Summary
remote working summary
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There are times when working remotely seems like the dream, especially when I think of standing on a freezing platform waiting for a train to take me home or being stuck in traffic on the M25! If you’d told a 16-year-old me that I would be a knitwear designer in rural France talking to people from all over the world, I doubt that she would have believed you! After 2 ½ years of working almost entirely remotely (Thank you COVID!), I mostly love it, but there are 2 stumbling blocks that seem to crop up again and again … Time zones A lot of people might hesitate to work with someone in a different time zone because communication and lining up schedules can be hard. This is why I block time in my calendar early in the morning and in the evenings so that clients around the world (I work with brands in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond) and make scheduling easy with an app called TidyCal. It synchs calendars and adjusts for time zones, so clients can see what works for them in their local time and with their schedules and find a slot that works for them. One of the surprises of the last couple of years has been my Australian clients- I have worked with a number of Australian brands who specialize in merino wool (hello! 👋) … in fact, being an early riser, I am more than happy to get on a call at 7 am and chat about new designs, colors and so on. Another advantage of being in Europe is that I can be in touch with Asia in the morning to have a fitting with the factory or to hammer out problems with samples and then convey this back to my US clients in my afternoon/ their morning! Currencies Navigating currency differences can be tricky and to make things as hassle-free and low-cost to my clients as possible I use wise.com enabling clients to make payments in their local currency through a straightforward bank transfer. Once the payment details are set up, transactions become a quick and simple process, easily done through their banking app or website.
Social Connections When I first freelanced 10 years ago, I felt lonely and when I was considering starting this business, one of my first objections was the lack of social connection … but a few things have been game changers on this front for me! For example, I am part of a network of fashion designer freelancers through a course run by SewHeidi and it has given me a sense of having colleagues- sometimes on WhatsApp, sometimes on Zoom, a chance to chat with someone in the same field who gets it is invaluable and referrals have lead to clients and projects. Questions like: “Does anyone know of a low MOQ elastic in Europe?” and “Which recycled cashmere pills the least?” ping out along with moans about the weather, childcare and husbands! I also use a co-working app called Groove which is for creative entrepreneurs and freelancers. This allows me to track my time in a fun way (i.e. I’m researching new stitch trends but only for 50 minutes) and to connect with people all over the world- I love it. |