02/09/2026
The number 1 thing I wish I knew before I went freelance?
It takes time to build a brand. Like, seriously.
Sounds obvious, I know. But I genuinely believed that I’d hit the ground running when I first started out.
But I didn’t, and that’s absolutely okay.
I went into this with 1 client to get me started, 0 back-up and yet even though I’ve managed to sustain being a full-time freelancer for over a year, I still think I’ve not made as much progress as what I should have.
Should have.
I didn’t realise how damaging those two words could be.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking that when running a business on your own, there’s no such thing as ‘should have’.
There are lessons, mistakes, opportunities and maybe even ‘could haves’, but that’s all part of the process. And in all of that, you need to realise there are no ‘should have’s’ because if that was it, the lessons learnt just wouldn’t exist.
And what’s growth without a lesson or two?
One thing I know now is that perspective matters. It’s easy to compare your work and progress to others (particularly when working in social media 👀 ).
But taking time to reflect on not just your journey, but what you’ve actually learnt along the way is the most important ‘should have’. 🤝
