I started freelance writing…

…and grew a marketing and copywriting business!

Reflections on the early days and actionable tips for new freelancers and service-based business owners.

Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of reflection on where I came from and visualization of what I want next. It’s a simple but valuable exercise all business owners, freelancers, and solopreneurs should do at some point because when we’re busy trying to make things happen, we often forget. We need to celebrate the small wins and pause to analyze the past. From this point of critical reflection, the future feels a lot easier to plan.

Welcome to 2020… The year of insane growth.

At the beginning of 2020, I felt flustered and frantic because I experienced such extreme growth in my business that I didn’t know how to handle it. Should I outsource? If I do outsource, what first? Should I raise my rates? Start a wait list and have people get in line for months in advance? Launch new services? Grow a team and take on more of a CEO role?

It’s a good problem to have, but it felt bad at the time. I felt guilty for not being 100 percent purely HAPPY with where I was at because technically, it was a good spot.

That’s what happens when we lack a sense of direction.

I started my freelance business in 2014…

When I started this self-employed thing, I was a freelance writer taking journalism gigs that paid $20 for 500 words. I attended press conferences for pennies more. The fun cherry on top is that I had moved to Montreal, a French-speaking city as an anglophone and fresh university graduate with no work lined up to be with my boyfriend (now husband). Oh and I had about $20k in student debt.

What could possibly go wrong?!

I knew I wanted to make this career of being my own boss and unlimited freedom work, but I had no idea how.⁠

So I just asked for it.⁠

Freelancing with no experience

I started freelancing with absolutely no experience. To get my first job, I asked a publication who paid a little more if I could write for them. Then another and another. Eventually I started getting blogging referrals and website projects. Then I went back to school to study marketing and lo-and-behold… I was a copywriter?⁠ With my new marketing certificate, I ditched all the journalism stuff and jumped into words that sell. Stories are pretty, but I love the game of persuasion. Learning what makes people tick is a favourite pass-time of mine. It all clicked.⁠
⁠
One foot in front of the other, five years later I’m here. I’m booked, building something big, and loving every second of it.⁠ YOU CAN DO THIS TOO. I hope it doesn’t take you as long as me though. Skip the first three years of figuring it out yourself and just ask for help so you can get right to the good stuff. When starting out in business, we often have this mentality of “I can do it all on my own,” but that’s not the case and I wish I learned that lesson sooner. Of course, I’m totally grateful for my journey and all that I gained along the way, but it would have been nice to bypass a few of the times when I felt lost, unsure, or just plain hopeless. Now, I typically choose to ask for help over struggling by myself.

A few things I’ve learned:

1. It’s okay to ask for help.

2. It’s okay to purchase guidance.

3. You’ll get where you want to go faster if you do.

You can start freelancing too

My number one goal in business is to empower people to create space to follow their dreams. This lifestyle is so rewarding and I want anyone who wants it to feel like they can achieve this. Clients and students often ask me how they can start their own businesses, so here’s a few key tips for you:

1. Take the time to learn from experts. Lifelong learning is so important! When you work for yourself, it’s up to you to raise the bar for yourself every time.

2. Set up something legit. That means look into the must-haves to operate a business in your area. In Ontario, I needed a Master Business License, insurance, and eventually to set up HST sales tax with the CRA. Also, take the time to set up a proper website so you look more legitimate even in the beginning. Social media is not enough to sell these days!

3. Stay in your lane. In the beginning, you of course need to experiment to find your place, but always stay in your lane. If you bounce between offerings too often, people will perceive you as flaky… definitely not a trusted expert. Choose something and stick with it for long enough to make an impact. Don’t just do something because someone else is.

4. Focus on revenue. The number 1 thing new businesses need to grow is SALES. Take the time to learn how to sell your services online because it’s likely that you will be the sole salesperson as the founder, especially if you choose to be a personal brand. People are buying your expertise. You need to learn how to speak their language.

5. Pivot as necessary. In business, it’s not about you. It’s about what your audience needs. If you have to pivot, go for it! There’s nothing wrong with that and it’s okay if you have to backtrack a bit from setup to success.

I hope that you found this helpful! Please leave your questions in the comments below.

Want all the details of my story? Watch the following IGTV videos in the series “How I Started my Business.” I think you’ll find a few good bits of information in there!

Tune into the IGTV videos below for the full story of how I started…

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A post shared by JILL WISE // LONDON CANADA (@wordsbyjill) on Jan 2, 2020 at 12:59pm PST

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A post shared by JILL WISE // COPYWRITER (@wordsbyjill) on Jan 22, 2020 at 8:30am PST

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A post shared by JILL WISE // LONDON CANADA (@wordsbyjill) on Jan 8, 2020 at 8:03am PST

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A post shared by JILL WISE // COPYWRITER (@wordsbyjill) on Jan 30, 2020 at 8:54am PST

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A post shared by JILL WISE // LONDON CANADA (@wordsbyjill) on Jan 15, 2020 at 9:10am PST

My freelance business timeline

First things first, I studied English language and literature at Western University and minored in philosophy. Originally I planned to complete a double major with psychology as the second aspect because I absolutely love learning about what makes people tick. However, unlucky circumstances had me enrolled in Philosophy instead for my 3rd and 4th years, at which point I could only cram enough credits in to achieve a minor in that area of study.

2014: Immediately after graduating, I started freelance writing in Montreal. I actually managed to go full-time with my writing by the end of the year!

2015: My now-husband and I moved to Calgary, which meant I had to start from scratch again building up my freelance business. Even though I took a job serving in a restaurant again, I also found a handful of journalism writing gigs for magazines on the West side of the country. It was amazing! Then one day, one of my editors offered me additional work for his own digital agency outside of the magazine. He had me writing landing pages and blog posts, optimizing them for search engines. Within 6 months of working together, we’d increased his clients page views and sales across the board. Amazing! I told him I’d love to get more jobs like this instead of journalism and he introduced me to the term: Copywriter.

Suddenly I was a copywriter?

I started researching. What did this mean?! Was I actually that persuasive? Could I actually make THAT MUCH one day? Copywriters do well for themselves.

2016: After much research, I decided it was time to go back to school. This time I studied marketing and public relations at The University of Calgary. Thankfully this entire program was online, so I was able to continue working throughout. Between this additional education and my on-the-job experience, I set myself up to make a real go at my freelance business later on.

2017: I discovered Instagram for businesses and my world literally changed. How had I not found this community sooner?! This is when I started taking my own business seriously and realized the possibilities that were available to me to grow. I started setting real goals and crossing things off my list. I also started blogging at this time, although not very strategically. It felt scary to put myself out there.

This also happens to be the year that my husband proposed to me. All around, good things were in the works.

2018: I graduated from my marketing program and my now-husband and I decided it was time to leave Calgary to move back to our hometown: London, Ontario. We were both born and raised here and absolutely love everything the city has to offer. It’s the perfect size, the perfect proximity to the bigger cities. We love it! That move also marked a big transition: I was going to try full-time in my business again. This time though, I was smarter and learned how to raise my rates to a livable number.

2019: My business grew steadily and I couldn’t believe it some days. I had some of my highest months ever, with much of that growth coming right after our wedding in June. I also started to develop the framework for Client Attraction Academy, testing it through in-person workshops.

2020: Wow. This year has been wild. I’ve increased my revenue, audience, website traffic, and email list. I learned how to outsource in order to grow my business further. I stopped calling myself a “freelancer” and took on the title of “business owner.” And the most exciting accomplishment is that I launched Client Attraction Academy! I am so proud of all the students inside.

I can’t wait to see where the rest of the year takes me and my business. This ride is stressful at times, but so exciting. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.

Do you want to start a freelance business?

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I started my marketing and copywriting business in 2014, so I’ve made it my mission to help anyone new to this world get to where they want to be a whole lot faster than it took me. Please let me know how I can help!

When you’re ready to start selling your services online, enroll in my FREE 4 Steps to Profit course. It will teach you how to sell the true value of your services through compelling writing without feeling icky or salesy.