The solopreneur life: hard work, shared ideas and like-minded people

They say it can be lonely at the top…and even lonelier if you’re self-employed and running a solo business. So it’s important to build a network of like-minded people, peers and colleagues around you to bounce ideas off, talk through your latest challenges, or just chat about the latest apps and tech tools. But how […]

5 reasons for remote workers to embrace coffee-shop culture

Remote working has an image problem. There’s a perceived notion that being a teleworker means sitting at home in your pyjamas, tapping away at a laptop and not speaking to a soul for the whole of the working day. But if you’re one of the growing number of coffee-shop workers, being remote can actually be […]

Are social media friends your real friends?

A friend of mine posed an interesting question the other day on Twitter. To paraphrase, what she said was ‘If you’re friends on Twitter, are you friends in real life?’. In other words, if you have a network of friends on social media, but have never met some of these people face-to-face, then can you […]

The big existential question: are you the speedboat or the pooh stick?

The world is full of philosophies, ideologies and guidelines on how to live your life well. Whether it’s religion, philosophy or the latest self-help book, there’s a never-ending chatter of white noise around us at all times, giving us the soundbites, rules and guidelines that (supposedly) will help us get better control over our lives. […]

Vote LABOUR tomorrow for a better future

It’s nearly time to vote, folks. But before you do, two requests from me…. PLEASE vote Labour tomorrow… (that’s the big one). PLEASE don’t decide your vote based on any of the following statements: “I’ve always voted this way in the past, and don’t intend to change now.” “I don’t like the personality/look/background of the […]

Getting paid as a freelancer – 5 key tips for better cash flow

I know from personal experience that late payment of invoices can be one of the biggest challenges you face as a freelancer. When your clients are reluctant to pay on time, it doesn’t just put a strain on your customer relationship; it also puts a BIG strain on your bank balance, your cash-flow situation… and […]

The digital nomad rules: 10 ways to be a better remote worker

I made the move to being 100% self-employed recently – you can read more about this here – but I’m not new to the world of remote work. In fact, I’ve been a digital nomad and coffee-shop office (coffice) worker since 2015, spending my days working from whichever establishment has the best Wi-Fi, the tastiest […]

Are freelancers the future of small business?

I made a big decision a month ago. I decided to stop the hybrid freelance/agency employee existence I’d lived for the past two years and to become 100% freelance. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, by any means. Turning your back on a regular salary is never easy to do, but having spent two […]

No more alternative facts – the day social media came of age

Twitter used to be the place you came to escape the more negative aspects of modern life. It was a refuge for the smartphone-addicted masses, where we could share jokes, memes, animated gifs and comment on the frothy, entertaining things in life. What did we think of the latest ‘showstopper bake’ on the Great British […]

A positive manifesto for making 2017 great

Life can be tough: there’s no way to deny that. It’s tough in a multitude of different ways, depending on geographic location, the size (or scarcity) of your wealth, the strongly held beliefs you hold, the social structures you find yourself part of, or the race, religion, gender or sexual orientation you find yourself born […]