One of the things I love most about freelancing is the freedom it can provide.

The ability to sneak out for a quiet stroll and a late flat white on a Wednesday afternoon without needing to book half a day off through HR. Or to take six weeks off in the summer without anyone batting an eyelid.

But none of that is possible without getting the work.

And not just any work, the kind that most mid-to-senior freelancers I know would actually want more of. The kind that comes with increased responsibility, greater collaboration, and enhanced visibility.

The kind where you're in the room early, helping shape decisions. The kind that tends to be more fulfilling and, yes, more lucrative as well.

Getting that kind of work depends on trust. And trust, more often than not, comes from your network.

That's not a radical idea. But how you build that kind of network? That part doesn't get talked about quite as much, especially in a way that feels true to how things tend to work here in the UK.

If I look back, I'd say 90% of the work I've done has come through my network.

Past clients. Former colleagues who moved on and recommended me. Events I've kept showing up to. Online communities I've genuinely enjoyed being part of. People I've had little 'get-to-know-you' calls with that've become long-running check-ins.

Much of this has unfolded over years and in some cases, decades.

I've rarely gone into those conversations expecting anything from them. I just like meeting people, especially those who care about their craft or are interesting in ways that have nothing to do with design at all. If there's a spark, I stay in touch. Over time, some of those connections have turned into brilliant projects... but that's never been the goal.

In the UK, particularly in more corporate settings, those conversations tend to zigzag.

You might start with a bit of context, then get sidetracked by campervans, local council drama, or the price of petrol, and then circle back. It's not always like that, but often, that's the rhythm.

People joke about how much smalltalk Brits squeeze in on a Zoom call before others arrive. And it's true, we do tend to fill the silence. I've worked with global counterparts who will simply crack on with other work until the full team arrives, which is also completely fine. Just different.

This newsletter isn't here to say one way is better than the other - only that if you're freelancing in the UK, especially in the kinds of teams where trust and long-term collaboration matter, then this is the culture you're often working in. And working with it, rather than against it, can make all the difference.

I've experimented with other approaches, too. I've sharpened how I talk about what I do. Tried out stronger positioning. Learned to describe my offer clearly and to do it with confidence. Those are skills I've often picked up from people with startup or tech backgrounds, and I'm super grateful for them.

But in my experience, those tactics work best when they're paired with something a bit softer. The trust that builds when someone has seen how you handle a tough situation. The kind of recommendation that comes not just because of your work but because you're easy to work with.

That's what makes it easy for someone to sell you in, internally. That's what keeps people coming back.

Some of the traits that have helped me build those kinds of relationships might not sound very tactical. But in the UK context, they count for a lot.

Here are a few I've seen open doors, time and time again:

Being the kind of person people trust to drop into a messy meeting and help calm things down

• Knowing when to listen, and when to bring others into the conversation

• Holding your own without holding court

• Quietly keeping the energy in the room light, even when the brief is heavy

• Offering to make the tea (literally or metaphorically - though ideally literally)

• Being polite not just to the people you think you need to impress

• Following up thoughtfully without jumping straight to the pitch

• Knowing when to wait, and when to gently nudge

Rarely does any of this get highlighted in your portfolio. But some of it should.

Maybe it's a bit cliché to quote that line about how people remember how you made them feel, but I do think it's true. Especially in freelancing, where trust, reliability, and reputation do so much of the heavy lifting.

This won't be everyone's path. And if you're mainly doing execution work, or you prefer short, sharp engagements where you're left to get on with it, you might not need to lean on these traits quite so much. But if you want the kind of work that puts you in the room - the strategic, collaborative, higher-trust kind - then I think this stuff starts to matter a lot more.

Not overnight. But over time.

And if you're thinking of making the leap into freelancing, this is something you can start building long before you go independent.

Reconnecting with old contacts. Making sure your details are up to date. Following up with people you genuinely enjoyed working with.

Just staying in touch.

Not as a strategy, just as a person.

— Tom