business
Building a professional network using smarter mobile for business
Christine Ottoni • June 9, 2017
Colleen Sullivan Leh is a freelance graphic designer based out of Michigan. Colleen has been in business as a freelancer for 18 years, creating one-of-a-kind print and web marketing materials, websites and more. Today, she uses Ting mobile for business to stay connected to her clients every day and get work done on the go.
Colleen has grown over the course of her career in a network of freelancers and graphic artists.
“I was the first one of my friends to go freelance and now all of them have left the corporate world.”
Many creative professionals choose to freelance their services and skills, either as a side-hustle or a full-time gig. Colleen was a pioneer in her larger social circle and over the years, her hard work and long hours have paid off, allowing her to carve her career path on her own terms.
“I really do prefer freelancing,” she explains. “It works really well for me.”
Easy-going technology
Many of Colleen’s clients are tech companies and she values simple, easy to navigate technology. “As a freelancer, you have to find out what your needs are, whether its hardware or software, and be able to fulfill them all on your own.”
Colleen was excited when she stumbled across Ting. An avid iPhone user, she signed up as she discovered her phone was compatible with Ting. Today, technology helps Colleen stay connected to her network of clients and colleagues. “The biggest challenge in general in freelancing is finding new clients. You have to have a really strong network and be able to connect with them.”
Staying connected
Being able to operate remotely is crucial to Colleen’s success. Freelancers aren’t bound by location the way some traditional jobs are. “I have clients that are in other states,” says Colleen. “When I’m looking for a job, I don’t have to stick to my regional area. It’s nice to not have that limitation.”
Colleen uses mobile every day. She phone conferences with clients and keeps up on email. She’s able to work from anywhere at any time. “My phone works so well in so many places that I can work from anywhere. I pair my phone with my laptop when I’m away from Internet access. I can get online from anywhere, get the laptop going and make changes to a website if I need to.”
Colleen loves Ting’s affordable service and friendly, helpful customer support.
“I used to pay about $165 a month. Now, for my phone and my son’s phone I pay roughly $30 each. I’ve only had to call Ting a couple of times and when I called an actual person picked up. I never had to press a number and never spoke to a computer. Ting is one of the only companies I deal with where a real person answers the phone. I recommend Ting all the time to people I know.”
Easy to use, affordable mobile has helped Colleen communicate with her clients. She’s proud that she’s been able to cultivate long term relationships with her clients and continue to grow her body of work and business.
“I want clients to walk away feeling very proud of what it is that they’ve helped produce and with the impression that it was worthwhile.”