10/09/2025
A pretty good summary of my talk! Fantastic conference. Thanks for having me!
Starting with honesty - feeling so close to burnout, Samphire Kirby talked to us about balance for sustainable self-employment.
Practical wisdom from today’s session on building a sustainable self-employed life:
* Money & mindset
- Ask yourself: how much do you really need to live the lifestyle you want?
- Feast and famine is part of self-employment — find ways to cope with (and even enjoy) the ebb and flow.
- In places like Cornwall, self-employment can actually mean better pay and more flexibility than employed work.
* Work on your own terms
- You're not Dolly Parton, you don't need to work 9-5
- Choose who you work with (and say no when it’s not a fit).
- Build your business around your life, not the other way round.
- Work when you’re most productive, where it works for you.
- When you do what you enjoy, you get better at it — and attract more of it.
* Practical toolkit
- Invest in yourself: training, networking, recovery, and wellbeing.
- Use tools — apps, project trackers, comms channels — to make admin easier.
- Book tasks in your diary (anything over 30 mins) and leave breathing space between them.
- Have one unscheduled “CEO day” to run your business.
- Boss your clients around (you’re the expert!).
- GET INSURANCE. And keep an eye on home/work admin.
- Look at what your competitors are doing, make friends with them
* Mindset & energy
- Perspective changes everything.
- Manage your energy like you manage your time — schedule work around where your energy really is.
- Ride the waves of productivity instead of forcing it.
- Celebrate the freedoms: late starts, long lunches, early finishes.
- Mistakes will happen — clients will cope.
- Nourish your body: eat, drink and move well.
And above all: give yourself a break. You don’t always need an out-of-office — just manage expectations.
PS: Apparently, nuns are the absolute worst 😂😂😂
