I think that's the thing, isn't it?
Jon Clayton:That sometimes just having the opportunity to just have a quick chat with somebody
Jon Clayton:and sort of get out of your own head and maybe bounce a couple of ideas
Jon Clayton:around and it can be really, really
Jon Clayton:helpful.
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Ange Lyons:And, um, I know there's, um, other groups that are, oh gosh, which one?
Ange Lyons:Um, Bonnie, she does.
Ange Lyons:Um, she, she doesn't really advertise it as much, but it's there if you want it.
Ange Lyons:There's, she's a copywriter and she set up, um, zoom groups for,
Ange Lyons:um, I think it's called bombs.
Ange Lyons:Bonnie Bonds.
Ange Lyons:Pos , hard to say.
Ange Lyons:Bugs Pubs.
Ange Lyons:And they're, um, set by the Pomodoro timer.
Ange Lyons:So we do actually work on a timer and do work together.
Ange Lyons:And then again, you meet people in those groups, so you don't
Ange Lyons:even need to leave your home or your office or wherever you are.
Ange Lyons:You can meet them, um, online.
Jon Clayton:That's a good thing actually that, um, I mean particularly the online
Jon Clayton:co working thing that we might be a lot of listeners thinking like what like
Jon Clayton:you just You just meet on zoom and then you go off and do your own work and
Jon Clayton:like, it's a bit strange, you know, you might not kind of get the head around
Jon Clayton:it, but it does really work really well.
Jon Clayton:As you say, there is the opportunity to connect with people, but also it's, um, if
Jon Clayton:you struggle with Getting round to doing things or maybe if there's a task that you
Jon Clayton:want to work on your business for an hour or so and you've been procrastinating and
Jon Clayton:getting interrupted when that's scheduled on your calendar and it's like I'm going
Jon Clayton:to that co working session and I'm going to work on that thing that I've not been
Jon Clayton:getting around to doing it's a great way to help keep you accountable and to
Jon Clayton:get things done and even that the simple thing of just turning your camera on and
Jon Clayton:being part of a zoom room and just saying.
Jon Clayton:I'm going to work on this thing.
Jon Clayton:See you in an hour and a half.
Jon Clayton:uh, it can really help get things done.
Ange Lyons:Yeah.
Ange Lyons:Definitely.
Ange Lyons:Definitely.
Ange Lyons:Um, and as you said, it's the accountability.
Ange Lyons:And when I do my sessions, I always say to people, put it in the chat if you
Ange Lyons:want me to check in on you, because I don't want to put anyone on the spot.
Ange Lyons:But I always say, so if you want accountability.
Ange Lyons:Put it in the chat.
Ange Lyons:And I always say to them, and don't go on LinkedIn, or Instagram
Ange Lyons:and start looking at cute cats.
Ange Lyons:Um, we're here to work
Jon Clayton:Do, do go on LinkedIn to market your business
Jon Clayton:effectively, but not right now.
Ange Lyons:but not right now.
Ange Lyons:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Jon Clayton:Do it later.
Ange Lyons:Do it later.
Ange Lyons:If or if that's, or if that's what you wanna use the session for.
Ange Lyons:'cause I know some people have used the session to update their websites.
Ange Lyons:They do their own Mark.
Ange Lyons:Actually, that is a really good point.
Ange Lyons:It's a lot of people, a lot of freelancers come to that
Ange Lyons:session and this is their time.
Ange Lyons:They've blocked out to actually do their marketing on their business.
Ange Lyons:So it's either updating their website, writing that, starting
Ange Lyons:that blog they want to write.
Ange Lyons:I know tomorrow I'm going to join one because I've got my newsletter to write.
Ange Lyons:So I'm going to sit down in that session and write my newsletter.
Ange Lyons:Um, and if it is going on LinkedIn, I'm not going to, um, go in and go in and,
Ange Lyons:you know, spend whatever you need to do.
Ange Lyons:Whatever your time limit is on LinkedIn and do your marketing on there.
Ange Lyons:Connect with some people, comment on some posts.
Jon Clayton:That's a great idea.
Jon Clayton:We touched upon the fact that freelancers are often juggling lots of different
Jon Clayton:things and they may be trying to kind of wear many different hats.
Jon Clayton:They might be juggling client projects and the admin side of their business.
Jon Clayton:Have you got any thoughts on how freelancers can try and manage their
Jon Clayton:time more effectively to try and Stay on top of those creative tasks
Jon Clayton:that they might be working on as well as those necessary business
Jon Clayton:tasks that might not light their fire
Ange Lyons:Oh gosh, it's so hard.
Ange Lyons:It's so hard.
Ange Lyons:It's really hard because I, I think I've watched a meme of like
Ange Lyons:somebody putting on a different hat and it was like, marketing,
Ange Lyons:HR, um, actually doing the work.
Ange Lyons:You know, finance operator.
Ange Lyons:Um, what I do, um, I don't know if you can see it, but I've got various things.
Ange Lyons:I have a wall planner.
Ange Lyons:I My time is there, but I know what's coming in the day.
Ange Lyons:I have a pad that I mark things out on, and I always have a post
Ange Lyons:it note that stays the same.
Ange Lyons:It says, do one thing today, and then I write down what that
Ange Lyons:one thing is going to be today.
Ange Lyons:If I've got to do that one thing, because we have loads of lists,
Ange Lyons:but my one thing that I have to do today, I make that in bold.
Ange Lyons:I'm like, do that one thing.
Ange Lyons:But time wise, if I know that I'm Got a big project or I need to focus.
Ange Lyons:I use Pomodoro timers quite a lot.
Ange Lyons:Um, I also listen to podcasts while I'm working and I know that podcast
Ange Lyons:might last, I don't know, half an hour.
Ange Lyons:Then I'll get up, go for a walk, go for a cup of tea, come
Ange Lyons:back and then I'll work again.
Ange Lyons:Um, I'll time some music, anything and everything, a little bit of time,
Ange Lyons:around time, um, I have a, oh my gosh, you think I must be like crazy, I've
Ange Lyons:got lots of bits of paper on, I have this too, I have a time block where I
Ange Lyons:put things in an hour, what I've got to do for that day, um, that really
Ange Lyons:helps, because that really, so I have a weekly planning sheet and it goes
Ange Lyons:from 6 o'clock to 11 o'clock at night.
Ange Lyons:I don't, obviously don't do it that early and that late, not often anyway.
Ange Lyons:Um, and then I will block out what is happening in that hour.
Ange Lyons:And then it actually breaks down your time of what you've actually done.
Ange Lyons:Um, but that's a, that's more of a, uh, I suppose a to do list.
Ange Lyons:visual for me to try and get those things done in that hour,
Ange Lyons:um, or in that time space.
Ange Lyons:I do use the CRM system that I've got, Moxi.
Ange Lyons:It's got a timer on it so every time I click the project that I'm
Ange Lyons:working on, the timer will start.
Ange Lyons:Not that I charge a client per hour, um, it's more so to know how
Ange Lyons:long I've spent on that project.
Jon Clayton:Useful for your benefit.
Jon Clayton:You can look back and
Ange Lyons:And then you can Exactly.
Ange Lyons:And then you can even build that into your new contracts or your new, um, pricing
Ange Lyons:because then you think, Oh gosh, actually that did take me a bit longer than, than
Ange Lyons:I expected or it was a little bit less.
Ange Lyons:Um, so it works both ways.
Ange Lyons:Um, Oh gosh, I try and not to look at my phone.
Ange Lyons:I really try hard, but it's very hard.
Ange Lyons:Um, I know people use an app called forest, um, and that actually blocks
Ange Lyons:out your phone from any messages and I've turned off all notifications
Ange Lyons:on social media on my phone.
Jon Clayton:Oh yeah, that's a good idea or you could use the Aeroplane mode you
Jon Clayton:just press that button as if you're going on a flight and it just turns off the
Ange Lyons:turns off.
Ange Lyons:Perfect.
Ange Lyons:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:yeah, I've I think I've got two options The notifications
Jon Clayton:turned off on mine as well.
Jon Clayton:Although I think that was kind of accidental But actually i've quite enjoyed
Ange Lyons:left it.
Ange Lyons:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:Yeah, yeah I think I changed some settings somehow and it's just
Jon Clayton:ended up turning them off and uh, I've left it that way and I quite like it.
Jon Clayton:So
Ange Lyons:yeah, I did that on holiday about, I think about three years ago.
Ange Lyons:I turned off all my own social media notifications.
Ange Lyons:I've not turned it back on.
Jon Clayton:Yeah
Ange Lyons:So I have to go into the app to have a look at it.
Jon Clayton:Yeah, well, you can, you can be a bit more, you can make a conscious
Jon Clayton:decision if and when you choose to do that, rather than it sort of controlling
Jon Clayton:you and pinging up and distracting you.
Jon Clayton:Cause those distractions can really derail your day for sure.
Jon Clayton:And this has been lovely.
Jon Clayton:I've really enjoyed having the opportunity to chat with you about
Jon Clayton:this because I think it's such an important topic and there's so many, um,
Jon Clayton:particularly in architecture, there's so many that are working on their own.
Jon Clayton:So, to be able to put This content together for them to help them
Jon Clayton:with their freelancing journey, I think it's really valuable.
Jon Clayton:What would be the, the main thing that you'd like everyone to take
Jon Clayton:away from the conversation today?
Ange Lyons:My main thing, I'd say you are not alone.
Ange Lyons:I'd say you're never alone.
Ange Lyons:If you don't want to be alone, you can always find someone out there.
Ange Lyons:And I'm not saying go and join a thousand communities or go
Ange Lyons:and join like big communities.
Ange Lyons:Even if it's one freelancer buddy, a pal that you, that you feel comfortable
Ange Lyons:with, don't work in isolation.
Ange Lyons:I know we've got to do the work.
Ange Lyons:We have our client work to do, but maybe Take, I don't know, a Zoom break or go for
Ange Lyons:a coffee with them somewhere if you can.
Ange Lyons:Um, but don't work alone.
Ange Lyons:Um, you don't need to be there because it is very isolating and it
Ange Lyons:can be quite depressing sometimes when you're by yourself all the time.
Ange Lyons:So don't, don't feel like you're ever alone.
Jon Clayton:that really resonates with me.
Jon Clayton:I, and I also, I feel that this is an opportunity for me to make a shameless
Jon Clayton:plug that the Architecture Business Club will be opening its doors to
Jon Clayton:some new members in early 2025.
Jon Clayton:So, please keep an eye out for that.
Jon Clayton:And I will talk about that in no doubt in future podcast episodes.
Jon Clayton:So, that's going to be something that if you are working in and around
Jon Clayton:architecture that there's going to be a safe space, a community there for you
Jon Clayton:that you are able to join to meet people online and occasionally in person too,
Jon Clayton:where we can work on our businesses together and help and support each other.
Jon Clayton:So that's something that I'm really excited about.
Jon Clayton:The feedback from the founding members so far has been absolutely
Jon Clayton:incredible, so I'm looking forward to seeing where that goes in 2025.
Ange Lyons:Oh, such a great idea.
Jon Clayton:Yeah, I think so.
Jon Clayton:Andrew, was there anything else that you wanted to add that
Jon Clayton:we haven't covered already?
Ange Lyons:Oh my gosh, what else have we not covered?
Ange Lyons:Um, I can't think of anything else.
Ange Lyons:Um, do you know what?
Ange Lyons:I think Going back, actually, if you want to ask, I'll start again.
Ange Lyons:Going back to the first few questions and conversations at the
Ange Lyons:top when we're thinking of creative ways for marketing yourself, um,
Ange Lyons:effectively, I'd say newsletters.
Ange Lyons:I've just, well, I've been using MyLib newsletter for the last couple
Ange Lyons:of years and it's, um, I think it's so underutilized, a form of marketing
Ange Lyons:that people forget it's there and you can set newsletters up for free.
Ange Lyons:Um, there's, uh, there's MailChimp, there's MailerLite, there's Qt.
Ange Lyons:I'm not, you know, I'm not advocating any of those or promoting any of those.
Ange Lyons:I'm just saying that they're out there and starter packs for them are free.
Ange Lyons:Um, it's, what's the word?
Ange Lyons:It's an easy way for you to create content that you want to be heard for and it's
Ange Lyons:not, It cuts through, I suppose, some of the noise on social media because
Ange Lyons:you're going directly into their inbox.
Ange Lyons:Don't, I know there's a lot of email marketers out there
Ange Lyons:that send emails every day.
Ange Lyons:I normally unsubscribe from those, um, because I can't take it every day.
Ange Lyons:But if it's every week or every other week, mine comes out every month, I can
Ange Lyons:just about handle that, you know, and you, and you get to know people and you get
Ange Lyons:to find out what they're about and what they do and how they sell their services.
Ange Lyons:And if people say, Oh, I don't know what to talk about.
Ange Lyons:There's always something to talk about.
Ange Lyons:Start with a story.
Ange Lyons:Tell people about who you are and what you do and tell that story.
Ange Lyons:So I start with my newsletter, um, I'm going to be, my shameless
Ange Lyons:plug now, um, Font Love Friday and other designery things.
Ange Lyons:I always start the beginning of my newsletter with a little bit
Ange Lyons:of a story and then I'll tie in a font or something designery around
Ange Lyons:that, but people always like.
Ange Lyons:People do mail me and say, Oh, that's so cool.
Ange Lyons:Or I didn't know you did that.
Ange Lyons:Or I'm going to tell my friend about that.
Ange Lyons:And then, or I'm going to put this person in touch with that person.
Ange Lyons:I'm like, wow, to see what the power of a newsletter did.
Ange Lyons:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:to mind that I will, again, I usually start with a short
Jon Clayton:story and it's usually just what is like the most interesting thing that
Jon Clayton:I did that week, something like that.
Jon Clayton:So something a little bit personal and then it will sort
Jon Clayton:of segue into something of value.
Jon Clayton:So you shall then just usually share the podcast episode
Jon Clayton:and maybe some key takeaways.
Jon Clayton:And then it will just usually end with.
Jon Clayton:Some kind of call to action.
Jon Clayton:So it might just be to book a chat with me or to tell your friends about
Jon Clayton:the newsletter, you know, see if they want to sign up, or it might be that
Jon Clayton:if I've got a product or a service that we're in the process of launching
Jon Clayton:that you go and click here and learn more or sign up, that sort of thing.
Jon Clayton:So it's pretty simple, really.
Jon Clayton:Um, And it is, you know, it's a good way to kind of stay in touch with people.
Jon Clayton:Cool.
Jon Clayton:So, Angela, there's one other question that I wanted to ask, and
Jon Clayton:it's nothing to do with freelancing.
Jon Clayton:I love to travel and to discover new places, and I was just wondering if you
Jon Clayton:could tell me about one of your favourite places and what you love about it.
Ange Lyons:That's so hard.
Jon Clayton:Yeah, I know, just one, but it can be near or far.
Jon Clayton:It doesn't have to, doesn't have to be somewhere exotic if you don't want to.
Jon Clayton:It could just be the end of the street.
Ange Lyons:That's really hard because I have so many.
Ange Lyons:you know what?
Ange Lyons:It's going to be exotic.
Ange Lyons:It's going to be St.
Ange Lyons:Lucia.
Ange Lyons:And that's where my parents are from.
Ange Lyons:And I went when I was 12 years old for the first time and I was just blown away.
Ange Lyons:First of all, I was blown away by the heat.
Ange Lyons:I got off the plane, I didn't even get off the plane.
Ange Lyons:I was like, what is this heat?
Ange Lyons:And then I got off the plane, met my family and saw the beauty
Ange Lyons:of the land, the sea colour.
Ange Lyons:Um, the people are just so, just warm.
Ange Lyons:Um, there's a rainforest, if you want to go and explore that.
Ange Lyons:There's um, a non active volcano.
Ange Lyons:And um, it's just such a beautiful island.
Ange Lyons:It's so small, it's such a tiny little island.
Ange Lyons:I mean we travel thousands of miles away from England to get there.
Ange Lyons:But you can go around St Lucia in a day.
Ange Lyons:You literally can.
Ange Lyons:You can drive around it in a day, which I have done before.
Ange Lyons:Um, but there's various points where you see different islands, different
Ange Lyons:Caribbean islands, and it's just, it's so green and the sea is aqua
Ange Lyons:blue and I just, I, I've got family there still, um, and I just love it.
Ange Lyons:I just love St Lucia.
Ange Lyons:And I know also Hotel Chocolat.
Ange Lyons:I've got their hotel there.
Ange Lyons:I haven't quite got the budget to go to that yet, but maybe one day.
Ange Lyons:Um, but yeah, I was, um, It was so hard picking St Lucia, but I'd say
Ange Lyons:that has to be the one because it's my um, It's my heritage and my home.
Ange Lyons:Yeah.
Jon Clayton:amazing.
Jon Clayton:It's like we're recording this in December and it's quite kind
Jon Clayton:of dreary and grey outside.
Jon Clayton:And, um, yeah, just thinking about that kind of warm Caribbean
Jon Clayton:sun and the sand and the sea.
Jon Clayton:Oh, yeah.
Ange Lyons:food the fruits, the fish.
Ange Lyons:It's just, oh, the rum.
Jon Clayton:Right.
Jon Clayton:I need to kind of get on the, the travel agent site now
Jon Clayton:and just, uh, get that books.
Jon Clayton:I'm not sure what my wife would say, you know, where's our savings gone?
Jon Clayton:Don't worry.
Jon Clayton:We're going to the Caribbean.
Jon Clayton:The kids and dog will look after themselves.
Jon Clayton:Brilliant.
Jon Clayton:So Ange, um, if people would like to connect with you, where would
Jon Clayton:be the best place to do that?
Ange Lyons:Yeah, sure.
Ange Lyons:Um, LinkedIn, I'd love if they want to connect on LinkedIn,
Ange Lyons:um, more than happy to.
Ange Lyons:If you send me a, if you do connect with me, tell me, um,
Ange Lyons:how you, where you heard me.
Ange Lyons:So tell me about this podcast.
Ange Lyons:Um, and my website is lionscreative.
Ange Lyons:co.
Ange Lyons:uk.
Ange Lyons:Bye.
Ange Lyons:And you can also sign up to my newsletter if you're interested.
Ange Lyons:Um, and that comes out again, I won't bombard you.
Ange Lyons:It's, um, once a month and it's on fonts and designery things and a little bit
Ange Lyons:about me and a little bit of my work.
Ange Lyons:So yeah, those are, I'm also on Instagram and that's ange underscore lions.
Ange Lyons:Um, where I post stories of what I've been up to.
Ange Lyons:Well, I'm going to post this podcast actually in a minute.
Jon Clayton:Ah, I'll
Ange Lyons:Again, perfect marketing just to say if you want to be on
Ange Lyons:podcasts or talk to people or You know, tell people what you've been
Ange Lyons:up to, it's a good place to be.
Jon Clayton:Brilliant.
Jon Clayton:Oh, thanks so much, Ange.
Ange Lyons:Oh, thank you so much John for having me, I've really enjoyed it,
Ange Lyons:really enjoyed our chat and um, it's such a great topic to talk about and
Ange Lyons:um, I'm glad you've highlighted it, so thank you and thank you for having me.
Jon Clayton:You're welcome.
Jon Clayton:Next time I chat with copywriter, Allie Sr, about PR.
Jon Clayton:Thanks so much for listening to this episode of architecture business club.
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Jon Clayton:John Clayton.
Jon Clayton:The best place to connect with me online, though is on LinkedIn.
Jon Clayton:You can find a link to my profile in the show notes.
Jon Clayton:Remember.
Jon Clayton:Running your architecture business.
Jon Clayton:Doesn't have to be hard and you don't need to do it alone.
Jon Clayton:This is architecture business club.