By Jon Sofen<\/p>\n
A little over a year ago I found myself at a crossroads in life.\u00a0 I was approaching 30 years old and had come to the realization that I was a big-time underachiever.\u00a0 I had opportunities in life that many never have.\u00a0 But, to be quite honest, I constantly failed at taking advantage of them.\u00a0 Part of it was laziness, and part of it was just plain being clueless.\u00a0 You could have stapled a piece of paper onto my chest that said \u201cthis is an opportunity, moron, take advantage of it\u201d and I would have ignored it.<\/p>\n
Okay, enough negative talk.\u00a0 I was a knucklehead in my 20\u2019s at times, but who wasn\u2019t?\u00a0 I did some good things too.\u00a0 I held a decent job at a reputable company between 2002 and 2007 before taking my shot at starting a business.\u00a0 I was pretty excited about that.\u00a0 Became fascinated with the insurance industry and knew I was good at sales, so I started my own independent health insurance agency.\u00a0 Risky to go out on your own in a field like that, but I was determined to make it work.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t do too bad selling insurance for the first 6 months.\u00a0 In fact, I bet I sold far more than your average new agent.\u00a0 My dad had run a successful insurance agency when I was a kid for about 15 years before moving onto something else.\u00a0 That was my reasoning for getting into the business.\u00a0 Like father like son, I guess.<\/p>\n
However, after about 6 months of selling insurance, I realized it just wasn\u2019t for me.\u00a0 Not that I wasn\u2019t good at it, because I was decent, but because I didn\u2019t enjoy it.\u00a0 Dealing with insurance companies on a daily basis was a nightmare.\u00a0 Even worse were my customers.\u00a0 No offense to them, but a majority of them probably couldn\u2019t even read this story.\u00a0 Too many words in it.<\/p>\n
So I got out of the business and decided it was time to find something else.\u00a0 I still wanted to run my own business because I just am not cut out to work for \u201cThe Man\u201d.<\/p>\n
At this point I believe I was 28 years old (fast approaching 29).\u00a0 Basically, it was time to get my act together and figure out what I\u2019m going to do with the rest of my life.\u00a0 I started playing poker for a while because I\u2019m really good at it.\u00a0 Made a few bucks, but got bored of it quickly.\u00a0 It was no longer just a game, so it had lost its appeal to me.<\/p>\n
Then I started doing research on different business opportunities, but didn\u2019t find anything I could realistically do that was of much interest to me.\u00a0 Then, one day I accidentally stumbled upon a Craigslist job board for writers.\u00a0 Clicked on a few of the ads and thought they might be fun projects to do.\u00a0 I had always enjoyed writing but I just assumed you couldn\u2019t make much money in the field unless you were some sort of famous writer.<\/p>\n
Just for the heck of it, I actually responded to a few of those ads expressing interest.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t expect anyone to contact me back.\u00a0 But two of them did, and they both wanted me to write articles for their websites.\u00a0 I was to be paid approximately $400 total for these two gigs.<\/p>\n
At this point, I still wasn\u2019t even thinking about becoming a freelance writer.\u00a0 I just wanted to make a few bucks.\u00a0 But I did give effort on these projects even though they were kind of boring subjects.\u00a0 One was writing articles on funeral proceedings and the other was for a Yellow Pages-type website.<\/p>\n
After I completed the projects, the reviews from my clients came in.\u00a0 Both were very positive and complimentary of my work.\u00a0 They both paid me the money right away.\u00a0 I was ecstatic.\u00a0 I had never written professionally before, but always enjoyed English classes back in school.\u00a0 So I had no idea of what to expect.\u00a0 After receiving the compliments, it truly did make me feel good.\u00a0 I thought \u201cI haven\u2019t received compliments on my writing since High School!\u201d<\/p>\n
That was when I realized I should look more into freelance writing.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to stick to topics that bored me, however.\u00a0 So I searched internet forums to see what was out there.\u00a0 What I found was it isn\u2019t very difficult to become a freelance writer.\u00a0 And there are tons of different types of freelance writers.\u00a0 If you enjoy journalistic writing, you could do that.\u00a0 If you like writing novels, you could do that.\u00a0 If you enjoy writing content for websites and Blogs, you could do that.\u00a0 Or if you enjoy copywriting, you can freelance that way as well.<\/p>\n
I love to write, I am good at writing, and I also enjoy building websites.\u00a0 So it was pretty much a natural fit for me.\u00a0 And there you have it – I was about to become a Freelance Web Content Writer.<\/p>\n
As you know, I had some early success with Craigslist, but I knew that couldn\u2019t be my only outlet for finding clients.\u00a0 I spent a few days devising a strategy for getting business.\u00a0 After taking advice from other freelance writers I befriended online, I decided to use the following strategy:<\/p>\n
My plan was to devote a portion of my day, each day, to all of those tasks.\u00a0 If I couldn\u2019t get enough business within a couple of months by doing that, there was no way I would ever succeed in this field.\u00a0 I always keep a positive attitude, so I was confident this plan would work.<\/p>\n
It did work.\u00a0 In fact, it worked a bit too well, too soon.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have a plan of action for what I would do once I got to a point where I was too busy to handle all of the work.\u00a0 I planned on figuring that out as I went.\u00a0 But I was lucky and landed a bunch of gigs shortly after I started.\u00a0 I wish I could claim it was all skill, but my modesty will not allow me to do so.\u00a0 Instead, we will just say it was luck!<\/p>\n
However, I did find myself in a bit of a pickle.\u00a0 I had too much work to complete on my own and no one to help.\u00a0 You\u2019re probably saying to yourself \u201chow the heck is that a problem?\u00a0 You sound kind of whiny!\u201d\u00a0 Well, it really is a bigger problem than you might think to have too much work.\u00a0 Too much work and no help means I would be forced to turn some work in late.\u00a0 And in this business, that simply is not acceptable (you better understand that).\u00a0 Writers have deadlines to meet and when they do not, clients are unhappy.\u00a0 I would be too if I were in their shoes.<\/p>\n
When I first got started freelance writing, I decided I would just take anything I could get.\u00a0 I wanted to build up my portfolio and make some money early on.\u00a0 But I quickly learned that taking anything isn\u2019t always the best idea, even if it pays well.\u00a0 The truth is, we can only write well on a topic that we have at least some interest in.\u00a0 I took on a few early projects that I simply could not put my heart and soul into.\u00a0 My work reflected that.<\/p>\n
This business isn\u2019t all about getting paid.\u00a0 You should never become self employed without having some money in the bank and an ability to get by financially for a while in the event you don\u2019t have income coming in early on.\u00a0 Not doing so shows a complete lack of responsibility.\u00a0 I had money in the bank.\u00a0 I certainly was not wealthy, but I had enough in the bank to get by for a couple of months without ending up living under a bridge.<\/p>\n
After I learned I couldn\u2019t be a successful freelance writer by taking on any project that is offered, I became more selective.\u00a0 I would only accept or bid on jobs that were of a subject matter that I had some sort of interest and knowledge in.\u00a0 Sure, it limited me, but I didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 If I was going to write about topics that bored me, I would end up hating my job.\u00a0 And if I wanted to work in a job I hated, I could have just gone back to working a 9-5. \u00a0No thanks!<\/p>\n
My main interests are sports, travel, entrepreneurship, and poker.\u00a0 Actually, sports is the activity I am most passionate about.\u00a0 Unfortunately, there aren\u2019t enough decent paying writing gigs within that industry.\u00a0 But that\u2019s okay because I have other interests.\u00a0 I came up with a list of about 20 topics I would be willing to write about.\u00a0 It included everything from marketing to travel to dating advice.<\/p>\n
If there is one thing that can destroy your dreams of becoming a successful freelance writer, it is not being good at time management.\u00a0 The whole mindset I had to change was I really don\u2019t work for myself.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have one boss.\u00a0 I have multiple bosses \u2013 all of my clients.\u00a0 Many people that are self-employed do not think this way.\u00a0 They think that since they\u2019re no longer punching a clock, they can wake up whenever they want and work whenever they want.<\/p>\n
I was determined to be on top of my game when it came to time management.\u00a0 At first, I was more talk than action, and it showed up in my turnaround times.\u00a0 I was of the mindset that I could do whatever I wanted, so I would put off work to go watch a ballgame.\u00a0 One of two things happened \u2013 either I would turn in a project late or I would throw something together far too quickly and the quality of work was sub-par.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, I quickly changed my ways.\u00a0 I planned on sticking to a regular working schedule.\u00a0 I would get up at 6:30 to go to the gym.\u00a0 Then I would spend an hour returning emails, marketing, performing administrative tasks, etc.\u00a0 After that, I was going to spend the rest of the day up until 5:00 (at least) doing nothing but writing.\u00a0 I did a great job of sticking to this schedule and my work reflected it.<\/p>\n
If you have any creativity whatsoever and understand how to put coherent sentences together, you can be a decent writer with practice.\u00a0 But no one can write well if they aren\u2019t in the right state of mind.\u00a0 That\u2019s the thing \u2013 writing is all mental.\u00a0 So I had to figure out a way to avoid writer\u2019s block and keep myself focused consistently.<\/p>\n
There are a few things I do almost daily.\u00a0 First off, I like to start my day off at the gym.\u00a0 Staying in shape is important to your mental health, and I feel good about myself after working out.\u00a0 The next thing I do is to make sure I have a light, healthy breakfast.\u00a0 That usually includes a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m ready to kick butt and take names!<\/p>\n
I usually work out of the library because I find myself able to concentrate well there.\u00a0 For whatever reason, I have never been great at working from home, so I try to find other places to go.\u00a0 A lot of writers prefer coffee shops, but I don\u2019t drink coffee so those types of places aren\u2019t for me.\u00a0 My dad has an office in his basement and no one is ever home during the day at my folks house, so I will occasionally go there and work.<\/p>\n
The point I\u2019m trying to make is you need to find your \u201chappy place\u201d and get into a daily routine.\u00a0 This is crucial to your success as a writer.\u00a0 Find a spot you can concentrate well at.\u00a0 That may be your home, it may be the library, or it may be somewhere else.\u00a0 Also, live a healthy lifestyle.\u00a0 Don\u2019t smoke, don\u2019t drink too much, exercise frequently, eat healthy, and keep a positive attitude.<\/p>\n
I never envisioned myself as a professional writer because I had always assumed it was very difficult to earn a good living.\u00a0 Oh how wrong I was.\u00a0 When I first got started, it amazed me at how much clients were willing to pay for me to write articles for them.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t even difficult to write because I stuck with topics I enjoyed.<\/p>\n
So how much can you realistically make as a freelance writer?\u00a0 It all depends on how much effort you are willing to put in and how good you are at managing your time.\u00a0 Through the first couple of months, I was averaging approximately $1,500 per month.\u00a0 As I progressed, I began to make some real money.\u00a0 And it felt good!\u00a0 Within a few months, I was making over $3,000 per month.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m averaging almost $4,500.\u00a0 Not too shabby for a one-man operation.<\/p>\n
As I continue to grow, I will take on a team of writers and begin to outsource more of my work.\u00a0 For now, I enjoy what I do and am satisfied with the money I\u2019m making.\u00a0 But the big bucks come once you start outsourcing most of the work.<\/p>\n
I am not a big spender, so making a ton of money has never been a big deal to me.\u00a0 I spend my money on bills (of course), food, gas, sporting events, traveling and at the bars.\u00a0 I rarely go out shopping because I just don\u2019t care to.\u00a0 I\u2019m the type that doesn\u2019t care to receive a gift.\u00a0 Weird, I know.<\/p>\n
I already mentioned how money is not my motivation.\u00a0 I\u2019m happy with making just enough to live a comfortable life.\u00a0 But what makes freelance writing so gratifying is the reviews I have received.\u00a0 I absolutely love it when a client thanks me for writing such a great piece.\u00a0 It truly makes me feel good about myself.<\/p>\n
Here are 3 reviews I have received over the past year from clients:<\/p>\n
\u201cFast, prompt, communicated very well. Received work little less than a day, very impress with quality of work. Will work with again.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cJon creates some fantastic content. He will be the first person I contact for all of my future projects. I highly recommend his services.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, my other writer\u2019s don\u2019t even compare to the services you provide.\u00a0 Keep it up and you will go a long way in this business.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n And here is a recent text message I received from my friend that I wrote a sales page for:<\/p>\n \u201cthanks for the awesome sales page.\u00a0 It is converting well.\u00a0 You freakin\u2019 rock man!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Part of the reason I enjoy the positive feedback I receive is because of my ego.\u00a0 I can openly admit to having a bit of an ego.\u00a0 That\u2019s necessary to succeed in any business, however.\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t confident in yourself it will be difficult for you to convince anyone to want to hire you.<\/p>\n The other reason I live for the positive feedback from my clients is that it feels really good to make someone else happy.\u00a0 I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but I do have a sensitive side.\u00a0 I might be a huge sports fan, a jokester, and am known to indulge in a few adult beverages, but I feel good when I get compliments.\u00a0 I work hard at this job and it\u2019s nice to have people recognize my work in a positive manner.<\/p>\n Being a freelance writer is an enjoyable job.\u00a0 Outside of being a professional athlete, I can honestly say there is nothing else I would rather be doing.\u00a0 I get to work for myself, choose who I want to work with, and do something I enjoy.\u00a0 Oh, and I get paid pretty well too.\u00a0 What more could you ask for?<\/p>\n Oh sure, I don\u2019t live some sort of glamorous lifestyle.\u00a0 You\u2019ll never see me on \u201cMTV Cribs\u201d, but you can read about me all over the internet.\u00a0 I mentioned my passion for sports, and this job allows me to not have to miss the games I want to watch or go to.<\/p>\n I can also travel whenever I want.\u00a0 I just take my laptop with and I can write in the hotel.\u00a0 There aren\u2019t too many jobs out there that allow you to work from anywhere in the world.\u00a0 I\u2019m the type that will plan a road trip on the spur of the moment.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t put it past me to book a flight to Vegas for this weekend as soon as I\u2019m done writing this.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been known to randomly book a vacation with very short notice.<\/p>\n Whether or not I ever become wealthy as a writer, I will be satisfied as long as I continue keeping my clients happy and earning more than enough to get by.\u00a0 If I have money to travel, go to ballgames, pay my bills, drink some beer, take a pretty girl out on a date, and still have some left over, I\u2019m a happy camper.\u00a0 To be honest, that\u2019s really all I need to live life the way I want to.\u00a0 And because of my freelance writing career, I am able to do those things.<\/p>\n If you want to know whether or not becoming a freelance writer is right for you, I have compiled a checklist of necessary qualifications.\u00a0 If you can honestly answer \u201cyes\u201d to most (if not all) of these, you will have a bright future ahead as a freelance writer.<\/p>\n So there you have it!\u00a0 My life as a freelance writer and some valuable advice for those of you that are looking to get into the business.\u00a0 I hope this has inspired you in some way, and also made your decision on a career path a little bit easier.\u00a0 Good luck and thanks for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Jon Sofen My Pre-Professional Writing Life in Under 400 Words A little over a year ago I found myself at a crossroads in life.\u00a0 I was approaching 30 years old and had come to the realization that I was a big-time underachiever.\u00a0 I had opportunities in life that many never have.\u00a0 But, to be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,10,12,19,20,22,21,39,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-29","category-day-1","category-day-2","category-day-3","category-day-4","category-day-5","category-day-6","category-day-7","category-success-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":693,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131\/revisions\/693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Living the Good Life<\/h3>\n
Section 4:\u00a0 Is Freelance Writing for Me?<\/h3>\n
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