After years of feeling undervalued in traditional employment, Olivier Laffon made a bold leap: leaving corporate life behind to pursue freelancing on his own terms. Based in vibrant Barcelona, Olivier now runs his creative agency, combining design, art, and innovation.
In this inspiring story, Olivier shares how burnout pushed him to seek independence, the challenges he overcame along the way, and why freelancing has transformed his career and life.
Q: Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
“My name is Olivier Laffon. I’m a 40-year-old French designer and entrepreneur, currently based in Barcelona, Spain. Over two decades, my career has involved web and graphic design, art direction, development and a specialization in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
I founded Cyclone Media, a digital creative agency that specializes in brand creation and development. Our services range from visual identity and logos, to websites, promotional videos and social media campaigns. We create NFT art collections as well, and design art galleries to showcase them in metaverses like Uttopion and Spatial.io.
In my personal life, I’m an athlete, fitness instructor, and hold certifications in personal training, sports nutrition, and I’m an official coach for Spartan Race obstacle courses.”
Q: Why did you leave France and move to Spain?
"My initial goal was to join the French army as a non-commissioned officer in artillery. I excelled in this, and achieved high results in my physical tests. An unexpected obstacle emerged, however, that led me to reassess my path.
I started looking for a job in another country, to both gain experience and embark on a new adventure outside of France. Barcelona struck me as the most intriguing, and I began applying from France until my first interview.
My friend travelled with me to the interview by car, possessing only a basic level of Spanish. When we arrived, Barcelona captivated me with its vibrant energy. My strong portfolio got me hired and I immediately found a shared apartment to live in. Two weeks later, without any friends or family, my new solo adventure began. This vibrant, unique, exciting… Everything, it was exactly what I’d been searching for.
Learning Spanish proved to be a challenge, but with some hard work I’d become bilingual in very little time."
Q: What were your biggest challenges in all this?
"Learning a new language and adapting to a different culture were my main challenges. However, these challenges taught me the importance of adaptability and resilience, skills that have been crucial in my career."
Q: What led you to end traditional employment and become a freelancer.
"When you perform well, more work and tasks are assigned to you. Yet this is not reflected in salary increases. I often felt frustrated by this lack of recognition for my efforts as a designer, developer or art director.
It felt that my hard work contributed more to the benefits of my superiors than to myself.
The manner in which some bosses treat their employees can also be very frustrating and is something I cannot tolerate. Abuses of power, lack of empathy and micromanagement are patterns that recur in many companies."
Q: How’d this pattern lead to the burnout which finally fuelled your decision to go freelance.
"The lack of recognition for effort at work, overexploitation in roles that did not value my real contributions, and continuous pressure led me to a state of intense stress and burnout.
This difficult and challenging period drove me to leave traditional employment and seek a career that respected my integrity and valued my direct contributions."
Q: Do you feel more confident in your work today?
"As a freelancer, I now enjoy the freedom to choose the people I work with and the projects that not only challenge my creativity but also fairly recognize my contributions and allow me to grow both professionally and personally.
The best part is being my own boss and not having to endure pressure from anyone in any way. People recognize me for what I do, the merit is not taken by someone else. The quality of work and the effort I put into each project lead me to new clients through recommendations or the like, and that is the greatest satisfaction."
Q: How did you find Xolo, and how has it helped your freelance career?
"I discovered Xolo through a recommendation from a friend. I was very impressed by how they presented everything in a very straightforward manner, their intuitive platform, and the quick responses I received. Xolo is very efficient and quick, always providing the best advice thanks to their accounting experts.
In summary, the experience has been extraordinarily positive, allowing me to focus on what I am truly passionate about while they handle the administrative and fiscal aspects of my work."
Q: What are your biggest challenges and benefits of being a freelancer vs traditional work?
"Challenges: Initially, I faced challenges with the fiscal and administrative aspects of managing my own business, such as understanding how to apply for the flat rate for new freelancers. I do not enjoy paperwork, and for this reason, Xolo was instrumental in alleviating these obstacles.
Benefits: The benefits have been immense: total control over my schedule, choice of projects, the ability to work remotely from anywhere, and the satisfaction of being directly responsible for my success.
This has strengthened my professional and personal development, continually reminding me of the value of pursuing excellence and authenticity in my work.
It is very rewarding to see the direct impact of my effort on the results obtained. While the path of being an entrepreneur is not always easy and there are better days than others, looking back and seeing all the progress made is very, very satisfying. Ultimately, you are responsible for your success."
Q: What one message would you leave with our readers?
"If you take away one thing from this article, let it be this: Pursuing professional independence can be challenging, but it is extraordinarily rewarding. If you have the passion and commitment, venturing into freelancing can allow you not only to live according to your own rules, but also to achieve a level of personal satisfaction that is rarely found in traditional jobs."
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