How we've helped Kerri Hall - Communications Specialist

The future of the industry may be shrouded in uncertainty for some, but for Cornish communications freelancer Kerri Hall the coming months look busier than ever before.

As businesses begin to get back on their feet following the COVID-19 lockdown period, Kerri has used the pause in operations for many of her clients to take stock and assess the value that her skills and services have previously added.

“Initially my clients all put their work on hold, and I kind of thought everything was doomed and the freelance dream was over. I only felt this way for a week though, as I realised that I needed to use this time wisely to review the work I had done with clients by putting together a proposal saying here is what you need to do next when you are ready and sure enough work is starting to come back through,” Kerri said.

With most freelancers already adopting the home-working model, lockdown has been business as usual for Kerri, with new priorities and the new way of working being the shift that she is finding most prevalent with her clients as they come out of hibernation.

“I think the break has given businesses the time to think about what they are doing and why they are doing it. Freelancers are the perfect people to help them figure that out,” she said.

Kerri has used the lockdown period to invest in both herself, and her business, connecting with the Skills Hub to spruce up her technical expertise.

“I needed help figuring out the business side of things, from price points to bookkeeping and admin. I was really surprised by how much information I was sent back to be honest, and it has given me the knowledge to know that I am taking my business in a safe direction,” she said.

Her next step, following the initial bookkeeping and administrative support, is to improve her website and make her online presence felt across Cornwall and beyond. Having this help come directly from training companies based in Cornwall is the thing that struck Kerri the most.

“Actually having someone I can talk to and connect with in Cornwall to help me improve my technical skills and grow my business is amazing,” she said.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub from October 2017 - June 2023 was part funded by the European Social Fund and match funded by Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. The project  received £2,885,993 of funding from the European Social Fund as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.