Setting the right rate for my work was definitely the hardest lesson I learned. Initially, I was afraid of overcharging and conscious that many of my early clients were not-for-profits with tight budgets. However, once I paid GST, income tax and superannuation, my take-home pay wasn’t enough to make the work ‘worth it’. 

I sat down and properly calculated my business expenses and the amount of time it took me to undertake the main types of projects I was working on. I came up with a day rate and an hourly rate that gave me a good return, covered all costs and was reasonable for my clients.

As many of us learned during the pandemic when we pivoted to working from home, if your home space and work space are the same, it’s very easy for work to creep into your free time and take over. Equally, staying motivated can be challenging when you’re self-employed.

I found the best way to stay focused and also have boundaries was to have an ‘office’ in my house. I also make it a point to leave my workspace for breaks and after work hours. Additionally, I often work from cafes to avoid feeling isolated and to get out of the house.

The hardest adjustment has been managing my cash flow now that I don’t have a regular fortnightly paycheck. In the initial months, it was very stressful. Between invoices, I would often dip into my savings and then ‘pay myself back’. 

Now, I have a more sophisticated set-up, with separate accounts for tax, savings, core bills and spending. When I get a big payment, I separate it out based on my budget so I’m more prepared financially between payments.

Equally, I have to pitch for and acquire new work ahead of time so that I don’t have lulls between engagements. That has been a real exercise in forward-thinking, but once I gained a few key clients, I’ve found that work usually comes in organically.