How are you doing?
No really, I want to know.

If you’ve been following me a while, you might know that Outside Perspective is just one of the projects I run to support freelancers and the self-employed.

Our sister project Leapers aims to map the challenges and gaps in support facing independent workers.

For the last few years, I’ve asked literally thousands of freelancers “How are you doing?”, and looked deep into their experience of self-employment to understand the influences on their emotional wellbeing at work.

This week, the 6th edition of our research project launches - and we’re asking all of you to take part. It’s entirely anonymous, and a useful way to reflect upon your year working for yourself too.

This important work not only informs the resources and support we provide, but also helps to influence policy and shape decisions around the self-employment ecosystem.

It take about ten minutes, so pop on the kettle, and let me know how your year has been. (And if you’re not self-employed, but perhaps hire freelancers or have freelancers in your network - share the link).

Matthew.

Take Part Now.

ps. don’t forget, our next huddle will be on Mental Health in Self-Employment on October 10th for World Mental Health Day. It’s part of our work linking up 11 of the UK’s freelancing communities to share support.

» Register to join the event here.

Zenia Duell: Experience required?

In this week’s OpEd, Zenia Duell, founder of The Strat Comms Surgery, asks does deep experience trump transferable skills?

I lost out on a client recently. They went with someone who had more specialist knowledge of their sector.

But they weren’t asking for specialist knowledge in their brief—they were asking for strategic communications advice. And that’s what I know about.

It got me thinking about the balance between specialist subject knowledge and the transferable skills of strategy.

I’m reading Time to Think by Nancy Kline, who has developed a framework that supports better thinking and decision-making. It can be applied across business, leadership, diplomacy, governance, even life coaching. These are universal principles that work across specialist situations.

Isn’t that what strategy is too?

I do understand the value of specialist knowledge. In my previous career as a TV producer, it was my expertise in ancient history that landed me my first job, working on a series with Mary Beard. But once I had my foot in the door, I used my transferable skills - research and storytelling - to work across multiple historical periods, even venturing into science and engineering documentaries.

There’s definitely a place for specialist knowledge, especially in industries like healthcare. But can’t that knowledge sometimes be constraining? Doesn’t it help to have a fresh perspective - an outside perspective, if you will? Don’t strategists bring exactly that to the table?

I suppose I’m making a case around strategy for strategy’s sake.

One thing I love about my job is that I learn something from each client.

But to each client and their organisational challenges, I bring my transferable skills of strategic thinking and communications expertise.

I trust them on the sector-specific details, as long as they trust me to bring my specialist knowledge: strategy.

» Connect with Zenia on LinkedIn or follow her substack.

Curiosity Stream

» ’ fantastic Scrap Book

» The Dawn of the post-literate society & The End of Thinking & The Great Eroson - Thanks Joel, Anna, Evan. Makes me ponder if the same cries of “we’ll lose all of our skills and abilities” were heard during the industrial revolution and around the birth of the web? I asked Claude (oh, the irony), and ended up falling down a rabbit hole.

» AI is killing the web, can anything be done to save it? - Thanks Claire

» Wonderful project from Amy McNichol - I thought about that a lot

» Edward Cotton on Blue Bottle and anti-enshittification and then an interesting thread prompted by Gemma about the rise of Japanese culture in western media, and ESEA going more mainstream than ever.

» Joe Burns on love in an AI world. Makes me think about the graffiti on the Friend.com ads in NYC.

» The semiotics of Taylor Swift’s emoji

» Sally Skinner returns to scamps

» Two upcoming events from LookUP: Karen Stacey of DCM and Bronwen Foster-Butler of Finisterre

» AF is stepping away the codes of Booze

» Revisiting 100 things every planner should know

» On the economic impact of IR35 - thanks Nick

» Cassette Boy x Keir Starmer

» Ellie Stamoulil on Reinvention

Gigs.

Briefs discovered and curated from across the stratosphere.
Promote your brief - or tell us if you’ve found work via the project.

1. Mandarin speaking Freelance Strategist (CA)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251002-xm.html

2. Content Strategist (AU)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251002-uncommon.html

3. Social Media Strategists (US)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251002-social.html

4. Paid Search Strategist (UK)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251002-search.html

5. Ecommerce Strategist (CA/Remote)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251002-ecom.html

6. freelance performance marketing manager with D2C fashion exp (UK)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251001-perfmarkt.html

7. freelance Strategist with in-market Dutch experience (NL)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251001-nl.html

8. Freelance Content Strategist (BE,Remote)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251001-littlevoice.html

9. Freelance Senior Strategist with beauty exp (US)
   https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251001-cheil.html

10. Freelance Researchers (UK)
    https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251001-careful.html

11. Strategists Required (US)
    https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20251001-bornsocial.html

12. Freelance Sr Brand Strategist (NL)
    https://outsideperspective.co/gigs/20250926-majesty.html

That’s all for this week.
mk✌️