My journey to working on my own began when I bought a franchise in 2006. It was a printed publication called Got My Kids; a directory of local companies and organizations offering children activities and events in the community where I lived.
The impetus was my 2-year old son. After his birth and my year long maternity leave, I went back to my full-time job as a channel manger at a software company and was miserable. I enjoyed the work, but hated being away from my baby for eight hours a day, plus an hour commute. What attracted me to Got My Kids was the flexibility to have more time with my son and a sense of fulfillment helping other families find activities for their children.
My experience as a franchise owner with Got My Kids was valuable. It taught me that cold-calling was not my forte—in fact, many days I wanted to crawl under my desk and stay there. I also learned how to face financial uncertainty, from receiving a regular healthy paycheck to investing in something that would take time to reap financial reward. But I met many nice business owners and was inspired by their entrepreneurial spirit.
A new chapter: Moving to Germany
After running the franchise for a little over a year, I closed it when my husband accepted a position that required us to relocate to Germany. I was blessed with a gift of more time with my son and be a homemaker, to help us transition into living in a foreign country.
A year after our move to Germany, I started providing Marketing Communications support part-time for Rotocontrol, a company that designs and manufactures label converting and finishing machines. I managed their marketing efforts, primarily by writing and publishing press releases. It was my first entry into the label printing industry and I was fascinated with it.
A few years later I decided to take on more work to help support our household financially. But without extended family nearby to help care for our son, and a school schedule that didn’t accommodate full-time working parents, I needed to find something that would provide flexibility and a home office.
My aha moment of what to do came to me one afternoon in the backyard while sitting and talking with my husband about what to do. I really enjoyed the marketing support I provided Rotocontrol, and realized- why not offer similar services to other companies?
Shortly after, I applied to extend my German residence permit to include self-employment and embarked on my journey as a freelance marketing specialist.
The label industry stuck
The initial experience in the label industry with Rotocontrol laid the foundation for a lasting and rewarding partnership with one of its partners, Rotocon, and the Aengenvoort family (owners of both Rotocon and previously Rotocontrol). This relationship opened the door to collaborating with many other clients in the label industry, including manufacturers of flexo printing presses, anilox rolls, inspection systems, tabletop rewinders, and UV LED systems.
I will always be grateful to the Aengenvoort family for helping me gain customer traction within the label industry. I deeply appreciate their trust as my first client and their ongoing partnership to this day.
The label industry continues to fascinate me, and is filled with passionate individuals and many family run companies who work endlessly creating stunning labels, from design to print. Whenever I see a printed label, especially the beautifully embellished ones found on wine bottles, I’m reminded of all the processes—and more importantly people—that go into crafting the final piece.
Over the years, I’ve taken on a variety of roles and had the opportunity to develop as a digital marketer through diverse client projects, including press releases, social media, email marketing, blogs, website content, articles, and white papers. Additionally, I’ve supported clients with presentations, tradeshow promotions, proofreading, and CRM system management.
Throughout my freelancing career, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with a diverse range of clients—businesses in need of comprehensive marketing support, non-native English companies requiring writing and editing services, and organizations with in-house content teams looking to expand their efforts with additional help.
Mastering the art of press releases
The most rewarding aspects of my work are crafting press releases, getting them published, and fostering strong media relationships.
I love writing about a client’s new installation, participation at an event, new hires, and other worthy news and seeing their name published in the label industry publications.
Many companies don’t realize these publications welcome their news and don’t charge for publishing. The industry publications share these announcements not only online on their own websites but also in their printed magazines, newsletters, and social media. This reach is extended with the company adding the news to their own website and sharing on social and e-newsletters.
Over the years, I’ve cultivated strong relationships with industry publications and make it a point to follow up on the news releases I share, ensuring a high rate of publication.
Recently, I began collaborating with a client that develops solutions for both the label and packaging industries, which provided an opportunity to connect with new media partners in the packaging sector. To cultivate these new relationships and introduce my client to my existing label media partners, I tailored formal introduction letters for each media partner. This approach led to a high publication rate for their first two press releases, along with requests for editorial contributions.
Every time I see a press release I wrote published on a website or shared on LinkedIn, I feel the same euphoria as watching a sports team score a goal. This pride is more for my client than for myself. I am their silent cheerleader on the sidelines.
The freelancing roller coaster ride
Freelancing can at times be feast or famine.
I prefer to develop long-standing partnerships with clients for ongoing projects vs. competing with other freelancers on online platforms for short-term, one-off projects. Being based in Germany, I’ve had the pleasure working with clients around the world and learning cultural differences that are important to honour in my writing style, including the English spelling of words which I discuss here.
I’ve faced frantic periods of juggling multiple deadlines followed by snail-like stretches, (especially around the holidays). I’ve also had to navigate factors beyond my control, such as sudden budget cuts, changes in marketing leadership, shifts in management, and new company ownership, all of which have impacted my business activity.
During the frantic periods, I do whatever it takes to keep up, often working evenings and weekends to get things done—because I’m grateful for the business. When project requirements are fewer, I buy more lottery tickets.
Kidding aside, as challenging as these slower patches can be, I look at them as exciting opportunities for the chance to meet and help new clients. In addition to business development, I use the extra free time to work on a food blog that I share with my husband or my Updates from Germany blog. Weather permitting, I take a break from my computer screen to golf and be with nature.
Looking to the future
time employee? Of course. The perk of paid time off is certainly appealing, as is the steady flow of projects. Being part of a team also brings a sense of belonging that I sometimes miss.
But…
I love the flexibility of being my own boss. I love the opportunity to meet new people and help many companies succeed. I love that the work I do brings me pure joy every day.
I’m equally grateful for my husband’s support over the years and being my silent cheerleader.
In the end, maybe I didn’t choose freelancing. It chose me.
Heather Roth Communications 