Stephanie Wight

Stephanie Wight, WWPR Professional Development Co-Chair

Last month, WWPR members joined members of The Wing, DC’s first women-only co-working space and community, to hear from experienced freelancers about going solo. The three speakers offered an inside look at how they started their freelancing careers, some of the challenges they faced, and their key tips for making the transition. The event was moderated by a past WWPR Woman of the Year & Advisory Board Member, Debra Silimeo, who recently started her own practice, The Silimeo Group. Debra was joined by Pattie Yu, a veteran to the freelance world, who runs The Yu Crew– a team of freelancers, and Mercy Chikowore, a freelancer by night, who turned her passion for entertainment into a serious side gig.

The event started as a panel, but quickly turned into an open conversation, with many attendees on the verge of going solo themselves, and asking very in-depth questions. Discussions included specifics like how much freelancers charge for their services and broad themes about finding meaning in your work.

All three speakers had inspiring final words when asked for their best piece of advice:
• Fail forward
• Find your passion– what gets you up in the morning?
• If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough

At the close of the evening, almost everyone in the room stood in line to meet the speakers and ask more questions, which is always a good indicator of a successful event!