Finding Your Feet in Freelancing

What does it really take to succeed as a freelance bid professional?Freelancing can offer greater freedom, flexibility and control over how you work, but it also comes with uncertainty, financial responsibility and the need to continually build your reputation and network.In this episode of the Optimize Podcast, brought to you by VisibleThread, Matt Light is joined by Lucy Davis, an experienced bid professional with 20 years of experience across the defence and wider public sector and six-plus years as a freelancer. Lucy shares her journey from in-house bidding to self-employment and discusses what she has learned along the way.Lucy explains how skills from quality, process improvement, project management and communications transferred into bidding, and why freelancers can bring more to a client than simply additional capacity. They explore the importance of reputation, trust and relationships, as well as the practical realities of managing your finances, marketing yourself, planning for gaps between contracts and running yourself as a business.The conversation also looks at how the freelance bid profession could evolve, including the growing importance of AI and the need for bid professionals to become more strategic, differentiate themselves and bring their wider experience to clients. Lucy also shares advice for people considering the move from an in-house role and practical ways organisations can get more value from freelance bid professionals.Timestamps00:00 – Introduction and welcome02:25 – Lucy's journey into bidding04:29 – Transferable skills from previous roles07:58 – Why Lucy moved into freelancing12:19 – Moving from in-house to freelance13:32 – Reputation, boundaries and control17:25 – The value freelancers bring to clients21:57 – Capacity versus added value24:46 – The realities of freelance life28:00 – Finding work and building your network30:35 – Freelancing through COVID35:36 – Skills beyond bidding40:28 – Advice for aspiring freelancers45:31 – The future of freelance bidding and AI52:09 – How organisations can better work with freelancers55:59 – Quick-fire questions56:11 – The biggest myth about freelance bidding56:32 – The most underrated freelancer skill57:02 – Would Lucy ever return in-house?59:52 – Final thoughts and adviceIn this episode, you'll learnWhat it takes to transition from an in-house bidding role to freelancingWhich transferable skills can help build a career in freelance biddingWhy reputation, relationships and trust are essential for freelancersHow to prepare financially for gaps between contractsThe business, marketing and negotiation skills freelancers need beyond biddingHow freelancers can bring experience and added value to clientsWhy bid professionals need to become more strategic and differentiate themselvesHow AI could shape the future of freelance biddingHow organisations can get more value from freelance bid professionalsKey Takeaways✔ Freelancing offers greater control and flexibility, but that freedom needs financial planning and clear boundaries.✔ Your reputation and network are critical to maintaining a steady flow of freelance opportunities.✔ Freelancers can bring valuable experience and new perspectives, not just additional capacity.✔ Running yourself as a freelancer means thinking like a business owner, including managing finances, marketing and contingency planning.✔ AI is becoming an important skill for freelance bid professionals, but human experience, judgement and relationships remain central.✔ Bringing freelancers into the bidding process earlier allows them to build relationships, understand the solution and contribute more strategically.Featured GuestLucy Davis is an experienced bid professional with 20 years of experience, primarily across the defence and wider public sector. She has worked as a freelancer since 2019 through Lutrette Limited and has held a number of leadership roles with the APMP UK Chapter Board, including Deputy CEO, CEO and Past CEO.Resources MentionedAPMP UK ChapterConnectFollow Lucy Davis and Matt Light on LinkedIn for more conversations about bidding, freelancing, proposal management and the future of the bidding profession.