The Independent Life

“Flexible working will become the norm” – we chat with Vodafone’s Nick Wilsdon

Last week we looked at how the ‘gig economy’ is benefitting the country’s freelancers. In a follow-up interview, we chat with digital marketing guru, Nick Wilsdon – founder of E3 Business Incubator and Global Channel Optimisation Lead at Vodafone Group. For two decades, Wilsdon has been recognised as an expert in search engine optimisation, being one […]

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How the UK’s freelancers are benefitting from the ‘gig economy’

In these times of financial uncertainty, one thing seems to be clear: those working in the so-called ‘gig economy’ are really finding their way forward. Matt Roberts, chief executive of In Touch Networks, recently noted that “40% of Americans will be self-employed by 2020“, and both he and a recently study entitled Way We Work suggest […]

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Birmingham’s best coffee shops for freelancers

This time last year we received a lot of praise and thanks for our article on London’s best coffee shops for freelancers, an article that was as fun to write as it was caffeine-fuelled. In fact, it’s only in the last month or so that our pulse rates have returned to normal – which means […]

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Creative freelancers: which UK city is best for you?

Before we begin this week’s blog post, given the title, we should point out that we recognise that not all freelancers work in the creative industries – there’s no need to write in and complain! However, we thought this report from Nesta was too interesting to pass unnoticed. One of the joys of freelancing has […]

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Starting a business while working full-time

Few people who make a successful freelance living went from zero to hero without first having to crack open the elbow grease. Like most things that look fairly dreamlike and glamorous, the freelance life is not often served to you on a spoon. However, most freelancers will tell you that it’s worth the effort (a […]

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Great websites and startups helping freelancers in the UK

As we’ve said many times on The Life Hub, going freelance may be hugely empowering, but there’s no denying that it is one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do. That’s why we’re so keen to keep you up to date with all the latest and most useful bits of information we can lay […]

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The 10 highest-paid freelance jobs: are you charging enough?

Working out how much to charge as a freelancer or independent contractor is a conundrum in itself. Many of us Brits find it hard to blow our own trumpets, so nailing a price about your door and saying, “yes, that’s how much I’m worth” does not come naturally. A simple way to do it is […]

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Startup stories: Innovation Birmingham and the Midlands tech scene

Last month, as part of The Life Hub’s ‘Startup Stories’ series, we took a look at the burgeoning Belfast tech scene. Not wanting to ramble too far through the alphabet, this month we’ve been to the Midlands to talk to the people running the Innovation Birmingham Campus. With 40% of the population under 25 years of age, […]

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National Freelancers Day: An interview with Esther Stanhope

Thursday June 9th is National Freelancers Day in the UK – a great event that has become well established within the freelance community over the last few years. It centres around an annual conference – this year taking place at the Hospital Club in Covent Garden – that includes speaker events, workshops and a rather prestigious awards ceremony. […]

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