Business for Self-Employed Creatives

Casey Eade is a brilliant and funny creative with many talents - voiceover, copywriting, marketing, social media management, art and cosplay, to name a few.

Less than two years ago, she left her corporate job to pursue her passion, and she's never looked back. In this episode, we talk about knowing when it's time to quit your job and become self-employed, balancing multiple interests, and being an adult while still having fun with what you do.

We also discuss the Millennial point of view of what work should be, figuring out what work style and schedule makes sense for you, and how taking breaks allows you to be more productive.

We're happy rebels who do things our own way instead of following the traditional business model.

Connect with me on your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl and please email info@aardvarkgirl.com with any topic suggestions, feedback, or just to say hi!

Follow Casey @muirin007 on all social platforms

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01:33 I quit my corporate job and I jumped into [voiceover] full-time. And now I've been doing this full-time for over a year. And I can't. It's bonkers.

02:56 I just think I hit a breaking point. And sometimes breaking points can be good, because it was like, well, the worst that's gonna happen is nothing. And then I still won't die.

05:03 I loved it, even when I was scared and going crazy and, like, what if this doesn't work? I was still having a ball. Because this is what I really love to do. And I know that sounds cliche. But man, it makes a difference.

06:20 Because I had abandoned the stuff that was holding me back, the corporate day job, I was able to divert that energy into finding new clients. And I within like two to three months, I built up a full-time client roster.

08:05 I've noticed among folks that are around my age that are self-employed, it's not even a question of “Are you willing to adapt to all these tech changes?” It's, well, duh, we gotta adapt!

11:27 Most people my age, from the millennial generation, have multiple jobs. Whether it's a daytime 9-5 thing and then they've got things they're doing on the side, or they're freelancing and they have multiple projects. I think that's becoming the norm, especially with all the work from home lately.

13:16 Being in charge of what I do has made me so much more productive.

15:25 I think part of the appeal of this online self-employed entrepreneurial boom that I've been seeing is that I can get the work done, you just need to let me do it. 

16:54 I think younger people entering the workforce - they've grown up with the flexibility of the Internet, and they've grown up seeing entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial mindsets - are questioning and saying, Well, why do I have to do that when I can do the same thing, but more effectively, and the work quality will be better?

18:48 More and more people I know personally, whether it's voice acting, whether they’re freelance writers, editors, artists, whatever, are kind of making this leap because I think a lot of people are just fed up with that old world model.

21:07 Ultimately, it's about what makes you happy. I know that sounds so Disney Princess, but the older I get, and the more I do this, and the more people I talk to, do what you want to do. Seriously. 

A big challenge for me was shifting from "Oh my God, I failed once. I have to say 10 Hail Marys. Oh, no, what am I going to do to?" to "What can I learn from it? Let's try this and see if it sticks. Oh, that didn't work. Try this. That didn't work. Oh, that did." That kind of freedom lets you explore and fail and be okay with it.

23:54 I think it was about me believing in me and getting away from all those voices that told you, for one reason or another, you can't do this.

24:59 And I think it's, especially for women, that ability to say, "You can do this. You're going to be fine." Ask for help when you need it, which is so hard to do. But that's the other critical skill I've learned.

27:17 Kind of on the flip side, there's absolutely a tendency to romanticize it. Like I can just go take a three-hour ice cream break or whatever. Yay! You're on your own! I'm free! But now you've got to do the work. Nothing's going to fall into your lap. 

28:30 It's been hard. It's been, at times, exhausting and scary, because it's kind of like I was used to following the mold that was set out for me. And now I'm building my own. I don't regret it for a second, I cannot believe, for real, that I wake up every morning and get to make noises in a box for a living.

30:15 This has also been a big process of me learning. What can you logically, realistically do today, Casey? I am never bored, which is good. I've always got a one-man song and dance show in some way going on over here.

31:46 It's another fun way to get the creativity out. I've been able to partner with some awesome charity organizations because of the cosplay stuff I do, and do some great work with them. I can't stop making stuff ever.

34:41 I think we get to a place when we're adults where we almost tell ourselves, "I can't have fun anymore. I have to be serious." And that's part of why it took me so long to get away from my corporate job. I was like, well, it's not realistic. And now I'm like, who says? People do this all the time! So I want to encourage people to just let themselves play again and have fun. 

36:06 Probably one of the most important things I've learned since going full-time self-employed is knowing when to take a break. Being self-employed also doesn't mean you're going to be working 200 hours a week, forever and ever, and then you crash. No. A huge part of it is learning when to stop. And that's another kind of freedom.

37:43 I can't do anything or make any money at all if I'm exhausted. There's no way. Take a break when you can. 

39:14 Everything's cyclical. There are going to be busy times and downtimes. So just being able to take advantage of that, I'm so much more productive when I do.

41:06 The other thing you start to realize is these [clients], they're also just regular people. And that kind of takes a lot of the intimidation out of it for me. I think people are, in some ways, more understanding than I would give them credit for.

44:50 If you know you do a lot of your best work at one in the morning, and that's naturally how your body clock is, and it's not going to hurt you, go for it!

46:17 Listen to what your body responds to naturally. Listen to what work techniques and patterns and workflows work best for you. Try different ones. A lot of this has been me reteaching myself to listen to myself. I think a lot of our work culture has taught us to turn that off. Don't listen to yourself. Just keep going. Just push it, push it, push it. There are times when you need to do that, and that's fine. But, just speaking from personal experience, I've been so much more productive, and so much happier, since I've allowed myself to be like I work best at this time.

47:42 Believe in yourself and reach out when you need help. Get rid of the idea that you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps with absolutely everything and you're totally on your own. That's not how human beings work. Use your support system, your network, find one. You can do so much more than you think you can.