You’ve taken the leap into self-employment. You’ve put in the work, made the connections, and secured the funding to get your idea off the ground. But doing it all alone can be tough.
Entrepreneurial life often means crouching over a laptop in the corner of a café or answering emails in your pyjamas at 2pm. After months of this, you start to crave the simple joys of office life—those fleeting but essential moments of human connection, like a casual chat by the water cooler.
Alix Picken knows this feeling all too well. Tired of the solitary grind, she decided to create the kind of social space Edinburgh’s creative entrepreneurs were missing. Enter Habits.
“I always say the aim of Habits is to make the journey of self-employment a little less lonely,” says Picken.
At its core, Habits is about community. Through regular events, business owners can weave sociability into their schedules—on their own terms.
Need to clear your head? Join a coffee morning group walk. Want to get some work done but still be around people? Habits hosts monthly co-working events where attendees work side-by-side, breaking for chats and activities. And if you miss the chaos of an office Christmas party? The S-Elf Employed Christmas Party has you covered.
Self-employment is a dream for many, but loneliness is a consistent complaint among those captaining their own ships. A survey by Viking found that almost two-thirds (64%) of freelancers report feeling lonely on a daily basis.
Picken understands this firsthand. “Being the founder of Sloe Studios, a brand experience agency, has allowed me to truly see the need for this community—I really am my own target audience. Not everyone who goes self-employed wants to be alone. Often, we have to go it alone to build our vision.”
The idea for Habits came to life when Picken returned to Scotland after four years in Australia, where she had experienced the power of a thriving creative community.
“During my second year in Australia, I got to work with some amazing design agencies and felt so connected to the creative scene. In Sydney, I’d go to weekly events like Creative Mornings, Fuck-Up Nights, and other inspiring talks. When I moved back to the UK, I was so eager to find that same energy but really struggled.”
The need for a space like Habits is only growing, as Gen Z and Millennials increasingly opt for freelance and self-employed careers in search of work-life balance. Right now, many of these workers are left to navigate it alone.
“Edinburgh has a bit of a reputation as a city for lawyers, doctors, and accountants, which of course it is, but it’s also full of self-employed souls who want to support each other. I think people are recognising that now, which is why Habits has been received so well. There’s a real hunger for connection.”
According to a 2024 census, Edinburgh is home to 37,100 self-employed workers. Yet, many co-working spaces and networking events still lean corporate—an atmosphere that leaves people like Picken feeling out of place.
“I went to some networking events in the UK and felt totally uncomfortable. They were so corporate. I struggled to be myself, and that made it even harder to talk about my business. You need to feel comfortable in a space to make real connections. And you never know what kind of opportunities might come from those conversations.”
One of Habits’ mottos is: We’re humans before we’re business owners. That philosophy is built into the design of each event, where comfort and community come first.
“I’ve been to so many co-working spaces where I was productive, but I never actually spoke to anyone. Everyone was so focused on their screens, and you don’t want to be the one to interrupt. That’s why at Habits, we have designated talk times and work times. It’s flexible—of course, we’re all adults—but it helps create those moments for real connection. We even switch up seating halfway through, so people get to meet new faces.”
She also weaves in structured moments for deeper discussions. “I love doing a halfway game or task to get people talking about things that matter to them. We’re not here for the small talk—who is? We’re here to make real connections.”
Ultimately, Picken is building a version of self-employment that actually works for humans—not just LinkedIn profiles. The pressure to be ‘corporate’ can strip away personality, making business feel unnatural and exhausting.
“I want to create a community where people feel like they can just be themselves—that they don’t need to fake some corporate persona just to make money. I used to think I had to write emails in some weird ‘business lingo’ to be taken seriously. But I stopped. Now, I want to create a space for events that mix business and well-being. Think of all the perks you get when you work for a big company—team-building activities, yoga, panel talks with inspiring leaders. Why shouldn’t the self-employed have access to that too?”
Looking ahead, Picken has big ideas: out-of-office days, support for neurodivergent entrepreneurs, and even a brick-and-mortar workspace for Edinburgh’s creative self-starters.
Self-employment doesn’t have to mean going it alone. With Habits, Alix Picken is turning solo ventures into a thriving creative community—one coffee, co-working session, and candid conversation at a time.
Ready to find your people? Follow @thisishabits on Instagram and make connection a habit.
