How to Run a Global Freelance Business: Key takeaways from our webinar

In the digital world, the borderless economy is becoming a thing of the past. Whether you are a solo consultant in the Netherlands or a product designer in London, the world is your marketplace.

However, transitioning from a local freelancer to a global operator requires more than just a functional website — it requires a shift in mindset. Today, the most successful independent consultants and freelancers are those that treat the world as a single marketplace.

But with this opportunity comes a new set of hurdles. How do you maintain a premium reputation when you’re thousands of miles away? How do you stop exchange rates from ‘skimming off the top’ of your hard-earned profits? And how do you manage a team that spans ten different time zones without reaching burnout?

To help freelancers navigate this journey, Wise Business’ Hannah McGrath hosted a webinar with global freelance business experts: Angela Solomon(Founder of AMS Consultancy), and Ed Spurr(Co-founder of Ilex Studio).

We’ve compiled the key takeaways and step by step for taking your freelance business global. If you want the full story, you can click here to watch the full webinar on YouTube!

Redefining Growth: Stability over Hype

The startup world often preaches ‘blitzscaling,’ but for a service-based freelancer, that path often leads to burnout. Angela Solomon built AMS by focusing on a ‘double bottom line’: financial performance and social impact.

The conversation opened with Angela explaining her approach for landing high-profile global clients for her agency while coordinating over 60 consultants across 30 countries, all without losing her grip on the business.

“AMS is not chasing exponential growth. It’s a service business where everything we do is bespoke.” She said, “I want to create opportunities for others... in high-pressure environments, it can be difficult to do that.”

The learning here was a focus on sustainable growth. Build a reputation so strong that, like Angela, 80% of your work comes from your network and referrals rather than expensive ad campaigns. When your business also has a social impact mission, the clients you choose to work with matter just as much as the revenue as you build out your portfolio.

Hannah also highlighted a common psychological hurdle for freelancers: the ‘scarcity mindset.’ When you’re worried about where the next payment is coming from, it’s tempting to say 'yes' to every project that crosses your desk.

However, this reactivity can also present a long-term risk to your original business plan. "It’s better to specialise and become the go-to expert in a specific niche," Angela noted. Without that focus, you risk waking up a year from now realising you’ve built a portfolio of projects that don't align with your values or your long-term vision.

The Logistics of Building a Product with Global Appeal

Ed, who has always had an international background with parents from the UK and Italy, explained that he had an international vision for his business from the get go.

Looking at your freelance job as a business instead of a hobby is the first step to positioning yourself as a global brand so you can take the all-important step from side-hustle to 9-5.

If you sell a physical product, scaling internationally involves The Three T’s: Trade Fairs, Targeting, and Trust. Ed Spurr’s Ilex Studio, famous for the Acorn Vase, now has 500 stockists worldwide with 80% of orders coming from outside the UK, where his business is based. His strategy for breaking into new markets like Japan and Australia is a repeatable loop:

1. Trade Fairs: Physically go to the market (Paris, New York, Sydney) to meet potential buyers. Make sure they align with your vision for the company.
2. Strategic Partnerships: Find a local ‘Sales Partner’ who understands the local culture and retail landscape.
3. Local Fulfillment: Move stock to a local warehouse to ensure quick, inexpensive delivery and use a fulfilment partner to ensure they’re delivered on time.

Building a ‘Liquid’ International Team

Angela explained that even as a successful freelancer with a large roster of contractors, you don't need a massive payroll to be a global player. She started building her team from the network of people she has previously worked with and then expanded from that to ensure her clients get the quality and skillsets needed for each bespoke project.

Angela uses a flexible staffing model to keep overheads low.

• The Freelance Roster: Angela manages a ‘roster’ of over 60 consultants across 30 countries. This allows her to flex her team size based on the project.
• The 70% Rule: Don't wait until you're drowning to hire. Angela looks for new talent once her current team is 70% booked.
• Modular Partnerships: If a client needs a skill you don’t have (like web development), partner with another specialist instead of trying to learn it yourself. This allows you to offer a full-service feel while remaining a specialist.

AMS runs an open rotation of consultants where any communications specialist freelancer can sign up. She also uses the try-before-you-buy method which allows her to hire on a short term basis to see how the working relationship turns out before fully engaging the candidate on long term projects. In the future she would like to offer employment packages to team members. Meanwhile AMS strives to meet the freelance rates set by the consultants themselves, ensure they can earn a fair wage for their work.

For Ed Spurr, scaling Ilex Studio internationally wasn't just about finding any distributor; it was about finding the right one. "We select our partners based on a shared passion for the product," Ed explained. By ensuring that business owners abroad possess the same enthusiasm for design and nature as the original creators, Ilex Studio maintains its brand integrity across 500+ global stockists.

Financial ‘Borders’ and How to Cross Them

One of the fastest ways to lose an international client is to make it difficult for them to pay you. In the early days of AMS, Angela Solomon noted that the business struggled with the dual challenge of settling invoices with local suppliers and navigating the complexities of receiving funds from specific regions — until they integrated Wise Business.

For Ed, financial localisation has been the ‘unlock’ for Ilex Studio’s expansion into over 500 stockists worldwide. Their most recent success in Australia was made possible by providing a seamless, ‘local’ experience for buyers.

Adding that customers find it inherently safer and easier to pay in their own currency. Ed explains that his Wise Business account allows him to set country-specific pricing without disrupting his global rates.

By combining Wise Business with a targeted social media strategy and local warehouse partnerships, Ilex Studio has managed to replicate a ‘home-grown’ feel in every new market they enter.

Both Ed and Angela emphasised that being International means operating in the local currency.

• Local Banking Details: Use a business account like Wise Business that gives you local details (like a US Routing number or a Euro IBAN). This builds trust; clients are often hesitant to pay into a foreign currency account due to hefty FX conversion fees.
• Multi-Currency Account: By holding money in multiple currencies (USD, EUR, AUD), you can pay international suppliers or staff directly without losing 3% or more on every conversion. Angela allows her freelancers to set their own rates to ensure everyone is happy while being sensitive to client’s rates in these countries.
• The Buffer Strategy: When pricing for international markets, always include a small buffer to protect your margins from sudden currency fluctuations or lock in with the mid-market rate offered by Wise Business.

The Future: AI and the Human Touch

As AI begins to automate basic copywriting and stock management, the value of a freelancer shifts toward nuance and empathy.

Angela notes that while she is in a field easily affected by AI, the technology can’t yet understand the political nuances of a UN-level communications campaign. Like many businesses, AMS is working on a transformation journey as part of their strategy to help clients understand how to embrace, engage or manage the adoption of AI, with ethics as a key driver.

The approach here is to be ready to adapt, with a mindset of how AI can augment your work and help you deliver more efficiently for your clients.

Ed explained that for Ilex Studios, AI is typically used for tasks like stock management. However, there is also a flip side for producers of physical products in the rise of AI-enabled dupes, often sold for a fraction of the price. Ed explained that the defence against a flood of counterfeit products is storytelling.

"We have to show our human touch — how everything is made, our understanding of nature. It’s about imagination, creativity, and love for the world." — Ed Spurr

Want to learn more about the role of AI in business? Check out our blog.

Words from the Wise

To close the session, Hannah asked our panellists for one piece of ‘parting wisdom’ for freelancers looking to navigate the year ahead. Their advice focused less on the mechanics of financial management and more on the psychology of growth.

For Angela, the secret to longevity in a global market is a mix of humility and community.

"Never stop learning," Angela urged. "In a global economy, there will always be new regulations, new tools, and new market shifts that you don’t know yet — and that’s okay. You can always catch up."

She also emphasised that going global shouldn’t mean going alone. Building a network of fellow freelancers allows you to bounce ideas off peers who are facing the same cross-border challenges, turning isolated obstacles into shared solutions.

Ed’s approach to scaling Ilex Studio is rooted in a bias toward action and a unique mental framework for managing stress.

"You have to push yourself into physical spaces, like trade fairs, to truly understand your global audience," Ed noted. But his most resonant advice was about perspective:

"I treat every business challenge like a video game. When things get difficult, I just see it as a new level I need to beat to reach the next stage. Reframing growth this way has helped me not just scale the business, but actually enjoy the hurdles that come my way."

Running a global business isn't about having all the answers on day one; it's about the willingness to solve the next level's challenge. Whether it's navigating new tariffs or managing a team in five time zones, the tools to succeed are already at your fingertips.

Wise Business is the only account freelancers need to scale internationally. Streamline and save on cross-currency payments, hold local account details, and simplify cash flow management on one easy-to-use platform. With a Wise Business account, you can start receiving, sending and spending in 160+ countries in 40+ currencies and get access to 8+ local account details from wherever you are in the world. Explore our offering of accounting software integrations, so you can sync your data and have a complete financial picture without the manual work.

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*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan, which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.