Freelancing offers the flexibility many parents need, especially those with special needs children. Explore this story of Xolopreneur Gyorgy Badari, a parent who chose freelancing to balance work with caregiving. This journey highlights the resilience, adaptability, and determination that come with remote work. Discover how freelancing empowers parents to create a career that supports their family’s unique needs.
👋 Hi Gyorgy! Could you introduce us to who you are?
"At the moment I’m based in the warm part of the EU, but can cover any timezone when necessary. As for living, I do smaller video editing, social media and website content management, also working on Manual QA projects".
When did you start freelancing and how did you get started?
"I found my first client when I advertised my services on some forums. Fiverr and similar freelancing sites did not work for me at all. It was a difficult time and I felt hopeless many times. We’re talking about 3 years of trial and error, with lots of lessons learned.
Since then, I’ve grown my business through word of mouth from existing clients and trying to be active on relevant forums".
You started freelancing because your child has ADHD and traditional employers couldn’t meet your flexibility needs. Please tell us the background story that led to you quitting your job and going freelance.
"It all started during the COVID pandemic. I used to have a 9-5 office job, but everyone at the company was ordered to work from home when it hit.
At that time we were unaware that our toddler had developed ADHD, but suspected something was off. The pediatrician also suspected that something was not right, but we had to go through a couple of pediatricians and various specialists to identify and confirm a very serious level of ADHD.
My department closed, meanwhile. Basically, it became an abandoned project. After that I had mostly temporary jobs and ad-hoc QA Tester projects. It took about 2 years to get the full medical diagnosis and benefits back for my child, and their access to kindergarten was limited due to his medical condition. He only had a couple of hours in a special kindergarten, then various therapies here and there.
Our daily challenges had become familiar experiences, but we needed some support. With our families living so far away––they had no experience with our child’s affliction––it was impossible for them to aid us".
You concluded that traditional employment wouldn’t meet your flexibility needs?
"By experience, result-oriented jobs where supervision is minimal (for real) and have the “Get the job done” mentality are not that common. The open door policy is more about listening and unlikely that a solution is provided by management. Or it happens that the proposed solution is to find a babysitter who will just take almost all (if not more) of your hard earned salary.
I noticed a post by Richard Branson on LinkedIn, stating something like “If a business partner is disturbed when the kids are running around during a meeting, then you don’t want to do business with that business.” When an employer makes similar remarks just because a kid lets out a happy laugh in the background, then I don’t want to work in that company either.
The best approach is to run your own business and decide on your own whom to work with and with whomever not to".
How have you managed the challenges of caring for both your child and clients?
"Lots of coffee 😁
And the support of related social media forums, in particular Reddit: There I’ve learned the most from other parents in similar shoes. We keep learning, as always something new will certainly come up. The rest is just about skills, like good multitasking and planning, and communication with my clients if there is going to be a delay in the project. I’m upfront about the re-scheduling of tasks or proactively offering my client a solution for the delay (even if it’s just 1 day)".
Do you mention your child’s ADHD to new clients, or choose to keep this private?
"There is no need to mention it to my clients. I’ll always plan well in advance to avoid this scenario. It may come up occasionally, however.
Most of my business partners are veterans, set the expectations and results they can rely on. As long as I deliver, there is typically no further question needed.
Socializing with partners and clients, these topics of family may come up organically. I’m not hiding the fact that I’m a Dad, and I’ve alluded to it with a very clear hint in my LinkedIn profile".
What does a day in your life look like? How is your current work life structured around and adapted to the flexibility needed to care for your child?
"Mornings are typically the hardest part of the day, so typically that is when I just check emails and do tasks that can be safely done with partial attention: emails, flagging, taking notes.
During schooltime I typically focus and try to do complex tasks till around lunch when my child comes home. In the afternoons he still has plenty of energy, also various therapy sessions that he needs to attend, so afternoons till bedtime we spend together.
It is very difficult to have quality time with him and do something together. Basically he just asks me––always in his own non-verbal way––to stay there with him and not sit at the computer. Meanwhile I am keeping an eye on my emails, Skype and Discord on my mobile, either if there is a new opportunity or client or just for quick communication with existing clients. At night, when he is going to bed, I’ll continue and finish my work for the day.
Keeping an eye on my sleep is very important. I have only about 4-6 hours for that before he wakes up".
What one message do you want to leave the reader with?
"Stay motivated and consistent for a LONG time. If you struggle to stay motivated, don’t worry, it is perfectly normal. Just take a break, look at your child when playing happily or sleeping peacefully to understand why you are doing it".
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