Between the Briefs - From Burnout to Balance: What I Learned From Getting It All Wrong
I didn’t start Plan Make Do to teach people how to be perfect - I started it because I wasn’t.
Between the Briefs, is a blog series about what really happens behind creative self-employment — the stumbles, shifts and slow-burn wins that don’t always make it into the case studies.
Today, I turn the lens on myself. The founder of Plan Make Do. After years working behind the scenes on campaigns, brand strategy and storytelling for people and planet-focused organisations at my first company STØRIIE, I kept seeing the same thing. Brilliant creatives, with huge amounts of talent, overwhelmed by the business side of things. Stretched thin. Underpaid. Winging it. And honestly, I recognised myself in that too.
Before that, I worked in retail as a business analyst - spreadsheets, data, financial planning, trading patterns. It taught me a huge amount about decision-making, numbers, and strategy. But I always knew I wanted to build something of my own. Something creative, values-led, and useful.
So I made the leap. And like many, I made a huge mess of it at first.
Looking the Part, But Not Feeling It
When I launched Plan Make Do, I genuinely believed I had to look the part to be taken seriously.
I took out a business loan before I had a plan. I signed a lease on an office I didn’t need. I invested in branding, software, and memberships — things that made it feel like I was doing it right. From the outside, it might have looked like I was running a business. But underneath, I was winging it. Saying yes to everything. Working for free. Hustling without any real direction.
I was performing the business, not building one.
Figuring It Out the Hard Way
The truth is, I didn’t grow up around self-employment. My family didn’t come from this world, and I didn’t have a map. I was flying blind.
That meant I learned some big lessons the hard way. Like the time I trusted a verbal agreement from a client — and they never paid. I hadn’t asked for a deposit, and I didn’t have a contract in place. It was a wake-up call. From then on, everything went in writing. I started charging deposits and setting clearer terms. Boundaries slowly became part of how I worked.
It was messy, exhausting, and sometimes isolating. And eventually I hit a point where something had to change.
A Different Way Forward
Instead of giving up, I gave myself permission to rebuild.
I wrote a proper business plan. I found a mentor. I started talking to other self-employed people — not in a glossy, network-y way, but in honest conversations that reminded me I wasn’t the only one figuring it out. And something lifted. The stress eased a little. The loneliness didn’t feel so heavy. I began to enjoy what I was building again.
Adding structure and community didn’t just help me survive — they helped me actually want to keep going.
Reclaiming My Days
With more clarity came more freedom. I stopped saying yes out of panic and started saying yes with purpose.
My days now have room in them. I go to Pilates in the mornings. It’s hard and I’m not the best in the room, but I can go when it’s quiet and move at my own pace. That freedom — to choose what my workday looks like, to flex and adapt — is one of the biggest privileges of self-employment.
I get to decide how much I want to push in a certain direction. I don’t need permission to slow down, shift focus, or explore something new. And while the pressure doesn’t disappear, the payoff is that I’m living and working in a way that feels aligned.
What I Know Now
I’ve worked in data-heavy corporate retail. I’ve led creative campaigns, verbal identity work, and strategic comms for brands doing good work in the world. I’ve moved between spreadsheets and storyboards — and somewhere in that mix, I found a way to bring it all together.
Plan Make Do is the outcome of those experiences — and the lessons I learned through trial, error, and eventually clarity.
People say you leave the 9–5 only to work 24/7 when you run your own thing. And yes, sometimes that’s true. But when you bring in structure, when you build a network around you, everything gets lighter. You stop feeling like you’re doing it all alone.
If You’re at the Start
If you’re just beginning — or starting over — here’s what I’d say:
Write a plan.
Find a mentor.
Talk to other people doing it too.
Those three things changed everything for me. They turned what felt like chaos into something sustainable.
Self-employment is challenging, but it’s also full of possibility. You don’t need to perform your business. You get to build it. And when you do it with support, the rest will follow.
If I can help, I will. If I can’t, I’ll point you toward someone who can. You don’t have to do it in the dark.
Between the Briefs is here to tell the truth about creative careers — the bits we usually leave out between polished portfolios and highlight reels.
If this post resonated with you, feel free to share it, send it to a friend, or let me know. I’m always happy to chat, recommend someone helpful, or just say: I’ve been there too.
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Thanks for reading,
Laura
Between the Briefs is all about sharing the honest, human side of freelance life. If you’ve got a story of your own you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch here or drop us a message.