We were lucky to catch up with Marie Rachelle recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

Freelancing is not only on the rise, but it has risen! Freelancing is more common than ever, whether individuals are working a side hustle, an additional stream of income, or have taken the leap to full time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started as a side-hustle freelancer in 2014 as a copywriter for real estate agents, writing property descriptions for multi-million dollar homes in Southwest Florida. I quickly realized I can make a lot of money by bringing my skillset as a writer to the table. From there, I started dabbling in blog writing, email marketing, and social media management. In 2019, I took the leap to full-time freelance and I believe what set me apart was that I served independent and small businesses. It’s important to find your niche when you “go freelance” and whether that’s by what you do or who you serve, it’s a must-do for all aspiring freelancers. I’m most proud of opening Convergence Coworking in 2020. Amidst a global health crisis, I was given the opportunity to create a physical space where the community I built by hosting annual freelance events could gather in person. The worlds of freelance and coworking work well and very close together, so I’m proud to have a space to call my own. The thing I want others to know about me is that I’m truly all about helping people. Whether it’s helping them start their freelance business, giving them a place to work, or gathering the community of like-minded freelancers, that’s what I want to do. Being mission-driven allows me to dip my toes into a lot of different projects that fuel the sole purpose of providing resources and community I didn’t have when I was first starting out.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

People ask me this question all the time and I’d love to share that here! It really proves that you never know who you’ll meet and that your positive interactions could change your life. I met my business partner for Convergence Coworking because she was actually babysitting my kids! I needed an occasional sitter and she lived in my neighborhood. I was interviewed about the general topic of coworking in 2019, she read and brought me the article that was published in the local paper. She saw the work I was doing with Freelance Buffalo and Beyond (my regional, annual freelance event) and asked if I had ever considered opening my own space. I responded by saying I have always coworked, but never considered it. I thought our town needed it, but it had to be done right. She mentioned being in real estate for many years and that if I created a business plan, we could discuss it. Well, I did and here we are!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn something that I think our entire generation (millennials) grew up learning – graduate high school, go to college, get a job, get married, have kids, buy a house, etc… It’s not that those things are bad, but it’s definitely not the only way to do things. I actually did all of those things before I was 25! I’m a very goal-oriented person and my life became just that, a list of goals and accomplishments I needed to achieve. Not to say I’m not proud of what my life has resulted in, but in late 2019 I decided to shake things up. Now, I’m just winging it and doing what makes me happy. Of course, I still have a family to provide for and a career to build, but it’s less about checking the next thing off the list and more about my mental health, traveling and creating my own happiness over anything else.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.businessbeactive.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marierachelle_
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/mariepazych
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/marierachelle_

Image Credits
Angelo Marinelli Photography and Vincent Berbano