Notes - Tip’s advice for the self-employed / solopreneur / freelancer creative types

Ok , so here goes. I’m coming out of social darkness. Or at least trying to.

Posting to LinkedIn is not easy. Should I post? What do I post? When do I post? Will people

read anything I write? Will they care?

There’s so much great advice from people much wiser than me. And also so much noise with people selling apps with the perfect solution. They’ve cracked the algorithm. But have they? I used to just come on here to adjust my CV if I was looking for a job. Now it’s become a key networking tool, or at least I think it is.

So I thought I’d just type and see where it takes me.

So, since starting a business, which happened by accident whilst trying to connect with agencies

for freelance work. As many have been, I was ghosted by so many, not even an email reply. Although I could be in the junk mail, who knows. I had a meeting or two, but it wasn’t going to be sustainable.

So starting a business, it is then.

So in no particular order, here’s what I’m using on my business journey:

Bank account and invoicing software

I needed a business bank account. I chose Mettle by NatWest as it is specially for self-employed solopreneurs. (Auto-correct wants me to type solo-preeners, which feels apt for a designer.) It also came with some fantastically simple software for running your business, FreeAgent, which I love and highly recommend.

I’ve got an accountant who can link in with FreeAgent and run my tax returns. So that’s great. Another to-do item checked off.

Crunching the numbers

Like most creatives, I thrive in creative apps, but not so much in apps containing numbers. But needs must. So a dip into Apple’s Numbers and more YouTube videos. And I may be a bit of a nerd here, but who knew I’d love ‘SUMs’? My maths teacher would be proud.

Building websites and front-end UI

Whilst I design brand and identities, I also design websites, and I have used Adobe XD from its origination.

Unfortunately, Adobe scrapped XD at the end of 2024 after failing to merge with Figma. So, off to learn Figma - which, after 6 months or so, I really like. I’ve built two websites, collaborated with developers using it, and plan to learn more (more YouTube videos). Plus, they’ve just added whiteboards (FigJam), so my workshops may move over from Miro. Still undecided on that one.

I just went back through this post and realised that I learnt, designed, and built a website in Squarespace in amongst this. I’m pleased with it, but it has restrictions. And creatives don’t like restrictions. So I’m currently playing with / trialing Framer. Watch this space - maybe a website refresh is around the corner.

Keeping on top of it all - the devils in the detail

Next up, project management software. Being strategic, I love a bit of research, ask anyone that asks me for a recommendation for pretty much anything. Or if I’m planning a purchase. You’ll get a fully researched email back listing my recommendations with links. Not usually what’s been asked for when someone asks for the best place to go for a coffee. But the details are important, right?

So onto workflow. I needed something that I can use to manage all of the ‘potential’ projects I’d have on. ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. So, to keep an eye on everything, keep track of upcoming projects, and just generally be on top of what’s in the studio, I needed a solid piece of software (ideally free). Being a designer, I like a nice interface, so I started with Asana. It looked great, but with so many extra charges for things you’d need, I had to try something else. Trello fit the bill, and I’ve been using it until very recently, collaborating on a branding project. The free version of Trello is great, but you can only have 10 projects, and I don’t really want to add yet another subscription to the ranks. So now I’m using Notion, Notion Calendar, and Notion Mail. I love the fact that all of the tools are by one company.

Early impressions: Notion is great. You can import Trello boards, so that’s great, but you can also add a CRM system (something else I needed), so you can keep track of client leads and the all-important pipeline.

Posting to social channels:

I’m staying in the Adobe eco-system with this one, as I pay for it. So I’ve been tinkering with Adobe Express. I love the connection between the other Adobe products and the speed with which you can create in InDesign and bring this across to Adobe Express. It’s early days, but I’m working my way through it. You can also plan posts on the inbuilt scheduler, which is great. If only I had some content to post.

So, now do I post this to social? Will anyone care? Do I care what anyone thinks (I do, by the way)?

Will this help me build an audience? Do I need to build an audience? Will this reach out to the people I want to work with? Who knows? Do your worst on LinkedIn.

Proof read by AI - but written by me.