Goodies from 'future of work is freelance' at Vivid 2017
Hello
Wowee- our June 7th event was trip, was it not?
Rebekah here from ‘the future of work is freelance’ event you attended as part of Vivid Ideas.
We managed to cram 70 people into the back of Pasta Emilia. That’s amazing- and it was amazing seeing so many of you start conversations and make a new buddy in the process.
You may recall I started my talk by saying the event almost didn’t happen. You also recall a woman calling things out while I did so. Awkward!
The drama behind the scenes was that I had rung to confirm numbers the day before the event only to find the venue had essentially been double booked because the artist I was meant to share space with had taken it over instead. The gallery owner was in a mad scramble to find something else but it looked pretty grim. It was a bit like a badly written Neighbours plot with a lot of blaming, under-cooked back story and silliness.
You can imagine that terrible sinking feeling I had about letting people know last minute that the venue had disappeared from underneath us. And the furious calls I made to Monica, Lara and the Destination NSW team to try and save the event.
Fortunately, the gallery owner got us into Pasta Emilia at the last minute. That was great and I am grateful to the restaurant for hosting us. And I am supremely grateful that you all conducted yourself professionally and worked with us under the circumstances. Even as the venue owner tried to disrupt my talk. Awkward x 1000!
Anyway, screw the drama. The main thing is we managed to get it together, despite the hiccups and roadblocks. It was like a mini version of what it can be like to be a freelancer. Sometimes, you've just gotta strap on your boots and keep putting one foot in front of the other until you get somewhere promising.
Thank you very much for being so amenable and accommodating. It was a blood pumping 48hrs and your attitudes made all the difference. I was worried about cranky people and the close nature of it all. You all surprised me with love, charity and understanding. It was a defining moment that proved there is indeed a freelance community in Australia.
Now, the fun stuff you need!
Monica has plenty of things to help you get your stuff sorted
Monica was our first speaker and was revving you up mainly about money.
Superannuation for Contractors: If you are a contractor, it's possible you're entitled to be paid superannuation - yes, for real! You can also watch a video and check out the ATO’s decision tool here: https://www.ato.gov.au/Calculators-and-tools/Employee-or-contractor/
Unpaid Workers: The Fair Work Ombudsman has started cracking down on unpaid workers so it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re compliant if you are unpaid, or using unpaid workers.
- A formal work experience arrangement that is part of an education or training course is OK, as long as you have made a formal plan with the institution in question.
- Otherwise the best rule to consider is who is benefitting from the unpaid work – if the worker is getting the most amount of benefit from the work, then chances are the arrangement is OK.
You can download a fact sheet here: http://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/policies-and-guides/fact-sheets/unpaid-work/unpaid-work
Cost Benefit Analysis: Working out whether or not something is worthwhile in terms of both hard and soft costs and benefits, is really important. Please see the attached for more information.
Meeting and chatting and learning, too: Creative Plus Business run an awesome group called the Sandpit. Check out the details and RSVP for the Sandpit now.
And don’t forget if you are a creative, you may be able to take advantage of the Business Connect 4 hrs of advice and coaching. More details are available on the Creative Plus Business website.
Cameron’s 4 tenets to good business development are now yours to behold
Cameron was our 2nd speaker and his aim was to help you create strong bus dev opportunities
1. Do/Pitch the work you love. If there's no demand for it, create it. If you can't create it, pivot.
2. Embrace grunt work. Easy wins are a blessing.
3. Spread a message, not a pitch. Make up in numbers what you lack in skill.
4. Do deals like Tywyn Lannister, not Donald Trump
Pitch formula:
"I’m a (occupation), who mainly works with (target customer) to solve (problem 1) and/or (problem 2)."
Case in point:
"I’m a Print Designer, who mainly works with small business owners who need assistance in designing promotional materials such as brochures, banners and stationery."
Insurance and professional membership: Oh, and if you are looking for insurance that helps your freelance business and to avoid issues if you are sued, check out Freelance Australia’s relationship with Aon on the FA website.
Want more advice and wisdom from Cameron? You can catch him at Freelance Australia. Have a drink or a coffee with him in Melbourne or Mornington Peninsula.
Rebekah (that’s me) wants you to indulge a little self-care
Rebekah was the 3rd speaker and is a complete nut about stress reduction and freelance advocacy
Come chat and play. The first place you can go is the Freelance Jungle Facebook group. It’s a private group of 2000+ people sharing insights, ideas and advice daily. You can also check out the blog- it’s new but it’s getting there.
Meditate on all kinds of elements of your business. Channel some calm, inner peace while you think. Take advantage of these 9 minute business meditations. They are all free to stream or download.
Join me for a pain point clinic. If you have some short term issues you want to get over, you can take advantage of my business coaching service. It’s usually $99 for the hour but if you mention Vivid, I’ll give you a 1.5 hour session for the same price. It’s the least I can do for the patience you extended the other day!
SPECIAL IDEA- Workshops to solve your pain. I’m planning to solve the most common pain points and curly situations we don’t often address found with freelancers in a 3 day workshop. I will be operating it in Sydney, Melbourne and other cities and towns (demand dependent).
DAY 1 biz dev & pitching & marketing without feeling like a jerk on day
DAY 2 managing difficult clients and client situations (e.g. getting paid on time etc)
DAY 3 in case of emergency - so looking at preparing against physical disasters (e.g. tech and natural disaster impacts), business disasters (e.g. social media disasters & PR issues) plus practical support like in the event of ill-health, injury & sorting things out business wise for your family in event of death.
It’ll be small group of no more than 15 people so you can get individual attention. Plus you can pick all 3 days or whatever days suit you.
Day cost is $250. All 3 days will be $600. If you are keen to know more, register your interest via this link.
Want a home loan or to refinance what you have? I’ve just had the best experience with a mortgage broker that is happy to help freelancers get their home or a better deal on their current mortgage. Contact Surf 2 Summit Mortgages of Merimbula and tell Deb that Bek sent you. Honestly, they got me into a wonderful pain free mortgage in 2 weeks from the first bit of paperwork! http://surf2summitmortgages.com.au/
Destination NSW (the guys that produce the entire Vivid festival) want to hear from you.
DNSW need you to complete a short online survey based on your experience at the event.
The survey should take around 5 minutes to complete. Please click here to complete the survey.
All fully completed surveys will go into the draw to win one of five $100 Coles Myer gift vouchers.
The survey will close at midnight, 9 July 2017. All the information you provide will be confidential and used for analysis purposes only, and your responses will not be identified in any way.
That’s a wrap, folks.
Got questions? Send an email back to this one and I’ll endeavour to help you out!
Thanks again for your patience and attendance,
Rebekah Lambert (and the rest of the rad people I shared a stage with at Vivid Ideas)