The Freelancer Life: Sarah Townsend
Meet Sarah, marketing copywriter, bestselling author of Survival Skills for Freelancers, freelance speaker and mentor.
We chat to Sarah about her 20+ years of freelance life and discover her top tips for anyone thinking about making the leap into self-employment.
“As freelancers, it’s easy to feel alone, and that no one knows what we’re going through. In truth, there are tens of thousands of people in the same boat. Treating those who do the same job as you as your community – not your competition – is a game changer. ”
Hey Sarah, tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how long you have been doing it for?
I’ve been a freelance copywriter for 20+ years, helping businesses to stand out from the crowd. I’m also author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, Survival Skills for Freelancers, a speaker on all things freelance life, and a mentor for business owners needing help to boost their confidence, adopt a success mindset and achieve their goals.
Why did you first become a freelancer?
It was back in 1999. I was working full-time as an editor and account manager for a magazine publisher in Bristol and became pregnant. I knew I wanted to work part-time for a while so freelance life seemed like the right path. I’ve never considered going back into employment, and I’m still here, 21 years later, so it must’ve been the right decision!
Where’s your favourite place to work from aside from your home and why?
The lounge bar at my gym. I love it! Outside of lockdown I’m there every day. I can walk there, which gives me thinking time, fresh air and exercise, and I can get good coffee, stable wifi, and the buzz of being around other people without the interruptions of working in an office. It also means I can take a break for a workout or a swim to boost my productivity and keep me focused.
Share your struggles – what do you find hardest about working for yourself and why?
I always found boundaries and balance hard to get right. I became self-employed because I loved the idea of being my own boss but quickly found my clients were dictating what I worked on, when I worked on it, and often how much they paid me to do it!
How have you found ways to combat these parts of working for yourself?
Without clear boundaries around when work stops and home life begins it’s easy for the two to blur. Both boundaries and routine are key to achieving a healthy balance and making a success of self-employment. It’s something I talk a lot about in Survival Skills for Freelancers.
Setting boundaries often involves doing things that make us feel uncomfortable, such as learning to say no, understanding our worth and charging a rate that reflects this, and getting super clear about our terms and process – and sticking to them. Yes, these things feel hard the first time we do them but they become a lot easier with practice – and they’re a great way to boost your confidence!
Share your perks – what do you enjoy most about working for yourself and why?
As a parent, I love the fact that I never missed a school play or a sports day. I got to help out on school trips and events when my children were younger, and I’m always there when they need me. Now that I have clear boundaries I can design my week the way I want it – fitting in exercise to keep me fit, healthy and productive, and building in time to work on my business.
Other than that flexibility it’s the people and the sheer variety of work. For most freelancers, no two days are the same – and that makes life interesting. As for the people, I work with some incredible clients whose businesses make a real difference in the world, and have peers and colleagues who inspire me daily. I worked hard for my success, but I still consider myself lucky to have a job I love.
“Now that I have clear boundaries I can design my week the way I want it – fitting in exercise to keep me fit, healthy and productive, and building in time to work on my business.”
What are your top tips for anyone thinking about working for themselves?
Other than those I’ve shared elsewhere in this interview, they’re all in Survival Skills for Freelancers! I set out to write a book that 29-year-old me would’ve loved when I first became self-employed.
It deals with everything from the power of community, tackling isolation, boundaries and balance, and avoiding overwhelm and burnout to adopting the mindset of a business owner, dealing with imposter syndrome and the fear of failure, and knowing your worth and what to charge.
What are your top 3 recommendations - podcasts, books, people to follow, sources of inspiration etc. and why?
I’m a big fan of learning from those who’ve already achieved success in your field, and podcasts are a great way to get inspiration and ideas. Being Freelance, hosted by Steve Folland, and Freelance Heroes, with Ed Goodman, are a good place to start, but there are hundreds of great marketing pods out there. If you’re a writer, you’ll enjoy Stephen King’s On Writing – part writing guide part autobiography, it’s one of the most tweetable books I’ve ever read.
What role does collaboration play for you?
Community is vital. These days it’s easy to create online connections with your industry peers using social media. We have Facebook groups, Slack channels, online events, Instagram communities, Twitter chats… all great ways to connect and collaborate with your community.
As freelancers, it’s easy to feel alone, and that no one knows what we’re going through. In truth, there are tens of thousands of people in the same boat. Treating those who do the same job as you as your community – not your competition – is a game changer.
It means helping, advising and relying on one another, sharing work when we get busy, and collaborating on exciting projects, Most of all, it helps to remove the isolation from freelance life, and means we always have support from someone who gets it.
What do you love to do? What makes you tick and what do you simply love doing?
I love taking messy, sometimes complex documents – often things clients have spent weeks putting together and have become completely stuck on – and transforming them into something clear, concise and effective. It’s like a jigsaw. So satisfying!
Since publishing Survival Skills for Freelancers I’ve discovered that I love guesting on podcasts. Before then, I’d never have had the confidence to be interviewed, let alone without having questions in advance! Now, I find it energising. I’ve done over 30 so far and had some fantastic conversations.
In my personal life, I’m a big movie fan. I keep a list of every film I watch and rate them out of 10. I watched over 100 films last year and can often be found geeking out over direction, production values, aesthetic and soundtrack with my 18-year-old son! Because I spend so much time watching movies I used to feel I had no time to read but that’s changed this year. I began starting and ending every day with 30 minutes of reading and I’ve finished 16 books so far. Not bad for March!
What are you really good at? What’s your marketing superpower?
My superpower is what I mentioned above – creating effective and compelling copy often from the roughest of starting points. I love that challenge! Other than that, my clients are often wowed by the fact that I can articulate their story and their purpose simply by asking the right questions, and that I make the process of working with a copywriter a breeze. They know I’m a safe pair of hands for their marketing. That’s a good thing to know.
What is the best project you’ve worked on since going freelance?
I’ve worked on some exciting copywriting projects over the years – one for a superyacht client was an all-time favourite. Overall, though, it has to be the achievement of self-publishing Survival Skills for Freelancers. It was an incredibly steep learning curve but the fact that it’s already made a difference to so many people’s lives has made it worthwhile.
What were you doing this time last year? What have you learnt or how have you changed since then?
Oh my – so much has changed since then! This time last year I had just finished my first draft of Survival Skills for Freelancers and had sent it to my team of beta readers for comment. I remember meeting a friend for drinks at the Malmaison in Cheltenham and being on a total high!
My biggest learning point in the past year was that you don’t just write and self-publish a book then go back to the day job! Becoming a bestselling author has changed so much for me.
The best thing is getting emails from people who’ve read the book and tell me it’s changed their life – that they’ve become more confident in themselves and their business as a result, or even that they’ve taken the leap into self-employment after thinking about it for years. That blows my mind.
“The best thing is getting emails from people who’ve read the book and tell me it’s changed their life”
If you’re considering self-employment there are tons of podcast interviews, press articles and live events relating to freelance life on Sarah’s website, and you can buy Survival Skills for Freelancers on Amazon.
Want to learn more about Sarah? Visit her websites sarahtownsendeditorial.co.uk AND survivalskillsforfreelancers.com and give her a follow on Twitter @stecopywriting, Instagram @thecopywritersday and @stecopywriting or LinkedIn @sarahtownsendeditorial.
