I wonder if there is a particular size of pipeline that’s the hardest to manage? Obviously having the stress of paying peoples wages is tough. That’s probably the main reason I don’t have ambitions to grow Joy. I have seen people sit with that stress and it’s not fun. It…

Having a bad day when you’re a freelancer is hard. Last week I had one. I haven’t been having a great time recently so this was probably the culmination of that. Don’t my get me wrong, things are not trauma bad. They are not even terrible bad. …

Last week saw me getting back to hands on user research again. While I have called myself a service designer for several years now I’ve dipped in and out of user research over the last 8–10 years. When I first started working at Snook the company was small and our…

I’ve never thought of myself as an activist. I’ve never been the type of person to go to protests and I struggle to engage with elections. I‘ve often felt like my participation wouldn’t have any impact. I’ve also never really had a cause I felt connected to, maybe that’s why…

When you’re permanently employed holidays go something like this. If you’re busy, you count down the days and dream of the lazy mornings ahead of you. The day before you leave you write handover notes for your diligent colleagues and feel a spark of excitment as you turn on your…

I’m writing this from my private jacuzzi with sea view. Yes I’m actually in the jacuzzi. Yes this is why Medium needs to allow people to write from their phones! I’ve recently been taking some time off between contracts. The last week of which I’m spending on a solo trip…

I promised a retro from Sicily and here it is. I feel very lucky to be writing this as I listen to the waves crash on the shore and gaze at an empty beach. I highly recommend Sicily in April — it’s a delight. It should be said that I…

When I started self employed life, one of the things I was worried about was working by myself. For the 15 years I’ve been permanently employed I’ve loved being part of a team. This was one of the things that always stopped me from going freelance. Thankfully I haven’t felt…

Joy is only 3 months old. I’m not yet paying myself the full salary I hope to while I build up reserves. With all this in mind, it feels really hard to invest in my business. But I am. I recently heard my lovely friend and artist Jen Sievers talking…