Self Employed Lifestyle & Freelance Blog

Self Employed Report – July

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019 by Ryan

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Over the past three years since going self-employed, I have experienced such variation from day-to-day. It’s constantly a learning curve and I strive to improve with every month which passes.

The self-employed report is a new feature which documents the trials and tribulations from the month past. This will focus on the key strands of self-employment; freelancing, educational business and of course life and how I make sure I can be a good Dad/Husband.

For those looking to move into self-employment, I hope the reports are useful!

Avoiding The Freelancer Feast & Famine Cycle

July 29, 2019July 29, 2019 by Ryan

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Freelancing can be a lonely game; particularly when the chips are down. A lull in workload, a drop in enquiries or losing a client can have you scrambling for the exit door back to full-time employment. It’s part and parcel of a career as an independent consultant.

According to statistics from August 2018, there are 2 million freelancers in the UK. This figure is only rising too. Naturally with this comes an increase in competition. Welcome to the famine cycle. On the flip side, more and more companies are utilising freelance consultants to improve their business. Here comes the medieval feast.

Co Working Spaces Wakefield

July 30, 2019July 26, 2019 by Ryan

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Moving to the Wakefield area as a freelancer I was keen to explore and discover the co-working spaces within the City. One of the drawbacks to freelancing is bouncing ideas off colleagues. It’s something I always miss; particularly when I’m working from home. Arriving in a new place; I was keen to meet new people. Like-minded digital workers to get that level of collaboration of sorts.

Time Efficiency

July 29, 2019July 23, 2019 by Ryan

Reading Time: 5 minutes
Time or more of it. It’s something we all strive for but never quite have enough. Productivity hacks, outsourcing, scheduling. These are all ways in which we try and achieve more time to spend doing other things.

I know what you’re thinking. Not another productivity post. The web is littered with the same cookie-cutter articles of how to be more productive. Luckily I’m not here to play that game. Like everyone I procrastinate when at my computer; I’m no productivity warlord. What I have going in my favour however is that I am efficient in how I utilise my time and have built up a number of ways in which the life I have chosen allows me to work less while still getting ‘all the things’ done!

Finding your community

July 29, 2019July 18, 2019 by Ryan

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Since becoming a freelance consultant my strategy has always been to find my ‘community’. Think of your community as your niche or target market. The industry is oversaturated with ‘Full service’ Digital Agencies who can be more keen to grow as opposed to servicing their clients.

I saw the opportunity to be a local voice who predominantly helps businesses local to Leeds & Wakefield. Those who have been left behind by agency growth or perhaps not attractive enough on the Agencies client roster. My approach was to nurture this community and become the leading consultant within my small area.

Momentum

July 29, 2019June 3, 2019 by Ryan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

There’s no denying business is hard. I would say to anyone asking the most difficult part of self-employment is how it’s constant. Sure I can take a break in the middle of the day to mow the lawn or exercise but every single weekend I will start my day by making sure everything is running smoothly.

Business never gets easier as you constantly challenge yourself to grow. Whether that’s improving your client set, working fewer hours or building processes for the least enjoyable parts; continuing to progress is important for self-development and worth.

Read moreMomentum

Martin Heywood

07:19 31 Jul 19

We started working with Ryan a few months ago. We agree with many of the reviews posted here - he is a genuine good guy, with a truly extensive knowledge of SEO and PPC. He knows what works and what is just a waste of time. He has taken over our PPC campaigns and in a very short space of time has improved our conversion ratio. We hope to be working with Ryan for many years to come.

David Lee

14:57 06 Sep 18

Ryan is awesome to work with. He knows a huge amount about every aspect of online marketing and simply gets results with the methods used. If you're thinking about hiring him - go for it as you will not be disappointed.

George Gradwell

09:09 16 Apr 18

Ryan's knowledge of PPC is incredible and he work's tirelessly to obtain great results. Ryan's willingness to go that extra mile to support our business makes him very valuable to our online performance and the wider strategy. We'd recommend Ryan to anyone who is looking for a PPC account manager that delivers great results.

Laura Cornish

19:42 07 Mar 18

A huge thank you Ryan for your support, knowledge and training you have offered. We have made fantastic progress and have seen great results as a result of Ryan’s work with us. Google AdWord campaigns are running effectively and we can see positive changes and increase in leads. Google rankings have increased organically and the website is performing better again resulting in an increase in leads. Ryan comes highly recommended for all sizes of businesses.

MATTHEW

17:04 19 Dec 17

Ryan is dedicated, informative and a very proactive SEO specialist, highly recommended!

Jon Milsom

17:35 23 Mar 17

Ryan has a wealth of knowledge and experience across a wide range of digital marketing channels. Thorough, energetic and committed to continually improving his craft, Ryan is an asset to any startup or established team.

Alex Goldstein

19:17 15 Mar 17

Ryan's knowledge of SEO is exceptional. Unlike every other self proclaimed "SEO expert" I have spoken with, Ryan doesn't hide behind technical jargon and tells it like it is. Most importantly, he has a firm grasp of a business' needs, rather than pushing his own agenda. Valued advice, great insight and would highly recommend.

John Derbyshire

11:35 15 Mar 17

Ryan is great at his job, proactive and a bit like the Ronseal of Digital - does what he says. Recommended

Jordan Bradley

11:16 15 Mar 17

In the 8 months I spent working with Ryan his mentoring allowed me to develop from having little practical marketing expertise to excelling well beyond the Junior level at which I was hired. Ryan’s direction, guidance and advice allowed me to flourish in an innovative marketing environment into a competent digital marketer. As a friend and source of knowledge, Ryan’s opinion will always carry immense value to my ongoing career.

Jamie Coverley

11:06 15 Mar 17

Ryan has revolutionised the SEO and PPC areas of our business which has resulted in unprecedented growth. His knowledge and leadership in this area has been invaluable to our business, I can’t recommend him highly enough.

Mark rofe

06:35 11 Mar 17

I've known Ryan for several years now, and during that time he's provided help and advice on a number of my personal projects. He's a very knowledgeable and talented digital marketer, and one of the few people who's opinions matter to me. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ryan for your digital marketing requirements.

Life, freelancing & advice from Ryan Gibson

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Self-employed report

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Ryan Gibson