Freelance coaching and mentoring is an important part of the self-employment journey. When you first start freelancing, it helps to have an ally to support you and answer questions. Starting out, you’ll face issues like how to set and enforce your terms and conditions. Project management might need some work. Maybe finding work is something you need to finesse. These are all normal stages of the freelance journey.
Practical needs such as sorting out accounting and tax, developing a website and/or online presence, marketing yourself, troubleshooting issues, tiger taming difficult clients and more all become part of the process. While the Freelance Jungle is a fantastic repository for information, here is another time that freelance coaching may help you avoid the pitfalls and ace the challenges.
Once your business matures, you might want to refine the kinds of services you offer. Maybe, it might be a case of working through product development. You might set your sights on creating new audiences, re-segmenting the market and more. Businesses pivot, offerings change, and we grow as our freelance experience does.
If you continue to grow and stay within the freelance realm, many freelancers transition side projects into money-making ventures. Events, workshops and courses become common endeavours. Some build their desire into outsourcing, agencies and growing into a company. Others work on creative projects or turn their hand to start-up ideas.
The beautiful thing about freelancing is that you get to choose your own adventure. The difficult thing is knowing where to go for the help you need.
Enter freelance coaching
Since 2010, the Freelance Jungle has been collecting some super cool connections. The founder, Rebekah Lambert, has already begun business coaching and helping all kinds of freelancers with their marketing, product development, rebranding, business development and more. Mostly, it’s been about confidence building and helping with connections. Being the freelance concierge and tapping people into resources and networks has been a cornerstone of the process.
This is being extended today with formalised freelance coaching by the Freelance Jungle
Handpicked freelancers known for their knowledge, pedigree and ability have been asked as a first wave and trial of freelance coaching experts for the Freelance Jungle. As it is a trial, we’ve limited the services offered to select individuals based on need.
We’ve also set a price of $149 + GST for the hour. This price is well below what other business coaches may charge. The reason for choosing this price point is three-fold:
- The freelance coaching program is essentially in beta testing, so we want to be able to test the idea with volume first to see results and build all the usual things such as good will, testimonials and an understanding of what Australian freelancers need
- We know that part of the market is people that are new to freelancing and/or may be stuck as they attempt to shift gears. By providing a lower price point, we’re trying to reach the freelancers that need the services the most that might not be able to make large investments until these hurdles are overcome
- It allows for a one-off pain point style freelance coaching relationship. Not having minimum session commitments or exceedingly high prices means that you can gain professional advice to move your freelance business forward that is not based on what the coach wants to sell but what you need. It offers greater ability to customise the support
Why would you take advantage of freelance coaching?
- If you want clarity on an aspect of your business from someone that understand the freelance world
- If you need advice from a practising and registered professional
- If you have a cool new idea for a product, course, service etc but you are unsure where to start and need some guidance
- If you aren’t sure what your business stands for re: niche, personality, offerings and/or marketing and want to refocus with help
- You’ve faced a challenge recently that could do with some specialist care
Curious about the services we have available under freelance coaching?
Our first round of freelance coaches deals with some common areas where Freelance Jungle members need that special bit of care.
We’ve got animation and film with Hayley Rollason-Jones, Business Coaching with Rebekah Lambert, assistance with accounting related topics with Holly Shoebridge, navigating intellectual property with Jarrod Ward, publishing and author advice with Haylee Nash and sponsorship coaching and partnership wrangling with Emily Copeland.
Prices are set at $149 + GST (so $163.90) for the hour, follow up notes and recorded session. This is well below market rate for similar freelance coaching services.