Paolo, you often highlight the distinction between "freelance" and "free lance." Could you clarify what you mean by that?

Ah, yes—there’s a big difference between “freelance” and what I call “free lance,” and it goes deeper than just a play on words. It’s about mindset, identity, and the way we approach work and freedom.

Let’s start with freelance as most people understand it. Traditionally, being a freelancer means working for yourself, not tied to one employer, jumping between clients and projects, and getting paid for specific tasks or deliverables. In theory, it sounds like freedom. But in reality, a lot of freelancers are still trapped in a system that limits them. They’re selling their time, competing in a crowded market, and often still feel the same pressures as if they were in a traditional job—except with less security. They’re free, but only within the boundaries of a system that still dictates how they work, how they earn, and how much they’re worth.

Now, when I talk about "free lance," I’m talking about something much more powerful. A “free lance” is someone who isn’t just working outside the system—they’re creating their own system. They’re not just selling their time or services; they’re building a personal brand, shaping their own value, and operating on their own terms. A free lance doesn’t look for permission or wait to be hired. They’re creating opportunities, not just responding to them. They’re setting their own rules, deciding who they want to work with, and, most importantly, they’re defining what success looks like for themselves—not letting the market or clients do that for them.

The difference between freelance and free lance is the difference between someone who works independently and someone who is truly free in their work. A freelancer might still be dependent on chasing clients, worrying about competition, and working within the limits of what others are willing to pay. A free lance moves beyond that—they’re building something unique, something that no one else can replicate, because they’re bringing their whole self to the work. They’ve stopped selling time and started selling their value, their ideas, and their vision.

A freelancer asks, “Who can I work for next?” A free lance asks, “What can I create that no one else can?” It’s a shift from reacting to the market to creating your own market. It’s about seeing yourself not as a cog in someone else’s machine, but as the machine itself—designing your work, your lifestyle, your future.

So, the distinction is this: freelancers are often still bound by the same limits of conventional work, just without the corporate umbrella. Free lances are those who take the tools of independence and use them to create something entirely their own, living and working with true freedom and autonomy. They’re not just participants in the economy—they’re architects of their own world.