When you’re thinking of going all in

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from the Founder of Chapter One Journal — Stepan Mitaki. He says:“Hi Frankie & Steve,I've got a full-time product job in London, a 3 year old, an 11 year old stepdaughter, and a small iPhone app I've built alone in the evenings. It's been on the App Store for two months. It has a few paying customers and it earns nowhere near what my salary does.Everyone gives me one of two answers. Go all in, or drop it. I can't do either. Quitting a London salary with two kids is not a decision I get to make on optimism. Dropping it means the one thing I actually care about building quietly dies.So I keep going at about ten hours a week, mostly after bedtime, and I genuinely cannot tell whether that is discipline or a very slow way of failing.How do you work out whether a side thing is a business that hasn't started yet, or an expensive hobby you should be honest with yourself about? And is there a version of this where you never make the leap, you stay in the job forever, and that's actually a fine answer rather than a failure?Thanks, Stepan”Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community.•••Stepan's OneJournal websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being FreelanceDoing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK InstagramSupport DIFTK on Ko-Fi

To celebrate DIFTK turning 10 years old this year, this episode is a little bit different! We’re taking NO questions. Instead, we’ve asked 10 DIFTKers to tell us 10 Truths about freelance parent life. Something they wish they’d known about freelancing with kids. Something they’ve learnt. Some ‘truth’ or realisation — positive or negative! Something they think you’d all benefit from knowing about. Because the absolute BEST bits of this podcast always come from all of you. So we are LITERALLY HANDING OVER THE MICROPHONE. Enjoy! Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community. •••Frankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being Freelance Doing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Instagram Support DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from copywriter Helen Savage. She says: “I’m a freelance writer and have less work than I’ve had for the 6 years I’ve been freelance — but at the same time my youngest child has just started walking to school by himself. I’m struggling a bit with the fact I’m going to be needed less and less by my kids and don’t have the work to fill my time and give me that sense of purpose. I appreciate a lot of parents might want to scream at me for complaining about children being more independent 😬 but I’m having a whole new identity crisis with the combination of these two things. How do I navigate this new phase?? How do I regain a sense of purpose when I increasingly feel no longer needed?” Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community. •••Helen's BlogWrite websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being Freelance Doing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Instagram Support DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Detective Piggybank aka ANONYMOUS. They say: “Hi Frankie and Steve. My question is this: I often see freelancers and creators sharing what they make money wise. I must admit I can’t help but read, listen or watch this stuff. I find myself wondering if I should do this? But then I worry… what if people think it’s just showing off. Is it?  What if people start attacking me for when I do well? What if people think I suck when I don’t do so well? I feel like people might judge me for NOT posting what I earn. Am I just being too British about it — how dare we talk about money? Penny for your thoughts? So long as you tell everyone online where you got that penny from 😉 Detective Piggybank” Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community. •••Frankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being Freelance Doing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Instagram Support DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from graphic designer and brand strategist, Joanne Grubb. She says: “My best friend and I have a really good idea for an online membership 'club' for charity comms professionals. We want to build a community that's as engaging and supportive as DIFTK and Being Freelance.  Where do we start? And what do you wish that you both knew before you started?  My initial entry point before I joined was your amazing podcasts, as it feels like they’re really important for breaking down barriers to entry and building your brand?” Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community. •••Joanne's JG Creative websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being Freelance Doing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Instagram Support DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from social media trainer and strategist, Sarah Pascaru. She says: “How are we all coping without any family to help nearby?? I’m in this situation — and also a single parent — and it’s hard. What are we all doing to avoid burnout and stress? Anything?” Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community. •••Sarah's Social Jooce websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being Freelance Doing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Instagram Support DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Jon Richards — graphic designer at Goodness By Design. He says: “How do I stop feeling guilty about not working during 'working hours'? I've been freelancing for over 15 years, but until last year it was always alongside a part time 9-5. So this is the first time I've been fully freelancing and I'm noticing a lot of guilt around when I'm not working. If it's a weekday and within 'normal' working hours, I feel like I should be doing client work, marketing or something. But as a creative, sometimes I'm just not in the right mood. Someone suggested recently that this might be a hangover of working in a 9-5. One of the main drives to go freelance was the flexibility it would bring. So I guess my question is, how can I get better at giving myself permission to do things like, go to Bristol for the day, visit an art gallery or just watch a film, when my head isn't in the right place to work? Do you ever have the same feeling?” Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community. •••Jon's Goodness By Design websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being Freelance Doing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK Instagram Support DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from career coach for parents at The Balance Collective, Clara Wilcox.She says:“I'm unapologetically anti-AI for a whole load of reasons — ethical, against the ‘big bro tech boys’, and the way they steal information to train it etc. But how do you work and promote yourself in a world that seems so pro-AI without sounding like a Luddite?”Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community.•••The Balance Collective's websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being FreelanceDoing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK InstagramSupport DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from career and worklife coach Vicki Kirk. She says:“Hi Frankie & Steve,Is it just me that is finding it really hard to get going again this new year? Normally I’m all for diving into the planning / organising / new year-ing but this year I just want to curl up under the duvet!There’s a few reasons behind it (potential big family stuff on the horizon, a bit burnt out from last year, not entirely sure where I want to go with my business this year) but with a to-do list the length of my arm, I’d really like to find some motivation soon!Anyone else feeling like this? Any words of wisdom?”Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community.•••Vicki Kirk's websiteFrankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being FreelanceDoing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK InstagramSupport DIFTK on Ko-Fi

In this episode, Frankie Tortora and Steve Folland have a chat in response to a question from Anonymous. They say:“Hi Frankie & Steve,I’ve been working freelance for an agency for a while now and have a good relationship with them. They’ve asked me to consider them buying me out of my company and coming on board as a director of their company instead, as effectively a partner.How should I consider this? Should I consider this?!What should I include in my thinking? How do I value my company?”Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and Linkedin. Or join in the conversation in the DIFTK Community.•••Frankie Tortora's websiteSteve Folland's websiteSteve's podcast - Being FreelanceDoing It For The Kids websiteDIFTK InstagramSupport DIFTK on Ko-Fi