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Freelancer of the fortnight: Graham Jarvis, Sutton

Posted: 02/10/08 By: Clare Fisher

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Click here to look at Graham Jarvis' full freelance profile on Journalism.co.uk. (Picture courtesy of Tom Kahrl)

Why did you choose to become a freelancer?
I wanted to be self-employed – my own boss, and the potential earnings seemed grand.

If you trained, where? If not, how did you become a freelancer?
I was involved in politics and got a number of articles in the local press in Hampshire as part of my campaign. At that time I did a radio journalism course at BBC Broadcasting House before embarking on an MA in online journalism at Nottingham Trent University (NTU). While in Nottingham I wrote for the Nottingham Evening Post and City Lights magazine, covering Blues gigs and had the fortune of meeting Muddy Waters' son, Big Bill Morganfield - it was great.

After leaving NTU I worked part-time to begin at the Home Office, on the launch of the Nectar campaign, and as a communications manager at the British Institute of Technology and E-commerce.

Having already had some freelance commissions slotted in between these jobs, in 2003 I was invited to be editor of The Chartered Institute of Marketing's Technology group's email newsletter, which later became The Marketing Leaders, and I remained editor until December 2007. Through this I gained a number of contacts. It raised my profile too.

Although 2007 wasn't my best year for personal and business reasons, overall the period between 2003 and the present has been very successful. In 2004 I was a guest editor for BT Insightexec, which is now mycustomer.com and no longer owned by BT.

I have worked once again with BT this year, helping to promote its small and medium sized business social network, BTTradespace.com by blogging. I’ve also worked with Microsoft, writing content for its sites.

Other highlights have included helping the Institute of Direct Marketing to develop its business-to-business marketing qualifications. You will also find me in the IDM Marketing Guide (2006 edition) in which I wrote a chapter on customer relationship management tools. More recently I've written for The Marketer and Internet Retailing magazines, and I am working with Off the Record Research as well as Milner Curtis Ltd – a PR client.

Do you specialise in any particular field and what areas do you write about?
I mainly specialise in technology for marketing subjects (e.g. customer relationship management, mobile marketing, social networking, email marketing, marketing resource management, etc), but I've also written about foreign direct investment opportunities in the Middle East, and with Off the Record I research what's happening or not in the UK's technology markets – helping as part of the process to generate insight for investor-focused reports.

Which publications have you been published in?
Quite a few, including: The Marketer and its predecessor Marketing Business, B2B Magazine, Bloor Research, Noozz.com, Internet Retailing, BCRI, Industry and European Market, The Diplomat, Businesseurope.com, IDM Marketing Guide, New Media Knowledge, MarketingSherpa, MarketingProfs, The Marketing Leaders, BT Insightexec (mycustomer.com), CustomerThink (formerly CRMGuru), Contractor UK, Pira International, The Journal of Database Marketing and Customer Strategy Management, e-Britain, Sales and Marketing Professional, Winning Edge, Insight, various Microsoft websites, BT Broadband blog, Sport and Technology.

Which articles, in which publication, are you the most proud of?
The work with MarketingSherpa, the work with the IDM, and with all of my clients, colleagues and partners – PR or journalistic.

What are the best and worst aspects of freelancing?
Best – freedom to work when you like. I also noticed that on the whole I gained more respect than I would have done as an employee. I can work from home and there's only a few steps to commute to my desk. It has made me more aware of the need to manage relationship of every kind. I am my own boss, and my success is largely in my hands (but not always).

Worst – income fluctuates, and the risks are quite high, which can be detrimental to romantic relationships. Holidays become a luxury in terms of time, because taking a break means you're not earning. Unless a notice period is given, contracts can be cut short, making it hard to plan ahead. I am on my own most of the time, which is both good and bad.

Any advice?
I think the key thing is to find a regular client (like Off the Record Research), giving you a stable platform from which you can spring. Freelancing can be a rough ride, but when the going's good it's great. As a freelancer I haven't just focused on journalism as this increases uncertainty and risk. There is quite a large PR and corporate writing/journalism market out there which can provide a freelancer with a more stable base than just being a freelance journalist in the traditional sense. It's a case of being prepared to be flexible without diluting your offering.

The only other tip is make sure your romantic partner understands that being self-employed is not quite the same as being employed, that it takes time to build up a portfolio and there are no instant results. You can earn a lot, but you have to get known first. Ideally he/she should work too; it's near to impossible for most people to rely on one person's income to live. As a freelancer expect to be let down by clients, and romantic partners need to understand this fact. It's best to keep the love of your life!

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