Freelance Business
MONTH

Matthew Mottola is a global leader in helping enterprises embrace freelance workforces at scale.

He is currently CEO of The Human Cloud, the leading authority for leaders embracing the freelance economy, along with advising, investing, and contributing in Forbes on the freelance economy.

Prior, Matthew founded Venture L, a venture backed freelancer SaaS, led the Microsoft 365 freelance toolkit, a tech stack enabling enterprises to scale freelance programs over $100m, was early at Gigster, Silicon Valley's leading software development freelancer network, and freelanced himself for over 10 years.

Matthew has spoken across 50+ international stages, been nominated a top 50 remote work expert to follow, and featured in Fortune, Bloomberg, YPO, and Yahoo Finance to name a few.

In Matthew's words: "My career looks like a dog chasing his own tail. I freelance, I help enterprises hire freelancers, I build software that connects the two. Literally thats it, and I've been fortunate to see how the best companies in the world scale their workforces strategically through freelancers and freelance programs."

Joy Batra is founder of Quartz Consulting, a freelance consulting firm that has advised start-ups, venture capital firms, and Fortune 500 companies. She previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Gunderson Dettmer, JioSaavn, briefly as a Bollywood actress (long story), and most recently as Head of Legal at Syndicate Protocol. Joy has lived or worked in India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, the UAE, and the UK. She currently splits her time between NYC and Boston. Joy holds a JD/MBA from Harvard University. Her book, "The Freelance Mindset: Unleashing Your Side Hustles for Better Work, Play, and Life" was endorsed by Daniel Pink, Dorie Clark, and Arthur C. Brooks, and was named a best graduation gift by Oprah Daily.

In his current role as Executive Director of the Freelancers Union, Rafael Espinal brings his wealth of experience and dedication to advocacy to support and champion the rights of freelancers and independent workers. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded its reach and impact, providing valuable resources, support networks, and lobbying for policy changes that benefit the growing independent workforce. Espinal's relentless commitment to ensuring fair treatment and equal rights for freelancers highlights his ongoing passion for creating a more inclusive and just labor market, making him a respected and influential figure within the freelance community.

Alp is an enthusiastic entrepreneur with background in consulting, investment banking, and expertise on the Future of Work, On-demand Economy, particularly on the Uberization of Workforce. He is currently working heavily to build global talent pipelines, while enabling new ways of working.

Ambitious, entrepreneurial leader with 15+ years' marketing + agency experience. Currently running all growth and go-to-market strategies for Doerscircle - an ecommerce platform enabling the future of hybrid work.

Zukhriddin Shadmonov leads the Digital Economy Research Center under the Ministry of Digital Technologies in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The primary focus of the center is to develop freelance programs for local freelance IT specialists. Uzbekistan aims to establish itself as the leading IT hub in Central Asia by 2030, with the assistance of freelance IT talents.

Branka Anđelković is a Co-founder and Programme Director of the Public Policy Research Center, Belgrade based think tank. Her current research interests are focused on labour markets, employment relations and economy of innovation in the context of knowledge-based economy and digital transformation. Branka is the lead author and editor of several pioneering studies about the platform economy and digital work in Serbia and Southeast Europe. She serves as the Principal Investigator for Serbia in the Fairwork project, a collaborative effort involving researchers from 39 countries. The project aims to assess digital platforms and employers based on fairness and the principles of decent work.

She holds MAs in public administration from Harvard University (United States), and in international relations from the Central European University (Hungary). Her BA is in comparative literature and theory of literature from the University of Belgrade (Serbia).

Nadina Iacob is a consultant at the World Bank. Her research is driven by the desire to explore the potential of the digital transformation and its implications across a variety of policy areas. In her recent work, she has focused on issues related to the impact of digital technologies across multiple sectors as well as emerging discussions on data governance regulations. During her career, Nadina has contributed analyses and studies for a variety of organizations including the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the German development agency GIZ. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School (Berlin, Germany).

With over twenty years' experience in communications, public affairs and lobbying, Glen leads Freelance Movement, a stakeholder initiative on the future of work in Europe. Glen was previously responsible for the Nordics, Baltics and Central & Eastern Europe within an international communications agency. Prior to this he worked for the European institutions as well as governments, blue-chip international companies, start-ups and NGOs as a lobbyist, strategist and communications advisor.

Glen was also the Secretary General of a European trade association for five years. Today, Glen is a respected commentator on European affairs, digitalisation and labour market issues, as well as a frequent presenter, moderator and panellist at European policy events.

Hush is a highly astute entrepreneur, businessman and globally renowned photographer with three decades of experience. He has the unique ability to capture humanity at its best through moments that transcend generations. These include events, portraits, board members of listed companies, multinational executives, Hollywood actors and accomplished global leaders such as Oprah and Nelson Mandela. He worked with SAFTA events for more than a decade – capturing the best of the best in TV and film across South Africa.

Hush is among few remaining photographers who experienced the industry during its transition from analogue to digital. He provided photography solutions to a wide array of clientele - ranging from people to architecture, capturing the brand stories of companies such as Edcon and KFC.

Hush has a lifelong commitment to going the extra mile, putting the needs of others first. He is privileged to lead Safrea in achieving its next set of milestones, positively impacting the freelancing industry.

Bekka is a Leadership Development coach and consultant who works specialists, freelancers, and business leaders as they build the careers they want to build. Bekka has over 30 years leadership, change and project experience, gained in a variety of sectors, functions and roles, 15 of them as a freelancer. She has delivered results in high profile leadership roles and enabled clients to do the same. Bekka brings curiosity, fun and pragmatism to her work with top multinationals and small businesses alike. She believes that developing our curiosity muscles is what helps the great freelancers stand out from the good ones.

Úna Herlihy is the co-founder and curator of The Indie List, Ireland's first and only marketplace where freelancers can find work, network and be part of a like-minded community. She started her career in creative agencies McCann-Erickson and BBDO, but ultimately was destined to listen to her internal entrepreneur and has been working as an independent consultant, facilitator and connector of people since 2005.

Apart from being passionate about creativity and the creative process, she is a board member of AsIAm, Ireland's autism charity. She lives in the south-east of Ireland with her artist husband, 3 children and a sad collection of mal-nourished house plants.

Adrian is Head of Creative and Innovation at Get Your Stories Straight. He started freelancing in 2015 and has since grown a digital agency which has raised over €100,000,000 for their charity clients, with a team of one full-time employee and 15 freelancers.

Adrian will uncover insights as to how he has engaged freelancers to help him achieve such growth.

Sasha Smith is the Chief Operating Officer at Plannernet. In her nearly 15 years with the company, she has driven innovation and integration of freelance workforce solutions for the meeting & events industry through her leadership of Strategic Account Management, Customer Success, Supplier Relations, and IT Solutions. Leveraging her variety of experience, Sasha's passion is designing bespoke solutions that allow freelancers and enterprises to build flourishing relationships and partner seamlessly.

Jon is a multifaceted professional, renowned as an author, educator, early-stage investor, and unwavering champion of the freelance economy. Holding a PhD from the prestigious University of Toronto, Jon's journey is a rich tapestry of a 45-year-long career adorned with captivating projects.

He has shared his expertise as a lecturer on the future of work at esteemed institutions like the University of Michigan, the Indian School of Business, the Copenhagen School of Business, Wharton, and several other renowned universities. Alongside his academic pursuits, Jon is a Partner in "The Human Cloud" with Matt Mottola, delving into the transformative potential of freelance work.

Since 2018, Jon has contributed his insights as a Forbes Contributor, offering a unique perspective on the evolving world of work. He is also a co-author of influential books, including "Agile Talent" (Harvard) and "HR From the Outside In" (McGraw-Hill), among others.

Rich Parker is a highly accomplished executive with over two decades of experience within the meeting and events industry. Prior to serving in his current role as Chief Executive Officer, he joined Plannernet as Chief Operating Officer from 2013-2019, and held a variety of executive roles at Advanced Health Media from 2002-2013. Parker is a CPA, CVA, and CCWP, highlighting his financial and contingent workforce expertise as well as his commitment to excellence.

Rich is passionate about the freelance economy and small businesses, aiming to evolve Plannernet's compliant sourcing solutions while staying at the forefront of connecting a community of freelance planners with clients of all sizes. He is driving Plannernet towards a future of continued success and growth in the dynamic world of meeting and event planning.

Sarah has been working as a freelance facilitator, presenter and actress since 2019. After making countless self-tape audition videos and presenting many videos and livestream events during the pandemic, she decided to help other entrepreneurs presenting themselves and their businesses on video.

Kritika Narula is a freelance journalist and content consultant working with clients across the US, UK, and India. She writes about careers, education, technology, health, culture, and the future of work. She specialises in community-driven marketing and extensively hosts webinars, workshops, panels, etc for her clients as a part of the content marketing strategy.

A mental health advocate, she is also a volunteer committee member at Generation Mental Health, a global mental health not-for-profit.

With a speciality in networking, Adam's ability to connect has opened many doors. Benefitting from both serendipity and strategy, Adam has created a myriad of opportunities for all.

He combines his insights about the human spirit, behavioural science, anthropology, and organizational culture with a passion. Adam describes himself as a humanist, anti-technologist, and sacrificial lamb on a mission to understand people and their comfortability better or lack thereof in groups.

Jennifer Lemmert helps leaders shine and employees connect, making a powerful impact at their companies and within their industries. She's a storyteller with nearly 20 years of corporate communications and marketing experience with heavy hitters in the government, non-profit, healthcare, finance, and hospitality industries. After losing her job in the pandemic, Jennifer launched her consulting business and has never looked back. She lives in the Washington DC area with her husband and three sons.

Sebastien teaches people how to build wealth on autopilot, with evidence-based investing optimized for performance and peace of mind. He also runs FIREBelgium.com, a community of personal finance enthusiasts who empower each other to build financial freedom in their lives.

Sebastien is not a financial professional, but he learned the hard way that you don't need to take crazy risks nor pay expensive managers or banks to invest well in the stock market. Instead, you need common sense knowledge and a simple plan.

After consistently saving and investing during his career he reached financial independence at 33. Today, he teaches busy professionals how to invest simply and effectively via index ETFs, a method proven by countless studies to generate better returns than most professional managers and that requires less than 5 min per month to manage.

Nicolina Werther is an intuitive success and business guide who helps sensitives and creatives grow their business with success, joy and ease. She combines a background in the performing arts and as a well-being practitioner with teaching entrepreneurial thinking and leadership skills. Nicolina's courses and bespoke coaching programmes are designed to help her clients align their inner world with their outer aspirations and build a career or business that is prosperous as well as fulfilling. Nicolina hosts the fortnightly podcast "Building for Bliss" and her clients describe her work as empowering, growing them as a person as much as a professional.

International award winning enterprise consultant - using toys, games, and quizzes to help businesses, charities, social enterprises, universities, and others, to better get to grips with messy problems.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Briana Ashley Stuart is a performer, choreographer and dance entrepreneur. She received her BFA in Dance & Sociology from the University of Michigan and has since worked internationally as an independent artist as well as with a number of companies and artists, notably, StepAfrika!, SJEwing & Dancers, ZIKIT, 4Hoogkindertheater, among others. In 2018, she created STU Arts Dance, a dance consultancy organization that utilizes dance and movement as a means of personal and professional development through engaging dance programming for special events, teambuilding activities, etc.

She has also been featured in Together Magazine, BRUZZ, Le Soir, & BX1 Media. Currently, she is working on her latest work, Moving Meditations, a multidisciplinary work about healing which will premiere March 25, 2023 at KVS Brussels as well as Gorges Ocloo's latest work the Golden Stool, the story of Nana Yaa Asantewaa, premiering at Toneelhuis in Antwerp on April 27, 2023.

Fay has 10+ years of experience leading branding and communication efforts for non-profits, government agencies, tech companies, and a VC firm. Prior to founding Folio, she was the Director of Marketing and Communications at Entrée Capital. In the past, Fay was the Strategic Communications and Development Manager at Upstream Security and the Managing Director of a US-based political communications NGO. Fay graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida International University and holds an MBA from Reichman University.

Seasoned communication professional specialised in strategic communications, EU project management and online content development. With more than 12 years of experience, 10 of which in EU Affairs, Antonia works across sectors helping private, public, not for profit and international organizations find their voice and shape their digital communications. Freelancer since 2021, she currently works at the intersection of media, tech and AI helping public discussions create a safe framework to grow together rather than in parallel and at different speeds. Fluent in 5 languages, she has a MA in International Relations, BA in Comms and is currently also pursuing a PhD in Politics hoping to grow and give a research framework to her experiences.

Bozhidar has been writing since he was old enough to hold a pen. After finishing his English and Creative Writing degree, he set his sights on marketing and writing content that informs and entertains.

He has written over 100 articles for brands like Myprotein, Freelance Business Community and Open Bulgaria, plus countless social media posts, short stories, poems, and pages in his journal.

He has been on a journey to uncover the secrets of great writing, and he is eager to share what he has discovered, before the wisdom slowly drives him mad.

In her 25 year design career Eleanor has done everything from book compositing to designing mobile apps to methodology and agile process design for global creative teams. She's worked on projects for clients such as Chronicle Books, Vodafone, BMW, Audi, Bosch-Siemens Hausgerät, T-Online, and more.

She escaped corporate life in 2010 to start her own eCommerce business selling printables. Her work was noticed by Goop, Martha Stewart, The New York Times and Pottery Barn Kids. For the past two years she's been having a really good time helping expat business owners in Germany get their websites launched in a day.

Chris Raulf is the founder of Boulder SEO Marketing, a top-rated Denver-based SEO agency. He's also the founder of Chris Raulf SEO Consulting & Training. Chris and his team assist local, national, and international customers with all of their search engine optimization needs. Chris is a globally recognized international SEO expert. He frequently speaks at events around the world. Besides teaching his own classes in Colorado and around the United States, he's also a lecturer in online marketing for the University of Strasbourg, France.

Been a freelance strategist, and content creator (photography, video, copy) for more than 10 years now. Full-time freelancer for years and have a small agency where we work together with other freelancers. Local and international clients turn to us for social media strategy and content creation, we have developed a method called Slow Social - that embraces slow values and maximizes value for social content creation. I am a coach, an integral psychology learner, and a practitioner. We have been using AI for content creation since 2022 and currently have local (Hungarian) and international research about AI-assisted content creation. Would love to present that as well in October.

Jen Corcoran is an Award-Winning LinkedIn Training, Trusted Advisor for Introverts, Empaths and HSPs, on a mission to help sensitive, introverted and empathic female coaches, consultants and trainers to toot their horns on LinkedIn in an aligned, easy and fun way. With her authority marketing, she helps them super boost their LinkedIn profiles, make genuine connections and attract consistent ideal clients using her 4-stage PACT framework (Presence – Action – Connect – Track). Jen was titled as #1 Trusted Marketing Advisor UK and Top 10 Business Advisor UK in 2020.

Ido Rann is a web designer and consultant, who creates and optimises websites for small service businesses who need to stand out. Using a versatile toolbox of IT and marketing knowledge, Ido takes his clients on a journey that puts their business on the highway, with a memorable website that captures their essence and converts.

Ido started his journey in the IT industry 17 years ago, learning software development and UX design in the Israeli Defence Forces' IT corps. He discovered a passion for web design when starting a blog about his journey with stuttering, which led him to pursue a career in the field. He is still passionate about writing, educating and sharing his personal story with stuttering.

Kamila Zahradnickova founded Lakmoos, which focuses on automating innovation. Kamila is a behavioural scientist by training and applies behavioural science to business. She currently researches innovative behaviour and designs strategies to wake up dormant innovators.

Kelsey Frick is a freelance translation account manager, French to English subtitler, and social media consultant. After going freelance during the pandemic, she found success supporting other freelancers with how to navigate LinkedIn, the translation industry, and their business, all with a touch of humour. Kelsey was a finalist for the IPSE Freelancer Awards New Freelancer Category in 2022, regularly speaks at translation conferences, and has been featured in podcasts and books for her work in the industry.

Ivana Recmanová is a writer, translator, proofreader, and an advisor on communicating with neurodivergent and LGBT+ people. A language and linguistics graduate from University College London and Palacký University in Olomouc, she served as a member of the Advisory Board for People with Disabilities' Rights at the Czech Office of Defendant of Rights between 2018 and 2020.

In her work, she focuses on intersections of human rights, education, science, art, and information technologies. Her portfolio includes, but is not limtied to, editing blogs of Transparent (Czech NGO dedicated to trans* advocacy) and BlueGhost (Czech marketing agency), translation of English articles related to disability for Czech magazines and of Spanish essays and poetry by Latin American intersex activists, and proofreading Czech blog posts for Sloneek (Slovak start-up).

Lode is a full-time freelancer, father of a 3-year-old toddler and entrepreneur - startup founder of ExtraExpertise. With more than 20 years experience in marketing and IT, Lode enjoys share learnings, inspire people and coach starting entrepreneurs.

Monika Fischer has been working as a freelance translator and interpreter since 2009 building communities around her own business. She is a mindset coach for solopreneurs and trilingual intercultural communication trainer.

Host of the Grow Your Independent Consulting Business podcast and business coach for consultants.

With over a decade of unparalleled experience spanning industries such as Banking, Fintech, and Restaurant Technology, Oluwatayo has consistently propelled organizations to unparalleled success through her exceptional skills as a Product Management professional.

Driven by an unwavering passion for empowering ambitious professionals and businesses, Oluwatayo stands tall as the visionary founder of Techlytics, a Technology Workforce Development and Consulting Company dedicated to equipping individuals and organizations with the essential solutions required to conquer the dynamic world of technology. By relentlessly preparing individuals for the future of work, Oluwatayo has masterfully trained and mentored over 1000 fellows (in Data Analytics and Product Management Programs) across esteemed educational technology institutions. She also actively consults for startups and organizations for their software product needs.

Since 2010, Elisabeth has been helping companies across various sectors innovate and navigate digital transformation to remain successful, competitive, and profitable in a rapidly changing world. With experience working at some of Europe's top agencies, including Livework and frog, Elisabeth launched her independent service design consultancy in 2019.

With a track record of running a successful 6-figure solopreneurship, Elisabeth is passionate about creating new ways of building and running businesses.

That's why she founded IMMA Collective, a global community that brings together solopreneurs and aspiring freelancers focused on climate and social impact. Elisabeth believes in the power of independence and aims to provide the tools, guidance, and network necessary to help individuals overcome uncertainty and build resilient, profitable businesses that leave a positive impact.

After working for several years as a leading consultant and building up a business agency, Fabian has founded his own freelancing community. Within 3 years he has built a vetted network of developers, project -/product managers, marketing experts and designers and has helped over 100 freelancer from 25+ countries to work for outstanding companies such as Dr. Wolff Group, Amazon, Aroundhome, FeWo, BuildingMinds and many more startups within Europe. Making the freelance community earning several millions in revenue has helped him, to convince people to shift from a fulltime role into (part-time) freelancing and even building their own agencies & businesses. Besides coaching freelancers, he also trains and coaches executives and high-potentials (e.g. How to make my next career step) from various industries.

Sadhbh Warren is a freelance writer and project manager with over 15 year's experience in B2C content writing and strategy.

Her company, Red Rock Writing, works with SMEs to kickstart their content strategy, set real goals and create amazing content that connects with customers.

Reuben Swartz is the founder of Mimiran, the fun, "anti-CRM" for independent consultants who love serving clients but hate "selling". He's also the host and chief nerd on the Sales for Nerds podcast. He went from a background in computer science and software engineering to sales and marketing consulting for the Fortune 500, while struggling with sales and marketing for his own firm.

His mission is to help other independent consultants make a bigger dent in the universe and get more clients by using their talents to teach instead of market, connect instead of network, and help instead of sell.

Virginia Katsimpiri, PhDc, is a certified translator and translation business owner at vtranslations.gr and business strategist and mentor at vmentoring.com. Holding an ΜA in translation and an executive MBA in client acquisition strategies, she has helped hundreds of freelance translators/interpreters and small business owners worldwide to attract international high-quality clients and rapidly build their profitable business through her mentoring programs.

Virginia is the creator of the Fully Booked Translator Formula and the Ultimate LinkedIn Prospecting System, the first comprehensive, results-oriented Business Mentoring Programs for Language Professionals. She is also the founder of the Ask Your Mentor Anything initiative; a virtual live show where she and other experts discuss translation business-related issues on a weekly basis. She gives talks at the biggest international conferences of the industry and has appeared in numerous online publications, podcasts and marketing shows.

Zola Brunner holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa. She started her career as an intern at a news broadcasting station, eNCA (top 24hour news broadcaster) in 2012.

In 2019, Zola founded BeyondMedia, a digital skills media company that connects freelancers with work opportunities and helps companies with media and marketing strategies. As a young person passionate about finding solutions to the issues in her home country, Zola created a flagship within her company, "the freelance collective", to help fight unemployment. She advocates for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, goal 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, and goal 10 - Equal Opportunities. Her company helps many freelancers find work opportunities on a daily basis.

In 2022, Zola was selected as one of the Chevening students to further their studies in the UK. Currently, she is pursuing a Master's degree to conduct further freelancing research to implement labour policy.

Yurii has been building communities in Ukraine for 7 years for various sectors: for sales, marketing, SEO, and paid advertisement experts - SalesHero, SEO Club UA, CPC Real Talk, and Marketing Club UA.

When the war in Ukraine erupted, he found himself compelled to transition from working in a local market to an international one. This pivotal moment led him to assume the role of a Community Consultant, working for various organisations. He is a public speaker and joined the stage of CMX Thrive in 2023 and runs Community Life Show, Freelance Thrive and Freelance Sucks podcasts.

Ermelinda (Era) Hajdari is a marketing professional, freelance agent, activist, speaker and coach. She's a jack of all trades and finds fulfillment when seeing materialized potential, and people thrive. She moved to Belgium when she was 16 years old, where she lives and works.

Era has extended experience in different sectors and has worked for start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, corporations, NGO's, etc. She helps companies with their flexible talent needs and coaches professionals to a freelance work-lifestyle.

Era loves talking about leveraging differences, developing talents, boosting self-agency, and free-work lifestyle. In companies, Era talks about new ways of working, change, storytelling & new business strategy.

Laura Burford is a Strategic Advisor for the Independent Worker. She leverages her thirty plus years of consulting experience and expertise by partnering with independent workers helping them eliminate the feeling of being overwhelmed as they build relationships, get clients, and live life on their terms. Laura does it with the help of her Consultant's Blueprint and online courses.

In addition to being an advisor, Laura is an author, speaker, and educator. For more on Laura, check out her website, Laura's Consulting Guide, her YouTube channel and Medium articles, and her 2013 Small Business Book of the Year, Project Management for Flat Organizations.

Laiba is a SaaS and tech content writer who helps companies build brand image and rank on page 1.

She started her freelancing journey in 2020 when she was a college student. Over the years, she's mastered the art of crafting content that helps companies rank on page 1 for their target keywords and attract more customers.

Founder of freelance.pizza, a learning platform dedicated to aspiring freelancers. Peter is an entrepreneur, marketer and content creator. Having worked with 50+ different companies, spanning several industries, he has seen the digital economy through the eyes of a client, consultant, contractor and C-level decision maker.

Ashley is the Founder and Principal of UntapSocial, a B2B thought leadership consulting firm, helping industry pioneers be seen and heard, on stage and online.

Her career is anchored at the intersection of career development and social media: professional branding. She has 12 years of B2B content marketing and social media experience and has spoken for brands including AT&T, Kelly, Northeastern University, and General Assembly.

She embodies her belief that all of us want to live and work with more meaning and intention; she is an advocate for digital and slow nomadism, corporate brand citizenship, sustainability, and the freelance revolution.