Meet Lisa Sutcliffe: A Marketing Professional Who Left 9-5 Life to Work for Herself, Putting Family First
Lisa Sutcliffe's Love From Lisa Blog is as relatable as her backstory.
As summer comes to a close and it's "back to school" time- what better time to talk about a mom who doesn't care what time of year it is because she has time freedom?
You guessed it~ Lisa and I have 2 main things in common and that's why she's part of the 2024 Summer Interview Series ! First, she's a blogger and second, more importantly for you all- she's a believer in putting freedom and family ahead of the corporate climb. Her goal of making 9-5 escape permanent is clear.
Necessary disclaimer: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share; it does not change your price but sometimes you might get a discount.
After meeting her in blog coach Margaret Bourne's Facebook group I wanted share her story of going from marketing to motherhood and entrepreneurship with you, my fantastic Free At 50 community. She's from the U.K. - I love this global online world of blogging! So watch for some "s" use instead of "z."
If you haven't read the other interviews, click the interviews tab along the top of the page and catch up!
Lisa's bio:
Lisa is the U.K. blogger behind Love from Lisa, a place where mums can find advice and inspiration on how to make mum life, home life, and family life easier and more enjoyable. As well as being a blogger, Lisa has worked in marketing for over 20 years, and now uses the skills she developed during this time to write engaging and targeted content for others as a freelance copywriter.
Lisa's passion to be the mum she wants to be gives her momentum.
Yes, I said "mum" - Lisa is from the UK after all! What type of mum does she want to be?
- An engaged one.
- One who can be there for her kids both mentally and physically.
In short, a mum whose family's needs are always a priority. And I'm blown away by her passion and how she's using it as a driving force to keep going with entrepreneurship.
Read her interview below.
Step 1: Finding Your Why. What is your why? Not money... but why you want to earn income by doing what you do the way you do it...outside the 9-5?
After having children I realised that I needed to find a way to work that allowed me to meet the needs of my young family. In particular, I needed to be able to work, but still do the school run, or attend to my children if there was an emergency in the middle of the day.
I knew that I couldn't do this with a traditional 9-5 role, so decided to become self-employed so I could still work, but meet the needs of my family as well.
Photo by Mon Petit Chou Photography on Unsplash
Step 2: Shift Your Mindset. What mindset shift is/was necessary for you going from 9-5 life to becoming an entrepreneur?
The biggest mindset shift I faced was overcoming an identity crisis in terms of how I viewed myself as an employee. I always prided myself on my career, and having to explain to friends and family that I was going to work for myself, instead of an employer, at times made me feel as though I wasn't working in a way that was socially acceptable.
I had to do a lot of work to tell myself that the way I chose to work was still a valid choice, and that working for myself meant that I worked just as hard, if not harder, than when I had an employer.
Step 3: Narrow Your Options. How did you narrow all your options to land on the business you've chosen?
Prior to becoming a freelance copywriter and having my own blog, I worked in marketing. I looked at the parts of my marketing career that I enjoyed doing and focused on offering them as a freelance service.
In terms of my own blog, it has evolved over time, but now focuses on motherhood and organisation, which are two things I know I could write about for a long time.
Photo by A65 Design on Unsplash
Step 4: Research The Best Fit. Once you narrowed your options down, what type of research led you to your current approach to business (even your branding and/or your ideal client?
I did a lot of online research to see what skills I needed to become a freelance copywriter, if it was something I would be good at, and if I could realistically do it with the time I had.
In terms of ideal clients, I don't have a specific one in mind; I like to get a feel for what they need help with, and will work with them if I know that i can 100% give them what they need.
Step 5: Build Your Toolkit. Howe did you determine what tools you'll need and where did you start?
Luckily I've had my blog since 2014, so I already had a website that I could use to promote my writing style to potential freelance clients.
This is the first year though that I've joined online blogging Facebook groups to gain advice on how to improve my website, which has led me to:
- taking SEO (search engine optimization) and personal branding courses
- paying for an image subscription
- and redesigning my website by using companies other bloggers recommend
Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash
Step 6: Take Action. What one piece of advice would you give to anyone working on creating life outside the 9-5 that will help them take action?
Believe in yourself and that what you want to do will work. There can be a lot of self-doubt when it comes to creating a life outside of the 9-5, and a lot of advice on what you should and shouldn't do. Believe that you can do it, take the advice that works for you, and leave behind the advice that doesn't.
Free At 50 calls to action:
- Subscribe to this blog and get all the interviews in your inbox (as well as every other article added to Free At 50!).
- Download the 6-Step Checklist to Escape the 9-5 and if you already have... what step are you on? Comment!
Find Lisa online:
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