Guess who’s becoming a Wollongong freelancer?

Moving to Wollongong wasn’t even on our radar 4 months ago. My partner works in a particular speciality (a university lab technical officer in soil sciences- try saying THAT with a mouth of peanut butter!) which means his job rarely comes up. We had been looking around at houses in Sutherland and the gorgeous Bundeena area because we’re a little tired of paying someone else’s mortgage.

But then a job at Wollongong University came up. We’ve leapt at it and off we go! How could we not? Wollongong is a very beautiful little town (beauty we can afford, too), and anywhere with a duck-pond at their university has to be good!

What does my moving to Wollongong mean for my clients?

Nothing will change. Most of my time is spent communicating with client via email, Skype and the odd telephone call as is. As a digitally connected freelance copywriter and strategic marketer, I can (and do) look after you no matter where you are or I am. That’s one of the beautiful things about the internet. I could be working among monkey butlers in a coconut tree, and you’d probably never know. A freelancer is a freelancer, whether they are a Wollongong freelancer or a Waverley freelancer.

All jokes aside, I see my stretching outside Sydney as an advantage to some of my clients. It certainly won’t hurt any Sydney startup clients to have someone local to a regional market to investigate possibilities there. And I am only an hour and a half by train from Sydney if you need to see me in person.

Realistically, it’s business as usual.

What does this mean for Wollongong and the South Coast?

What it means for the startups and small businesses of Wollongong is you have a(nother) Wollongong freelancer to call on for creative copywriting, strategic marketing, content creation and social media services.

I will also run workshops, host events, and bring freelancers together (watch out Wollongong, the Freelance Jungle is coming your way!). And I’ll still offer mentoring, business coaching and early stage development assistance to give your great business ideas the support they need. So if you are in need of these kinds of services, you can call on me.

Wollongong housekeeping

All moving house interrupts normal work patterns. Moving cities is a little more complex. In order to facilitate moving to Wollongong, there will be some times where I will be unavailable.

I won’t be on email or taking any work related calls from September 27^th to October 5^th.

We will be moving, disconnected from internet, and shunting boxes down the Princess Highway. It is physically impossible for me to do work during this week. Thanks for your understanding.

If there are delays with emails the week before and after the scheduled moving date, please be patient.

Last time we moved, it took all manner of magic voodoo to get phone and internet connected. We will be using a portable internet dongle (ha, I said dongle!), but they aren’t always 100% fool proof. So if I seem less responsive via email than what you are used to, don’t fret. I’m probably on hold listening to overly perky voice-overs tell me how important my call is for the 48^th time while tapping away at your work.

I can’t envisage anything getting in the way of your work being completed. But on the off chance there are disruptions to scheduled work, I will notify you straight away.

My availability

Spring always sees freelance copywriters get particularly busy, and I am no exception. For any new enquiries, here is your guide to my availability.

• September- I am booked out
• October- I am almost booked out – get in quick if you want a place on my dance card!
• November- You can book me

I am super psyched to work with some local Wollongong clients, so if you want to give me the ultimate birthday present, book me in November. It’d be great to spend my first Illawarra birthday celebrating my first local client!

Wollongong freelancer reporting for duty!

Moving to Wollongong isn’t much of a surprise for my family. The Illawarra is very much a part of our blood, seeing my parents met and married there, and both my sisters were born in Wollongong. With various family members living in Wollongong since the 1940s, the family tie has always remained fairly constant. And now it’s my turn to live here. And I am pretty excited by the prospect!

Thanks for your patience and stay tuned for details as they happen.

Oh, and if you know any cool places in Wollongong a marketing geek and word nerd like me would enjoy, please let me know. I would be happy to get any advice on events, groups and places to go.