Getting to know - Isabella Woods

Tell us a bit about yourself, what's your background?

‍I’ve worked in marketing for over 5 years now, in all different capacities. I worked publisher side at NZME, then moved across to agency side for FCB and then I worked client side at NZTE (a whole BUNCH of acronyms haha) all three roles ultimately helped me to be a better freelancer as they gave me insight into every side of the digital marketing world. 

Tell us about your journey as a freelancer.

I started working freelance out of necessity really, I’d quit my job and was just about to move overseas when Covid hit. Like a lot of people I was sort of left scrambling for what I was going to do for the foreseeable future, so I decided to build my own business and start freelancing. It was great! I literally had nothing else to do so I put everything I had into building those initial client relationships and I worked really hard to build the business out into something I could have as my main source of income, not just a side hustle (Unicorn Factory was a HUGE help here!!)

What is the personal or freelance project you are most proud of? Why?

I really enjoy working with smaller businesses and helping them to get off the ground and get the most out of their marketing without breaking the bank. So the freelance project I am most proud of is a tie between two small businesses I worked with, Leisure Workshop and Monday Journal. Both of these businesses are small NZ run businesses, who needed help to just get started and to get a foot in the door. I gave them the leg up they needed to compete and get their product and their mission out to the world.

‍What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a freelancer?

The most rewarding thing for me is working with small to medium businesses who have been overlooked by the bigger players in the digital marketing world and showing them that it's not all about having a huge budget or a complicated marketing pitch. We can take their business and get them in front of the correct audience and get them the brand awareness and ultimately the sales they deserve. 

What is the most challenging part of running a freelancing business?‍

For sure the responsibility, everything ultimately comes down to you, whether you get paid, how much you get paid, the success of their campaign, whether the campaign goes live etc etc. You have to be on your game at all times and you have to hustle for everything or else it won’t happen, there's no hand holding which can be stressful!

What has worked best for you when it comes to finding new clients?

Using platforms like Unicorn Factory have been a huge help and I have got over half of my clients from freelance platforms and a lot from Unicorn Factory specifically. Other than that, cold emailing with a pitch can also be really effective. 

What advice would you give anyone wanting to start freelancing?

Do it! Haha I think the hardest bit is just doing it, people get so tied up in the what ifs and the fear of actually doing it so just break it down. First step, make a freelance profile and then if you start getting client interest then just build from there. Yes, it's hard work and it's a lot of tears, stress and hours but it’s so worth it, being completely in control of your future and success is the most rewarding feeling. 

How can we learn more about you and your work?

I have built my freelancing to the point where I now run my own digital ads business called Dime Digital. We have a website coming soon, but for now you can head through to my Unicorn Factory profile to see my current clients and find out a bit more about what I do! https://www.unicornfactory.nz/profiles/isabella-woods

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