windsong

Not sure if this idea will work and I am still actually thinking it through but would love some suggestions or comments.

When I return to the UK this year, I thought it would be good to have some potential for freelance income as soon as I get there. I could continue this after I retire (if I ever do) and in addition to a full-time job. If the freelance work escalated to become full-time eventually it would be great.

I can certainly put up a web site advertising my skills now but how can I aim it at UK businesses when I am still in the USA?

There's also the question of registering a domain name in the USA while targeting the UK - the question of taxes.

If I don't do a web site until I am in the UK, there's still the question of how to market my services in the UK while still in the USA.

The field is video editing, graphic design and social media marketing.

Any suggestions?

Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree by trying to get a foot in the door before I actually get there.

Pulaski

If it's internet based I don't know why you "aiming" at anywhere, though I guess a focus isn't a bad thing, but does it really matter whether your customer is in Chicago, Cambridge or Casablanca? If you set up a web site you'd at least need a UK phone number, which thanks to the wonders of VoIP, can be done from the US.

windsong

No, it doesn't really matter and I would accept clients from just about anywhere, although it would be nice to have some in the UK.

How do you go about getting VOIP for a UK phone number when based in the USA?

ldollard

Cheap UK and International Phone Calls via VoIP | Vonage UK

plus you can actually start advertising for work now, if the project is small its not a big deal to ftp content up and download it to work on in the USA.

I'm also a video editor, although stopped doing it now. And i wont be doing that in the UK as the pay is horrible there. Perhaps thats something you need to take into account.

Also on the subject of FTP, you'll want to rent and manage your own, so the customer is not incurring that cost if they dont have one. Prob at least 100gb storage and as least 250gb bandwidth inclusion.

hope that helps.

windsong

Thank you. I didn't know UK pay was not good for video editors. Shame. It takes a lot of skill.

As it turned out, I will be there in about 3-4 weeks - much sooner than planned, so will be job hunting almost immediately. The small business idea will have to wait a while now. I wonder if jobs in graphic design and social media pay any better. This will be interesting. At the very least, video editing and graphic design are great freelance/small business lines, even if the pay is not high enough for full-time employment. No matter what I end up doing for a full-time job, I will still have a sideline.

I am also contemplating lecturing in a further education college on a full-time basis but I need to do more research on this. I'd love to go back to it if I can. Will still have that sideline, though!

CDNtoUK

I'm guessing that if your field of expertise is social media marketing, wouldn't social media marketing be a major way to aim it at UK businesses?

windsong

One aspect of my expertise is social media marketing, yes, and I will indeed be putting it to full use once I am in the UK. Everything is happening so quickly now with the upcoming move that it is better if I wait until I am there before I tackle a new venture. I don't have time to do anything except work on the move at the moment.