Eat your own dog food is a common phrase in the startup world. I've used it in countless pitches, presentations, and onboarding sessions. But for me, it's also been a consistent theme to my life and career - ie. Practice what you preach.
In 2023 I decided to leave the company I founded over a decade ago. A company that by most people's definition was both successful and impactful. But what do you do when after 11 years, you feel yourself straying from your original vision of building a purpose-driven business for freelancers? For me, it was time to eat my own dog food again and return to the life I espoused to world - freelancing. This time to help shape how organisations build and execute a better freelance strategy and foster a greater sense of community for those people who choose to be tactically deployed because they value their independence whilst still delivering the highest quality work. There is real treasure here for companies if they can properly harness the power of these independent professionals.
But a funny thing happened when I returned to being a freelancer. The emotions I felt early in my career are the same as I'm now having today.
- Am I good enough?
- Do I have the stomach for this?
- How will I protect my mental health?
- Will I have to DM potential clients to an inch of my life?
- But most of all - am I willing to put my career/future/livelihood where my mouth is?
Now I don't know the answer to all of those questions yet but the response to the last one is "hell yes!".
Because here's what I do know - the underlying motivation for my life and career has never changed. Like so many other freelancers I have met throughout my career, I want to have more control over what I do and who I do it with. And this is worth relentlessly pursuing.
The story is not fully written and the unexpected journey (holler fellow Tolkien nerds) is still a work-in-progress but I can't deny I'm excited. I believe in the freelance life. I believe that amongst all the pain and uncertainty, the external factors that I have no control over, the feast or famine considerations, a person's desire for freedom and living life on their own terms is an undeniable and captivating force.
And if you were to ask me what the main motivation for Freedom Unscripted Films is - it's a celebration of that force from people who don't look that different from you and me.
Viva la (freelance) revolución, onwards and upwards, and every other relevant catchphrase in between!
