It’s 2020. A highly infectious coronavirus has rapidly swept across the globe and society is in lockdown for the foreseeable future. The streets are eerily quiet, and all you can hear are the sounds of dogs barking, glass shattering and blood-curdling groans. You anxiously peer out of your bedroom window only to discover that your nightmarish suspicions were true… your next door neighbour Karen has joined the living dead and is staggering around, drenched in decaying blood, sniffing out her next victim...

January is often a time of reflection. You may be looking back at an amazing year just gone or questioning whether freelancing is right for you. It can also be a dark time for some and, although it can be difficult to admit, we could all do with a little help from time to time. Freelancing is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling career paths you can take but finding stability and success doesn't come easily. So, we've compiled a few tips to get you on the right track and thinking positively for 2020. 

Mary Schmich, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune once said "Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth." In other words, not all advice is worth taking. With over 20 years of experience in the freelance sector, we've been given a lot of 'advice' and dished out our fair share. Here are a few gems we urge you to avoid. 

How to become a freelancer? You're talented at what you do but how to turn that into a business that gives you the income, flexibility and satisfaction that comes with the freelance lifestyle? We’ve all thought about pursuing our dreams only to dismiss the idea as fantasy and end up sticking with the 'safe' option. Rent, a mortgage, kids, bills... the list of reasons not to follow your ambitions are endless. Did you know that on average freelancers earn £52,000 per year? It's how you set up your freelance business that generally dictates your success and we've 3 key tips to get you thinking. 

Waking up in the morning and being your own boss sometimes seems almost too good to be true, doesn’t it? Nobody to answer to, organising your day at your own pace, working on projects as and when you see fit, not having to deal with office politics... there are many perks to living the sole trader dream. Here are a few of the benefits and limitations you may want to consider.

What does your portfolio say about you as a freelancer? Is it a visual CV, a trophy cabinet or something else? Does the work remind you of a particular time in your career, a certain client, a moment of pride or realisation – perhaps the project that changed everything? 

Do you have a burning desire to become a full-time freelancer? Are you in a 9 to 5 job that you hate and spend most of your time looking at ways to escape? Full-time freelancing brings its own set of unique challenges but, if you get it right, can offer the flexibility, financial security and job satisfaction that's rarely found in a full time job.

Are you still working to live? As an increase of millennials choose freelance careers over full time roles, we explore the changing mindset and perceptions of a generation.