As you know, you don’t need a course to teach you how to go freelance. Anyone can quit their full-time advertising job, and begin to put themselves out there as a freelancer. Many will be on a freelance job soon after. 

That’s how I did it, and that’s how the vast majority of freelancers make the leap, too.

But, in my experience, simply "going" freelance doesn’t automatically deliver us to freedom. There’s a big learning curve to doing it well, because many new freelancers continue to see themselves as "employees," leaning on the idea of “work” to support them emotionally, financially and energetically.

If you're a freelancer that still feels like an employee, Freelance Unlocked will help you shift into a business owner mindset, so that you can feel more empowered around your career.

Yes! I’ve written the course from the point-of-view of a creative, since that is my area of expertise, but you should be able to insert your speciality into each lesson, wherever I use the word “advertising creative.” 

That said, there are a handful of lessons that pertain more specifically to creatives: this includes, “Working with Creative Partners,” and “Answering a Brief Properly,” but by and large the lessons will apply to creatives and non-creatives alike.

No. This course is specifically for people within the advertising industry. We do go into working with non-ad-agency clients, such as brands and production studios, but this course does not cover how to become an independent creative studio outside of the advertising industry.

Since this is a beta launch, we are happy to offer a refund within 48 hours of purchasing the course, if you find that it’s not what you were looking for.

I worked full-time for just under 3 years before transitioning to freelance. I know at least one successful freelancer who built his entire career as a freelancer. That said, I personally believe that it would be very beneficial to have at least a little bit of agency experience under your belt before going out on your own as a freelancer. 

That said, It’s a choice! I see plenty of freelance jobs for juniors, so I do believe that the need is there. 

You don’t have to be on the 30-under-30 list to make it as a freelancer. I’ve worked with plenty of creative partners who don’t have any awards. What they do have, however, is a SOLID portfolio. It may not be PERFECT, but it is PROFESSIONAL. We go over how to take your book to this level inside of Freelance Unlocked.

I am not an authority on the overall state of the freelance market, and I would never tell you WHEN to go freelance. It’s a personal choice, and for some people (myself included,) the need to get out of full-time agency life is more important than the exact state of the market. 

I’ve been freelancing for about 9 years, and over that time period, the freelance market has gone through natural ebbs and flows, as all markets do. Personally, this does NOT dictate my decision to be a freelancer. I built my financial structures AND my mindset to withstand the state of the market. 

That said, there are definitely times when the market seems slower than others. During those times, some people will still be working, and many will say that the market seems fine to them. I’ve been on both sides of this equation.

Some freelancers spend a lot of their time commiserating with other freelancers about the state of the market. You will not find me doing this. I don’t believe it is a habit of a successful freelancer, and what’s more, it’s not going to land me a job. : ) But, of course, like all things, this is a choice.

I can think of 3 very slow periods that I endured over my 9-year freelance career. They were challenging, AND each time, my mindset and INCOME radically grew afterward. This was not an accident. This had to do with how I related to my slow periods, and how I chose to USE that time off to support myself. Again, these are choices. 

I choose to use ALL moments of challenge as opportunities to see where I’m giving my power away to external circumstances, and how I can shore things up to put myself into a more powerful position the next time a challenge arises. 

This is the kind of thinking that we’ll explore in Freelance Unlocked. If this resonates with you, you’re in the right place.

However, if you are someone who prefers to know exactly when they’ll be working, and to have the guarantee of a job at all times, I do not suggest going freelance.

One of the amazing things about the advertising industry is that we have a built-in freelance market, which means agencies are frequently sourcing freelance talent, and in fact, they employ dedicated recruiters whose job it is to find people like YOU to freelance for them. Cool, right?

Your relationships will help you to land more work, but think of this more as your former coworkers, your friends, your Linkedin connections and things like that. You don’t have to be a master networker to become a freelancer, and Freelance Unlocked will teach you how best to start making connections.

Yes. But, less so. Let me explain. 

Working full-time at an ad agency isn’t a normal “job”—it’s more like an identity. Working full-time in advertising puts you inside of the all-encompassing advertising “culture.” When we spend so much of our time inside of this culture, it’s hard for us to remember what it’s like outside of it. 

For this reason, many of us lose sight of who we are outside of advertising, and even though we may want to leave the industry, we don’t even know what we like to do, or who we would be without this job title. 

For this reason, I love freelance as a SEGWAY into another path. 

Freelance will not liberate you from advertising altogether, but it will give you some space and time away from the full-on corporate advertising culture to begin to explore WHO you are, WHAT you enjoy doing, and HOW you want to get there. 

It’s an off-ramp.

That’s a great idea, and yes, absolutely. 

One of the amazing things about the advertising industry is that it has a built-in freelance market. I’ve seen many of my fellow advertising creatives get laid off over the years, and most often, I see them freelancing within the next couple of weeks. 

This is an AMAZING safety net for us advertising people.

That said, understanding the freelance landscape ahead of time will definitely make that transition easier for you if you find yourself out of a full-time job at any point.