Issue 131 freelance finding your niche

FREELANCE PRACTICE

GOING FREELANCE: FINDING YOUR NICHE Priya Tew Freelance Dietitian and Specialist in Eating Disorders

The freelance world is so exciting, I completely love it and it terrifies me all at once. There are many areas you could work in. So much scope and so many people to reach. It can seem a bit daunting initially, so how do you reach out and find work?

Priya runs Dietitian UK, a freelance dietetic service that specialises in social media and media work, consultancy for food companies, eating disorder support, IBS and Chronic Fatigue. She works with NHS services, The Priory Hospital group and private clinics as well as providing Skype support to clients nationwide.

My top tip would be to take time to not find work. I try to do this as an exercise at the start of each year. Spend some time thinking through what you want to do, what are your dreams. Here are some good questions to help you get your focus: • Who inspires you in the dietetic field?

• Who inspires you out of the realm of Dietetics?

• Where do you see the profession going?

• Why are you going freelance?

• What are your wishes?

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Write out that wish list and then you can start building your brand.

This is exactly what I didn’t do! I started out my freelance career with no proper business plan or idea of where I was heading. I had no NHS experience and no specialist area, just passion and guts. I chose the freelance path as there were not enough jobs in my area and being married and owning a house, I couldn’t move out of my area for a job.

I was lucky enough to have the luxury of time to build both my reputation and business up. I connected with other kind dietitians who mentored me, gave me some work, which helped me cut my teeth, I am so grateful to them and still work with them on things now.

When I discovered that there weren’t hundreds of people knocking on my door for consultations, I created my own tasks instead. I wrote my own healthy cooking course, applied for funding from grants and ran my courses

www.NHDmag.com February 2018 - Issue 131

very successfully for years. I also did everything and anything that came my way and had a lot of fun with it.

All this helped, but I don’t think it was the best way to build my brand.

What it did show me was the type of work I enjoyed and was good at. I did a lot of work for free, or for too little pay, which isn’t advisable! If I was starting out as a freelancer now, I would take time to find my niche first.

SOCIAL MEDIA

That was before social media was so prevalent. Now, social media means you can build your brand before even starting to do any work. You can build your credibility by sharing articles, writing blogs, connecting and chatting to others in the field you want to specialise in. Knowing your niche means that you can design your whole business persona around what you do.

Your website, social media and marketing can all be tailored to reach the right demographic. It also gives you the chance to refer to others who specialise in different areas and be specific about what work you take on. I love being able to refer onto other dietitians and make sure people are getting access to the right help.

My niches now are eating disorders, media and social media work. Even Pilates creeps in! (Yes, I know it's not Dietetics, but I run a Pilates studio too). So, my blog focuses on eating disorder advice, family recipes and my social media combines Dietetics and Pilates. My website has all my media

Now, social media means you can build your brand before even starting to do any work. You can build your credibility by sharing articles, writing blogs, connecting and chatting to others in the field you want to specialise in. work showcased. I love variety in what I do, so I also take on work with brands and am open to all kinds of work, even though my clinical workload is very niche. I literally only see patients with some form of disordered eating/ eating disorder, IBS, chronic fatigue and some weaning/pregnancy clients. Everything else I refer onto others.

WHAT ARE YOU WORTH?

Charge what you are worth. Of course, if you are a specialist and are advertising that, then you need to be charging the right amount to reflect your expertise. Oh my, this is something I personally find hard. As dietitians working in the NHS, it is all about keeping the costs down and I don’t think we learn to value our worth.

Your years of study, your ongoing learning, your ability to read and interpret the research, your skills in breaking down the science and enabling people to make behavioural change, is all invaluable. Sometimes, what we do can seem simple; it can seem small; it can seem mundane… but, it is so significant and can bring lasting change to a person’s life and health. Look around - how much are the juice cleanses and diet pills people are buying? You as a dietitian should be way more than this.

For help on fees, check out the FDG1 and SENSE factsheets2 and chat to other freelancers. I often ask around when I am quoting on a project, just to check I’m along the right lines; I’ve never found anyone who minds me asking. We are a caring, sharing profession!

It's scary taking this niche approach, but I believe it pays off. What if not enough people need your niche services I hear you ask? Well, take some time to do your research first. Think about how you will offer your services: can you work online as well as in person? Then you can really open up and market yourself nationwide.

Make sure other dietitians know about you; as a profession we should be working with one another as there really should be enough work for us all. Once you get known as an expert in an area, then people will refer to you and promote you.

Finally, almost to contradict myself, just because you work in a niche doesn’t mean you are restricted only to that area. If something big comes along and you want to do it, then go for it. Stepping out of your comfort zone regularly is important, as it will open your eyes to other work opportunities and show you what type of work you like doing. I would never have discovered that I enjoy media work if I hadn’t taken those first few filming opportunities. So, I would encourage everyone, whether old or new to the freelance world, to sit back, take some time to reflect on your niche and where you want to take your business. Remember, sometimes your niche discovers you! www.NHDmag.com February 2018 - Issue 131

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