EPISODE 09
The freelance life is often portrayed as the ultimate expression of career freedom, a chance to master your craft on your own terms. But this expression is not without its challenges. It requires both introspection of what one values as well as a conscious choice to capture that freedom. Today I'm catching up with two remarkable individuals who have not only achieved what they once thought an unattainable dream but have also created a life and environment where their independence thrives.
Welcome to Freedom Unscripted with Kate and Annabelle Margolis.
Nice to see you.
Hi, how's it going?
So good to be at Chez Margolis.
Chez Margolis!
Right Milo, you're going to show me around.
So this is the dining room and the kitchen.
This is so good. Did you know that this was the place?
Even though it wasn't decorated, it just kind of hugged us. We were silent actually. I think you wandered in here. I wandered upstairs and we both actually end up meeting at the top of the house and went so what do you think? And we just went no, this is it. This is it.
We always say that feeling When you get off the train. It's like, unless you live it, it's really difficult to explain it, but it's like this...
EMBRACING THE CALM
I don't think I realised just how angry I was actually living in London. Getting on a tube uptight, on edge, constantly looking over my shoulder and I've just got to that age now where I appreciate the calm so much more than that chaos. And coming back here is such a huge relief.
I think for me, if I'm having a day where I need a little bit more inspiration, a few more ideas, I have no problems now going for a walk, and we've got fields behind us, and sometimes Kate will come with me and I'll just bounce things off her and we'll kind of crack whatever it was.
LIFE IS FOR LIVING
And you've got all the way to, that's the office.
That's the office. Bit of oregano here.
You guys are living the life!
So when we first got it we put a desk on each side. This was about two years ago. And then we realised that Kate wasn't coming up as much. I needed a lot of quiet for my writing. So recently we kind of relinquished the two-person office and now I'm kind of facing into the garden instead of the wall.
I think you're being really kind there. I think the true story is more that Anna can't stand me being on meetings and I can't deal with the tap, tap, taps.
I write incredibly fast.
That was a proper power move.
Yeah, but I actually think it works better for one person now that we've remodelled it and we've changed the desks around.
It kind of separates the house, because I think what I struggled with during the pandemic is, like most people, we didn't have a desk, we didn't have room, we just had to be on the table. So, yeah, now that I can kind of leave the house behind, do work in here and then kind of shut the door at the end of the day. It's really good, really, really good.
And he always has to join me. He will tap on the back door. I'll get a message from Kate on Slack, he's coming.
So there's enough separation that you communicate on Slack?
Yeah, sometimes a call, sometimes a flashlight actually. If it gets dark and she wants my attention, she'll just do that from the kitchen.
We've had a couple of friends come and work here, which has been amazing actually. Some friends that we've convinced to go freelance have come and spent a long weekend here and top and tailed working days. They can see how much fun we have as creative freelancers and they also can see how much hard work we put into it.
This isn't a nine to five clock off. You know, Anna and I work long hours and sometimes weekends. So it doesn't come without its fair share of hard work, but the rewards for being a freelancer, I think, are much higher.
SOLOPRENEURSHIP AND MENTAL HEALTH
As Anna mentioned, behind the gardens, it just goes into fields, literally into nothing. We're really lucky that we can just step outside our front door and turn left or right and walk for 20 minutes, 40 minutes, an hour.
How have you guys managed your own mental health?
When you're your own boss it can become quite hard to navigate mental health because you feel guilty for taking time off.
And if you're not careful you can very quickly get on that slippery slide down into being in a bit of a burnout that affects the mind, affects the work, affects your relationships that you have.
Mine and Anna's relationship has 100% strengthened since we've come out here. We're not suffering so much with kind of anxiety or, you know, burnout. You and I both take on probably more now. We've got more mental capacity to be able to do that.
I think what's nice is being in control of having the option. I think that's what's really liberating - to be able to choose, this is where I want to be comfortable today. Or I'm missing that interaction, I'm missing that inspiration, I'm going to go and be with people in the office.
STARTING THE FREELANCE JOURNEY
I really want to ask you about starting out as a freelancer. What advice would you give either a young person who's just entering the workforce or maybe someone older that's thinking about taking the leap?
Don't assume it's going to be easy and I know that sounds harsh but I think a lot of people see the freedom aspect of it and think you can pick and choose your days, you can work on these amazing projects and I think they think it's very, very straightforward. So I think going into it with your eyes open, learning, speaking to as many people as you can.
There's always a new piece of software, a new way of doing something, or a new way to design, and design is very similar to fashion. It changes constantly. And the only way to really be fully on top of that is to be immersed in your industry.
So for me, it's about talking to people who are not just above me in terms of experience and leadership, but also those who are coming up from the bottom who are fresh out of university and have these incredible ideas.
I think anyone who's becoming a freelancer, I think one of the biggest things is work on your own brand.
How you present yourself, it's not just about the portfolio, it's your conduct in meetings, your presenting, if you're sharing your screen it's just little things about what you have up. You know how you talk to people and your level of engagement.
Because that's the stuff that people remember, right? Potential clients, your current clients.
Yeah. And I think for both of us we go above and beyond on the communication side of things, so not just making sure that we're chatting to people throughout the day on the jobs but wrapping up, thanking them for the opportunity, never kind of just going in and going out.
KNOW YOUR WORTH
Obviously you've been freelancers for a very long time and you've taken to it like a duck to water. Can you touch on how your life has enabled so much more in as a freelancer?
For us the biggest takeaway of freelance is not just being able to be in control of your own career destiny, it's also enabled us to be financially free but ultimately we've been able to build a life for ourselves where we've got a good financial platform now to do some of the things that we wanted to do - renovations on the house, travel to places we've wanted to go ages.
We're not confined to a particular yearly wage. We can dial up and dial down at any time. You kind of have to become a business. You have to work out what your time is worth and how you use your time wisely so that it pays you back. And that's not easy. But I think, is there a secret sauce. There is like a formula to it. I think once you figure out what that formula is. You get to a point where you just get it right.
And I think also once you know your worth. I think that's the other side of it.
That's really important.
Yeah, absolutely. If you know how much you're worth and you're prepared to stand by that worth and you present with confidence to the people that you're working with that, no, this is what I charge and you know financially what you want to gain out of that transaction - that's also part of the formula.
But the nature of freelancing is that sometimes there are peaks and troughs and there are lean times. How have you managed those lean times, if you've had any?
When I do have those lean times, I love to send prospective emails to people. I'm that person that will, instead of applying for something through LinkedIn the traditional way, I'll hunt down someone's email address, send my portfolio and say if you need someone I'd love to help with your copy.
I did a big blast last year in winter, sent 50 emails and got many no's but I got one yes. And it's you led to a lot of work this year. Whereas I think some people are a bit scared to do it I think unless you put yourself out there.
Yeah and that's part of the hustle right? You have to learn how to hustle because no one's going to hustle for you.
Exactly.
Apart from my personal garden office envy, the most striking thing to me about Kate and Annabel's story is their unwavering support for each other on their shared freelance journey. Ask any independent professional, and they'll tell you this path can be as fulfilling as it is isolating. Yet together, their individual spirit within this new environment they've built results in collective success. And it's clear to me they're not looking back.
Thank you for joining me on another exploration of freedom and the freelance life.
- fin
