Freelance Writing Business: How to Have Early Success
By: Christina M. Ward
Tags: Writing, Self Improvement, Entrepreneurship, Business, Freelance

The old adage “time is money” certainly applies to freelance businesses. It is crucial at every stage of business development, but especially in the beginning when you are mapping out your business strategies and implementing new software, getting your organization in place, and setting yourself up for success. With online services on the rise, now is the time to build that side hustle into dependable income. What fulfills a part time interest today could be the soil for a full time writing career (or other entrepreneurial opportunity) to grow and flourish in the future.

Early Freelancing Success Is Possible

I launched a full time writing business in July of 2020 after not having worked a “real job” in over 5 years due to some health issues. In July, I decided the time was right. The time was now. My expectations, though low, have been exceeded by the early success I am seeing for Fiddleheads & Floss Writing Services. Whatever freelance business you are dreaming of, there are a few things you can do to elicit early success for your business. I’ll cover those here along with some tips and strategies for finding early success in your freelance or solopreneur business.

In a previous article in The StartUp, Building a Freelance Business From Scratch, I discussed the components of starting your own freelance business. Things like business establishment, effective communication, organization, and using good tools for running your business. These were all things I got in “crash course” form being a new business owner.

What I didn’t share in depth was that I had previously been an entrepreneur in a different business. I was a self-employed hairdresser for 16 years and became rather successful in that field. I ran a full time business and also worked for several large corporations travelling the east coast and teaching small seminars. What made my business more profitable than others was my dedication to running it as a business. But what took me approximately 2 years in the beauty industry to see in terms of profits, I have done with a writing career in less than 3 months.

What fulfills a part time interest today could be the soil for a full time writing career (or other entrepreneurial opportunity) to grow and flourish in the future.

Here’s How I Have Found Early Freelancing Success (and you can too!)

First, let me be clear. Success is a subjective term. What you may consider success could differ greatly from what I consider success. For the purposes we are discussing here I define it as:

Early measurable profit

A pattern of increasing financial growth

Regularity of sales / work / client orders

Eventually, all these things securely in place, success will be measured more in terms of the profit vs. self-satisfaction and quality of life.

Sow the Soil

To begin any freelancing or small business, timing is everything. You have to have the wisdom, self-awareness, and a critical eye for the business you are entering to know when the timing is right to launch your business. Before launch date, you need to sow the soil; meaning, create fertile ground for your business to grow in and flourish.

Expand your reach. Grow your social media support and begin your email list. Begin developing the connections you need to support your business. This includes mentors and business professionals from whom you can learn more about your business, potential clients, and people who know things you don’t know, like IT stuff or legal jargon.

Begin developing rapport with people who will be your potential clients.

Take on some jobs even if they are at very cheap pricing — you will need references.

Develop a portfolio of your work and some references for each type of service you will offer.

Have your soil sown, seeded, and watered before you launch your business.

Clearly Defined Services & Branding

To launch any kind of business, you need direction. This is not to say you cannot try new things or branch out in new directions once established, but starting out, your potential clients need to know exactly who you are and what you have to offer them.

Do all of your brainstorming and toe-in-the-water testing on your own and let your clients feel a sense of stability with you. They need to know they can trust you to work with you. Your reputation is everything — with every client. Every job, no matter how small, is an opportunity to build or break your business and should be treated as such.

Set Realistic Goals and Monitor Your Progress

I started out with a simple goal; double my income each month. This is exactly what is happening. I adjusted my schedule for this goal. My pricing and how I spent my time — all geared toward that goal. I am projected to double what you see below by the 3rd week of December, a full week ahead of schedule. Then, I plan to double it again.

Current profit analysis and outstanding revenue, on set to more than double for December. Author screenshot.

When you set a goal for your business, it holds you accountable for all those “I’ll do it later” moments which can be so tempting when you self-manage.

To make your business take off, you must be committed to its success. Goal-setting and holding yourself accountable will force you to analyze risk vs reward, time spent vs gain, expenditures vs necessity and all other important aspects of your business in a logical, purposeful manner.

Diversified Revenue Streams

For most small businesses, you will have one main revenue stream albeit sales, services, or a combination of both. To be truly successful you need to diversify your revenue streams as much as possible, create passive income to help feed into your profits, and consider how you can monetize at all levels of your business.

Below you can see some of the different revenue streams I have coming in, all under the same umbrella of Fiddleheads & Floss Writing Services. There are jobs from Fiverr, jobs from private writing clients, income from paid content sites, and book sales.

No matter how small a revenue stream is, it all adds up.

Various revenue streams make for a more successful start. Author’s screenshot.

Self-Discipline Is Key

Need I expand on this? This is your business; treat it as such. Self-discipline and time management will be the foundation for your every day schedule. No one is there to tell you to get up in the morning and get busy or to check your emails or to touch base with clients. Only you.

I often told my boys as they were growing up, there are two types of people in the world: those who make excuses and those who make things happen. You get to decide each day which you want to be.

Your reputation is everything — with every client.

Curb Unnecessary Spending — But DO Invest in Your Business

As a brand new business owner, you can bet it was not easy for me to shell out $139.50 for Freshbooks, $19.99 for Hemmingway, $129.00 for Dragon Naturally Speaking, $50.00 for a headset, and other subscription services my business uses, but these programs keep my business running smoothly and professionally.

Author’s note: The screenshots from this article are from my Freshbooks account, which I use to monitor all aspects of my business. I highly recommend this software for creative professional business owners. The program is very user friendly and the customer service is stellar.

Imagine the difference between giving a client your PayPal account and asking them to send you a payment — and sending them a business invoice, detailing what they have ordered from you, the cost breakdown, and offering several methods for easy payment. Clients love it when you take them seriously, and when you are a legit, organized, reputable business.

Suddenly, people were much more prepared to pay me for my time. It bears repeating: reputation and client perception of your business are everything.

Regarding curbing your spending, while yes, you must invest in your business, you must do it wisely. You need functionality, not bells and whistles. It’s that simple.

Be Completely Honest with Yourself About Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Lastly, there are some things you know you suck at doing. Develop strategies to manage these weaknesses. For example, I am more productive with fewer jobs. I know this so I keep my prices higher and aim for fewer, bigger clients. Some people prefer to have many clients and roll out their orders more quickly, but larger clients will expect you to take your time with their work. They may also require company training which you may or may not get paid to complete. Consider it an investment in your skills, only with your time rather than your debit card. This training can prove invaluable for your work across the board and it will make better at what you do.

Be honest with yourself about what kind of work you are really good at and aim to develop your business around your strengths. Start with what you are good at and be willing to develop your skills in areas where you are lacking. This is no time for conceit. Honest analysis of your own working methods, your strengths, and your skill levels are important for developing your business and building a client load that works for you. Invest in courses to shore up your skills. Open Learn has loads of free courses you can take online.

The Takeaway

Hard work means nothing without direction and without end results in mind. You can find early success in your freelance business if you are clear on what you want from your business and set yourself up to receive it. I wish you great success in your business.