When this blog was in its infancy, I wrote a post about my first month of freelancing and how it all went. I don’t know what happened between now and then (I blinked), but we’re suddenly three years down the line and still going strong. Here’s a quick summary of each year, with all its ups and downs.

First year – 2022

What I probably didn’t mention after my first successful month of freelancing was that it went quite quiet after that, and I was stuck inside for most of January because we had to self-isolate. The upside was that although I had Covid, I wasn’t feeling too bad, and I had plenty of time to do some prospecting. One of my favourite brands posted a job ad on LinkedIn, and I really went for it with a creative application and later a successful test task. I passed, and started working with them as a freelancer in February (still do today).

It wasn’t always plain sailing like this. I had a lot of ‘chats’ with people, many of which came to nothing. But around March two of these chats did come to something, and I began project managing for two clients. A couple of months after that one of my now regular translation clients got in touch out of the blue and began sending me regular projects. In the space of a few months, I’d gone from nothing to everything. I realised something had to give, so I stopped working for one of my project management clients in late summer. By autumn, the translation work was still creeping up and up, and project management was intensifying. I also had a two-year-old who was not yet in nursery. I got stressed, but didn’t actually do anything about it. That was year one’s mistake.

I ended year one successfully in the sense that I’d got a few regular clients and had surpassed all my income goals, but in reality, I was a bit of a wreck and had made myself ill. I spent Christmas burnt out and horizontal. I saw the new year in with a couple of friends and they asked me what I wanted to accomplish in 2023. My kneejerk response was “work less”. The universe responded ten days later.

Onwards to 2023

My second year seemingly didn’t get off to a great start as I lost my remaining project management client at the beginning of January. I didn’t expect this to happen, so it was a major hit in income. However, to give myself credit where credit is due, I think I reacted well and took the right course of action. The first thing I did was tell my existing clients that I had more availability and they came through for me with extra work. I also upped my marketing efforts and quickly found more clients. But most importantly I had enough headspace to realise this was a blessing in disguise because I couldn’t continue the rate I was going. The first few months of 2023 were fairly low in terms of income, but also better than the year before, so I was positive.

By late spring I was working with another project management client for a few hours a week, and things were looking up. Then an agency I worked for got in touch because they liked my writing style, and asked me to write some resources for them. When summer hit I got some whopper translation projects and had my highest earning months to date. The year continued to be busy and I got another regular client in November. I learned my lesson from the previous year and managed to get to December without having a menty b. I also managed to match the previous year’s income. I’m really proud of last year’s me for getting myself back on track.

Almost through 2024

During 2023-2024 Christmas break, I got tonsilitis for the first time in my life. I’m sorry to anyone who’s tonsilitis I’ve never taken seriously before because that was horrendous. So, despite my best efforts, I didn’t go into 2024 well-rested. And a weird thing happened. After over a decade working as a project manager, I began actively disliking it. I also felt like it was holding me back from being able to take on more translation and copywriting projects. At the end of January, I decided to stop. I gave my project management client advanced notice that I would leave by March-ish.

Given the context of the year (with the threat of AI), some might say it was a bit of a risk to let go of regular work. But by then I had a couple of years of translation and copywriting experience under my belt. I rebranded myself as a translator and copywriter (instead of a translator and project manager) and I increased my rates to reflect my experience.

When I was quiet the year before, I had spent time writing articles for professional organisations for free – meaning I had a portfolio of published work to show potential clients. All this, as well as a bit of word-of-mouth, meant that direct clients began flowing in. Another unexpected way I’ve got business was by telling my existing clients about the other services I offer. A localisation/copywriting client didn’t realise I was also a translator. They’ve sent me a few projects since I mentioned this to them. Some of my translation clients are also coming to me for copywriting requests, with an added bonus for them being that I can be briefed in either French or English.

I’ve managed to keep things on an even keel this year, with a good balance between translation, copywriting, health, and home life. The year is about to draw to a close and I’m up 26% on last year’s earnings.

What have I learned from these three years combined? Everyone told me freelance life was a rollercoaster, with plenty of ups and downs. They were spot on. I also realised not to panic, because you never know what is around the corner.

That’s all a bit poetic, so here’s some concrete advice:

• Say no if you can’t do something to the best of your ability. Saying yes and doing a half-baked job will be more damaging to your business long term.
• Keep getting your name out there. Stay in touch with clients, and make sure you’re at the top of people’s mind next time they might need your services.
• Get ready to change and evolve. You won’t get anywhere if you stay still.
• Keep learning new skills and stay on top of your existing ones through CPD.
• Start lining up clients and jobs in advance for security (I’m currently looking at ways to fill February – March).

Wishing you all the best for the end of 2024, and a successful 2025 to come!