Talking to Unicorns: Recent Episodes
Unicorn Factory
Hayden is a freelance copywriter from Wellington, New Zealand. We had a chat about his journey as a copywriter, the challenges of writing for yourself and plenty more!
This was an amazing chat with a lot of fantastic takeaways.
https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/hayden-maskell
https://www.haydenmaskell.com/
Today, I talk to Grace Potter who is a part-time freelance web and brand designer from Wellington, New Zealand. Grace is currently contracting full time for a design agency but does freelance gigs on the side. We talked about her journey and experiences working in the agency world and other fun things.
Tim Hunt is a freelance Storyboarder and Animator from Wellington, New Zealand. He has been in the industry for the last 20 years and we had a chat about his journey and learnings from working in the creative space. Links: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/tim-hunt
Phil Cox is the co-owner of Avalon Marketing and Web Design based in the beautiful Wairarapa.
We had a chat about his background, how he finds and works with local councils and some of his strategies when hiring contractors.
Links:
https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/phil-cox
https://avalonmarketing.co.nz/
Nick is a freelance brand designer from Auckland, New Zealand. He is currently working as in-house designer for an Auckland branding agency but has recently started picking freelance projects on the side.
We had a chat about his career path, how he splits his time between his full-time job and freelance work, how he selects clients and heaps of other practical insights for anyone considering freelancing on the side.
This episode will be particularly useful to anyone who has considered freelancing but has been held back by having a fulltime job.
Nick on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/nick-walker
Ashley Boyd is a freelance brand designer from Auckland. After spending the last 4.5 years in Sydney working as a brand designer in social enterprises and agencies, she has now returned to NZ and made the leap into freelancing.
We talked about why she primarily works with social enterprises, her cold emailing strategy (putting a 100% effort into 10 emails, rather than a 10% effort into 100 emails) and some branding tips for social enterprises. I highly recommend reaching out to Ashley if you need some help with spreading the word about your social enterprise, charity or other NFP organisation.
Ashley on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/ashley-boyd
Ashley's website: https://www.ashleyrosedesigns.co/
In this video, I share my thoughts on how to charge for your first freelance project.
I cover:
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The different types of pricing models used by freelancers
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What pricing model to choose for your first project
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What I consider the freelancer minimum wage
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What pricing model to work towards if you want to build a business
Unicorn Factory is a freelance directory in New Zealand. Our community of 500 freelance designer, marketers and developers work with Kiwi businesses of all sizes. Visit us at https://www.unicornfactory.nz
Maddy is a freelance Shopify Developer from Auckland. I was really excited to talk to Maddy because she the freelancer that has closed most clients through Unicorn Factory over the last few months. We had a chat about Shopify, how COVID changed how Kiwi business owners think about digital and how her past job is helping add value to her clients beyond just her web design and Shopify services. Highly recommend.
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Maddy on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/maddy-croft
Croft Creative: https://www.croftcreative.com/
Nikolai Bain is a freelance Webflow developer from Wellington, New Zealand. Four months ago, Nikolai made the leap into freelancing full-time after working as an in-house graphic designer for various businesses for the past three years.
We talked about his journey to becoming a freelancer, early learnings, Webflow and heaps of other fun things.
This is episode will be particularly useful to anyone who is considering freelancing fulltime, but not quite sure where to start.
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Nikolai on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/nikolai-bain
Nikolai's website: https://www.nikolaibain.com
Hey everyone,
I made a video recording for our freelancers explaining if it is better to position yourself as a generalist or specialist on Unicorn Factory. I decided to upload this here because a lot of these learnings are equally applicable to freelancing in general.
Bex is a Strategic Storyteller from Christchurch, New Zealand. Bex has been freelancing as a copywriter, comms specialist and event manager in the impact sector since 2016.
In this 45 minute interview, we talked about what a storyteller does, the skills needed to be a great remote worker, coworking and her business Anteater.
I was really inspired by Bex. Anyone that needs help telling their brand story needs to get in touch with Bex.
Bex on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/bex-de-prospo
Authentic Storytelling: https://www.authenticstorytelling.co.nz/
It's Wednesday and that means it's time for a new episode of Talking to Unicorns.
This week is slightly different from our usual episodes because I (Connor Finlayson) am the one being interviewed. Abby who was interviewed in Episode 8 took over the role as host and asked me about the Unicorn Factory, what I do as a freelancer and any tips and tricks I have for freelancers using Unicorn Factory.
Julian runs digital consultant Hullo Digital in Wellington, New Zealand. In this episode of Talking to Unicorns, we had a chat about the Mad Men days of advertising, Julian's vision for Hullo Digital and plenty more. Julian is an OG advertiser and I loved having a chat to him about what he is up to.
Abby Damen is a co-founder of Shut Up & Dance and a part-time freelance copywriter from Wellington, New Zealand. I had a chat to Abby about her journey starting her own business, the ups and downs of having to move your events business online and how the first six months as a freelance copywriter has gone. This video will be great for anyone who is on the fence about pursuing their passion!
Katrina Pace is a freelance copywriter from Auckland, New Zealand. Katrina works with businesses in the health and wellness industry in New Zealand, UK and the States to help clarify their messaging. In our talk, we had a chat about her journey into the world of copywriting, why adding value to your community for free empowers people to trust you and much more. This episode is filled with amazing insights for any aspiring copywriters!
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Katrina on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/katrina-pace
Word of Wellness: https://www.wordsforwellness.com/
Alex Murton is a web designer and Webflow developer from Auckland, New Zealand. Alongside his partner Monica, he runs a boutique web design & development studio called Studio Almond.
I had a talk to Alex about how to price your services on the higher end of the scale, why value-based pricing is a requirement for any freelancer wanted to build a business, how Webflow has changed his design and web design processes, and plenty more.
Besides delivering amazing work, Alex is incredibly business savvy, and I highly recommend checking this episode out, if you want some actionable insights on taking your freelance business to the next level.
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Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfatory.nz
Alex on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/alex-murton
Studio Almond: https://www.almond.studio/
Webflow: https://www.webflow.com
The business of Authority Podcast: https://www.thebusinessofauthority.com/
In this weeks episode, I talk to Jenny Eastwood, a freelance copywriter from Auckland. Jenny has an amazing story about how she got into freelancing.
Inside of eight months, Jenny went from working as a hairdresser to working as a copywriter from tech startups to now freelancing fulltime.
We talked about that journey, how she landed her first clients, putting yourself out there when you are getting started, her Reddit post that blew up and plenty more. Really enjoyed talking to Jenny! Check it out!
Links:
Jenny Eastwood on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/jenny-eastwood
The Reddit Article: https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/ge9swn/i_changed_careers_and_went_from_40k_to_100k_in/
Jenny's Website: https://www.eastwoodcreative.co/
Denym Bird is a freelance digital marketer and entrepreneur from Auckland, New Zealand. Besides running his marketing agency Hypergiant, he also runs Paintvine, an events company that organises wine and paint events in NZ and the UK.
I had a talk to Denym about how he got his start as a freelancer, his entrepreneurial activities and how he built and sold a company during Level 4 Lockdown in New Zealand. Amazing dude.
Some really practical and actionable insights for anyone wanting to get into freelancing or start a business.
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Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfatory.nz
Denym on Unicorn Factory: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/denym-bird
Denym's Agency: https://hypergiant.co.nz/
Paintvine: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/case-study/paintvine-marketer-and-founder
Delivereat: https://www.unicornfactory.nz/case-study/delivereat
Alex Siale is a digital marketer from Wellington, New Zealand who helps real estate agents grow their businesses through paid advertising. In this video, we talk about his journey into the world of freelance marketing, his recent pivot from being a generalist to focussing on Real Estate, some specific actions and strategies for marketers looking for their first client, and heaps more.
Some super juicy insights.
We are back for #2. Last week, I sat down with Hollie who is a brand designer from Wellington to discuss freelancing and being a branding expert. We talked about the customer experience of brand consulting, how you can build additional income streams and how to land your first paying gig as a freelancer.
Hollie is also working on re-branding Unicorn Factory! So heaps of exciting things are on the horizon!
Dominic Rogers is a UX consultant from Wellington, New Zealand. In our chat, we discuss the impact the Coronavirus has had on his business, what role speaking at conferences plays as a freelance consultant and much more. Talking to Unicorns is our web series where we interview different freelancers and remote work experts from New Zealand to hear their thoughts on working for yourself.
https://www.unicornfactory.nz