The Freelancer Life: Meet Ellie Elliot-Frey
Meet Ellie, a Lifestyle PR Consultant, mum of two and self-confessed book worm with a decade of experience working in Consumer PR.
Ellie enjoys being able to fit work around her kids and loves working with brands that she’s really passionate about or are changing their industry.
“I am very much a people person; I love working with other people and also learning off other people. For me collaboration is a non-negotiable part of my freelance journey, I think I would feel a bit overwhelmed without the opportunity to do it.”
Hello, Welcome!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how long you have been doing it for?
I'm Ellie, a South West Londoner and mum of two little ones. I have a decade of experience working in Consumer PR and worked both agencies and in-house before going freelance. I've looked after PR for lots of different brands, but my passion lies in working with start-up interiors, parenting and wellness brands that have a compelling story to tell.
Why did you first become a freelancer?
I became a freelancer when my maternity leave finished after having my first baby. The company I had worked for before going on maternity leave sadly closed down and a few of my ex-colleagues had gone freelance, so they outsourced projects for me to look after or recommended me to potential clients that they didn't have time to work with. Because I was just starting my freelancing journey and wasn't sure how much I would earn, we didn't send our little girl to childcare to begin with - working with ex-colleagues and other freelancers, therefore, worked perfectly for me.
Where’s your favourite place to work from aside from your home and why?
Probably a coffee shop - for the coffee (and cake!) and just to be around other people. I actually work better with hustle and bustle going on around me, which is probably the result of working at busy agencies and being one of four kids. I also worked at Mortimer House with an ex-colleague I was doing some work with (she had a membership) which was such a treat!
“I actually work better with hustle and bustle going on around me, which is probably the result of working at busy agencies and being one of four kids.”
Share your struggles - what do you find hardest about working for yourself and why? How have you found ways to combat these parts of working for yourself?
I have two children, one who is under 1 and not yet in childcare, and one who is only at childcare in the mornings. Because I am still relatively new to freelancing (I had a good break when I had my second baby) I don't feel confident enough to make the jump and up their childcare in case I don't get enough work and end up paying for something we don't need. This means that I do a lot of work in nap times and after the children go to bed so I sometimes feel like I'm not getting any 'me' time. It's worth it though, at the end of the day I feel like I have the chance to watch my kids grow up and fit in work projects. As they get older I will hopefully be able to up my work and still be able to drop them off to school and pick them up, which is one of the biggest reasons I went freelance. Oh, and I hate doing my own accounting with a passion - I can't help but leave it all to the last minute.
Share your perks - what do you enjoy most about working for yourself and why?
I enjoy being able to fit work around my kids, working for brands that I really care about rather than ones I am just given, and not having to commute!
What are your top tips for anyone thinking about working for themselves?
My top tip would be to use your existing networks and seek out new ones. As I mentioned earlier I have got a lot of work off old colleagues which was a great way to ease myself into freelancing and made me feel like I was still part of a team. I have also found PR Freelancer Facebook groups really helpful to make new contacts, get advice on anything from pitching to going rates, and to find work projects.
“I actually don’t think I would have enjoyed freelancing without feeling part of a community - and joining The Doers has been great for that.”
What are your top 3 recommendations - podcasts, books, people to follow, sources of inspiration etc. and why?
Podcast: Power Hour by Adrienne Herbert
People to follow: Holly Tucker (Founder of Not On The Highstreet)
Book: Emma Gannon 'The Multi-Hyphen Method'
What role does collaboration play for you?
I am very much a people person; I love working with other people and also learning off other people. For me collaboration is a non-negotiable part of my freelance journey, I think I would feel a bit overwhelmed without the opportunity to do it.
What do you love to do? What makes you tick and what do you simply love doing?
In terms of work, it's getting stand out coverage results that makes me tick the most. I love researching which titles and journalists I am going to pitch to using which angle. I also love working with brands that I am really passionate about or are changing their industry.
Non-work related I am a total book worm and usually get through at least two books a week. I also love guilty pleasure tv like Love Island (sorry, not sorry!) and crime documentaries or series. I am most happy on holiday reading a book in the sun with a glass of Whispering Rosé in hand!
What are you really good at? What’s your marketing superpower?
I would say that I'm great at pitching and getting coverage results. I have a fantastic knowledge of the UK media landscape and what angles would work where.
What is the best project you’ve worked on since going freelance?
I worked for a start-up called Scandiscapes - a company that sells gorgeous house plants. It combined both interiors and wellness - two passions of mine - and the founder was also super lovely.
What were you doing this time last year? What have you learnt or how have you changed since then?
I was heavily pregnant with my second baby and dialling down on work to focus on that. One new baby and one lockdown later I've still managed to fit in work (some months without any childcare at all, like many parents) so I feel like I am capable to smash fitting in both work and parenting in the future. I also feel a lot more confident when it comes to finding my clients and selling myself, something that I wasn't that confident in doing before.
Want to learn more about Ellie? Give her a follow on Instagram @ellie.elliott.frey.pr.
