Meet Raketchick (+ planner giveaway!)

Calling all freelancers, meet Raketchick, the embodiment of “freelancing badassery.” I met Raketchick Karen Fernandez last month when she did a guesting for the Manila International Book Fair (with Anvil Publishing general manager Andrea Pasion-Flores), and found her kickass persona funny and relatable.

Out in National Book Store branches this weekend (and also available online via Anvil Publishing) is Raketchick’s “Whatda! Anong Petsa Na?! A Freelancer’s Sanity and Survival Planner,” designed with freelancers in mind. 

Check out the official book trailer (courtesy of Raketchick and Anvil Publishing):

Here’s a bit of chat with Raketchick:

Q: Who is RaketChick? How would you describe her?

RaketChick is a metaphor for freelancing badassery. That fierce warrior who pulled out of her platoon to wield awesomeness on her own.

Q: How did you come up with this alter ego?

I created RaketChick that very same day I decided I’d be a freelancer. I knew that jumping into freelancing meant I needed to change my mindset and attitude about work. I needed to be bolder, smarter, and stronger. Thinking led me to doodling and –voila!—there’s RaketChick. She’s pretty much my familiar, my spirit animal, the Iron Man to my Tony Stark.

Q: Are you a freelancer yourself? How did you get into freelancing?

Yup. I’ve been a full-time freelancer for almost 8 years now. Although I have been moonlighting way before. I was an Executive Creative Director for an ad agency when I realized that I missed a couple of things: One, I missed writing. I’ve been doing very little of it since my scope of work then was mainly supervising. Two, with the long hours at work, I also missed spending time with my family. So, for me, pursuing an independent career meant having more time to do what I’m really passionate about and being with those I love the most. That and the fact that I’ve always been a control freak. I needed to be hands-on with my life.

Q: How would you assess the state of freelancing in the Philippines? Independence has been a running theme in the country for a while so freelancing has always been there. However, there’s still a lot of judgment being flung at independent professionals. Misconceptions still abound.

Q: Is it possible to earn a viable income via freelancing? Why/why not?

It is. But you have to keep in mind that, like any business, your success can only be measured by how much you’re willing to push. If you’re going to look at freelancing as nothing more than a per project set-up, then you won’t be able to achieve the kind of stability any working individual needs. You should be able to strategize. Say, you can keep to a per project arrangement but you should also have a 3-days a week consulting gig.

Q: What are the advantages of freelancing vs employment?

That would depend on why the freelancer decided to go solo in the first place. But on the overall, I’d say flexibility is the huge advantage. You have all the time in the world to explore and develop other talents outside of the title and scope of work a company would assign to you. You have the time to achieve legit work-life balance. You’re in control of your every move. Plus, you’re never ever going to fire yourself.

Q: What are the challenges that freelancers face?

Aw, man. Tons! There’s discrimination, project draught, non-payment, bad partners, evil clients. There’s also yourself you have to deal with. It’s never easy to control freedom or keep your flexibility in check.

Q: What do you think needs to be addressed?

From within the freelancer, there should be more professionalism, more credibility and consistency. You become a hot commodity only if you do great, solid work all the time. From the outside looking in, I’d say freelancers need to be protected, too. Sure, we have contracts that serve as protective business shields. But if there was a Freelancer Protection Act that exists (so much like the one recently crafted by Freelancers Union and implemented in New York), then that would be awesome.

Q: Why did you decide to come up with a planner? What are the features of this planner that make it perfect for freelancers?

I realize that a huge chunk of freelancing concerns stem from the fact that flexibility is something that’s difficult to control. So, this planner is specifically designed for the freelancer who would like to enjoy the badassery of taking control of their work and life. This planner also comes with RaketChick –a character that best represents the kind of attitude and smarts a freelancer should have. The planner is loaded with goodies that freelancers don’t normally find in a regular planner. Like, a yearly mission map, a budget and project tracker, a monthly goal checker, full-page Raketips, and comic pages that will surely remind freelancers that even if what they do is hard work, hard work can be fun.

Q: Aside from the planner, what other projects does Raketchick have in the pipeline?

Another book! It’s called 7 STAGES OF …GOOD GRIEF! FREELANCER NA ‘KO?! It highlights the 7 stages you go through in your journey transitioning from an employee to a freelancer. It’s a travel guide and a guaranteed emotional roller coaster ride. A couple of weeks back, I was also invited to be one of the key speakers at a Creative Entrepreneurship Meet-Up by Writer’s Block Philippines

Q: What is the one essential piece of advice that Raketchick would give to freelancers or those looking into going freelance?

Kick ass. If you’re already a freelancer, get up and slay. You left the corporate life not to go on vacation, but to run your own business like a badass boss.

If you haven’t decided yet, be reminded that freelancing demands a change in mindset, a change in attitude, a change in lifestyle. So before taking the dive, you should be sure you’re badass enough to do just that. Oh, and never dive unarmed. I firmly believe that you should have a few years of corporate experience before you jump into the freelancing arena.

Here’s a look at the planner’s inside pages:

The planner is fully illustrated by another badass freelancer, Bleps Dapo (fellow INKie!) I really like how the planner is divided not just into days but also in chunks of time, to indicate deliverables within certain time periods of the day. Undated, so you don’t have to wait until 2018. And the monthly summary is handy for assessing if you’re making your monthly targets. There are also full pages of tips and comics that are not just fun to read, but empowering, too.

I’m giving away a signed copy of Whatda! Anong Petsa Na?! Join via Rafflecopter (see below).

a Rafflecopter giveaway