#54 - Starting a Freelance Business in 2021 ft Nakita Gilbert

What is it like to start a freelance business in 2021? How do you attract and win your first client?  What is the transition from an office environment to a company of one like? How should you manage your time? There is a lot to focus on, both big and small, when starting a freelancing journey. On top of that, there is the matter of a pandemic too. This week, Ed chats to the third in a series of conversations with freelancers who launched their business in 2021. About Nakita Gilbert Nakita is a graduate of the University of Cambridge where she read Politics, Psychology, and Sociology (specialising in Psychology). Since graduating, Nakita has spent several years in research (resulting in several papers of which she is a co-author). Nakita then went on to work as part of Human Resources coordinating Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion-related projects. This included working in higher education and supporting the construction and submission of Athena SWAN applications, the building of wellbeing programmes, and critical analysis and action planning following staff surveys. This background and experience led Nakita to set up Five Ways Consultancy to bring together interrelated areas of work under the heading of staff engagement. Five Ways now offers a range of packages and individually tailored services to help companies critically assess and improve staff engagement. Connect with Nakita on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nakita-gilbert-910b3aa5 and her website at https://www.fivewaysconsultancy.co.uk.