Freelancers - The Unsung Heroes

During these tough economic times, many new freelance businesses have sprung up following redundancies from larger organisations.

Having trained as a Junior Designer in the glittering lights of London, Joy Day was fortunate to learn her craft at two of the very best creative agencies. With a bulging portfolio, she then returned to her roots in Suffolk and worked as a Senior Designer at one of East Anglia’s leading advertising agencies, Jacob Bailey. 

However, the global recession hit them hard, and Joy was made redundant after returning from maternity leave, following the birth of her second daughter. Joy comments:

“Seizing the opportunity to follow my dream and launch my own design business, Creative Joy was born. Drawing on my commercial experience, I was able to pass on the benefit of my training to local clients in a truly bespoke service and at freelance rates.”

Having worked hard to build the company’s reputation as a freelancer and to secure a loyal client base, Joy’s efforts were recently rewarded when a local client nominated her for the Freelancer Of The Year Award 2011, following the successful completion of a new company logo.  As a finalist in this prestigious national competition, Joy was invited to a top London venue and joined a room filled with like-minded freelancers and an eminent array of judges from the marketing, media and communications community. From 58 nominations nationwide, Joy was delighted to reach the final six in her category: Design and Advertising. A great personal triumph for having freelanced for only a relatively short time and competing against some of the nation's heavyweights!

Joy says:

“Whilst celebrating the contribution of freelancers on a national scale, it made me reflect on our own business community in Suffolk and the vital contribution that we freelancers make. Although often the unsung heroes of the business community, we contribute wholeheartedly with our boundless skill sets and personal dedication to our clients.”

Joy continues by outlining some of the many benefits of being self employed:

 “In working for myself I have also worked hard to acquire great local contacts and am passionate about supporting the local economy. Now more than ever, local business relationships can be a win-win for both parties and it is my policy to work with local businesses and vendors on client projects, working with local copy-writers, proof readers and printers, who are all equally passionate about delivering the same high standard of client satisfaction.”

Creative Joy is just one of many new businesses to have sprung out of the recession, which has been the case for so many of our Enterprise Engagement participants. For whatever reason existing jobs are no longer secure and business entrepreneurs are finding alternative options. Many people are taking a leap of faith and plunging into a business venture based on an existing passion or skill.

While times are tough they are also changing the dynamics of the economy with more emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, providing a refreshing new brand of businesses.

Joy voices the edge that Creative Joy has on larger agencies and organisations is that it is able to offer that extra personal touch, providing a more tailored and cost-effective solution:

“My clients recognise that I have the skills, passion and resources to solve their problems effectively and see the value of commissioning a smaller outfit, which offers a sterling service at a more affordable rate.”

The icing on the cake for Joy has been the freedom to manage her own time, nurturing the new business whilst also spending time with her young family:

“In working closely with my clients and delivering bespoke, imaginative design that really connects with their target audiences, I am able to also juggle the school-run and never miss a single sports day or summer trip. So my recent accolade was also a timely reward for choosing to spend more time with my girls.”

Although Joy’s career began in the city, she has proved to herself and others that great design is not dependant on a post-code, as freelancing has given Joy the freedom to work with great local businesses, producing innovative design whilst pursuing that elusive work-life balance.