Working 60-hour weeks and babysitting on the side: Being self-employed isn’t always glamorous but I’d never go back

Leaving her full-time staff role and to work for herself wasn't an easy ride for author Laura Jane Williams, but it was also the best decision she ever made

On one hot day summer day of 2016 I got up at 6am to get three children who did not belong to me ready for school. As their part-time nanny I braided their hair and made their lunch and delivered them to two different central London locations by the time the bell went. Then, I went to a local café to write my weekly dating column for a national magazine, before meeting my book PR at the BBC to record 12 local radio interviews.

By early afternoon I was back at the school gates with a drink and a snack, ready to take the kids to their swimming lesson where we’d meet their mum and I’d go home, ready to Instagram my day to my 20,000 followers and upload a blog post for readers around the world.

If that sounds exhausting, it was. For the first two and a half years I was self-employed, I was the very definition of a “hustler”. I thought it would be a couple of hours a day working on my laptop at a coffee shop. It was more like working 15-hour days at 8 different gigs, sort of like a circus performer juggling various live animals.

My portfolio career spanned nannying, journalism, copywriting, teaching, and authoring books – not to mention acting as my own HR department, finance officer, and marketing specialist. Working for myself was a baptism of fire in what it means to compromise, negotiate, and jump in.

I was essentially managed out of my last ever full-time job. The beauty PR company I was with asked me to relocate to Essex, but they knew I wouldn’t leave central London. So I took a chance and left the business – and full-time employment - for good. I’d always wanted to write, and figured I was being given a chance to make a go of it. With only a tiny amount of savings (I was so naïve!), I set about being my own boss.

Working alone can be lonely - sometimes I have to turn up the radio and sing loudly to my reflection, just so I know I’ve used my voice that day

It was feast or famine to begin with – I was so worried I’d fail and need to go and find a “proper” job that I took on way too much, and got burnt out. I didn’t understand how to treat myself like a business with a proper financial year broken down into quarterly fiscal goals. I also thought if I sold a book I’d never have to worry again: again, my inexperience was astounding. Few authors make a living solely from their books. I’m three books in, and still managing being published with journalism and public speaking.

Now, it’s more about being smart about having a few different income streams instead of being afraid. I’ve been able to identify key ways to make money and further my brand at the same time, meaning I never have to rely on one paycheck or success to keep me going. If I were asked to to name one key tenet of working for yourself it would be that: don’t rely on one client, project, or commission. Sow seeds in a few strategic places. But that’s the key word: strategic.

Working alone can be lonely, and especially as I finished editing my new novel I ate too many biscuits and didn’t see the outdoors for days at a time. Sometimes I have to turn up the radio and sing loudly to my reflection, just so I know I’ve used my voice that day. Seeing how efficient I am solo doesn’t half make me wonder how much company time I used to waste when I was in an office, though. I was paid to sit in a chair for eight hours a day but only worked four of them. Now I maximise my time working, but also end my day once the work is done.

The upside of working for myself is that I can visit family who live abroad at the drop of a hat because as long as I’ve got my computer I can meet my deadlines, and although it sounds crazy I also try to work around my menstrual cycle. When I’m on days one and two of my cycle I’m no good to anybody, so I take the extra time off. As long as everything gets done, who cares! I try to go to a Monday morning yoga class because it’s quiet and a great start to the week, but I do also sometimes work through the weekend. The reality is that some months I do 60-hour weeks, and some fewer than 25.

"The reality is that some months I do 60-hour weeks, and some fewer than 25"

At the heart of it, self-employment is about freedom for me. I get to decide who I work with, for what rate, and at what time. I don’t need permission for a lie-in or doctor’s appointment. It’s changed my life for the better. It’s made me about more than simply what I do.

I could never go back to being on staff. If I was going to give advice to anyone else wanting to go self-employed, I’d say this: good work isn’t enough. Have three months’ cash in the bank, never call yourself a “freelancer” or self-employed (you’re a business!), and network like your livelihood depends on it - because it does.

It’s worth the steep learning curve to be the captain of your own ship. It’s like they say – you can either make somebody else rich, or work for yourself and have a life. I choose the latter.

Our Stop, by Laura Jane Williams, is out now. Buy it here.