041: Parenting as a freelancer w/ Doing it for the kids

Are you worried that being a freelancer and a parent are incompatible? It’s not uncommon for freelancers to have concerns about taking care of their kids among all their freelancing commitments. Since questions about this are so common in the Motion Hatch community, I’ve brought in the experts to answer all your burning questions.

With their own podcasts and communities for freelance parents, Steve Folland and Frankie Tortora have a heap of knowledge on this topic. They’ve built successful freelance careers while raising their children and now help others like them navigate the same hurdles that they encounter on a regular basis.

Steve and Frankie start off this fascinating conversation by explaining some of the parallels between parenting and freelancing and how one can help prepare you for the responsibilities of the other. They go on to share some great ideas about how you can find enough time and energy to be fully present for both your business and your family, such as bringing in more people to work alongside of you and really understanding the value that you provide for your clients.

It can be really tough to navigate these issues that can get in between work and family. After speaking with Frankie and Steve, this doesn’t seem nearly as daunting as before. The recurring theme here is that being self-employed actually means that you can be there more for your kids and since it provides significant benefits that traditional employment doesn’t.

Even if you’re not a parent, you’ll still find tons of wisdom and great advice in today’s episode which includes some great productivity hacks that we can all take advantage of.

In this episode:

• How the flexibility offered by freelancing can help you be more present and involved in your child’s life
• What to consider when raising your rates when you’re starting a family
• Useful tips for retaining your regular clients when you have to take family leave
• The pros and cons of starting your freelance business before and after having children
• Maintaining the stamina necessary to take care of both your business, your children, and yourself
• How having kids is actually a super-charged productivity hack
• How to make more time in your schedules while parenting full-time without getting burnt out

Quotes:

“They just suddenly give you this little human and nobody tells you what to do with it. It’s a bit like freelancing, really. Nobody tells you what to do with that either and you kind of muddle it out by hanging out with other freelancers and you muddle it out by hanging out with other parents.” [4:46]

“The only predictable thing about having kids and being self-employed is that life is unpredictable. That is the one thing that you can count on.” [6:41]

“I think there is a lot of pressure to try to do all the things, especially when you see people who don’t have kids doing all the things. But I think you just have to keep an eye on how you yourself are coping with that sort of stuff.” [24:11]

“Certainly having children doesn’t make you less productive. I think it makes you more time efficient. Then it’s what you choose to do with that time.” [38:46]

“Your career might pivot and it might change, but it’s not the end --  it’s the beginning!” [1:00:59]

Links:

Find Frankie at Doing it for the Kids

Follow Frankie on Linkedin | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Find Steve at Being Freelance

Follow Steve on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Find the full show notes here

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