Doing It For The Kids

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from podcast producer Dave Howard. He says:“I develop and make podcasts for people — universities, PR companies, businesses, charities. I’m largely a one-person operation, with a few trusted freelancers available to take on odd bits of work here and there when things get busy.But now there is just too much work. I seem to have won a lot of business all at once, and I’m finding myself constantly racing to edit people’s programmes, to meet deadlines. Some things are getting rushed and some things are a bit stuck on the back burner.There’s no time for working on the business, updating the website, socials, etc. (Accepting that home schooling is also happening — and is a shitshow).So, is it some sort of pipeline management strategy I need? Do I just need to learn to say no – or even ‘I can help with that but not until April’? To adjust my prices? Move to a model of bringing in subcontractors?(I’ll be honest, I don’t really want to b

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from designer and web developer Laura Ockenden. She says:“As a newbie full-timer, I'm struggling a bit with planning in work and knowing how much I can take on and when.I've got a few jobs on now but often find myself procrastinating under the guise of waiting for clients to get back to me — should I be looking for more work? Should I book in clients for next month? How long will a job take? How long is a piece of string?!I've been quite lucky that things have sort of just fallen into place recently but it feels like I need to start giving this whole idea some brain-space now it's the thing that actually pays my mortgage!"What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Agorapulse.Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, and engage followers wit

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Detective Mel Horn, AKA Anonymous. They say:“How do you cope with "Client Ick"?  Like that physical cringe you experience when you see someone you snogged at a staff party years ago but this time, it’s because your client is calling you and you secretly hate them.Clients are good. Clients pay the bills. I should love that I have this client. Times are hard and I shouldn’t be ungrateful — after all I worked hard to get them in the first place.But the honeymoon period of this client has died a death. My dilemma is that despite being a nice (but very insecure) person, as a client they are a royal pain in the bum. Which is fine when you are being paid for the service but right now we are in limbo between projects, so I’m officially off the books.It’s a culmination of lots of little things that have started to grate on me. But after months of working with them and recently having  some issues with bill payments, I now see their

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Ginger Nuts Cracklefriend, AKA Anonymous. They say:"As we come to the end of this shit show of a year, what do you want to take into 2021 and what would you leave behind? I remember the episode where Steve sat in his car and you never answered a question but had mutual therapy and I wondered how the rest of the year went for you both. Thanks!"What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Agorapulse.Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, and engage followers with one simple tool. Try Agorapulse FREE for 1 full  month.Go to www.agorapulse.com/diftk•••Frankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being FreelanceDoing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Facebook CommunityDIFTK InstagramDIFTK TwitterSupport DIFTK on Ko-Fi

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Christmas elf Perky Chocolate Plum, AKA Anonymous. They say:“I don’t know if this is a consequence of being both employed and self-employed for many years, but I find myself being “led” by my clients. I struggle to say no or to set boundaries with them as I don’t feel like I control the relationship. This leads to me working every night/weekend and feeling exhausted and frustrated. What can I do to change this?"What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Agorapulse.Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, and engage followers with one simple tool. Try Agorapulse FREE for 1 full  month.Go to www.agorapulse.com/diftk•••Frankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being FreelanceDoing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Face

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from soon-to-be counsellor Juliette Toop. She says:“Assuming all goes to plan, at the end of this year I’ll qualify as a counsellor and set up a private practice. What do you both consider to be ‘must haves’ and ‘nice to haves’ and ‘totally not necessaries’ for starting up?Even though I’ve been self employed before I know I wasted a lot of time and money back then on things I didn’t need!”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Agorapulse.Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, and engage followers with one simple tool. Try Agorapulse FREE for 1 full  month.Go to www.agorapulse.com/diftk•••Frankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being FreelanceDoing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Facebook CommunityDIFTK Instagra

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from health communications specialist Anneliese Levy. She says:“How can I 'get a life' outside of work/kids?I find being a freelancer really intense, in that all my focus is on looking for work, thinking about work, doing work, following up on work. And oh yeah, looking after my kids! Other than that I don't think I do anything else.I think back fondly to the days when I used to have actual hobbies, did evening classes and had pastimes that were totally unrelated to the job I did. A lot of this was before kids but it also relates to when I became a freelancer about 4 years ago. I don't tend to switch off because I am always on the lookout for the next client or trying to keep up with research and reading related to my field. It seems like some other people have lovely creative hobbies or are really sporty, but the thought of trying to fit something else in feels too overwhelming.Has anyone else has managed to reclaim some time t

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from virtual assistant and founder of MuthaCollective, Annabelle Williams Dos Anjos. She says:“How do you avoid ‘shiny shiny’ syndrome?As a creative person I love doing so many different things. I often have to talk myself down from creating 5 new things/businesses that I just don’t have time for (and therefore wouldn’t do well).How do you stop yourself from constantly running towards the latest, shiniest idea? And how do you know when something should remain a hobby?!”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Agorapulse.Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, and engage followers with one simple tool. Try Agorapulse FREE for 1 full  month.Go to www.agorapulse.com/diftk•••Annabelle Williams Dos Anjos' websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteStev

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from software developer and 'multidisciplinary geek' Ross Wintle. He says:“How the flippin flippity flip do I reduce this baseline of anxiety I have whereby every time one of my children coughs or has a borderline temperature of 37.9 I go into fight-or-flight mode expecting to have to slash my hours in half to do homeschooling again while we obtain/wait for the result of a COVID test?Do people have some kind of "plan" for how to manage this so that it's not permanently stressing them out? How do I go about booking work in when I might have to take anything up to two weeks off at a day's notice?(Context: I have two kids FINALLY both full-time at school. My wife is working pretty much full-time now and can only take limited time off. I'm aware we need to share the burden and her employer should flex as well as mine, but even so, this is a HUGE challenge and my nerves are shredded!)”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoug

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from content creator Becky Coote. She says:“Project creep. We've all experienced it, but how do you deal with it in a way that doesn't piss off your client?I'm working with someone who is ever so slowly, one email at a time pushing the boundaries further and further away from what we agreed. The problem is each individual email isn't enough for me to go "WOAH, hold your horses!" but when you look at the big picture, the amount of time I'm spending on this project is dragging my hourly rate right down, taking me away from other client work and generally winding me up.How do you set the limits from the start and then police it during the project?"What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Agorapulse.Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, a

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from career coach Abbi Buszard. She says:“I’ve been running my business for 2 and a half years, with a small baby hiatus in the middle (compounded by, y’know, a global pandemic that stole all the f-ing childcare).2 and a half years in and I still haven’t learned to ride the rollercoaster of emotions that accompanies doing your own thing. I feel like a dog chasing squirrels made of feelings:‘Ooh a new idea, I’m so happy!’‘Oh no a rejection, I’m so sad’‘Ooh a new client, I’m so happy!’How can I find some equilibrium guys? I drive myself mad — what about my poor family?”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Agorapulse.Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, and engage followers with one simple tool. Try Agorapulse FREE for 1 full  month

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from social media consultant and embroidery artist Claudette Anderson. She says:“How do I navigate going from freelance into an employed role? Particularly when I’m going to be keeping my small business going on the side.What can I do to make the transition easier and more manageable? How can I take the awesome parts of freelance life into an employed job? And how can I embrace the parts of an employed job that I’m not so fond of?"What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Nutmeg.Nutmeg launched in September 2012 as the first online wealth manager in the UK with a promise to open up the previously exclusive world of wealth management. Nutmeg offers customers a high-quality investment service at a reduced cost, whether they have £500 or £5 million to invest. Nutmeg now manages ov

EPISODE 50!!!This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from graphic artist and designer Rachel Brown. She says:“I’ve worked from home in one form or another, in both employed and self- employed roles, for five years now. There’s been ups and downs, and I’ve learnt along the way how to manage the work/home balance and what I need to do to keep my wellbeing up (I don’t always follow my advice but at least know the theory by now!). My husband, however, came off furlough last month and is now navigating full time working from home for the first time. I can see him falling foul of many things that I did in the early days of working from home that didn’t create the best balance.So how can we, as experienced work-from-homers, support our other halves/family members to get used to life outside the office?ALSO, how on earth do I get used to having a home office buddy who slurps his tea SO LOUDLY and swears at his computer when the internet drops out, because I am NOT DEALING WEL

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from coach, mentor and consultant EJ Trivett. She says:“With Lockdown 2.0 looming precariously ahead, what are our lessons from the first wave, and what could we put in place NOW to proactively protect our businesses (and sanity) ahead of the game?”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Nutmeg.Nutmeg launched in September 2012 as the first online wealth manager in the UK with a promise to open up the previously exclusive world of wealth management. Nutmeg offers customers a high-quality investment service at a reduced cost, whether they have £500 or £5 million to invest. Nutmeg now manages over £2bn on behalf of over 80,000 customers, making Nutmeg one of the UK’s fastest growing wealth managers and the fifth largest wealth manager in the UK by customer numbers (Source: PAM

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from writer and educator Fiona Tapp. She says:"Congrats on your British Podcast Award! I won an award in my field last year and I have been wondering how to best market the fact without sounding like a wanker. It’s sometimes hard to shout about your wins (especially as a woman) but if you have been recognised surely you should be able to celebrate?”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Nutmeg.Nutmeg launched in September 2012 as the first online wealth manager in the UK with a promise to open up the previously exclusive world of wealth management. Nutmeg offers customers a high-quality investment service at a reduced cost, whether they have £500 or £5 million to invest. Nutmeg now manages over £2bn on behalf of over 80,000 customers, making Nutmeg one of the UK’s fastest gr

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Detective Stella King AKA Anonymous. They say:“I’m so sick of my husband’s negativity about my business! I started it 7 years ago with a view to running it when children came along and since then, I’ve been able to pick it up and put it down around my son and various life events.I’ve always felt the need to hold onto my part-time supermarket job so I feel like I’m ‘doing my bit’ but have been increasingly resenting the fact that my business takes a back seat to everything else — how am I supposed to make the same or more money if I’m not given the opportunity to work on it!?His view is if I’m spending ANY time on it, it should equate to money coming in and it doesn’t matter how many times I try to explain to him that I need to put the hours in before I reap the rewards, he makes comments like “I don’t want you to get your hopes up” — Obviously not with comments like that!He doesn’t understand it and he never will, but can a

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Detective Mo White AKA Anonymous. They say:“How do you know you’re ready to make the leap into freelancing — especially during COVID?I’ve been freelancing on the side for a while and am feeling super uninspired by my day job lately. I don’t currently make enough freelancing to make it work with healthcare and such (thanks, America) but am considering making the jump.What were your must-dos before jumping into full time self-employment?”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.•••This episode is supported by Nutmeg.Nutmeg launched in September 2012 as the first online wealth manager in the UK with a promise to open up the previously exclusive world of wealth management. Nutmeg offers customers a high-quality investment service at a reduced cost, whether they have £500 or £5 million to invest. Nutmeg now

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from copywriter Catherine Jones. She says:"Let's talk social media.Do you use every platform or focus on one? Do you schedule? How do you allocate time for answering comments and interacting with other people? How do you ensure you don't get sucked down the rabbit hole and lose hours to it? Is it worth outsourcing? If so, how do you know you're ready / can afford to?Sorry, I know it's only supposed to be one question!"What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.***Vote for us in the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards!***•••This episode is supported by Nutmeg.Nutmeg launched in September 2012 as the first online wealth manager in the UK with a promise to open up the previously exclusive world of wealth management. Nutmeg offers customers a high-quality investment service at a reduced cost, whe

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Hannah Harvey who runs pregnancy yoga workshops and online courses. She says:"Is it still worth being self-employed? With some employers offering flexibility around working hours / childcare / working from home — is it time to return to employment?”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.***Vote for us in the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards!***•••This episode is supported by Nutmeg.Nutmeg launched in September 2012 as the first online wealth manager in the UK with a promise to open up the previously exclusive world of wealth management. Nutmeg offers customers a high-quality investment service at a reduced cost, whether they have £500 or £5 million to invest. Nutmeg now manages over £2bn on behalf of over 80,000 customers, making Nutmeg one of the UK’s fastest growing wealth manag

This week Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from digital content consultant and journalist Suzanne Locke. She says:“How do you even think about pitching for new work — when you have none — and when you don’t know when you’ll have childcare again...?! I’m a solo parent with a toddler!”What would your advice be? Let us know your thoughts using #DIFTKpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join in the conversation via the DIFTK Community on Facebook.***Vote for us in the Listener's Choice Award at the British Podcast Awards!***•••This episode is supported by Nutmeg.Nutmeg launched in September 2012 as the first online wealth manager in the UK with a promise to open up the previously exclusive world of wealth management. Nutmeg offers customers a high-quality investment service at a reduced cost, whether they have £500 or £5 million to invest. Nutmeg now manages over £2bn on behalf of over 80,000 customers, making Nutmeg one of the UK’s fastest growing wealth managers and the f