Ten months in: some big learnings so far

I started drafting this blog post back in March. This year has been a total whirlwind – it's safe to say I have learned a lot. It's been a really hard year if I'm totally honest but I wanted to write a little bit of a reflection before it gets too close to 2018.

Competition vs collaboration

In the freelance world, you might feel like you're stepping on other people's toes. I think being overly-competitive can be a really negative thing in business – you'll spend a lot of time worrying about what other people are doing rather than focussing on your own work. 

I'm glad to say that I've only had positive experiences so far. I've been working on quite a few collaborative projects and I find that it's really enjoyable working with others.

I always liked working as part of a team when I was at Yelp, and I do miss having someone to chat to about ideas from time to time. Being able to collaborate with someone – whether they're in PR or marketing means sharing that energy and coming up with some fresh, new ideas that you might not come across alone. 

The self-doubt seesaw

I came up with this analogy a while back when I was chatting to a friend who's also in the world of digital marketing.

I've always been an over-thinker. That tendency can be useful for certain types of work, like event management. I'll consider every single thing which could possibly crop up before, during and after the event, and solve those issues before they even happen.

But sometimes that self-doubt seesaw can swing too far in one direction and I'll be plonked at the bottom of the saw and unable to move. Which isn't a fun place to be!

I've now got a bargaining agreement whereby my voice of self doubt takes a nap between 9am-5pm and can come out to play once I've completed my to do list for the day. It's particularly good for when I leave a piece of work overnight and review it again in the morning.   

Do what you love

Such a cliché, I know. Earlier this year I felt a bit like my business was suffocating me. I didn't love some the work I was doing, and I felt a bit burned out. (In particular, events! I've realised the stress and worry that come with doing events just isn't worth it for me at the moment). 

I'd been doing more and more in the area of SEO and loved it so much. I didn't know if I could change my business to focus on SEO rather than events and felt like I had to stick with what I'd decided in January – marketing, events and social media. 

But then I asked some business pals what they thought and of course they said, "Yes Briony, your business should be doing what you love!" I felt like such an idiot!

So now I've updated my website, and refocused my energy and attention on doing more of what I love. I'm also doing a copywriting course because I've found that always adding to my skills is something I really enjoy and gives me a real sense of achievement. 
 

I wasn't totally sure about sharing this post but I do consider myself to be an open and honest person, so if you found it interesting/useful, please let me know! 

Cheers

Briony