As we approach #NationalFreelancersday it feels like time to celebrate some great achievements this year.
Despite a complete lack of support in many sectors, our freelance clients have made it through the twists and turns of lockdowns. We are so proud of you all. We have watched you cope as panicked clients stopped overnight (the first lockdown).
Freelancers didn’t get much government support
Most of you didn’t get any government grants or support because you work from home. Ironically, many employees had to work from home too but, despite that, government seems incapable of recognising the home-based entrepreneur. It seems easy enough to find us when it comes to paying tax, but for other purposes we seem to be invisible.
Freelancers were the first to pivot
You pivoted into new areas and found new niches and new services to offer to new clients. And let’s not forget, you did that whilst homeschooling, looking after elderly relatives as best you could and worrying all the time about how to keep everybody safe.
We watched as you branched out into social media, digital marketing, web design, and more, while an increasing number of new virtual assistants decided that homeworking really is the way to go and set up shop rather than go back to office-based working or a full-time role.
Whether you were expanding your freelance niche, changing it, or creating it, we saw so many KoffeeKlatch customers working evenings, weekends, even overnight, to manage the full range of responsibilities you were faced with.
Legal and tax changes hit the freelance sector
And if that was not enough, you handled Brexit – with all the cross-border data transitions involved and the change in IR35 administration that brought private companies into line with the public sector. And even if you were not directly affected, you had to take on board your clients thinking you might be and getting into a muddle about that!
Mental health for freelancers can be a problem
If the whole thing has left you feeling exhausted or stressed – you are not alone. The stresses and strains of keeping up with it all have taken their toll.
While some have needed mental health support and medical interventions, others are just tired and needing to recover.
If you are starting to fantasize about spending a lot of time on a beach – you have truly earned it.
Happy National Freelancers Day
Despite the difficulties we all faced this year, being a freelancer is still a fabulous way to manage your work and family (or travelling) life. We will continue to help you navigate the legal side of things so you can start and grow your business with one less thing to worry about.
You really do deserve a medal.
We hope you will take the time on #nationalfreelancersday to celebrate you and your achievements. There’s even a great conference you can go to if you want to support it. You can find out more here.
The KoffeeKlatch team (and ducks of course) will be raising a glass to you. We are looking forward to working with you and supporting you as your business changes, grows, and develops. Whatever the new normal turns out to be (if there is such a thing) we know you will be working hard to make the best of it for yourself and your family. And we will be working hard to help you navigate all those legal things.
KoffeeKlatch – for the way you work today – and the way you are planning to work tomorrow!
