If you work on a freelance basis and you're a lone wolf [I guess technically what you'd call a sole-trader, if you're being pure profesh like] / work from home, life can potentially get a little lonely during the working day.
You may speak to 10, 20, even 30 people a daily basis... but as you're pretty much chained to your laptop, the majority of these interactions are likely to be virtual, remote conversations; via apps and / or phone calls. Ya pals are likely to have different shift patterns and availability than you, your other half may well work in an office block an hour away & arrive home knackered every night just at the time your creative juices start flowing... generally - in terms of social shiz, freelance life [depending on how you manage it] can be pretty awkward. Which is the general consensus I've got when speaking to my other self-employed huns about their experiences, too.
Where most people work 9-5 type shifts & are able to switch off at the end of the day [unless your job is insanely sh*t / stressful & you end up bringing work home with you - and kween, I've been there like 😷], self-employed #girlbosses can find themselves working all kinds of hours, all days of the week... cos where do you switch off, and how do you draw a line under your day when your office is your front-room, your bed, your desk in your bedroom?
Something I tried for a short while - and loved, was working from a co-working office space; a concept which offers freelancers, start-ups and small businesses an opportunity to reap the benefits of a larger workspace; with amenities, internet, plugs, meeting rooms, coffee, sometimes dogs, networking events and social activities... even things like Office Christmas Parties... something you defo miss out on as a lone wolf.
A desk-space to come to each day - a kitchen area to have small-talk with other like-minded individuals, a place to discuss ideas with people of all different backgrounds & expertise; collaboration central. A more professional place to meet your clients than round ya Ma's kitchen table. People to befriend, to moan too when that client is late paying your invoice. Again. After work drinks, a postal address the Yodel courier can't claim to have 'not been able to find'... and a way to differentiate between work and leisure time. So many benefits.
You may speak to 10, 20, even 30 people a daily basis... but as you're pretty much chained to your laptop, the majority of these interactions are likely to be virtual, remote conversations; via apps and / or phone calls. Ya pals are likely to have different shift patterns and availability than you, your other half may well work in an office block an hour away & arrive home knackered every night just at the time your creative juices start flowing... generally - in terms of social shiz, freelance life [depending on how you manage it] can be pretty awkward. Which is the general consensus I've got when speaking to my other self-employed huns about their experiences, too.
Where most people work 9-5 type shifts & are able to switch off at the end of the day [unless your job is insanely sh*t / stressful & you end up bringing work home with you - and kween, I've been there like 😷], self-employed #girlbosses can find themselves working all kinds of hours, all days of the week... cos where do you switch off, and how do you draw a line under your day when your office is your front-room, your bed, your desk in your bedroom?
Something I tried for a short while - and loved, was working from a co-working office space; a concept which offers freelancers, start-ups and small businesses an opportunity to reap the benefits of a larger workspace; with amenities, internet, plugs, meeting rooms, coffee, sometimes dogs, networking events and social activities... even things like Office Christmas Parties... something you defo miss out on as a lone wolf.
A desk-space to come to each day - a kitchen area to have small-talk with other like-minded individuals, a place to discuss ideas with people of all different backgrounds & expertise; collaboration central. A more professional place to meet your clients than round ya Ma's kitchen table. People to befriend, to moan too when that client is late paying your invoice. Again. After work drinks, a postal address the Yodel courier can't claim to have 'not been able to find'... and a way to differentiate between work and leisure time. So many benefits.
Signature Works is a Liverpool based co-working office space [which I'd not actually heard of before, but absolutely love the sound of!] who offer flexible, serviced office spaces for Liverpool freelancers, start-ups and established businesses alike. Somewhere to definitely check out if you're based in this glorious city & relate to everything I've said in this post so far! And if you're unsure whether it'll be beneficial for you / are a bit hesitant, you can even grab a free day-pass to have a trial, to see how it goes.
It's stressful AF running your own business - there's never enough hours in the day. I have stacks of unread emails from about 12 months ago I still haven't got round to... so if I don't have time to get through these tasks, you can bet your bottom dollar I don't have it for fixing broken printers, ordering ink cartridges that cost a small fortune and fighting with the router when the Wi-Fi buggers up. I'm going to write a post about my experiences being self-employed soon, and you'll soon see how busy it all is... and learn a few things I didn't realise before taking the plunge that I've learned along the way.
But anyway. You see where I'm going with this - a serviced office takes the stress of all this away; taking care of everything from cleaning to catering... like having your own office, just with none of the responsibility. Which is such a feeling of relief. I feel stretched so thin sometimes with everything I'm trying to juggle... it's nice to have someone else take care of all the little things and clears a shedload of worry from your mind.
Not only that, but Signature Works Liverpool provide their members with an insane number of benefits... including gym memberships, networking events, advertising, business support, fast Wi-Fi, social get-togethers and much more.... including their Signature Privilege Card, which offers discounts & other bonuses at over 100 businesses within the area [including some of my fave bars & eateries - and some friends' businesses too!]
I love the community of freelancers, start-ups and independent businesses in Liverpool - I've been lucky enough to meet so many inspirational people in these sectors through various events I've attended, and through different projects I've worked on. Co-working office spaces like Signature Works are an incredibly positive part of this network and in acting like a business incubator for those just starting out trying to carve out their own careers, and I strongly recommend them. From the bottom of me heart.
It's stressful AF running your own business - there's never enough hours in the day. I have stacks of unread emails from about 12 months ago I still haven't got round to... so if I don't have time to get through these tasks, you can bet your bottom dollar I don't have it for fixing broken printers, ordering ink cartridges that cost a small fortune and fighting with the router when the Wi-Fi buggers up. I'm going to write a post about my experiences being self-employed soon, and you'll soon see how busy it all is... and learn a few things I didn't realise before taking the plunge that I've learned along the way.
But anyway. You see where I'm going with this - a serviced office takes the stress of all this away; taking care of everything from cleaning to catering... like having your own office, just with none of the responsibility. Which is such a feeling of relief. I feel stretched so thin sometimes with everything I'm trying to juggle... it's nice to have someone else take care of all the little things and clears a shedload of worry from your mind.
Not only that, but Signature Works Liverpool provide their members with an insane number of benefits... including gym memberships, networking events, advertising, business support, fast Wi-Fi, social get-togethers and much more.... including their Signature Privilege Card, which offers discounts & other bonuses at over 100 businesses within the area [including some of my fave bars & eateries - and some friends' businesses too!]
I love the community of freelancers, start-ups and independent businesses in Liverpool - I've been lucky enough to meet so many inspirational people in these sectors through various events I've attended, and through different projects I've worked on. Co-working office spaces like Signature Works are an incredibly positive part of this network and in acting like a business incubator for those just starting out trying to carve out their own careers, and I strongly recommend them. From the bottom of me heart.
Now to sign up! Have you ever worked from a hot-desk or serviced office? How was your experience?
*Sponsored post, but all opinions and experiences shared are very much my own
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