Take the first steps on your creative journey to financial freedom and work flexibility

Should you take the leap, or should you stay put? Should you give up a steady job and adventure out and start your copywriting business? Or should you rather stay cozy and hope an opportunity pops up out of the blue? Oh, I remember this mental limbo! It took me quite a while to take the first steps. And yes, I was scared. Yes, I would find reason after reason not to take the leap: it wasn’t safe, kids were too small, not enough time, what if I fail …But we do things even if we’re scared, right?

You might be in the same spot right now.

Undecided, tired of a full-time job blocking your entire day, wanting more time, more flexibility, more creative joy…. You’re not alone. And the truth is you can easily take the first steps on your freelance journey, regardless of where you are on your professional path. You’re never too old or too young to start. Need a tiny nudge?

Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons you should start your copywriting business today.

Shape your career, time, and lifestyle

You might choose to start your copywriting business as a side gig, or you might just quit altogether your 9-5 and take on an in-house position in a marketing department or agency. Or you might just go freelance altogether. Either way, it’s a huge leap. A scary leap. But an exciting one.

“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited of what could go right” – Tony Robbins

 

If you’re looking to find a career that suits your life, goals, and creative aspirations, starting your copywriting business can be the right way to go. Will it be easy? Most likely not. But will you find your creative joy? Yes, you will.

 
No more struggling to somehow squeeze your life into your working schedule, always compromising parts of your personal life to fit into working hours set out by others. Responsibly making your schedule and thriving is highly empowering.

Grow creatively and professionally

Starting your own (copy)writing business will change you. You’ll learn new skills and wear many hats every day. You’ll be everything from bookkeeper to marketer and you’ll notice admin work on your business takes a lot, I mean A LOT, of time. And even more so in the beginning when your processes and automations are a work in progress. But here’s the thing: your business will always be a work in progress. You will always work on it, improve it, tweak it. You will grow as a business every day and with every project you work on.

Work on projects you love

When you first start as a copywriter, there’s this temptation to jump on every job you can get, to make more money, to gain more experience, and of course gain more clients. I’ve been there myself and took on projects I regret taking. I accepted content jobs I wish I hadn’t. And there’s nothing more unfulfilling than working on a piece of content you don’t like, or don’t vibe with anyway.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

 

Remember, you can choose the clients you want to work with, and the projects you want to get involved in. The ability to say YES to creative work you love, and most importantly the ability to say NO is a hugely empowering part of running your own business.

Turn your passion for words into a lifetime career

Maybe you remember kids from your early school years who were saying “when I grow up, I’m gonna be a doctor” or a journalist, or a researcher, or a writer. And then you would always see them play doctor or do interviews with everyone they met. Or write spooky short stories and read them to the other kids around the block. The funny thing is, that some of them became doctors, journalists, researchers, or writers. I know quite a few and I bet you do too. They have passion. And passion can drive you up to the peak of your career.

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make “money” your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” – Maya Angelou

 

You can use your passion for words and languages to help businesses connect with their audiences, see things from a new perspective, and define their purpose and mission. Your words can inspire, persuade, or entertain. Your words have power!

Reach stability and financial independence

In it for the money? I hear you. Copywriting can be very lucrative if done right. The more projects you take on, the more experience you gain, the more skills you develop, the more creative intuition and power will flow and your path to financial independence will sound less daunting and more inspiring and exciting.

Most of us started seriously undercharging and you will probably do as well. Gradually, with a bit of experience and creative growth, you’ll charge the amount that is right for you and your lifestyle. 

How much should you charge as a copywriter?

This is one of the most common questions in the copywriting community. Briefly, you should do some reverse engineering and set your fees, beginning with your expenses. Write down how much you spend monthly and what your or your family’s financial needs are for a comfortable lifestyle. Divide that by the number of days/hours you want to work per month, and you’ll get your hourly rate. Now, if charging per hour is something you should be doing or not is another topic altogether – I will come back to this in another post.

EXERCISE TIME

Now a little exercise for you – not sure what are your reasons to take the leap and start your copywriting business? Let’s gain some clarity on that! — download the FREE Start Your Copywriting Business Checklist and discover what are your reasons for starting a copywriting business. Drop a line and let me know what they are.

Whether you’re after a more flexible lifestyle, creative growth, or financial independence, starting your copywriting business can open doors you’ve only dreamed of. You can pursue projects that resonate with you, work with clients you love, and gain the financial independence and life flexibility you’ve always wanted and maybe seemed out of reach until today.

I usually don’t end my posts with a quote, but this one is soooo good that I have to share it with you. Kudos to @yuch.studio

–> Want to stay in the loop? Join other writers, copywriters, and business owners and follow COPY & MORE, a newsletter about copy(writing) and copyediting life, work and everything in between.
–>Looking to boost your writing skills? Grab your templates and goodies from the Copy Shelf.
–>Need help with your copy and content? Book a call and let’s talk copy!