I'm in need of a freelance assistant/copywriter

Freelance Assistant and CopywriterOkay, here’s the thing: things are looking up!

As I mentioned last week, I’m planning a LOT of stuff for the year / lifetime ahead. And I’m ready to find a brilliant, sparkling freelance assistant to help me move into the next phase of my business. Is that you? Is that someone you know? I’d love to hear!

It’s time to find someone fantastic

I’m looking for a freelance assistant to help me take my business to the next level by supporting me with copywriting, behind-the-scenes work on courses and events, and some exciting new projects I have in the pipelines.

Work remotely (plus tea and cake meetings)

The right person will be available to work remotely around 10 hours a week, but with the knowledge that some weeks will involve more or less work to accommodate the projects and tasks that come up. I also anticipate this building to more hours if things go well! Remote working will be the norm; we’ll keep in touch via chat and Skype, but I’d love to find someone in the Cambridge area (where I’ll be based later this year).

You: a brilliant, sparkling wordsmith

I’m looking for someone with excellent writing and proofing skills as a lot of the work will include writing content (such as product descriptions and blogs) for clients. You’ll also have a decent understanding of social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so that you can assist with creating content for these platforms. Crucially, you need to have an interest in small creative businesses, in innovation, and in creativity. I’ll also need you to be tech-friendly: you don’t need to know how to do everything, but you need to be able to learn quickly.

Current and ready-to-go projects include blog writing for clients, helping to organise social media posts, and writing product descriptions. I’m ready when you are!

Get in touch

If you’re interested in working with me, please get in touch with a brief overview of your skills and experience, and a CV to: jenny@thejennyhyde.com

And please feel free to share with anyone you think might fit the bill!

Jx

Here's the thing: what to do when there's too much to do

what to do when there's too much to doIt’s the end of the first week of January. I would guess that it’s possibly one of the most emotionally varied weeks of the year. We go from feeling like anything’s possible to complete overwhelm (with a hint of beating ourselves up for being human) when we realise how much there is to do.

Ah, my friends. Let’s just take a breath, shall we?

Inhale, exhale.

Yes, that’s a little better.

I, myself, have been on the rollercoaster of too much to do this week. Actually, since Christmas Eve, though it was more manageable before Monday. Because I have big plans for my business this year, this lifetime. There are lots of things I want to do, lots of ideas I have to help small businesses, to create fun and helpful tools. Retreats, workshops, ecourses, mentoring packages, new services – the list is loooooong.

And it turns out I also have big plans for myself, my life, my relationship too: we’re planning to move this year to be closer to Ryan’s son. We’ve been talking about it for a while, and then over Christmas it felt right to move it forward to earlier this year. And we’re not just moving down the road, we’re moving to a new city and area, one that I don’t know.

So my list got longer, because it then included researching areas, looking at houses, planning a move, doing all the utilities faff and on and on.

And here’s what I realised: I can’t do all those things. I can’t do everything, but I can do anything.

If I’m deciding to commit to moving (which I am, and I’m excited about it!), then I have to push some things back, like a whole load of new services and ecourses and workshops. They will have to happen after the move, in the second half of this year. Because seriously, I can’t do it all.

I also realised that March, when I’m running my retreat, will have to be a month of no additional work, and a full week off after the retreat. Last year, I was wiped out. I put a LOT of energy into that weekend, so it makes sense that I need time to restore afterwards.

Do I feel happy that I’m not going to be able to get everything done, as I hoped, in the next three months? No. But I feel peaceful. It feels achievable and very much like I’m taking care of myself within all these big plans, and that is most important.

(You may remember that, in my first six months of business, I bought a flat, renovated it and moved into it. Yeah, I learnt some things in that process.)

So here’s the thing:

Whether you’re planning to re-locate your life or not, we’re all susceptible to piling too many things on our to-do list and then feeling like failures when we don’t get them all done.

As I love to remember, we tend to overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what we can do in the long term.

Especially in January!

You may be feeling, on the 8th of January, like you’re already behind. There are already resolutions or super-organised-energetic to-do lists that are slipping.

Here are some things I’ve been doing to help me get through to the really important stuff (big and small):

  • Draw the important / urgent matrix: get a big piece of paper and divide it into quarters, as below. Start seeing your to-do list in terms of importance (the value something adds to your business, or its potential) and urgency. It’s a great way to see what you can postpone, de-prioritise and stop doing. (Note: social media notifications usually fit in ‘urgent but not important’ – the blacklist zone.) Update: here’s a printable version of the urgent and important worksheet.

 

 

IMPORTANT vs URGENT

 

  • Be very clear about what needs to be done today, and what can wait. I really, really want to write a new ecourse, organise a workshop, and blog every day. They all hold value, but actually they can wait while I sort everything else out. They’re ideas that aren’t going anywhere, and much as I’m sad I can’t do them this week, I know I’ll enjoy it when I do.
  • Realise that small acts are sometimes the most energy-consuming. Sometimes, I end up giving a disproportionate amount of weight to certain tasks, like replying to an email. Something that’s going to take me 10 minutes or less ends up sitting on my to-do list with as much importance as ‘Create new ecourse’. I’m still learning this, but it makes a huge difference to me to get small bits out of the way first, so that they don’t weigh on my mind.
  • Be curious about how much you can do in a day. Rather than thinking, ‘I have eight hours of work time today, so I’ll do this for 10 minutes, and this for an hour, and I’ll go straight to the next thing for an hour…’, try becoming a scientist and experimenter in your own time and habits. Discover how much you can do in a day, or an afternoon, rather than thinking you already know, or trying to fit too much in. So at the end of the day, you can say, ‘Oh, cool, I did five things’, rather than kicking yourself because you expected to do 10.

And of course, I have a couple of tools to help you with organisation. The first is The Year’s End, to help you plan your year, and the second is a shiny new Planning With Purpose monthly programme which opens for registration on Monday. (And for those interested, Inspired Action will run in April this year, not Feb/Mar as previously advertised.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts, tactics and to-do lists!

The Year's End

You’ve been running on auto-pilot for weeks, and you aren’t sure what you’re even trying to do anymore.

You feel like you should be planning a jam-packed, full-on 2016, but you don’t even know where to start.

You want to have a handle on the numbers and finances, but spreadsheets scare you.

You’ve got a huge list called ‘Things To Do In 2016’, but it’s mostly in your head, or on that receipt you might have thrown away. It’s been wedged into that mythical time called “January”.

You want more work-life balance. You’re ready to be really honest about what you want and need on personal and professional levels.

It’s time for a change.

Sound familiar? You’re in the right place. I’ve got something awesome for you:

 

The Year’s End: a workbook for your small business

The Year's End: a workbook for your small businessI love the promise of a fresh year, a fresh start. I also love spreadsheets.

This year, I’ve created a beautiful package for you to help you look back at 2015 and look forward to 2016.

It’s based on the way I look at my own business: the balance between financial analysis, thinking about my happiness and satisfaction, and of course doing good work.

More than that, it’s based on my work with small creative businesses. I’ve been working with creative entrepreneurs, designers, makers, writers, for over six years, and I know the ins and outs of selling products online. This workbook assesses all the different areas of your business, helping you to see what’s going well and what needs to change.

It’s also based on my knowledge and experience of what it means to be human. I know that you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. In the workbook and video, I talk about how to find the things that are right for you.

I believe that how you feel is as important to your business as what you do. Indeed, they lead to each other much of the time! So you’ll find plenty of questions about what you want, how you feel, and what you need for each area of your business.

For those who are financially nervous, are prone to over-worrying or sticking your head in the sand, I’ve created an easy-to-use spreadsheet to give you a pretty clear indication of how you’re performing financially. And I talk you through using it and understanding it on a lovely video.

BUY NOW

Cost: £25

What you’ll get:

  • A 29-page printable and editable workbook
  • An introductory video
  • A spreadsheet with two sections: looking back and looking forward
  • Two videos on how to use the spreadsheets

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive an email within 24 hours with a link to all the goodness.

 

Who it’s for:

The workbook is written for small creative businesses who sell products that they source or make themselves. It’s relatively applicable to service-based businesses as well, as long as you’re willing to do a bit of translation on the wording yourself!

I’ve designed the workbook to be applicable to small kitchen-table businesses, and bigger businesses with teams, premises, and big-figure turnovers. My experience is that, when you’re running your own creative business, the themes are pretty similar, no matter the size.

 

What you’ll need:

  • A printer to print the workbook
  • Alternatively, a Chrome web browser or Adobe to type into the workbook
  • Microsoft Excel or compatible software to use the spreadsheets
  • Tea or coffee and a quiet spot

 

About me

Jenny HydeI’m passionate about small creative businesses and the brilliant people behind them. My unique blend of industry experience and creative intuition allows me to guide entrepreneurs towards their full potential. I work with people at every stage of running a business – from newbie to veteran.

I both consult and coach, so my work comes from a place of broad experience, as well as skills and approaches that help you to find your own inner knowledge and wisdom.

This workbook is space for you to find your own answers, but within a structure I’ve designed to suit the needs of most small creative businesses. And the videos, as you’ll find out, are approachable and open – just what you want when you’re planning your next year of brilliance!

BUY NOW

Any questions? Please get in touch here.

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Enter The Forge

Life's too damn short to chase someone else's definition of success. I'm here to give you the courage and tools to forge your own path.