• People are genuinely so kind and really want to help - thank you to all of those people who took time out of their busy lives to speak to me on the phone, emailed or met up with me!

• Everything takes SO much longer than you think it will - you have to have patience.

• You HAVE to be proactive & resilient. For the people who I have had responses from, there have been HUNDREDS who I haven’t. 

• If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

• Marketing is KEY - something I need lots more work at.

• It’s really hard to find and KEEP clients. Life is busy & things change. It’s no ones fault, it’s just much harder than you might think.

• It’s about who you know! Start by reaching out to connections you already have.

• Networking, networking, networking!

• Having a variety of different freelance jobs makes it all fun & exciting!

• How special it is when someone messages to tell me something positive about what I’m doing. I am my own boss & I am my only colleague so I don’t get much praise! (I also don’t ever get into trouble which is nice!)

But the main thing I’ve learnt is just how important it is (& was for me) to make a change when things were difficult.

It doesn’t need to be drastic but if you can identify a problem(s) or patterns, then what can you do about it to change them?

I am SO much happier. I am well slept, I am able to socialise & I have my confidence in my professional ability back. I feel like ME again.

I still have a long way to go - there are still lots of things in the pipe line and so many lessons to be learnt, but I am HAPPY & so I am prepared to take it all on!

21st May 2024