There are some things in business you can do on your own. But I’m increasingly convinced that finding the right people isn’t one of them.
When I started Freelance Mum 12 years ago, I wasn’t trying to build a network.
I was trying to find one.
I was a freelance voiceover artist, with a small child, trying to work out how on earth you were supposed to run a business around motherhood.
I wanted to meet other women who understood that strange juggle. People I could talk business with, without having to pretend the rest of my life didn’t exist. People who understood that sometimes you might arrive with a child in tow, or need to change plans at the last minute, or have had very little sleep!
I couldn’t find the network I was looking for.
So, somewhat accidentally, I created it.
And 12 years later, I think that need to find your people matters more than ever.
Because the right network changes everything
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about networking.
There are SO many networking groups out there. Online communities, breakfast meetings, memberships, conferences, WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups…
And they all have their place.
But finding your network is different.
It isn’t necessarily the biggest one. Or the one with the fanciest speakers. Or the one where you collect the most business cards.
It’s the place where you walk in and think:
Ahhh. These are my people.
Where you don’t have to explain why you need to leave at 2.45pm.
Where somebody recommends you for a piece of work because they genuinely know what you do.
Where collaborations happen over a coffee.
Where someone celebrates your win because they remember the conversation you had six months ago when it was still just an idea.
And where, on the days when running a business feels particularly lonely, you remember that you don’t have to do all of it alone.
That’s the bit of networking I think we sometimes underestimate.
It isn’t just about who might buy from you.
It’s about who walks alongside you.
So, we’re doing something a little different
Throughout September and October, we’re opening the doors to Freelance Mum and inviting you to come and Find Your People.
Rather than coming to one event and trying to decide whether Freelance Mum is for you, we want you to properly experience the community.
Come on a netwalk.
Join us for an Online Coffee Morning.
Try the Digital Hub.
Come along to Virtual Co-Working.
Dip into a Lunch & Learn.
Meet people from different hubs.
Have conversations. Make connections. See how it feels.
You can come to as many Freelance Mum events as you like throughout September and October, completely free.
There’s no pressure to join at the end of it.
We simply want to give you the time and space to explore the community in a relaxed, unpressured way.
Because finding the right network shouldn’t feel like being sold to.
It should feel natural.
Comfortable.
A little bit like coming home.
(Only without all the never-ending jobs to do.)
And if you’re already a Freelance Mum…
This is about you too.
Because the real story of Freelance Mum isn’t the events we run.
It’s what happens because people came to them.
It’s the friendships.
The collaborations.
The referrals.
The businesses that have grown.
The ideas that started on a walk.
The messages sent when somebody needed a bit of encouragement.
The people who would never have met, had they not both decided to turn up one day.
Over the next couple of months, we’re going to be sharing more of those stories.
Your businesses. Your friendships. Your collaborations. Your wins.
All those brilliant connections that happened because, somewhere along the way, you found each other.
Maybe it’s time to find yours
If you’ve been watching Freelance Mum from the sidelines for a while, wondering what it’s really like, this is your chance to find out.
All you need to do is head to the Freelance Mum calendar, choose the events you’d like to come to throughout September and October, sign yourself up and we’ll do the rest.
Come to one.
Come to five.
Come to as many as you like.
Take your time. Have some conversations. See where you feel at home.
Because business is important.
But the people you surround yourself with while you’re building it?
They matter too.
Come and Find Your People.
