So, for those of you who don’t know, I am off to have a baby very soon.
I have been trying to wind down, take time off, not look at my emails and avoid calls for the last few weeks, but it is impossible. As an events professional it is not in my DNA not to work.
Time off… what does that even mean?
I have been freelancing for just over 4 years now, and I love it. I love the clients you work for, the events you work on, the adaptability you need, but most of all, I love working for myself. Freelancing has given me the opportunity to work on THE MOST exciting events in venues and locations I never dreamed I would get the opportunity to go too.
So, how am I going to stop working and take a break from this world I love?
Well, this has caused me sleepless nights and lots of long conversations with my partner and my trusted tribe. Do I stop working altogether, take 9 months off and pop up again in January 2023 ready to work? Do I slow down, still do some work and find a balance between new baby and the events world? Or do I work with a tribe of people I trust and hand over enquiries to them to manage on my behalf? As you can image, the pros and cons for each situation have been exhausting!!
For me, the overriding factor is to make sure my name and brand remains in the industry whilst I am off with my newborn.
I will continue to co-host The Events Insight Podcast with Jack Saward and the brilliant team of volunteers we have behind us to make this podcast successful.
I will continue to write a monthly blog (just to make sure I can turn on my laptop and still communicate in the English language).
I will remain active on social media
I will look at opportunities as they are sent to and see if it is possible for me to support the client as they need, if not, I have a tribe of fantastic event professionals who I can share the work with
I will deliver on projects I have already committed too – I may need to adjust the Risk Assessment to account for my newborn being on site. Thanks to Helen McCabe at Harrier for your advice.
I will continue to have business lunches, coffee & cake and zoom chat with my trusted tribe of business professionals to keep me sane whilst I am off. Your diaries will be jam packed with catch up dates! Melanie Deakin, Matt Glover, Claire Denton, Lisa Sweeting, Janine Hopkins, Jan Denning, Jo Ferreday, Gary Beckwith, Simon Frere-Cook, Stuart Favill, Lucy Mellor, Maribel Pascual, Claire Leer, Ian Hateley
As a reader of my blog, I promise you that I am going to slow down and enjoy being off with my little one. I am looking forward to hours of Netflix, cake and long sunny walks. But, I will have one eye on my business and making sure I am ready to bounce back fully in the new year ready for this fabulous industry.
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