This Freelance Insights interview features digital marketing coach Alice Benham.

I started following Alice on Instagram when someone shared one of her hilarious Instagram stories. That’s one of her favourite places to hang out, and she told me she loves it when people send her voice DMs too - any excuse to start a conversation.

On that subject, Alice runs a podcast called Starting The Conversation. It’s all about speaking really honestly about the reality of running a business. Find the podcast wherever you normally listen!

Alice sends out emails to her subscribers every two weeks, which she describes as like diary entries of her experience running a business. Click the button further down this page if you’re interested in receiving that.

I loved chatting with Alice - she is warm, honest, and funny, and I can only imagine how great it would be to have her as your coach.

How do you describe what you do for work?

My classic intro is that I'm a digital marketing coach, podcast host, and retreat host, which is a lot of words without much explanation! So what that means is I help business owners and entrepreneurs level up what they do and get more intentional and more sustainable with the way they show up online.

What's your favourite thing about working freelance?

It might sound a bit corny, but it's the ability to wake up every day and think "I have an opportunity today to become a better, more impactful version of myself". I would love to say that I started my business to help others, and while that is now part of my why, it definitely started as just an excuse for me to challenge myself and see how far I could push myself. I love the ability to push the boundaries of what I think is possible every day, whether for me or within my industry.

Where do you usually work from?

I always joke that my main two offices are my desk and my car, which is remarkably comfy! I'm either at my desk, which is for coaching or doing admin, or I spend a lot of my time travelling around because I host a podcast that needs recording every week and I always meet my clients in person for the first time. So I spend quite a lot of my week here, there, and everywhere!

What does a normal working day look like for you?

I tend to wake up at about 6am. I hate saying that because people probably think I'm one of those entrepreneurs who says you have to wake up early, but it works for me! I go for a run, purely because if I don't do it at the start of the day then I never do it, and then I take a cold shower. It's like my focused head, forcing myself to do something I never want to do, thing that I do in the morning and it starts my day off in a good way! I'm usually at my desk by about 8am and I don't have any meetings until 10am, so for those first two hours I'll do my priority work. Then I spend the rest of the day coaching, recording podcast episodes, and doing all the admin that comes along with running a business. My brain's like mush in the afternoon, so I don't tend to work between about 1-4pm if I can help it, and then I work into the evening.

What one tip would you give other freelancers about running a freelance business?

The biggest thing I'm always saying to myself and to clients is to take uncomfortable action. If my business has taught me anything, it's that you never feel 100% ready or that you know everything you might need to know, but you learn in the best way by just taking uncomfortable action and doing something. My advice if you feel stuck, you're not sure what to do, or you feel a bit unmotivated is to take some action, and you're learning either way. 9 times out of 10 I think it helps you move in the right direction.

Free resources

Alice loves chatting to other entrepreneurs about their experiences of running a business, and she runs a podcast called Starting The Conversation (available wherever you get your podcasts). She also sends out emails to her subscribers every 2 weeks, which she describes as diary entries of her experience running a business.

Connect with Alice

Email: hello@alicebenham.co.uk

Website: www.alicebenham.co.uk

Instagram: @alice_benham

YouTube: Alice Benham