Survive & Thrive as a Creative Freelancer: A Beginner's Guide
Learn the business systems, marketing, and strategic planning skills needed for a sustainable career in creative freelancing.
Duration
6 weeksWeekly study
3 hours
Survive & Thrive as a Creative Freelancer: A Beginner's Guide
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Gain vital business skills to establish yourself as a professional freelancer
One third of workers in the creative industries are freelancers. In such a competitive sector, making your freelance career sustainable takes more than just a healthy dose of creativity.
On this six-week course, you’ll learn everything you need to make managing your freelance business a success.
Discover what it takes to turn a freelancing side hustle into a viable career
When starting out, many freelancers fall foul of common pitfalls due to a poor understanding of the business processes required.
On this course, you’ll be guided through the basic principles of planning a business and how to market your skills. With this knowledge, you can source a client base that suits your skill set and deliver service excellence with every contract.
Master small business management strategies and freelance processes
Drawing on research from creative entrepreneurship, you’ll explore freelance business structures and consider how legislation in your country regulates freelance workers. You’ll also learn about financial planning for freelance work, including start-up costs nd taxes.
On this course, you’ll find out how to look after your mental health and wellbeing and build resilience as a small business owner. This vital aspect of business management will allow you to stay healthy while handling the pressures of running your own business.
Expand your self employed prospects with guidance from freelance creatives and industry experts from Kingston University
You’ll learn the techniques to grow your business from experts with first-hand experience of forging a freelance career in the creative industries.
By the end of the course you’ll be equipped with the tools to develop a well-structured creative business and marketing plan, as well as having the financial know-how to manage your money.
Syllabus
Week 1
Getting Started as a Freelancer
Introduction
Introduction to the short course.
Your Big 'Why'
Understanding and articulating your reasons for freelancing.
Design your life/Design your business
Explore how you can customise your creative freelance business to suit you and your needs.
Set-up structures
Discussion about how you set up your freelance creative business and assemble a team to help you succeed.
Conclusion
Wrapping up week one on the foundation of your creative freelance business.
Week 2
Finding Clients
Introduction
Introduction to finding clients as a creative freelancer.
Who do you want to serve?
This activity is all about gaining clarity as to who your freelance creative business will serve. This will set you up for your marketing activities in the next activity.
Talking to potential clients
This activity gets at the heart of what marketing is all about: talking to potential clients.
Crafting your marketing plan
This activity builds upon the previous two to put the pieces together to craft a marketing plan for your creative freelance business.
Conclusion
Conclusion to finding clients as a creative freelancer.
Week 3
Working With Clients
Introduction
This activity will outline key ways to think about working with clients successfully.
Demystifying clients
This week considers your clients from a broader perspective to help you understand how to work with the more effectively.
Understanding contracts
This activity will delve into contracts for freelance creative businesses.
Getting paid for your work
This activity will discuss strategies to improve your chances of being paid for your work.
Conclusion
This activity will wrap up the week's learning.
Week 4
Managing Your Business
Introduction
Introduction to week four.
Finder, Minder, Grinder
In this activity we will examine some of the core activities you need to consider for your freelance business.
Looking after the money
In this activity we'll discuss financial management for small business.
Reinvesting
This activity will consider the necessary reinvestment in your freelance business in order to keep it going.
Conclusion
This activity will wrap up the week's learning.
Week 5
Growing Your Business
Introduction
Introduction to the key learning for this week about growing your business.
Taking stock of your business
This activity will guide you to step back and consider your own business and how it might grow and evolve.
Rethink, reassess, reinvent
This activity will guide you to consider 3 key ways you might consider growth in your creative freelance business.
Hiring and managing staff
This activity will delve into the subject of hiring and managing staff for your creative freelance business.
Conclusion
This activity concludes the week's activities framing your learning.
Week 6
Thriving as a Freelancer
Introduction
This activity introduces the key topics and ideas we'll cover this week.
Looking after yourself
This activity will guide you to consider ways you can look after your mental and physical health as a creative freelancer.
Planning for a rainy day
This activity will consider how good financial management can help your creative freelance business to be more sustainable.
Sustainability
This activity will use the theory of the quadruple bottom line to explore ways you can guide your creative freelance practice to be more sustainable.
Conclusion
This activity concludes the final week of the short course.
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Identify the legal considerations and structures of freelance work (using the UK as an example)
- Investigate financial planning for small businesses, including start-up costs, tax and cash flow (using the UK as an example)
- Develop a comprehensive business plan for your freelance business
- Identify tools to manage yourself as a freelancer
- Build confidence in finding and working with clients as a freelancer
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for freelancers who want to work within the creative industries or those thinking of a career change and are considering freelance work.
This course would also benefit current creative freelancers wanting to strengthen their freelance practice.
Who will you learn with?
Dr Steven Sparling is the Head of Department, Creative Industries in the Kingston School of Art, Kingston University. He holds a PhD in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship.
Who developed the course?
Kingston University
At Kingston University, we are passionate about enhancing our students’ life chances by helping them make the most of their learning opportunity while equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed in the 21st Century’s demanding workplace.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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