Streetlife

Well Pete it sounds as if it could be a real help and support.
I'd be interested. I'm a yoga teacher.

Hi Pete

Please add me to your list of interested freelancers. I have been working from home for 12 years – mainly health and medical publishing but also writing for a local magazine a few years ago. Think it's a great idea to have a local support group. Look forward to hearing more. Mary

Hi, sounds like a good mix of freelancers. I'd be interested - I'm a journalist/digital media consultant; among other things I run a small website and could do with help on the communications/marketing side of things. Why don't we all hook up one weekday morning or afternoon?

Great idea. Now the fun starts - finding a day/time when we're all free! ;-)

Can I suggest we set up a fortnightly day/time that way those that can't make the first, can come to the second? Also limits the number of freelancers in one coffee shop at a time...?

So as it's Jubilee week, maybe weds 13th 3pm? Will let someone else select their favourite location if that plan seems viable!

Chris G - thank you for posting a suggestion, i was just about to crack and do the same, i've got enough to organise without taking this on too.  i can do Wed 13 at 3 pm.  The Leather Bottle (pub) on Garratt Lane (halfway between Wandsworth and Tooting) has good, flexible space & if its sunny, we could be outside ... 

Weds 13th fine for me. Leather Bottle sounds good too.

Not a day I can do, but that's not a problem as we can't get everybody in one place at one time. Hope to come to meeting number two!

Hi Pete & everyone else, this sounds interesting; I'll put the 13th in the diary - not sure if I can make the first meeting but fingers crossed :)

Just to introduce myself : I've been running my business The Simple Web Company for almost 4 years, from home in Tooting - I provide simple website & related consulting & tech services to small businesses all around the country. (I also run a local ladies networking group, which is occasionally on Streetlife too :) I look forward to meeting other local business people!

I'm interested too. I'm a writer and fundraiser living in Furzedown. When I'm not working with clients I like to be around for my kids after school so morning meetings are better. I look forward to hearing when the next meetings will be held. 

Hi Everyone,

Meetup sounds like a good idea. I cant make the 13th as I'm away till the 4th July, but look forward to attending future meetups. Maybe someone who goes along can post up what was discussed so we can all get an idea of how things went ?

I have the 13th in my diary! It's a shame you can't make it Pete, as it's your idea! I'm sure we will all be posting how it went!

I'm interested in a freelancers group too in principle, though getting to meet ups won't be terribly easy for me as I have 2 pre-schoolers. I'm a freelance radio producer though since having children that work has been fairly scant so I've been thinking about other sorts of audio priduction I could be doing in addition (podcasts, oral histories etc) and I also have a creative project that I"m tryiing to get off the ground. In addition, I've recently statred a bookkeeping course, so in time am hoping work in that capacity too. Can't make the 13th but do keep me in the loop.

Hi Emily,

Welcome along to the conversation. There's a really broad mix of experiences on this thread so there should be someone around to share ideas with.

Your post reminded me exactly about how I came about freelancing. I've been looking after 2 pre-schoolers at home and trying to work part time for 3 years. In my industry (Software development) there are not many part time opportunities so I had to think about other ways I could work in my industry. So far I've had great sucess with working for a training company, but I've also had lots of dissapointments on the way ! Now my wife is taking some time at home I'm more able to work full time and I find myself having far more opportunities to follow than if I had remained full time.

Hopefully we'll have regular meetups and get some online disussions going as well.

Cheers

Hi,

I've set up a Page for our Group:

Freelancers group

If you go there and click "follow+" on the top right you'll get posts from the group, much like this conversation. I thought it might be a good place to expand if this conversation gets too long !

I've added the 13th as an event in the Streetlife calendar. Please feel free to start up some new conversations.

Thanks

Pete

Thanks to Peter for setting up the group, which I've just joined.

I'm a commercial artist/illustrator who's sometimes persuaded to do some graphic design. I look forward to seeing everyone on the 13th.

All the best

Ian Bull

Keen to come to meeting but not around for next week or so , so will look out for dates in a couple of weeks.

I've been a freelance copywriter for about 20 years now. It's what agency writers do when they get too old! Work is extremely up and down. Perhaps a group working for each other is a good idea. I'll try and get there on the 13th.

Hi Stephen,

Welcome to the conversation. I'm experiencing up and down work as well ! Do you think its the recession, or has it always been like this ?

I do well in recessionary times and vice versa. Right now, it's predictable - hard times and few projects. But you never can tell.

Its pretty hard going working for newspapers as so many have cut down on freelancers and are flogging the few miserable staff who man the desks.... !

Hi there,

The idea of meeting up sounds great! Please also feel free to come along to our Freelancer's Day  on Friday 15th. It is an  opportunity to work with like-minded people from the area in our Third Door workhub. It is free and basically you just need to come along, bring your laptop and work! Please email me if you are interested anna@third-door.com

Hi there, I'm a freelance web developer living in Wandsworth. I've been freelancing for about a year and still learning/adjusting! I'm looking forward to the meet-up on Wednesday 13 July.

I have joined the Third Door (third-door.com) which is a co-working space near the river in Wandsworth, it's been useful for me to have a space outside home where I can work alongside other local professionals. At home there were too many distractions sometimes!

Can I suggest freelancers flesh out their public profiles and add website addresses as many of you have done.

Hi Pete,

I'm also a freelance consultant working in business, commercial and technology. I've also recently been helping out some start-up organisations from Recruitment through to a design pop-up workshop in a voluntary capacity. 

Happy to provide input on bid/proposals, technology and anything contractual plus I have received great advice on how to use Linked-In to raise my profile that I can share.

Regards

Angie