This Freelance Insights interview features marketing strategist Charelle Griffith.

Charelle’s bubbly and positive personality comes across to anyone who follows her on Instagram. As a self-proclaimed multi-passionate person, she runs a couple of projects that aren’t related to her core business.

One of those is PropelHer - a blog and book club that’s all about empowering women to achieve personal development that will lead to professional success.

She also co-hosts Free and Figuring It Out, a podcast for ambitious, driven, millennial women that talks about real life and being an adult! I have no idea how she finds the time to do everything around her day job...

Sign up to Charelle's newsletter and receive a motivational email on the 1st of each month, as well as emails throughout the month with top tips to help solopreneurs and small business owners market their expertise and make more sales.

I loved Charelle’s answer to my question about her favourite part of freelancing because it was a perspective I haven’t heard from anyone else I’ve interviewed for this series.

How do you describe what you do for work?

I describe myself as a marketing strategist who focuses on supporting solopreneurs, freelancers, or solo business owners - basically anyone who is managing and marketing their business by themselves. My aim is to help people make a one-person empire! I specifically do not focus on a specific platform or channel - some people say they just do Pinterest or Instagram - because I believe it all needs to be integrated. I mainly focus on social, content and email marketing, and giving you one strategy that one person can manage.

What's your favourite thing about working freelance?

It's getting to work with a wide variety of people that are really interesting. I specifically work with service-based businesses, and I'm basically a massive geek because I love to work with people who are experts in their field! I get to learn something from them about their industry and what they do at the same time as being able to share my knowledge. Plus I think it's really powerful to be able to get great things into the world without it being me. Every time I help someone increase their profile, I help more people in the world as a result.

Where do you usually work from?

I usually work from home at my kitchen table, which I painted myself! I have this theory that one day when I'm a millionaire I'll be like "I started my business at my kitchen table"... Even though I'm lucky enough to have a guest bedroom with a desk in, I still go back to the bad habit of sitting at my kitchen table.

What does a normal working day look like for you?

I have a day job in marketing too, so I normally do all my freelance work in the evenings between about 7pm and 10pm. I'm a night owl so sometimes I do stay up late, and I also work one day at the weekend. My main offering is an intensive strategy day and I'll offer that any day of the week. I'm lucky that the company I work for offers unlimited leave, so I've never had an issue with taking the day off when I have a strategy day booked in. I also offer power hours and have quite a lot of clients in the USA, so that normally ends up working really well (although I have been known to wake up at weird hours!).

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

Make sure you're taking time out of your business regularly to really look at the overall picture. It's so easy to get stuck in and do the work, and when you've got clients you aren't thinking about how you'll bring in the next ones. When you're doing marketing, your head can be so focused on what's happening in that moment that you aren't thinking about what'll happen in 3 or 6 months time. Treat yourself like a big business would and make sure you take a step back to do future planning, whether that's every month, every quarter, or every year as a minimum. That'll help ensure you're making the right choices now to go in the direction you want to go in.

Free resource

Charelle co-hosts the Free and Figuring It Out podcast, available wherever you normally listen. Plus, sign up to Charelle's newsletter and receive a motivational email on the 1st of each month, as well as emails throughout the month with top tips to help solopreneurs and small business owners market their expertise and make more sales.

Connect with Charelle

Email: info@charellegriffith.co.uk

Website: www.charellegriffith.com

Instagram: @charellegriffith

Facebook page: @charellegriff

Twitter: @charellegriff