The Freelancer Life: Meet James Russell
Welcome to The Freelancer Life, a series of interviews with the freelance community. This series is all about community over competition in a bid to open up the freelance community and help you feel a little less alone. It’s also a chance for some seriously good freelancers to share their highs, their lows and gives them a chance to reflect on all they’ve achieved since going freelance.
We spoke to self-taught SEO whizz, Fitness Trainer and Doer James Russell to find out how he’s learned to welcome collaboration and take time-off from the inevitable rabbit hole of social media.
Hello, hello and welcome to The To Do List. Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how long you’ve been doing it for.
My interest in digital media started when I created my own website for my personal training business a few years ago. I taught myself the art of SEO and how to generate income and leads from Google, and saw how instrumental it was to the success of my business. Fast forward 5 years and social media is now a must-have marketing tool and used far more frequently than traditional media outlets as a result.
Since leaving personal training, I’ve worked with a wide array of clients; from interior designers to sports supplements. There’s often a disconnect between good social media content and closing a sale and I focus all my efforts on closing that gap.
Working in digital media is extremely satisfying; to be able to make a difference to a client's bottom line is a powerful thing. Seeing your work come together to provide clients with an outline of digital business development and to showcase your results at months end allows me to be proud of all the hard work I’m doing behind the scenes.
Why did you become a freelancer?
The online world had grabbed my attention and I could see I was really good at it. Being a freelancer was simply the easiest way for me to get into the industry and start making an impact whilst also acquiring new clients. It all started with one client who trusted me to make shit happen! I made the move from personal training to social media marketing predominantly because I could have a better work/life balance. The hours I worked as a personal trainer were really extreme and just didn’t work for me. I’m a firm believer in carving a career that works for me.
Where’s your favourite place to work from aside from your home?
I’m a big fan of Soho House. Due to my background in fitness, I love working out of White City House as it has great gym and spa amenities, and its Taiwanese Fried Chicken is to die for! Often I work from home in Clapham or find coffee shops all across London to park myself in.
“Collaboration is like a spiders web, it all comes back to the spider in the end. Whether that’s through learning new tips and tricks, or meeting someone who can help you further your business.”
Share your struggles - what do you find hardest about working for yourself?
The hardest thing about working for myself is not having a set schedule. So many times I’ve found myself working late into the night and struggling to switch off which has impacted on my sleep. I’m also incredibly aware of my ability to procrastinate which is why having other freelancers around me smashing it really helps to keep me focused and on track.
Share your perks - what do you enjoy most about working for yourself?
What I most enjoy about working for myself is being able to take time off as and when it’s needed, if it’s a day or an hour, it all helps to keep me sane!
What are your top tips for anyone working for themselves?
Find yourself a mentor. Whether this is a professional mentor, a successful CEO or business owner you’ve worked with or simply another freelancer who’s there to tell you to pull your finger out - I’ve found having a mentor has helped to drive me and my business forwards.
Always have a pipeline/network you’re constantly talking to. This ensures that should a client drop out or a contract come to its end, you have leads waiting to come in and replace them. Industry networking events are great for this!
Take some you time, social media never sleeps but you should! If you allocate your time properly and ensure you’re scheduling everything then you shouldn’t need to be up creating content at 3am. Sleep is just as important as work! Without quality sleep performance drops! So be aware!
Give us one of your top recommendations - podcasts, books, people to follow, your sources of inspiration.
Specific to my industry, I would recommend checking out Ortal Levitan, she gives great inspiration and advice on how to grow your social media accounts.
“Take some you time, social media never sleeps but you should! If you allocate your time properly and ensure you’re scheduling everything then you shouldn’t need to be up creating content at 3am.”
What role does collaboration play for you?
I really believe that collaboration is a fantastic tool for a freelancer. At first I was sceptical, giving away work or recommending someone else, however collaboration is like a spiders web, it all comes back to the spider in the end. Whether that’s through learning new things, or meeting someone who can help you further your business. It all has a place in your arsenal.
Tell us what you love to do
In terms of passions and hobbies, I properly geek out on learning and getting a deeper understanding. Whether it has a work focus or a physical performance focus like mastering my own body weight in order to do handstands and tricks.
What were you doing this time last year? What have you learnt or how have you changed since then?
Wow, this time last year... so much has changed! How I view my business, how I view myself, my knowledge and even how I view social media as a whole.
What I’ve really learned is how exhausting it can be when you work within social media. The constant feedback loop we have with technology, whether that’s checking your phone nonstop or constantly scrolling. I now understand that social media can be a motivator or a depressant and must be used carefully. I’ve really tried to make sure that I have a balance outside of work, otherwise you get sucked into the rabbit hole.
What one thing would you change in the freelance world and why?
The one thing I would change is how brands and companies view social media, and specifically the freelancers vs agency debate. I’ve seen so many times when a freelancer really knows their craft and will outshine an agency in terms of performance, but brands see the agency as being the big shiny object they all want. Something about the credibility a big agency name can bring seems to win too many times, especially when the brand doesn’t understand how social media works and how it can be used. I’d like to see more brands choosing to work with the people who are the best in their field and understanding the value a freelancer can bring to a team when they’re at the top of their game.