Charles Commins handed his notice in at his pub management job with no plan and no business.

His partner gave him one month to figure it out. All he knew was that he wanted to love his job.

Seven and a half years later, he's an award-winning freelance podcast producer whose almost entire client chain traces back to one decision: making a football podcast about Northampton Town.

That podcast would act as his show ground and his playground. Testing and ultimately proving to clients that he should be freelancing for them.

Along the way he's had a succession of word-of-mouth freelancing clients, realised his dream of appearing on BBC Radio, and made all of it work around being there for his family.

This episode of the Being Freelance podcast with Steve Folland covers:

• Starting It's All Cobblers To Me as a portfolio piece, and how a Northampton Town fan indirectly led to a four-year retainer
• Why and how 90% of his work comes through referrals
• The "starting from…" pricing approach: why he won't publish fixed rates, and how he edges prices up with each new client
• Work-life balance: from pub late nights to home office, to a new baby derailing everything, to finally getting it to 60/40
• The never-ending circle of freelance guilt - working, not working, being with family… there's always something to feel bad about
• Co-running MIC's Podcast Club with Vic Turnbull - 1,400 members, monthly virtual meetups, and why running a community full of "competitors" is actually brilliant
• Launching The Warrington Scoop, a hyperlocal monthly podcast, as a low-lift way to generate local business leads
• Co-mentoring with Amy: how a monthly accountability call became one of his most valuable freelance tools
• The biggest challenge: not finding clients, but believing work will come when you're in a trough

Charles is part of the Being Freelance Community - come and hang out with Steve, Charles and plenty of friendly freelancers who get what it's like!

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You're not alone being freelance.
Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).
beingfreelance.com/community

NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!

The Being Freelance course is made for you!
Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.

FREELANCER MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop

Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

Perryn Ryan didn't set out to become a freelance illustrator.

After a degree in computer information systems (to keep her parents happy), years in tech,, and a long stint in the fashion industry, she eventually gave herself permission to just... draw stuff she liked. Nothing serious.

Then a stranger with a million followers re-shared her work, the enquiries started flooding in, and a freelance illustration career was born almost overnight.

In this episode of the Being Freelance podcast, Perryn talks about:

• How a career in fashion taught her to cost properly - including the "invisible costs" most freelancers miss
• What happened when she dived into her first illustration brief without a contract, and what she learned from it
• Why she approaches every client relationship as a partnership - but with clear limits on revisions, timelines, and communication
• Her surcharge system for clients who insist on net 30 or longer payment terms
• How her niche grew organically by simply making what she loved - flowing line art, wellness themes, women-focused brands
• Why she's stepped back from Instagram and leans on direct outreach to art directors instead
• The Illustrator's Business Journal; her writing project sharing business lessons through storytelling rather than how-to lists
• Her four-bank-account system for managing freelance finances without the end-of-year panic
• Protecting her creativity with time blocks, no weekends, and Field Trip Fridays

Enjoy a story with a few twists, a couple of false starts, and the reminder that every weird job you've ever had is probably preparing you for something.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You're not alone being freelance.
Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).
beingfreelance.com/community

NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!

The Being Freelance course is made for you!
Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.

FREELANCER MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop

Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.

Laura Whitehouse didn’t follow the usual path into graphic design.

While studying archaeology and anthropology (told you) at university, she started designing posters for student theatre shows. At first for free, then for £20 here and there (or sometimes just a pint). What began as a creative outlet quickly became the foundation of a freelance career.

Thanks to word of mouth clients and the help of various mentors, she built skills and confidence.

Until five years on, one of those mentors simply told her: "Just do it".
So she did. She quit. And start freelancing full time

In this episode Laura talks about:

• Building a business through word-of-mouth referrals
• Gradually increasing her rates after nudges from other freelancers
• Showing only certain types of work online to shape perception
• Running her one-woman studio Mighty Fine
• Why she prefers working with freelancers rather than building an agency
• The reality of managing 45 projects at once
• Being completely unapologetic about chasing unpaid invoices
• Why the financial side of freelancing can be the most stressful part
• And the strange phenomenon of people wanting to “just grab a coffee” to pitch startup ideas

Laura also talks about working in film and TV graphics, co-hosting the podcast Opening Credits, and how reading fantasy novels recently helped her switch off from work in the evenings.

It’s a fun and honest conversation about building a freelance business your own way, without necessarily following the usual advice about niches, marketing strategies, or growth.

Sounds like a mighty fine idea.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You're not alone being freelance.
Come and hang out with your BFFs (Being Freelance Friends).
beingfreelance.com/community

NEW TO FREELANCING? THERE'S A COURSE FOR YOU!

The Being Freelance course is made for you!
Take the course and you'll also get 6 months FREE community membership.

FREELANCER MERCH
Get Being Freelance merchandise at beingfreelance.com/shop

Like VIDEO? - Check out the Being Freelance on:
Instagram - Instagram.com/beingfreelance
YouTube - YouTube.com/SteveFolland

Being Freelance is hosted and created by freelance podcast editor Steve Folland.