Women Who Contract

The Glass Ceiling Called: Have You Considered Contracting?

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 08:15:38 GMT

Could contracting be the career change you didn’t know you needed? We explore why more women are considering working for themselves, the benefits, the risks and what you need to know before taking the leap.

What if the next step in your career wasn’t another promotion, another permanent role or another year of waiting for someone to recognise your value?

What if it was working for yourself?

That was the question at the heart of The Glass Ceiling Called: Have You Considered Contracting?, an event hosted by Lucy Hornsby and Sophie Hussey to explore what contracting could offer women looking for more control over their working lives.

We talked about career transitions, money, confidence, IR35, setting up a business and the realities of working independently. We also discussed the things that can stop women from taking the leap, even when their existing working arrangements aren’t giving them what they need.

Because let’s be honest. Contracting can sound brilliant in theory, but when you start thinking about where your next paycheque is coming from, how tax works and whether you’ll ever get another job, it’s understandable to have questions.

So, let’s get into it.

1. Why consider contracting in the first place?

Everyone has their own reasons for considering contracting, but two themes came through strongly in our conversation: autonomy and opportunity.

For Sophie, redundancy became the catalyst for launching her own business. Rather than returning to a permanent role with restrictions on what she could do, she saw an opportunity to build something on her own terms.

For Lucy, contracting offered a way out of career stagnation, with the potential for better financial rewards and greater flexibility.

Neither story is unusual. Sometimes the decision to contract comes from wanting something different. Sometimes it comes because circumstances force us to reconsider what we thought our careers would look like.

And sometimes, it’s simply about recognising that the traditional career ladder isn’t necessarily taking us where we want to go.

Permanent employment can offer stability, benefits and a sense of security. But it doesn’t automatically guarantee progression, meaningful work or regular salary increases. You can be highly experienced, consistently deliver results and still find yourself waiting for the next opportunity to move forward.

Contracting offers another route.

It can allow you to take your existing skills into different organisations, work on projects that interest you, negotiate your rates and build a career around the kind of work you want to do.

That doesn’t mean contracting is always better than permanent employment. It means we should be looking at all the options available to us, rather than assuming there’s only one way to build a successful career.

The question isn’t just whether you can afford to contract. It’s also whether your current way of working is giving you what you need.

2. The biggest barriers aren’t always about ability

One of the most important things to recognise is that the concerns people have about contracting don’t necessarily reflect their ability to do it.

You might be brilliant at your job, experienced in your field and the person everyone turns to when things get complicated. Yet the thought of working for yourself can still feel daunting.

What if you can’t find another contract? What if you don’t understand the tax rules? What if you earn less than expected? What if you make a mistake?

These are legitimate questions, and they deserve proper answers.

But there’s a difference between understanding a risk and allowing uncertainty to make the decision for you.

You don’t need to know everything before you start. You do need to understand the areas where you need support, the financial commitments involved and how you will manage periods between contracts.

That might mean building up savings, researching the market, speaking to other contractors or getting professional advice before making a move.

It could also mean starting with conversations rather than immediately handing in your notice.

Talk to people doing the kind of work you’d like to do. Find out what organisations are buying your skills, what rates are realistic and how people secure their next contract.

You might discover that contracting is right for you. You might decide it’s not the right time. Either way, you’ll be making a more informed decision.

And remember, you don’t have to work everything out alone. This is one of the reasons communities like Women Who Contract exist. Sharing experiences, asking questions and learning from people who’ve already navigated the process can make the unfamiliar feel much more manageable.

3. What are the real benefits of contracting?

Let’s talk about the things that make contracting appealing.

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

Greater earning potential

Contracting can offer the opportunity to earn more than you might in a comparable permanent role, particularly when you have specialist skills that organisations need for specific projects.

But a day rate isn’t the same as a salary.

When you work for yourself, you need to account for time between contracts, holidays, pension contributions, insurance, accountancy fees and other business expenses. Your tax position will also depend on your working arrangements.

The headline rate is only part of the picture. What matters is how much you retain, how consistently you can secure work and whether the overall arrangement supports the life you want.

More control over your time

One of the attractions of contracting is the possibility of choosing when to work and when to take a break between projects.

Want to take a longer holiday? Spend time on a personal project? Have a few weeks away from work before starting your next assignment?

Depending on your contracts, finances and pipeline of work, you may have more flexibility to make those choices.

Of course, flexibility isn’t automatic. Clients have deadlines, projects have commitments and you still need to deliver what you’ve agreed to do.

But there can be a meaningful difference between requesting permission to take time off and planning your own time around your commitments.

More influence over your work

Contractors are often brought into organisations because they have expertise that is needed quickly.

You might be there to lead a change initiative, deliver a project, solve a particular problem or help a team navigate a period of uncertainty.

That can mean having a clear purpose, a defined set of outcomes and the opportunity to influence decisions.

You are being engaged to bring your experience, judgement and capability to a problem that needs solving.

For those of us who enjoy making things happen, that can be a very appealing way to work.

The freedom to shape your career

Contracting can give you exposure to different organisations, industries, teams and challenges.

You can build your experience, develop new skills and become known for the work you do best.

Over time, you may also decide to diversify, combining client work with coaching, speaking, writing or other business activities.

The possibilities depend on your skills, market and circumstances, but you’re not necessarily limited to following a single organisational career path.

4. Contracting isn’t just doing your old job somewhere else

Here’s something worth understanding before you make the move.

Being good at your profession is essential, but working independently also requires a different set of skills.

You need to be comfortable with ambiguity, build relationships quickly and demonstrate value without relying on the structured induction and support you might receive as a permanent employee.

Clients often expect contractors to hit the ground running. They may not have the time or resources to help you navigate every internal process.

You’ll need to ask the right questions, understand the problem you’re there to solve and work out how to make an impact.

And then there’s the business side.

You’re not just doing the work. You’re also managing client relationships, keeping on top of finances, handling administration, planning your pipeline and thinking about what comes next.

In other words, you become responsible for the things that an employer might previously have managed on your behalf.

That can be empowering, but it can also be a lot.

The trick is to recognise that you’re building a business, not simply changing the way you get paid.

That means creating systems, understanding your responsibilities and making time for the work that keeps the business healthy, even when you’re busy delivering for a client.

It also means setting boundaries.

When you’re responsible for your own income, it can be tempting to say yes to everything. An extra meeting here, another deliverable there, a quick favour that somehow becomes a whole new piece of work.

Over time, that can lead to overwork and burnout.

Be clear about your scope, your availability and what you’ve agreed to deliver. Your time and expertise have value, and protecting them is part of running a sustainable business.

5. IR35: the bit that can make your head hurt

We couldn’t talk about contracting without discussing IR35.

If you’re considering contracting in the UK, you’ll want to understand how your working arrangements are classified for tax purposes.

In simple terms, the off-payroll working rules, commonly associated with IR35, are designed to determine whether someone working through an intermediary, such as their own limited company, should be treated as employed for tax purposes in relation to an engagement.

You’ll often hear people talk about being inside IR35 or outside IR35.

What does inside IR35 mean?

Where an engagement is inside IR35, the relevant rules generally require employment taxes to be accounted for on the fees associated with that engagement.

Depending on the circumstances and who is responsible for determining status, tax may be handled through a fee-payer or payroll arrangement, including an umbrella company in some cases.

The important thing to understand is that an inside IR35 engagement can have a very different financial outcome from an outside IR35 engagement, even if the advertised day rate looks similar.

You need to understand how you’ll be paid, what deductions apply and what your take-home pay is likely to be before agreeing to the rate.

What does outside IR35 mean?

An outside IR35 engagement is one where the relevant off-payroll working rules determine that the engagement falls outside the rules.

If you’re operating through a limited company, you may receive payment into the company and manage its finances, expenses, remuneration and tax obligations accordingly.

However, outside IR35 doesn’t mean tax-free, and it doesn’t remove your responsibilities as a business owner.

Your company may have corporation tax, reporting obligations and other costs to consider, while the most appropriate way to pay yourself will depend on your circumstances.

Why does your day rate matter?

Your day rate needs to reflect the financial reality of the arrangement.

If you’re comparing an inside IR35 contract with an outside IR35 contract, you shouldn’t assume that the same rate will leave you with the same amount of money.

You’ll also need to factor in any differences in benefits, expenses, pension provision, paid leave and other costs.

Before accepting an engagement, speak to an accountant who understands contracting and can help you work through the numbers.

IR35 status is determined by the actual working arrangements and the applicable rules, not simply by what a contract calls you. If you’re unsure, get advice specific to your situation.

It’s much better to understand the financial implications before you sign than to discover you’ve misunderstood them after you’ve started.

6. Getting your business foundations right

You don’t need to become an expert in every aspect of running a business overnight. But you do need to put the right foundations in place.

Depending on how you intend to operate, this could include deciding whether to work through a limited company, use an umbrella company or operate as a sole trader where appropriate.

Each option has different implications for tax, administration, responsibilities and the way you’re paid.

You should also consider:

Accountancy support. Find an accountant who understands contractors, your sector and the arrangements you’re considering.
Insurance. Check which policies you need for your work and whether your client or agency has specific requirements.
Financial planning. Understand your expected income, business costs, tax obligations and how you’ll manage gaps between contracts.
Contracts and payment terms. Know what you’re agreeing to, when you’ll be paid and what happens if the scope or circumstances change.
Business administration. Put systems in place for invoicing, record-keeping, expenses and keeping track of your finances.

These might not be the most exciting parts of contracting, but they can make the difference between feeling in control and constantly worrying about what you’ve missed.

And please don’t choose an accountant based on price alone. The right professional can help you understand your options, avoid costly mistakes and make informed decisions about how to run your business.

If you’re looking for recommendations, connecting with other contractors can be a useful starting point.

7. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own

One of the messages we wanted to get across during the event was the value of community.

Contracting can sometimes feel isolating, particularly when you’re used to working in a team or having colleagues around you every day.

You might have questions about rates, clients, contracts, tax or how to handle a difficult situation. You might simply want to speak to someone who understands what it’s like to work independently.

Having a network of people who understand your world can make a real difference.

It’s an opportunity to share experiences, learn from others, discover new opportunities and get support when things don’t go to plan.

This is also why Women Who Contract has grown beyond its original focus on women in IT contracting. Women work independently across so many industries, and many of the questions and challenges we face are shared.

Whether you’re already contracting, thinking about making the move or simply curious about what it could offer, there’s value in having somewhere to ask questions without feeling you should already know all the answers.

Through our free newsletter, WhatsApp community and events, we’re building a space for women to learn from one another and develop the confidence and knowledge to make contracting work for them.

Because you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start exploring your options.

8. So, is contracting right for you?

There isn’t a single answer.

Contracting can offer greater earning potential, flexibility, variety and control over your career. It can also involve uncertainty, financial responsibility and the need to manage a business alongside delivering excellent work.

It’s not a guaranteed route to more money or a better work-life balance. And it’s certainly not the right choice for everyone at every stage of their life.

But it is an option worth understanding.

If you’re considering contracting, start by asking yourself a few questions.

What do you want more of in your working life? What are you no longer willing to accept? Which skills and experiences could you offer to organisations that need your expertise?

Then look at the practicalities. Research the market, understand the rates, work through the finances and speak to people who are already doing it.

You don’t have to make a decision today. You just need to give yourself the opportunity to explore what’s possible.

Sometimes, the biggest step isn’t leaving your permanent job. It’s realising that you have choices you hadn’t previously considered.

And perhaps that’s where the glass ceiling conversation really begins.

Watch the replay

If you missed The Glass Ceiling Called: Have You Considered Contracting?, or you’d like to revisit the conversation, you can watch the recording here:

Watch the event replay on YouTube

And if you’d like to keep learning, join the Women Who Contract community for practical advice, insights and support to help you start, grow and thrive in contracting.

Join Women Who Contract on Substack

Here’s to exploring your options, knowing your worth and finding a way of working

Why I chose contracting and consulting (and why I encourage others to consider it)

Saira — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:15:35 GMT

I didn’t choose contracting and consulting because I had my whole career figured out. Quite the opposite actually. It also wasn’t something I discovered only recently either. Contracting has been part of my working life since I left the legal field. My first NHS role was a contract and I spent most of my NHS career working that way.

I spent just over a decade in the NHS with the last three years in permanent employment. So when I talk about wanting flexibility and autonomy, I’m not imagining what a different way of working might feel like. I’ve experienced both, and those experiences have helped me understand what suits me.

A little about me…I thrive in new settings. I’m an ideas person and a connector. I enjoy meeting people, understanding a challenge and thinking: What could we do differently? Who needs to be involved? What could happen if we brought these things together?

I like having room to explore, contribute and grow. I’m multidimensional. I have multiple interests and I want space for them in my working life.

For me, contracting and consulting are about more than a type of employment. They’re part of how I choose to shape my career.

Contracting was part of my journey from the beginning

When I left the legal field, my first step into the NHS was as a contractor.

That matters to this story because my career wasn’t one straight path within one profession or one organisation. I had already changed direction and contracting was how I entered a new field. For most of my time in the NHS, it was my way of working.

Looking back, that fits with what I know about myself now. I enjoy entering a different environment, understanding what people are trying to achieve and finding where I can add value. I like learning through the work itself. New people, new challenges and different perspectives give me something to think about and build on.

The final three years of my NHS career were in permanent employment (as was my legal career before that). That gave me another experience to reflect on, not just in terms of the work, but in terms of how I felt within the structure around it. Neither experience was wasted. Both helped me become clearer about what I wanted next.

I’m not just one thing

I relate to the idea of having a polymath personality: curious about different subjects, drawn to different disciplines and interested in the connections between them.

For me, that isn’t about claiming to be an expert in everything. It’s about recognising that I have more than one interest, more than one strength and more than one way to contribute.

My legal background is part of my story. So are my experiences in the NHS, health tech, start ups and entrepreneurship. So are my interests in human experience, storytelling and community. I don’t want to pretend those different parts of me don’t exist just to make my career easier to explain. Some of my interests overlap. Others give me a different perspective. I enjoy being able to bring something from one setting into another, or notice a connection that sparks a new idea.

I can be committed to a piece of work without wanting it to become my entire professional identity. That distinction is important to me.

There was a personal reason, too

Previous employment made me ill. That is not something I say lightly and I don’t need to share every detail for it to matter.

I know what it feels like when work starts taking more from you than it gives. When office politics become something you have to navigate alongside the actual job. When a toxic manager or an unhealthy environment takes up space in your mind long after the working day has ended.

I want to do meaningful work, build good relationships and contribute. I don’t want to spend my energy managing egos or trying to stay well in an environment that isn’t healthy for me.

There came a point when I had to take that seriously. I wasn’t only asking, “What role should I do next?” I was asking, “What kind of working life am I willing to build and what am I no longer willing to accept?” My wellbeing had to be part of that decision, not something I dealt with after everything else.

Moving into health-tech startups made my priorities clearer

When I pursued opportunities in the health-tech startup space, I wanted to contract and consult! I wanted the option to take on multiple projects if I chose to. Not because I wanted to do everything at once, but because I didn’t want that possibility closed off from the beginning.

I was interested in bringing my experience into different settings, working with different teams and leaving room for other opportunities that mattered to me.

The idea of a permanent contract restricting my ability to work with others didn’t sit comfortably with me. It touched on something I had already become very clear about: I don’t like feeling controlled.

I can understand agreeing boundaries around a particular piece of work. I want to honour my commitments and be clear about what I can deliver. But I don’t want to feel that committing to one organisation means handing over the direction of my whole professional life. I want to choose what I take on, be honest about my capacity and take responsibility for those choices.

For me, having multiple interests doesn’t mean I’m less serious about my work. It means I want a working structure that makes room for the breadth of what I can contribute. Also I always wanted to travel so that also played a part!

Autonomy matters in the everyday things, too

My desire for flexibility isn’t only about big career decisions. It’s also about how I experience an ordinary working day. I don’t like someone else telling me when I can take a break or when I’m allowed to leave.

For me, that’s about trust and being treated as an adult. I want to manage my time, honour my commitments and deliver what I’ve agreed to do without feeling that I need permission for every part of my day.

I’m not looking to avoid accountability. I’m looking for a way of working where accountability and autonomy can exist together.

I value collaboration. I value feedback. I’m happy to agree expectations and work around what a project needs.

What I don’t want is control for the sake of control.

I want my contribution to matter more than whether I’ve followed someone else’s preferred routine.

I want to shape my career, not have it dictated to me

I don’t want every next step to depend on someone else deciding what I’m ready for, where I belong or what I should become.

That doesn’t mean I don’t want guidance or that I have nothing left to learn. Quite the opposite. I want to keep learning and I want to seek out people and experiences that stretch me.

But I want a say in the direction.

I want to develop a skill because I can see its value. Explore an interest because it means something to me. Take on a project because there is a good fit between what it needs and what I can offer.

I don’t see my career as one fixed ladder. I see it as something I’m building through experience, relationships, learning and deliberate choices. There can be continuity without every step looking the same.

This isn’t a story about everything becoming easy

I don’t want to present contracting and consulting as a perfect escape.

I’m building a working life, not a fantasy. There are still commitments to honour, decisions to make and boundaries to hold. Working independently doesn’t mean everything happens on my terms all the time, and I don’t want to take on multiple projects simply to recreate the pressure I was trying to move away from.

The point, for me, is choice. Having the option doesn’t mean I have to use it constantly.

I also don’t see permanent employment as the wrong choice for everyone. I’ve experienced it, and it is part of my story.

This isn’t about proving that one way of working is superior. It’s about being honest about the way I work best and the conditions in which I want to do that work.

Why I encourage others to consider it

When I encourage someone to think about contracting or consulting, I’m not saying, “Hand in your notice tomorrow.”

I’m saying: don’t dismiss the possibility just because your career has looked a certain way until now.

Perhaps you love your field but not the environment you’re working in. Perhaps you have ideas and strengths that stretch beyond your job description. Perhaps you want to contribute to more than one project, or you have several interests that you don’t want to keep putting aside. Perhaps you simply want more ownership of your time and your next step.

I recognise those feelings.

For me, exploring a different way of working wasn’t about becoming less committed. It was about being more deliberate about what I committed to. It was about recognising that I could care deeply about my work without giving one organisation the power to define my whole career.

You don’t have to make the same choice I did but you are allowed to take your preferences seriously. You’re allowed to want meaningful work and a healthier working life. You’re allowed to have more than one interest and you’re allowed to be ambitious without wanting someone else’s version of success.

My career is still taking shape

From leaving the legal field, to my first NHS contract, to just over a decade in the NHS and then pursuing the health-tech startup space in UK and UAE, I’ve learned more about both my work and myself.

Contracting has been a thread through much of that journey. Consulting is part of how I want to bring those experiences, ideas and connections together.

I’m not sharing this because I have everything solved. I’m sharing it because I’m clearer now about what matters to me: curiosity, variety, meaningful contribution, wellbeing and the ability to make my own choices.

I still want to do good work. I still want to collaborate, stretch myself and make a difference.

I just want to do that in a way that gives me room to be a whole person… not only a job title.

Connect with Saira via LinkedIn

Stop being the best kept secret: How to actually build your personal brand as a contractor - Part 2.

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:15:41 GMT

Hello you and welcome back.

Did you catch last weeks weekly edit? Don’t worry…

ICYMI:

Women Who Contract

Stop being the best kept secret: How to actually build your personal brand as a contractor - Part 1

Let’s talk about personal branding…

a month ago · Lucy | Women Who Contract

This week we are continuing with that theme of Personal Branding. So, grab your coffee and let’s f*cking go!

7. Get comfortable talking about your achievements

This is an important one, particularly if you find talking about yourself uncomfortable.

You might be brilliant at delivering work but less comfortable explaining what you’ve achieved. Perhaps you worry about sounding boastful, or you assume your clients already know the value you’ve added.

But people can’t always see the full picture.

They might know that you’ve delivered a project. They might not know that you brought a struggling team back on track, reduced a significant delivery risk, improved stakeholder engagement or helped an organisation navigate a difficult transition.

You don’t need to exaggerate your achievements. You need to explain them clearly.

Instead of saying:

I supported the delivery of a transformation programme.

Explain what you actually contributed, where possible using evidence:

I led stakeholder engagement across a transformation programme, helping teams understand the changes, prepare for implementation and address issues before they affected delivery.

Where you have measurable results, use them. Where you don’t, explain the practical difference your work made.

And watch out for language that unnecessarily diminishes your contribution.

There’s a difference between being thoughtful and constantly qualifying what you say. If you have relevant expertise, you don’t need to begin every recommendation with “I just think” or apologise before offering a professional opinion.

You can be confident without being arrogant. You can be clear without being aggressive.

Your job is not to convince everyone that you’re brilliant. It’s to give people enough evidence to understand the value you bring.

8. Commercial confidence: know your numbers and demonstrate your value

A strong personal brand should support your commercial confidence, too.

It’s one thing to be visible. It’s another to make sure that visibility translates into opportunities that work for your business.

Start with the basics. Know your day rate, understand your costs and be clear about the kind of contracts you want to take on.

Know what you need to earn, what your business needs to operate and what makes a contract commercially worthwhile for you.

Then think about how you communicate your value during conversations with clients and recruiters.

If the discussion is only about your day rate, you may be missing an opportunity to explain why your experience is relevant to the problem they’re trying to solve.

That doesn’t mean ignoring market rates or assuming every client will pay more because you have a good personal brand. It means being able to explain your contribution, demonstrate your experience and have an informed conversation about the value of the work.

And once you’ve secured the contract, don’t disappear into delivery mode.

One practical habit I recommend is sending a concise weekly update to the relevant stakeholders. Include what you’ve completed, what’s coming next, any risks or decisions that need attention, and progress against agreed outcomes.

This creates a useful record of your work and gives everyone a clearer picture of progress. It can also help you prepare for contract extensions or future conversations about your contribution.

For limited company contractors working through their own businesses, keeping clear records of work and maintaining appropriate contractual arrangements can form part of good business practice. However, weekly updates alone do not determine IR35 status. Tax status depends on the specific working arrangements and the relevant legal tests.

The wider point is simple: don’t leave your value to chance. Make your contribution visible throughout the contract, not just when you’re asking for an extension.

9. Learn to use feedback without letting it define you

Building your reputation means putting yourself out there, and sometimes that means receiving feedback you don’t particularly want to hear.

Perhaps a client has criticised your work. Maybe a post doesn’t get the response you expected. Perhaps you put yourself forward for an opportunity and don’t get it.

It’s easy to take those experiences personally, especially when your business and your professional reputation are so closely connected to you.

But feedback is information. It isn’t automatically a verdict on your ability or your worth.

Take a moment to understand what has been said. Is there something useful you can learn? Is there a pattern you need to pay attention to? Is the feedback specific and supported by evidence, or does it reflect someone else’s expectations or preferences?

You don’t need to dismiss criticism, but you don’t need to accept every opinion as the truth, either.

Reflect, ask questions where appropriate, make changes if they’re needed and move forward.

The same applies to your personal brand. If something isn’t attracting the right opportunities, treat it as a reason to review your approach rather than proof that you shouldn’t be doing it.

Building confidence doesn’t mean never doubting yourself. It means learning how to respond when that doubt turns up.

10. Review your personal brand as your career evolves

Your personal brand isn’t a one-off project.

As you gain experience, develop new skills, change specialisms or build a different kind of business, the way you describe yourself will need to evolve.

I’d recommend reviewing your brand every six to twelve months, or sooner if something significant changes in your career.

Look again at your vision, values, voice and visuals. Check that your LinkedIn profile, CV, website and professional introduction still reflect the work you want to do.

Review the opportunities you’ve attracted. Which projects have energised you? Which clients have been the right fit? What have people consistently valued about working with you?

And perhaps most importantly, ask yourself whether your current positioning is helping you move towards the future you want.

You don’t have to change everything. Sometimes a small shift in the way you explain your expertise can make a big difference to how people understand it.

Your personal brand action plan

If all of this feels like a lot, don’t turn it into another enormous project on your to-do list.

Start small.

This week, do these five things:

Write down three things clients or colleagues consistently come to you for.
Complete the sentence: “I help [audience] solve [problem] by bringing [skills or approach].”
Review your LinkedIn headline and About section. Do they communicate your value, or simply describe your career history?
Choose two channels where you can build your professional visibility without burning yourself out.
Identify one recent achievement and practise explaining the difference your work made.

You don’t need to do everything at once. The aim is to build a professional brand that reflects who you are, communicates what you offer and supports the kind of contracting business you want to run.

Stop being the best kept secret

Contracting gives us independence, flexibility and the opportunity to build careers around our skills and ambitions. But that independence also means taking responsibility for the commercial side of our work.

We can’t always rely on an employer to promote our achievements, define our career path or make sure the right people know what we do.

That’s our job now.

And no, that doesn’t mean becoming a full-time content creator, shouting about yourself on LinkedIn every day or pretending to be someone you’re not.

It means knowing your value, communicating it clearly and making it easier for the right people to recognise what you bring.

You can be excellent at what you do and still need to work on how you position yourself. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

So, here’s my question for you.

If someone recommended you for a contract tomorrow, would they know exactly what to say about you?

Would they know what you’re brilliant at, the problems you solve and why you’re the person to bring in?

If the answer is yes, brilliant. Keep building on that reputation.

If the answer is no, perhaps it’s time to stop being the best kept secret.

Your experience deserves to be seen. Your expertise deserves to be understood. And your business deserves the opportunity to grow.

Let’s make sure the right people know what you’re capable of.

Until next week,

Lucy xo

P.S. Check out our event schedule here. Hope to see you online soon!

Stop being the best kept secret: How to actually build your personal brand as a contractor - Part 1

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 07:16:29 GMT

Let’s talk about personal branding.

I know. It sounds like one of those things you’re supposed to care about when you’re contracting, alongside networking, updating your LinkedIn profile and somehow finding the time to do your actual job.

But stick with me, because this matters. And this is a two-parter!

You can be brilliant at what you do. You can have years of experience, a track record of delivering projects, solving problems and making things happen. You can be the person clients trust when everything is going sideways.

But if the right people don’t know who you are, what you do or why they should work with you, you could be missing out on opportunities.

And that’s the problem. Too many talented contractors are the best kept secret in their industry.

We focus on doing a good job and assume the work will speak for itself. Sometimes it does. But not always. Especially when you’re contracting, where opportunities can come through relationships, recommendations, recruiters and people remembering you at exactly the right moment.

Being good at your job matters. Making sure people understand how good you are matters too.

So, how do you build a personal brand that feels like you, attracts the right opportunities and supports the business you want to build?

1. Personal branding starts with knowing who you are

Your personal brand is what people think of you when you’re not in the room.

It’s what people say when your name comes up in a conversation. It’s the strengths they associate with you, the problems they trust you to solve and the reasons they might recommend you for a contract.

You don’t have to be an influencer. (So please stop falling into that trap). I promise you - You don’t need thousands of followers. And you certainly don’t need to turn your entire life into content. (please, for the love of all the good things in the world, do not f*cking do this).

You do, however, need to be clear about what you bring to the table.

I like to start with four foundations: the four Vs of branding.

Vision: Why do you do what you do?

What matters to you about your work? What do you want to achieve? What kind of work do you want more of?

Perhaps you love bringing order to chaos. Maybe you enjoy helping organisations navigate change, solving complicated technical problems or making sure people are heard when decisions are being made.

Your vision helps you understand what motivates you and where you want your career to go.

Values: How do you work?

What do you stand for? What do you want clients and colleagues to experience when they work with you?

Independence, honesty, flexibility, collaboration and curiosity might all feature. Your values influence how you make decisions, how you build relationships and the kind of clients you want to work with.

They also help you decide what you don’t want. And that’s just as important.

Voice: How do you express yourself?

Are you direct and analytical? Warm and collaborative? A challenger who asks the questions nobody else wants to ask?

Your voice should reflect who you are. You don’t need to sound like a corporate brochure to be taken seriously, and you don’t need to copy someone else’s style because it seems to work for them.

Visuals: What does your brand look and feel like?

Think about your LinkedIn profile, CV, website, portfolio and presentation materials. Do they feel consistent? Do they reflect the professional you are today?

You don’t need an expensive rebrand. You do need to make it easy for people to recognise you and understand what you offer.

These four foundations give you something much more useful than a nice colour palette. They give you a starting point for communicating your value.

2. Stop trying to be everything to everyone

This is where things get interesting.

As contractors, we often have a broad range of skills. We actually discussed this a few weeks ago here:

We’ve all worked across different organisations, industries, projects and teams. We’ve learned to adapt, pick things up quickly and get stuck into whatever needs doing.

That’s one of our strengths.

But when someone asks what you do, explaining every single thing you can do isn’t necessarily going to help them remember you.

Your experience might be broad, but your positioning needs to be clear.

Think about the common thread running through your work. What do people consistently come to you for? What problems do you seem to solve particularly well? What do you enjoy doing so much that you lose track of time?

Perhaps you’re a project manager, a change specialist and a communications professional. The thread connecting those skills might be your ability to bring people together and help organisations deliver change.

Perhaps you’re a business analyst with experience across several sectors, but your real strength is making complex information understandable and helping people make better decisions.

You don’t have to abandon your other skills. You need to help people understand how they fit together.

Try completing this sentence:

I help [the people or organisations you work with] solve [the problem they face] by bringing [your particular skills, experience or approach].

Don’t worry about making it sound clever. Start with something that’s true.

Your positioning should help someone understand when to call you, why they might need you and what makes working with you different.

(Or take a look at a theme - see previous article above).

3. Build a personal brand that reflects the work you actually want

Here’s a question worth asking yourself: does your current professional brand reflect where you want to go, or is it simply a record of where you’ve been?

Your LinkedIn profile, CV and professional introductions can easily become a collection of past roles and responsibilities. They’re useful, but they don’t always tell people what you want to be known for next.

If you want to move into more strategic work, for example, your profile needs to communicate more than your ability to complete tasks. It needs to show how you think, the problems you understand and the outcomes you help deliver.

If you’re moving from permanent employment into contracting, you may need to explain the value you bring as an independent professional.

And if you’re shifting your specialism, your brand needs to evolve with you.

This doesn’t mean changing your identity every six months because you’ve spotted someone doing something interesting on LinkedIn. It means reviewing your direction regularly and making sure your professional presence supports it.

A few useful questions to ask yourself:

What do I want to be known for?
Which clients, organisations or projects do I want to attract?
What problems can I help them solve?
What evidence do I have that I can deliver?
Does my LinkedIn profile and CV tell that story?

Your brand isn’t just about getting your next contract. It’s about building a professional reputation that supports the career and business you want.

4. Understand your clients, not just your competition

It’s tempting to spend time looking at other contractors and wondering how you compare.

What are they charging? How are they positioning themselves? What are they posting? Why do they seem to be getting all the opportunities?

Understanding your market is useful. But comparison can become a distraction if you spend more time studying everyone else than understanding the people who might hire you.

Start with your potential clients.

What are they struggling with? What pressures are they under? What happens if they don’t solve the problem? What would a good outcome look like for them?

A client bringing in a change contractor might not actually be looking for someone who can produce a change impact assessment. They might be worried about resistance, missed deadlines, poor adoption or a project that isn’t delivering the expected benefits.

A business hiring a communications contractor might need more than someone who can write. It might need someone who can turn complicated information into clear messages that help people understand what is happening and what they need to do.

The more you understand the problem behind the brief, the better you can explain your value.

Try creating a simple empathy map for your ideal client. Consider what they think, feel, say and do, alongside the challenges they face and the outcomes they want.

Then look at your services through their eyes.

Don’t just sell the task. Explain the problem you help solve and the difference your work makes.

That’s how you move the conversation from a list of responsibilities to the value you bring.

5. Make it easier for people to find you and remember you

You don’t need to be everywhere. In fact, trying to maintain a presence on every social media platform is a brilliant way to give yourself another job you didn’t ask for. Or burnout. Or both.

Instead, choose the places where your audience is most likely to be and where you can show up consistently.

For many contractors, LinkedIn is a sensible starting point. But it’s not the only option.

You could build your professional reputation through:

LinkedIn posts that share your experience, ideas and lessons learned.
A newsletter that explores your specialist subject in more depth.
Speaking at industry events or professional communities.
Guest articles, podcasts and round-table discussions.
Meaningful conversations with former clients, colleagues and people in your network.

The right approach depends on your personality, your industry and the people you want to reach.

If you love speaking but hate writing social media posts, explore speaking opportunities. If you prefer thoughtful, long-form content, a newsletter might be a better fit.

You don’t need to force yourself into someone else’s marketing strategy.

What matters is having a way to stay visible, demonstrate your expertise and build relationships over time.

What should you actually talk about?

This is where content pillars can help.

Choose four or five themes that connect your expertise, your values and the work you want to attract.

For example, a project management contractor might focus on delivery, stakeholder relationships, lessons learned, industry developments and career advice.

A change professional might explore organisational change, employee experience, leadership, communications and practical lessons from projects.

Your content doesn’t need to be groundbreaking every time. You can share a useful observation, explain something people often misunderstand, reflect on a challenge or offer a practical tip.

The point is to give people a clearer picture of how you think and work.

And please, don’t feel that every post needs to be a perfectly polished thought-leadership masterpiece. Sometimes a straightforward, useful observation is more valuable than a 12-slide carousel explaining something nobody asked about.

Consistency is useful. Authenticity is essential.

6. Use AI as a tool, not as your identity

Let’s talk about AI, because it can be incredibly useful when you’re building a business.

Tools such as ChatGPT and Claude can help you organise your ideas, brainstorm content, structure a website, edit a draft or turn a long piece of writing into something more concise.

They can save you time, particularly when you’re doing everything yourself.

But I’d encourage you to start with your own thinking.

Your experiences, opinions, working style and perspective are what make your professional brand distinctive. If you ask AI to invent your positioning, write your story and tell you what you stand for before you’ve done that thinking yourself, you risk ending up with something polished but completely interchangeable.

Start by answering the difficult questions in your own words. What have you learned? What do you believe? What do clients thank you for? What frustrates you about your industry? What do you wish more people understood?

Then use AI to help you organise and refine those ideas.

It’s the difference between using a tool to communicate your perspective and outsourcing the perspective itself.

One gives you support. The other risks making you sound like everyone else.

Part two incoming.

Next week I’ll be wrapping up this two-part-personal-brand-piece. Covering way we can talk about our achievements, getting more commercially savvy and finishing up with an action plan.

Anything that has resonated? Let’s chat.

Until next week,

Lucy xo

P.S. Check out our event schedule here. Hope to see you online soon!

P.P.S I also found this article when looking for Emily in Paris Memes and actually found it super interesting and useful for brand building: Lorin Creative

Sole Trader vs Limited Company: the “boring” stuff we actually need to know

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 07:15:41 GMT

Hello you!

Ok… So… This is not, on the face of it, the most exciting subject.

Sole trader. Limited company. Tax. National Insurance. Companies House. HMRC. I can already feel some of you reaching for another tab.

And before you start reading on, disclaimer: this is UK based information.

If you’re contracting, freelancing, starting a business, or thinking about moving from one structure to another, this stuff matters.

And, frankly, I wish someone had explained it to me in normal human language rather than making me feel like I needed a degree in accountancy just to understand how I was supposed to pay myself.

So, with the help of my current preferred AI tool - ChatGPT… (Soz Claude). I’ve taken a rather dry subject, interrogated the details, checked the current rules against GOV.UK, and attempted to make it something you might actually want to read.

You’re welcome. 💅

Let’s get into it.

First things first: what’s the actual difference?

At its simplest:

Sole trader: you and the business are legally the same thing.

Limited company: the company is a separate legal entity from you.

That one distinction creates most of the differences that follow.

As a sole trader, you are personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business. With a limited company, the company is legally separate and limited liability can provide protection for your personal assets, although there are exceptions and guarantees can still create personal liability.

So which one is better?

Annoyingly, there is no universal answer.

It depends on what you’re doing, what you earn, what you want to do next and how much admin you are prepared to tolerate.

Sole trader: the simple option

Being a sole trader is generally the simpler route.

You run the business yourself, you keep the profits after tax and you report your business income through Self Assessment.

If your self-employed income is more than £1,000 in a tax year, you generally need to register for Self Assessment as a sole trader. There are also other circumstances where registration is required or useful.

You are responsible for keeping records of your income and expenses and working out what tax and National Insurance you owe.

For the 2026/27 tax year, self-employed people pay Class 4 National Insurance at 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% on profits above £50,270. Class 2 contributions are no longer compulsory in the old sense, although voluntary payments may still be relevant in some circumstances.

There is also VAT to think about.

If your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a rolling 12-month period, you generally need to register for VAT. You can also choose to register voluntarily below that threshold.

The appeal of being a sole trader is pretty obvious: Less administration. Fewer formalities. And if you’re just starting out, testing an idea or contracting on your own, it can be a perfectly sensible place to start.

The downside?

You are the business.

If the business owes money, that can ultimately become your personal problem.

Limited company: welcome to the paperwork

A limited company is a separate legal entity.

You can be the sole shareholder, the sole director, or both.

The company owns its money. The company makes its profits. And when you want to take money out of the company, there are rules about how you do it.

This is where things get a little more complicated.

A limited company generally pays Corporation Tax on its taxable profits. For 2026, the small profits rate is 19% for profits up to £50,000, while the main rate is 25% for profits over £250,000, with Marginal Relief applying between those thresholds.

And then there is you.

If you take money from the company as salary, that is treated differently from taking money as dividends. Dividends are distributions from the company’s profits and have their own tax rules.

This is one of those areas where “limited companies are more tax efficient” is a dangerously simplistic sentence.

Sometimes they can be.

Sometimes they aren’t.

It depends on the numbers.

And this is exactly where I would stop taking advice from LinkedIn comments and speak to an accountant.

So why do people go limited?

There are a few common reasons.

You might want the separation between your personal finances and the business.

You might be working with larger organisations where a limited company is their preferred supplier structure.

You might be planning to grow the business.

You might want to bring in shareholders or investment.

Or you might simply prefer having a clear distinction between “me” and “my business”.

A limited company can also make sense if you are building something that you want to eventually sell, grow or bring other people into.

But please don’t set one up because you think putting “Ltd” after your name magically makes you more professional.

It doesn’t.

Your work does that.

And then there is the admin...

This is where sole trader and limited company start to feel very different.

As a sole trader, your main tax responsibility is your personal Self Assessment.

With a limited company, there are company accounts, Corporation Tax, Companies House filings, confirmation statements, company records and potentially payroll, VAT and dividend paperwork to think about.

A private limited company normally has to file annual accounts with Companies House and a Company Tax Return with HMRC. The standard deadline for filing annual accounts is nine months after the company’s financial year end, while Corporation Tax is generally due nine months and one day after the end of the accounting period.

You also have to file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, even if nothing has changed. The current online filing fee is £50.

And yes, Companies House now charges £100 to register a company online.

Not £12.

That figure has been hanging around the internet for a while and is now very much out of date. The fee changed on 1st February 2026.

So, if you’re reading an old blog post telling you it costs £12 to set up your company...

Close the tab.

What about choosing a business name?

As a sole trader, you can trade under your own name or use a business name, subject to the relevant rules.

One correction from my original research here: you do not simply register your sole trader trading name with HMRC.

There are rules around what you can call your business, and you need to make sure you’re not infringing someone else’s trade mark or using restricted or misleading terms.

Again, this is one of those things where Google can give you 14 different answers before you’ve even had your first coffee.

What does an accountant actually do?

This is where I have a little story.

I had an accountant.

Then I changed accountants. Because they made a mistake and I ended up having to cop a hefty bill.

And the reason I’m mentioning this is because when I told some of my business-owner friends about my particular saga, I realised just how common this stuff is.

One friend had to pay £20,000 to HMRC following an issue involving herself and her accountant.

Another had a surprisingly large tax bill because of a calculation error.

And then there is the slightly different category of:

“I made the money, forgot I had to pay tax on it, and now HMRC would quite like some of it back.”

That last one is nobody else’s fault.

Which is precisely why I started using a spreadsheet.

An accountant can be incredibly useful, but “I have an accountant” doesn’t mean you can completely switch your brain off.

For a sole trader, an accountant might help with your Self Assessment, allowable expenses, bookkeeping and tax planning.

For a limited company, they might prepare company accounts, deal with Corporation Tax, manage payroll, advise on dividends, support VAT returns and help you understand what you can and can’t take from the company.

But here’s my slightly controversial take:

Your accountant is not your business owner. You are.

You still need to understand enough about your own numbers to know what’s happening.

Not everything.

You don’t need to become an accountant.

But enough to ask sensible questions.

Enough to spot when something doesn’t make sense.

And enough to know roughly how much money is actually yours.

So... which one should you choose?

If you’re starting out, contracting on your own and want to keep things simple, being a sole trader can make complete sense.

If you’re building something bigger, want a separate legal entity, are thinking about growth or investment, or your clients expect you to operate through a company, a limited company might be worth considering. You also need have a limited company for any OUTSIDE of IR35 contracts.

And you don’t have to make the decision based on vibes.

You can actually run the numbers.

That’s the bit I think gets missed.

People often ask:

“Which is better?”

I’d ask:

“Better for what?”

Better for simplicity?
Better for protecting personal assets?
Better for your current level of profit?
Better for the business you want to build in three years?
Better for the clients you want to work with?

Those are very different questions.

And finally, please don’t panic

If you are sitting there thinking:

“Jesus. I just wanted to start freelancing.”

I hear you.

The good news is that you don’t need to know everything on day one.

You need to understand the basics, keep good records, put money aside for tax, ask questions when you don’t understand something and get proper advice when the decision has financial consequences.

And, ideally, find an accountant you actually trust.

Interview them.

Ask questions.

Don’t just choose the person your mate recommended because they were “really nice”.

Mine was recommended too. Hence this entire section.

And if this has made the difference between “I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing” and “OK, I actually understand the basic choices now”, then we’ve done our job.

Because that’s really the point.

You don’t need to become an expert in tax. You just need enough information to make a better decision about your own business. And maybe, just maybe, we have made one of the dullest subjects in business slightly more interesting along the way.

I’d call that a win. Right?

See you next week,

Lucy xo

P.S. This article was written by ChatGPT this week. I copied and pasted my notes, ran a conversation back and forth then finally landed on this. On subjects that I deem as ‘the important ones’, where I do NOT want to be telling y’all the wrong things, especially when it comes to you and your MONEY - I will use tools like Chat, Gem, Perplexity, and Claude to double check my facts and figures. I will always tell you when I have used them. Just like how I am doing right here, right now.

Hear from one our members on her planned journey into contracting:

(She asked to be anonymous).

After shifting between roles over the last decade, I am finally planning my move into contracting.

I have realized that permanent corporate dynamics simply do not fit how I operate best. I keep a clear line between my work and my personal life, and I am not looking to build my social circle at the office. Being a contractor creates a natural, healthy boundary. Everyone knows the arrangement is temporary, which lets me focus purely on the work without getting pulled into long-term office dynamics.

As a BA, we are often handed requirements that do not make much sense for the bigger picture. I will always advocate for the right path, challenge weak logic, and push back where it counts. But at the end of the day, my job is to deliver what is asked for. The beauty of contracting is that once the handoff is complete, you move on to the next challenge rather than staying behind to clean up the long-term tech debt.

The traditional path of waiting around for an annual two percent raise or hoping for someone to retire never appealed to me. By changing roles four times in five years, I raised my income by 25k and stepped up three levels. I know the value I bring to a project, and I prefer to set my rate accordingly.

I also value outcome over presenteeism. I do not care for office politics or performing for management just to look busy. Sometimes the most productive part of my day is just sitting quietly and processing a complex problem. Contracting measures you on what you actually deliver, not on keeping a seat warm or sitting in traffic to be seen in an office.

Notice periods are another big factor. Being locked into a three-month notice period when a project is clearly not working feels restrictive. Short-term contracts mean if an environment is inefficient or toxic, you have a clear exit strategy. It comes with financial risk, but it is a trade-off I am more than willing to make.

What held me back from pulling the trigger earlier was timing. Just as I built up the momentum to launch my brand, I found out I was pregnant. Delivering quality output matters to me, and I did not want to start out with new clients knowing I would need to step away mid-project.

So for now, the strategy is simple. I am staying put with a company that is being brilliant and supportive through this pregnancy. I am keeping close to this network, looking after myself, and building my foundation. Once my body has recovered and I am through the new mum phase, I will be stepping out on my own.

Your independence doesn’t end your mortgage option

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:31:49 GMT

Hello everyone,

Let’s talk about something I’m seeing more and more of in our community and something I’ve been quietly cheering on for over a decade.

Women are contracting. Not tentatively. Not apologetically. But with skill, confidence and a very clear sense of “I’m doing this my way.”

Every time I meet a woman contractor, I remember her. The day rate she pushed for. The project she nailed. The moment she backed herself. And I honestly think - go you!

When I first started looking after contractors’ mortgages 13 years ago, there were only a tiny handful of lenders who would even consider using a day rate. It was niche, specialist, and honestly a bit of a fight. Most lenders simply didn’t understand contracting.

Over time more lenders have caught up. Underwriters started building contractor‑specific criteria, but they still have many different rules to navigate for a contractor’s circumstances depending on each lenders own risk appetite.

And because I’m not about leaving anyone out, a small number of lenders will work on contracts not in sterling as long as it goes into a UK bank account. That’s a whole different flavour of underwriting, but it’s absolutely doable with the right lender.

Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash

But independence comes with questions. Especially around mortgages.

Here are the things women ask me most often:

“What if I have gaps between contracts.”

“What if I’m inside IR35, does that ruin everything.”

“How long do I need to be contracting before lenders take me seriously.”

“Will going self‑employed stop me getting a mortgage.”

These aren’t dramatic worries. They’re normal.

Becoming self‑employed is exciting, but it also comes with uncertainty. You’re stepping away from the comfort blanket of a payslip and into a world where you call the shots. Liberating, yes. Scary, also yes. And I get it, I’ve taken the leap too. The fear is real, but so is the freedom.

And while we’re talking about financial independence, I’m going to say something that contractors don’t hear enough: your protection matters just as much as your mortgage.

When you’re self‑employed, you don’t have sick pay, death‑in‑service benefits, or a corporate safety net. If something happens, it’s your family who feels it. Protection isn’t about fear it’s about responsibility. It’s about making sure the people you love are financially secure, even if life throws something unexpected your way.

Making sure your income, your health, and your family are protected is part of knowing your worth too.

Our financial freedom is still new. Very new.

Until 1975, women in the UK couldn’t open a bank account, apply for a mortgage or access credit without a man’s signature.

1975!!

Not ancient history. Within living memory.

So when women choose contracting today, you’re not just choosing a career path. You’re continuing a generational shift toward independence that was denied to the women before us.

Photo by Vanessa Murrieta on Unsplash

I understand this from inside the mortgage industry too.

The mortgage world is still overwhelmingly male. Women make up around 30% of mortgage brokers in the UK up from 21% a decade ago. Progress, yes. Balance, not yet.

And just to be clear, I’m not anti‑men. I live with one - a perfectly lovely human who knows how to work the washing machine but didn’t own a decent set of DIY tools until I arrived. The mortgage industry is still very male, and that absolutely reflects how women feel when they step into contracting.

When women contractors come to me feeling unsure or intimidated about how lenders will view their income, I understand exactly where that feeling comes from. You’re navigating independence in your career and stepping into a financial system that wasn’t built with women in mind.

Which is why knowledge matters.

Let’s clear something up: contracting does NOT end your mortgage options.

But it does mean you need to work with someone who understands how contractor lending actually works because it’s full of quirks, inconsistencies and lender‑specific rules.

Here’s what lots of women don’t know:

Lenders can lend using your contractor day rate. Many contractor‑friendly lenders will take your day rate, multiply it by 5 days, then by 46–48 working weeks to calculate your annualised income. This often results in higher affordability than using salary/dividends. A £650 day rate can be evidenced as an income of £156,000 rather than the much lower salary and dividends draw from a limited company.

Other quirks include:

Some lenders want 12 months’ history. Some accept six.
Some are fine with gaps. Some aren’t.
Some treat inside IR35 like PAYE.
Some treat outside IR35 like limited company income.
Some take multiple contracts. Some won’t.

It’s messy. It’s inconsistent. And you shouldn’t have to decode it alone.

This is where specialist advice becomes your advantage.

My job is simple: Translate your contracting world into something lenders understand.

I help women contractors by explaining clearly how your income will be assessed preparing your application so it reflects your true earning potential navigating gaps, renewals, extensions and contract changes identifying lenders who understand IR35, day rates and limited company structures giving you clarity instead of confusion

Contracting doesn’t close doors. It simply requires the right route through them.

You can be independent, self‑employed and mortgage‑ready.

According to ONS data, more women are choosing self‑employment than ever before, with female self‑employment rising steadily over the past decade. But while women are embracing independence in their careers, the mortgage system hasn’t fully caught up. Many lenders still favour linear PAYE income, even though women are far more likely to work flexibly, contract, freelance or juggle multiple income streams. The rise in female self‑employment is real but so is the need for specialist advice to translate modern income patterns into something lenders understand.

Women who contract are building careers on their own terms, careers with flexibility, financial strength and autonomy. Your mortgage plans should support that independence, not undermine it.

If you’re contracting, thinking about contracting, or simply want clarity on how lenders will view your income, I’m here. A short conversation can turn uncertainty into confidence.

Your independence is your strength. Your career is yours to shape. And your mortgage can be too.

Give me a shout if you’d like to have a chat about your options. You can find me here: www.reddeermortgages.co.uk

(Your home/property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or other debt secured on it.

There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The precise amount of the fee will depend on your circumstances.)

Thanks for having me Women Who Contract. Speak soon,

Polly Dyer

Why I am not going to fall into the trap of having a narrow niche and how you don’t have to either.

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 07:15:36 GMT

Hello you,

Several weeks a go I had found myself sick with a terrible case of writers block. I had not really known what I wanted to post on LinkedIn. I was back and forth with my ideas for Women Who Contract. I stared at a blank screen, which stung my eyes and gave me a headache. And I was worried that I was becoming all a bit too generic.

In all honesty, I felt like I was being all a bit too broad.

But I didn’t want to niche-niche. What I mean by this is, well, I didn’t want to pin-point on an exact area that gave me no room to grow. I didn’t want to feel trapped.

Away from the screen, the writers block led me to reflect on my own career and choices. I also knew I was struggling to come up with ideas for content because I was going through my own shifts: Rebranding and announcing Women Who Contract. Starting with a new client. Deciding on whether I need to do yet another course or not. (I decided to not). Then the universe did its thing which led me back into a war at the Battle of the Niche.

Hmph.

FYI: Niche = Specific. Appealing to only a small, dedicated group of people rather than the general public.

After a few shots and bangs I remembered that we’re pretty damn lucky living in an era where it’s more socially acceptable to be broad:

We can a Generalist. A person who has a broad range of knowledge, skills, and interests across multiple different subjects or fields, rather than a deep focus on a single area.
We can have a Portfolio Career. This where you work on several different projects and jobs instead of having one single job.
We can also be a Multipotentialite. This is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits instead of just one single calling.

I don't need to fall into that niche trap. And nor do you.

Remembering this, I was own medic on the battle field in my brain and was able to leave this round of war unharmed. Phew. (I recently watched Hacksaw Ridge, hence all this war talk).

For me personally, I lean more towards that multipotentiality. I looked into the term a little more. And for those who are interested, I found that it was popularised by writer and founder of Puttylike - Emilie Wapnick in their popular TED talk. There are similar concepts include the historical terms such as “polymath” or “Renaissance person”. In summary they talked about exactly what I have been pondering on: rather than focusing on one specialised career path, multipotentialites thrive by exploring multiple fields concurrently or sequentially.

And I definitely have a portfolio career!

Hmm… for me that all stacks.

Change Communications Consultant / Contractor.
Founder of Women Who Contract.
Co-Author of Allyship Actually.
Freelance and Feature Writing Student at the London School of Journalism. (If I am going to be writing to you all weekly, I want to deliver quality).
Ex. Coach.
Ex. Podcast Host.
Ex. Cofounder of a Womens’ led business.
Public speaker (not as much now-a-days)
Writer of IIL.

Outside of my “professional” life, I am also:

Chief Events Officer (CEO) for the Dog Pawrk group.
General party planner - we have a Halloween Party soon.
Obsessed with fashion and interior design (strictly a hobby. I don’t want to ruin a passion).
Into health, fitness and wellbeing as a whole.
Book worm.
Dog mum.
Wife.
Friend.
Scorpio.

A quick Pinterest board to add some vision to my list.

This might not be you. You might think of yourself more as generalist. Maybe you are building a portfolio career. Maybe you’ve never even consider this - thus, I just hope that these other ‘labels’ have given you some food for thought?!

Reminder: You don’t have to have a really narrow niche. But are you going to need something to start with. We will get to that.

You have probably always been told to niche.

And I do appreciate that often a niche can help you with establishing an audience.

For example: Women in IT Contracting = Women + who work in tech + are consultants and contractors.

Niche: Women, tech, contractor. It was the tech that made it feel too pigeon-holed. It also turned a lot of an audience away. So by broadening to Women Who Contract is still niche but not as narrow.

= Women + Contract / Freelance / Consult. No specific industry. No Specific Role.

A niche is also great for those who actually specialise. You might be a Creative Director for healthcare drinks. Or a Divorce Coach for Gay Women in their 50’s. Or Comms Consultant for Co-Pilot AI Programmes. This helps you find your audience and them to find you.

But the thing about a niche is that when people pivot from being a ‘something’ to ‘something else’ it can often confuse an already established audience:

“I thought she was Website designer” said someone to me as we looked up that ‘she’ who is now a Virtual PA for busy working mums, actually is she a leadership coach for childfree women? It was all rather unclear.

And that there is a great example that even when you niche, you can confuse.

I have no doubt that she can do all those things and do all those things well. Her websites were top-notch. Hence why we were looking her up. (Again an example of why a niche can be good for something specific) But, this also waves a flag of caution: We also don’t want to be too broad. You don’t want to come across as a know-it-all. You don’t want to confuse your audience. And we literally cannot do it all, even if we think we can. #sorrynotsorry

Side note: for me personally I like to think of myself with my multipotentiality and a solid portfolio career, well, it all has a direction of travel. Each business and project I work on does have an element for a target audience. E.g. As a Change Communications Director I work on Change Initiatives. I focus on project management, change analysis and communication, people first aka: Direction, hype, and change that sticks. Target clients: Transformation Leads/Directors. Not overly specific as in whether it is org or tech change, but specific enough that is it is not confusing to what my service offering is.

I’m not looking to contradict myself. I do believe that you need something to tie it all all together…

So, what you need is a theme.

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that I talk about having a theme. If, like me, you have lots of moving parts to your career, I have found it beneficial to think about what to do with an overarching theme.

You might already have an idea of what this could be. Yet, I also appreciate that you might not. So, here’s three action to take:

Ask your friends, colleagues or clients: ‘What are the regular topics you come to me for advice on?’
Map out all the things you do. I mean everything. I already shared at the start of this letter a list of all the things I get up to. Do the same. Then list out those activities e.g. as the founder of Women Who Contract - activities include - event planning, writing a newsletter, strategy, community builder, coach, advisor, friend, cheerleader, communicator… (Etc).
List all your values and what you think your purpose is. E.g. My own values are around independence (hence why I contract), people, togetherness and respect. My purpose is help people understand all the things they need to know to succeed (as a short summary, I promise you it is a bit more transformational than that).

Please do share your answers and support each other in building this out. This isn’t going to happen over night and could take several days for you to establish a clear theme.

And once you’ve done this you’ll be able to decipher a theme. I suggest pulling all the key words etc together and whacking into ChatGPT with this prompt: “From this list of information about me, tell me what my theme is. Give me a header and a short summary. This is to underpin everything I do. Do not use any of my previous history to answer this. Make it purposeful and transformational. Make sure it is human centred.” Attach list. Enter. The fine tune.

I do also suggest BEFORE you do that - For goodness sakes - get a pen and paper - go outside/to a coffee shop and let your subconscious flow… Don’t just rely on a bot to tell you who the f*ck you are.

How it works in practice

I like to think of myself as a creative connector. Creativity + Connection = the key across everything I do as the founder of this community. As a Change Comms Director. As multiple business owner. As an Author. As CEO of the Dog Park… It all links.

This again stacks. Across the work I have done throughout my career, when I have made changes and pivots - it all has that thread of creative energy and the ability to connect: Coaching, Branding, IT Service Management, Leadership and Public Speaking.

In practice I do ‘try’ to always come back to this when I am introducing myself. And when I am even writing content for LinkedIn. Even if I don’t explicitly say it.

When I do, however and for example say, when people ask me what I do for a living? I don’t merely list off all the things I do or did. I am just going to lose that person or that will switch off - I won’t be remembered.

So instead, I say something like this: ‘I describe myself as a professional creative connector. I help businesses communicate change and I lead a community for female contractors. It is much the same in my personal life - I’m the person planning the next big event, bringing dog lovers together, and I am just curation-obsessed.’

At first you are going to feel hella awkward saying all that. But practice. Define it. Redesign it. You won’t get it on your first attempt… no body cares if you get it muddled up… practice, practice, practice.

I don’t say that word for word every time. Sometimes I just bluntly say I am a Director and a Founder. Other times, I might just list three things: Change Comms Consultant, Founder of Women Who Contract and co-author of AA… Just got to know your audience.

But that theme will be your guiding light for when you are building out your part in the world.

Perhaps it’s not about labels?!

As I come to the end of this weeks letter to you. Other than I hope you found interesting and useful. Largely, I hope that if you been flip-flopping with a niche or two, you will give yourself permission to explore being more than one thang!

At the end of the day, us human creatures are not born to wear one hat. We are ever changing, growing, shifting beings. Some people like to be specific. Some like to stick to one lane. But look closely enough, you’re see that beyond that headline topic there are different colour threads of hobbies, interests and dynamics shaping that person.

I’d be curious to hear from you whether this struck a cord. Or something you’ve explored. Or even share some advice or wisdom on your own journey of self-discovery.

Keep being you. Until next week,

Lucy xo

Knowing your worth (Part 2.)

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:15:35 GMT

Hello you,

Last week we covered elements of knowing your worth as a contractor. Especially when it comes to day rates. This week is the second part to help y’all think about project rates and day rates.

I want to start off by saying that I did do my research on this. And it was a f*cking mind-field. Conflicting advice. Complex “systems”. Of course it wasn’t going to be simple. This is what annoys me about running a business. Someone, somewhere (probably a middle-aged-white-man) came up with a complex methodology to make the simple seem hard. I know some of you relate to this or have even been put off thinking about putting numbers on the table because you haven’t know where to start.

But after the end of this article, you’ll be ready with your numbers. Knowing your worth. Making that cash-money. Ready? Let’s go.

This has been my approach.

Over the years I have found that I have needed to either charge an hourly rate and/or a project rate. Confession: When I was starting out, I seriously undercharged. I was misguided and naive. I wasn’t sure what was right. And I am NOT going to let you do that.

So, here is how I now figure it out. Btw - this is all invoiced via my Limited Company/Outside IR35. No umbrellas here.

Hourly rates:

Day rate is £500.
A day being 7 hours.
Maths: 500 / 7 = £71.42. (I would always round up, so that would £75 p/h).

Summary. If the day rate is £500. I would charge £75 per hour.

Project rates:

I would always raise the price if the project has a rapid turnaround or generates significant revenue for the client - I would add around 10% to 15%. If I am going to be hella stressed to get this done, I need that reflected in the reward. AKA payment.

I always add a buffer for scope creep. Even with a statement of works (SOW) in place, I always add 20% to 30% extra for unexpected revisions, client feedback, client contacting me outside of scheduled time with this (because you know they will) and, yeah, scope creep.

For example I advised a web designer: If a website build takes 20 estimated hours at £60/hr (£1,200), add a 25% buffer for scope creep (£300) to land on a £1,500 project rate.

Don’t forget to factor in your own expenses

This is where it can get a little complicated. The above is the simplest way to break down the numbers and add in those contingencies. But - there are a few things I invite you to consider:

How much do you need each month to cover your bills?
How much per year are your accountancy costs?
Don’t forget insurances.
Do you pay into a pension? (You should be).
Do you want your business to contribute to your private health care?
Do you need to invest in new phone? Laptop? Car?

Here’s your action: Do your calculations on how much out-goings you’ve got sliding through your accounts on the regs. I suggest doing this across a monthly and a yearly view. Then once you’ve done that, take another look at those rates. You might find you need to add an extra 5% to 10% to cover the cost for to actually run your business.

How did you get on? Leave a comment and let us know.

And, just like how I ended last week: Knowing your worth and charging the correct amount sets your contracting career up for success. Sure there might be times where you might take less, perhaps for exposure or learning or opportunity. Always weigh up risk vs reward.

Do the work. Know your worth. Be ready to negotiate (another letter/article on that in a few weeks).

Keep smashing those glass ceilings.

Lucy xo

P.S. come and sign up to one of our free events.

October:

Wednesday 14th October. 11am UK time. Part of Women in Tech Week: The Glass Ceiling Called. Have you Considered Contracting?
Wednesday 21st October.18:00 UK time: Will AI help or hinder us?
Wednesday 28th October: 17:30 UK time: The Green Room: How Clients Actually Find (and Choose) You

November:

Friday 13th November: 12pm UK time - Fractional and Contract Work: Where's the Next Client Coming From? With me and Rina Gohel.
Wednesday 25th November. 17:30 UK time: Roundtable - You bring the questions. We will provide the answers.

Know your worth (and what the average day rate is)

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:15:33 GMT

Hello you,

Now we’ve officially moved across to the wonderful world of Substack - this also means the cadence of the newsletters will be changing. And changing for the better. How does a Women Who Contract: Weekly Wednesday Digest sound? Ok, I know it is a bit of a mouthful. But you get the gist of the digest.

Each week I’ll be:

Covering a topic - anything from personal development to business strategy to freelance financials (and yes, I will be taking requests).
Answering real questions that’s come up in the community.
And, sharing what’s coming up so you never miss an event.

The original monthly emails served a purpose. But now on, this platform, where I am hoping to build a stronger community, that approach feels quite redundant.

So let’s kick start this edition with knowing your worth.

Knowing your worth, sets the tone for your contracting career.

September seems to be giving an energy of opportunity as LinkedIn seems to be popping with ‘I’m Hiring’ content. It really does appear as if companies are on their recruitment drive for temporary staff before we enter into the Christmas period.

But just because they are hiring, it doesn’t mean they always have the budget. Over the summer I had a number of offers and opportunities landing on my desk. This isn’t a humble brag. It is fact. I have personally built a network to be in this position. And hence why I launched this community. I want to share piece of that pie - thus I am also hosting a free session: ‘The Green Room’ next month covering the visibility. Hope to see you there.

Anyways, I noticed something rather alarming.

The day rates for some of the roles were below the average to what we typically see in the UK.

When I say average, I know that freelance and contract day rates in the UK vary broadly across sectors. Standard corporate sectors like Tech(bros), (man in) Finance, and Management Consulting command the highest premiums due to things like specialised technical skill shortages, while Creative, Agency, and Construction fields have wider variances depending on the project scope and location.

(Yes, funny how the white, middle class, male dominated fields seem to have higher premiums - hmm, grumble, curse).

So here’s a Google Gemini made Matrix, to give you a bit of a flavour:

Inside or Outside IR35 (UK)

Inside IR35 and Outside IR35 rates are not equal. If an employer offers you the exact same day rate for both options, the Inside IR35 option represents a major pay cut.

Because Inside IR35 contractors face heavy payroll deductions, they should look to command a premium rate to match the financial efficiency of a standard corporate B2B structure.

To maintain the exact same take-home cash after taxes, an Inside IR35 day rate must be 25% to 30% higher than an Outside IR35 rate. This premium accounts for the shifting of employment taxes and the loss of corporate tax allowances.

This ‘ere table below illustrates the standard market adjustments required to match net earnings:

Still with me? Good.

And because I’m not about leaving people out, here’s a more global view:

🇺🇸 United States: The US contracting market rarely negotiates in “day rates,” overwhelmingly preferring hourly billing. Because of massive corporate budgets, specialized US talent commands the highest baseline rates globally.

Average Range: $400 to $1,200+ per day equivalent ($50 to $150+ per hour).
The Dynamics: High-demand roles like Technical Project Managers and specialised Tech Writers easily stretch toward $1,000+ per day. However, contractors must fund their own expensive benefits (like private health insurance and 401k matching), inflating the base rates required to thrive.

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (Dubai): The UAE operates as a highly lucrative, regional executive hub where contracting has surged significantly. Rates track roughly 20% higher than the UK for local regional clients.

Average Range: AED 1,500 to AED 4,000+ per day (£320 to £850+ / $400 to $1,100+ per day).
The Dynamics: Mid-level project managers and marketing specialists start around AED 1,500 to AED 2,500 per day, while senior strategy consultants and top-tier product leads routinely scale past AED 3,600+ ($1,000) per day. The massive draw here is the 0% personal income tax framework, making take-home pay exceptionally high.

🇪🇺 Europe: Europe cannot be treated as a single entity; it is heavily split by region, local cost of living, and localised labour laws.

Average Range: €350 to €850+ per day (highly localised).
Western Europe & DACH (Germany, France, Netherlands): Command premium rates. Freelance invoices frequently run €600 to €800+ per day for senior corporate/tech capabilities.
Eastern Europe (Poland, Czechia, Romania): Serves as the premier “nearshore” hub. Highly qualified BAs, developers, and writers charge highly competitive rates tracking closer to €250 to €450 per day, presenting immense cost-to-quality value for international brands.

Reference: All the above info was found via Google Gemini. Sept 2026. If you know of anything to be different, please comment and share your knowledge:

Where does that leave us?

The work I do across Change and Communications - I know that the typical Inside IR35 day rate is roughly £650 per day. Outside can be £500 to £550. If I am doing a more consulting engagement (Outside IR35), I can level up that day rate. If something is a bit more admin led, I can flex.

I have a strong portfolio of work with references. I know the money I’ve saved teams, the impact I have made and examples to share. You need that too. Not just for your CV to standout or to excel in an interview - but to also be able to demand your worth.

So you can imagine my absolute horror when I got offered an inside IR35 role at a rather senior level at rather big and global consultancy firm at £350 p/d. Even when I challenged it, the response was ‘this is the budget’. So, as much as I would have loved the role, I had to say no. Because I know my worth. I also know when someone is taking advantage.

Last week, I had another recruiter contact me for another Change Manager role at £450 p/d inside IR35. A senior PM who I work closely with also told me how she was offered a role that £300 below her average day rate. Ugh. No.

So here’s something you can do. Spend time over the coming months researching the roles that you do, look at the different salaries, day rates and consulting fees. The ones that are offering ‘more’ - how much of that job spec do you know that you can do with your eyes closed? How much of it would be learning on the job? Do you need to upskill?

And once you have all your research in one place. Create your own average day rate table for:

Inside IR35
Outside IR35
Project (as in a total cost to deliver something)*
Hourly, that can used for international clients or fractional.*

*I’ll cover fractional and project rates next week. I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information all at once. Please do get in touch if you charge your clients by project or hourly rates, I would love to use your feedback and experience in the letter next week.

Knowing your worth and charging the correct amount sets your contracting career up for success. Sure there might be times where you might take less, perhaps for exposure or learning or opportunity. Always weigh up risk vs reward. It is also worth noting that one person really might need that average pay to cover their bills where another might be able to afford to take a little less. So, it isn’t always black and white if you’re comparing against your peers.

Do the work. Know your worth. Be ready to negotiate (another letter/article on that in a few weeks).

Keep smashing those glass ceilings.

Lucy xo

Join me and other community members this Friday at 12pm UK Time for the September Roundtable 🪩

P.S. Just in-case you missed it: I pulled together the full collection of previously shared Coaching Content and Activities. You can find all that here ↓

Refer a friend

How to use our new home

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:02:16 GMT

Hello you,

How are you finding our new home?

Don’t fret if you’re finding it a bit a confusing. I’ve got you.

Firstly, you can find the approved content via following links:

Get Started Here
Get the Substack App Here
Need some more help? Ask the Help Centre

Secondly, here’s a 4 minute video from me explaining how to use Substack.

The main reason I wanted to move to Substack was so I can communicate with you all. I had found that the newsletter I was sending was hitting your mailbox’s but I didn’t know whether it was landing. We have the amazing WhatsApp group, but I also didn’t want others to be cut off. This is why we are here. We can start using the chat function to talk, ask questions and navigate the world of contracting. Please do take a moment to join the chat. Introduce yourself. Tell us how we can support you.

Lastly, you will still get emails from Substack even if you do not have a formal password-protected Substack account.

How Substack Subscriptions Work Without an Account

Email-based subscription: Entering an email address on a publication’s subscribe page is all it takes to receive newsletters.
Automatic account creation: Substack automatically creates a basic underlying account for that email address once you subscribe, but you do not need to log in, set a password, or use the app to get new posts.
Delivery: Every new post published by that creator goes straight to your inbox.

How to Stop the Emails

If someone wants to stop receiving these emails without creating an account, they can use the link at the bottom of any newsletter.

Unsubscribe link: Scroll to the very bottom of a Substack email and click the Unsubscribe link.
Confirmation page: Follow the prompts on the webpage that opens to opt out of that specific publication or all Substack mailings.

If you are trying to stop getting newsletters from a specific writer or manage your inbox, let me know if you need help finding the unsubscribe link or blocking the sender.

Although I really hope you don’t leave. This is just for reference.

Looking forward to talking with you soon.

Lucy xo

Collection of Coaching Content & Activities

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:36:52 GMT

Hello you,

As promised, I wanted to share with you all the useful snippets from previous newsletters. In this published post (which I did not send to you all via email, as I wanted to protect your mailbox) you’ll find four tools that you can refer back to.

Take care, Lucy xo

A little learning: self-sabotage check-in

Since we’re on the subject of hiding your best work... Let’s look at self-sabotage:

You know the moment. You’ve just landed the extension, or the rate rise, or the reference that proves you’re brilliant at this. And instead of sitting in it for five minutes, you’re already bracing. Wondering if they’ll notice you don’t actually know everything. Triple checking the invoice. Saying yes to scope you didn’t quote for because saying no felt riskier than the burnout.

That’s not just imposter syndrome showing up again. That’s a saboteur, and contracting gives them a lot to work with.

Positive Intelligence work (Shirzad Chamine) calls it the Judge, the inner voice that finds the flaw first, in you, in the client, in the contract you should have negotiated harder. It brings friends. The Hyper-Achiever who can’t let a good gig just be a good gig without immediately chasing the next one. The Hyper-Vigilant one already scanning for when this contract ends, even in week two. The Pleaser who over-delivers because being needed feels safer than being paid what you’re worth. The Controller who won’t hand anything off, even when the workload’s unsustainable. The Avoider who “means to” raise the rate conversation and never quite does. The Stickler who reworks the deliverable four times past done.

For contractors, these aren’t quirks. They’re the reason brilliant women undercharge, over-function, and burn out on contracts that should have been the good part. The instability of the work makes the saboteurs louder, and the saboteurs make the instability feel worse. That’s the loop that has to break if this is meant to be sustainable, not just survivable.

Sit with these for a second:

Where in your business or your day rate are you making yourself smaller than the evidence supports?
What would you do differently this week if you fully believed you were good enough already, not “good enough once X happens”?
Whose voice is that, really, when you talk yourself out of pitching for something?

No need to answer out loud. Just notice.

Information, information, information.

Now we’re getting into the swing of things, I wanted to share with you a few bits of key info each month. Firstly, for the newbies and those unsure on IR35, here is a snapshot.

Personal Development Coaching Tool: Mid-year goal setting.

The Transformational Goal Process (Using the Wheel of Career / Life.)

This process uses a twist on the classic “Wheel of Life” - we’re focusing purely on career.

Step 1: The Wheel of Career – What’s Really Going On?

Split your career into eight segments to explore where you’re thriving and where things feel stuck. You can do this visually as a circle, or list them out.

Here’s an example of the wheel - from google.

Here are some (further) suggested segments:

Fulfilment: Does your work energise and mean something to you?
Growth & Learning: Are you stretching and developing new skills?
Money & Rewards: Are you earning what feels fair and supportive?
Work-Life Blend: Do you have time for life outside work?
Values Alignment: Does your work reflect who you are?
Purpose & Direction: Are you heading somewhere that feels right?
Confidence & Presence: Are you showing up powerfully?
Environment & People: Do you feel safe, seen, respected?

Score each out of 10.

Then ask: Where is the biggest gap between where I am and where I want to be? Which area, if it shifted, would have the biggest positive impact on everything else?

This becomes the anchor for your transformational goal.

Step 2: Set a Transformational Goal

Now craft a bold, identity-based goal that reflects the future version of you – the one who’s already living this change. Use the language of becoming.

Start with “I AM…”

Examples:

“I am a sought-after consultant who sets my own schedule and earns with ease.” “I am the creative director of a brand I believe in, and I wake up excited.” “I am a confident, visible leader in my field, known for my ideas and impact.”

This isn’t about the how yet. This is about claiming it. Feeling it. Owning it.

Step 3: Break It Down – Objectives

Now let’s turn that big goal into 3-4 clear objectives. These are milestones — things you can measure and check in on.

Example goal: “I am a confident, visible leader in my field, known for my ideas and impact.”

Your objectives might be:

Build a clear personal brand and online presence.
Speak at one industry event this year.
Launch a thought leadership series (e.g. podcast, blog, newsletter).
Develop inner confidence to handle visibility and pushback.

Step 4: Smaller Steps – Make It Doable

Break each objective into smaller actions. Keep it real, keep it human. You’re not a robot. These should be things you can actually do, even on tired or self-doubt-y days.

Let’s use Objective 1: Build a clear personal brand and online presence.

Smaller steps: Book a 2-hour session to define your niche and message. Write your bio and update your LinkedIn. Start showing up weekly on your chosen platform. Engage with 3 people per week in your space. Set a monthly review to track progress.

Step 5: Timeframe

Don’t rush it, but don’t drift either. Set clear windows.

Break it into phases:

Month 1–2: Discovery & foundation Month 3–4: Visibility & output Month 5–6: Stretch goals & evaluation

*Hint, at the end of this book, I have created a 180 day journal prompt for you, which will help you build some of this out.

Use a calendar. Block time. Honour it like you would a client.

Step 6: Resources – What Will You Need?

You’re not meant to do this alone. What will support you?

A coach or mentor Time blocked out weekly Budget for training or branding Supportive community or accountability group Tools (e.g. website, planner, Canva, etc.)

Also: energy, patience, self-belief. Build rituals that protect and top those up.

Step 7: Threats & Roadblocks – Name Them

We all hit walls. Let’s name them early and plan for them, without judgment.

Potential threats:

Self-doubt and imposter syndrome Other people’s opinions (especially if you’re changing lanes) Lack of time or boundaries Comparison or perfectionism Money fears

Build your response plan:

Who will you call when doubt kicks in? What’s your plan when you fall off track? What boundaries do you need in place?

Step 8: Loop & Reflect

Set monthly check-ins to reflect:

What’s shifted? What’s working? What feels sticky or misaligned? What needs tweaking?

Transformation is messy. It’s rarely a straight line. Stay in the loop with yourself... this is an evolution, not a sprint. You don’t need to know every step. You just need to know what’s calling you and commit to becoming the version of you who answers it.

So, go back to your “I AM” statement. Sit with it. Say it aloud. Let it start to feel true.

And then... take the next small step.

P.S. Share you I AM statement with us in the Community Forums! I’d love to hear how you got on.

Ideas: Other ways to make money as a contractor

Last month I shared a coaching activity for your personal development, this month I am here to give you some ideas for your business development:

So, hands up if your entire income right now depends on one client. One contract. One hiring manager not changing their mind.

Yeah. That’s a lot of us.

And look, there’s nothing wrong with a good day rate. That’s why we’re here. But I want to talk today about what happens when we stop thinking of ourselves as people who sell time, and start thinking of ourselves as people who have something genuinely valuable to offer - in more than one way:

1. Turn your network into a revenue stream - Referrals and associate work are the most underused income streams in contracting. Ask specifically, arrange referral fees, and remember your network isn’t just support - it’s potentially your supply chain.

2. Sell your knowledge, not just your time - Training, workshops, and writing are all ways to monetise what you already know. Clients often have separate budgets for learning and development that are easier to access than contracting headcount.

3. Package what you do into a product - A fixed-price audit, a toolkit, a framework... anything with a clear scope and a defined output can be priced on value rather than hours. That’s a product, and products scale in ways that timesheets don’t.

Here’s your homework: Out of these 3, pick one and give it go for July. Let us know how you get on. What worked well? What didn’t?

Photo by Sam Farallon on Unsplash

We’re becoming Women Who Contract

Lucy | Women Who Contract — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 13:52:21 GMT

Hello you,

I wanted to give you an exciting update as well as a first look at what’s evolving for the community. I’m not planning a big reveal on social media, but as a comms professional it would be remiss of me not to tell you brilliant lot first.

So. Six things, plus a P.S. (of course there’s a P.S.)

One. The name is changing. Women in IT Contracting is becoming Women Who Contract. I started this because I was tired of the wealth and opportunity gap in tech. Then we grew, and I kept meeting women outside tech telling me exactly the same story. It is an IT and digital problem, absolutely. It is also much bigger than that. The door felt too closed on women who would get just as much out of this as we do. And given how many of you are generalists, multi-passionate and have portfolio careers, this felt like the right move.

Two. The WhatsApp group stays, but it becomes invitation only. Going forward that means people I have actually spoken to, or anyone currently in the WhatsApp group can recommend other women are able to join. Your safety matters more to me than the headcount.

Three. The mailing list and community are moving to Substack. And here’s the first one. You don’t need to do anything, I’ve exported your email across from Kit. I will be decommissioning the Kit newsletter this month. There’s a resource hub over here too, so come and check it out. I’d like to use the chat feature for community conversation outside of the WhatsApp group, and I’ll record a quick how-to video next week for anyone who hasn’t used the platform before.

Four. Events. Monthly roundtables continue. I’m always open to someone else leading a session, and Rina Gohel and I have something coming very soon. Eek. As for in person events - I would like the community to grow in the UK. I’m equally keen to grow the platform to have more a global reach - this will come with time. I’ve already mentioned that I would organise an event in say Manchester or Leeds. Equally if we have a volunteer to host a Scotland event or Australia Event or Dubai event - I’m happy for that person to represent the community and lead it. Unfortunately, if you’re unable to get to the events in person at the moment there is not much I can do about that. This is why the virtual events are still the priority and are organised around different time zones.

A quick reminder that the next round table is this coming Friday at 12:30. You can grab your free seat here. I’m also running a session for Women in Tech Week: The Glass Ceiling Called, Have You Considered Contracting? It would be brilliant if you could join me and/or share the details.

Five. There’s a new email address: community@womenwhocontract.com. The community gets its own front door instead of being tangled up with my business.

And last but not least, thank you. A huge one to Saira, Jill, Dave and David, who were my mini steerco this week and helped me cement what this next phase looks like. And to all of you, for backing me and the mission. I might have got us in a room together, but you are the ones who made it a thing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Six: For those who like to see things visually. I pulled together a vision board to give you a bit of glimpse inside the Women Who Contract (my) mind.

Next message will be with you this week with ‘How To’s’ and where you can find the previous coaching content from the previous Newsletters.

Lucy x