EXAMPLES: Part-Time Business Start-up Stories

Note: Some of the following go beyond the proscribed 600-900 word range, but 900 words (and preferably fewer) will be the limit for submissions. 

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From Journalist To FLCW, Gradually

In May 2002, I got an e-mail from former high-tech magazine writer Chris Taylor (www.keywordwriting.com) of Wrightwood, California that shared the highlights of her new life as a FLCW. A few lines caught my eye:

In my first four months, I painlessly grossed $2500 a month from part-time freelancing. I’ve cut back to part-time at my magazine and am looking forward to making the jump to full-time freelancing next year. I’m undisciplined and don’t like to work hard, but I know my stuff and write fast and well – a perfect combination for a relaxed freelance career.

On the basis of that, I asked if she’d be willing to let me tell her story here. She agreed.

In 2000, the 15-year IT veteran was offered a job as an editor for a high-tech publication, despite having zero journalistic experience. (Lesson: Credentials don’t always matter; in this case, the pub was in a jam and willing to take a chance.) While she thrived at it for several years, the long commute, combined with the stresses of single parenthood and the high-tech crash finally nudged her to begin exploring other home-based writing avenues. She came across TWFW and the light bulb went on.

Chris decided to merge into her new direction gradually, scaling back her full-time position one day a week at a time until she’d made the transition completely. Her juicy story of creating a life on her terms will resonate with several groups of FLCWs : at-home-moms (single or married) looking to launch their own writing biz, journalists switching to copywriting, and anyone else who finds themselves juggling several lives.

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Interview: Chris Taylor   

What gave you the confidence to pursue this?
I’d just spent the last year and a half interviewing marketing directors and product managers for the magazine, and so was well set up to network. Luckily I had a good reputation with them and their PR reps, both because I knew my field (high-end computer data storage), and I was easy to work with. My PR contacts have been invaluable for landing nearly all my writing jobs. Bottom line, I’ve done zero cold calling.

What types of projects did you discuss doing for them?
I had to be very careful when I talked to them about freelancing since I was still employed as an editor for the magazine. I had to avoid conflicts of interest by refusing to ghostwrite any articles that would be submitted to my own publication. I could not appear to be selling the decision-making power of my editorial position for freelancing money. However, if the article was slated for another publication, I cheerfully took it on. I also wanted to do white papers, which are quite similar to trade journal articles. From there I figured I could branch out to press kits and perhaps direct mail. But until I quit the magazine completely, I had to be careful with my prospecting.

How easy was it to land the work?
I’m very surprised at how quickly and easily it happened. When I started networking in late 2001, largely with my PR contacts, I was prepared for the long haul. But even with minimal marketing, the frequency of assignments and the money have been great. Once I went full-time with freelancing, I felt more comfortable contacting the hordes of people on my networking list.

What sort of projects did you end up doing and what were your rates?
I charge either by the project (like press kits or sales training manuals) or by the word (white papers and articles). For my first press kit I charged only $60 per hour, but the $1 per word projects that are my bread and butter net me $90 to $100 an hour because I’m a fast writer and know my subject. The $1 per word charge still works for me now that I’m full-time, and I base other projects at $100 an hour.

How has commercial freelancing compared to writing magazine articles?
Many high-tech trade journals have no freelance budget and don’t pay at all, because vendors and analysts, eager for the exposure, fall over each other to contribute articles for free. So, I never believed I could make a living that way. However, I’m making a very good income ghostwriting magazine articles for corporate clients. These folks aren’t looking to make money from article placement; they’re trying to boost their exposure and credibility in order to land clients. If a client thinks an $80K account might result from placing an article, then paying me $1 per word for the 1600-word article that may help close that sale is nothing.

How did you juggle two jobs, parenthood and everything else?
I cut back my staff job to part-time and I made sure I spent lots of time with my son, but as I got busier and busier and didn’t drop my other commitments, I ended up with the world’s worst anxiety attack! Once I got a clean bill of health, I wised up, cleared the decks, and life is good again.

What skills do you feel you possess that made it easier to pull this off?
I’m knowledgeable about a highly technical and in-demand subject, I was always polite to PR reps, which meant they were happy to help me when I needed to network, and I research, organize and write efficiently and well.

Do you think writers need to value themselves more?
No question. I used to belong to a newsgroup where their most successful freelancer shared that he worked 60 hours a week and earned $50,000 a year. The other freelancers were awed at this much money, but I was appalled. If I’m going to earn $50K, it’ll won’t be for 60 hours a week – maybe 30, but not 60!

What lessons can you share with others in similar situations?
For starters, write what you know. Approach clients in a field you are already familiar with. Take it slowly. Starting part-time allows you to gradually build up your business and financial reserves while deciding if it’s a fit. Cut out extraneous activities and take care of yourself. This career is perfect for a single mom who doesn’t like to travel. I’ve done all of my business long distance because my clients and their agencies are scattered all over the country and don’t expect to meet me face-to-face.

To journalists, I would say this – for heaven’s sake, be kind to PR people! Many journalists nurse some kind of automatic grudge against PR reps, but you will need those reps to open doors for you to the corporate clients. Even if you plan on going directly after corporate clients, many will want to work through their agencies – and if a journalist has been a jerk to that agency… well, you get the picture.

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Brit in Cyprus Plans Jailbreak

Russell Sleaper, a transplanted Englishman, lives in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, a Greek-speaking island nation and offshore center, ideally located between the Middle East and Europe. As a result, it has attracted many international businesses. He sent me this great e-mail some months back, describing his part-time progress in moving toward self-employment.

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Middle of 2003:  Sitting where I am now, doing what I’m doing now. www.wellfedwriter.com was on screen. I had a few clients, but certainly not enough to sustain myself. I bought your book, subscribed to the e-newsletter and set some goals to make my work life far more rewarding.

January 2004:  wellfedwriter.com is on screen again, but this time it’s sharing the space with www.thewritetrack.biz. I now count as clients a multinational corporation, a PR firm and a few small companies I’ve connected with through my designer, printer and a few business consultants. Things look bright. While I still have a demanding full-time job, I see an exit on the horizon.

Russell shared a few smart strategies he’s used to get himself where he is now.

Use your full-time job to build your portfolio.  Specific suggestions include:

• Rewrite your company’s ads or come up with new marketing headlines or tags for both your company and its competitors.
• If you’re responsible for any writing projects in your current position, create a version for your portfolio and annotate it to show clients the logic behind the structure and text.
• Practice researching and writing commercial text about what you do. If you’re a salesman, write fact sheets and press releases about each of your (and your competitor’s) products. If you work in a candy store, write a brochure, ad and press release about a new Hershey bar. It will help you do your job better – I guarantee it.

Use your full-time job to sell yourself. The skills you use every day will land you freelance work. Listen to your potential client’s needs and ask probing questions that reveal the full scope of the project at hand and perhaps uncover needs for the skills you have. For example, my job requires proficiency at desktop publishing, structuring large bodies of information, and managing projects and people. Had I not mentioned these peripheral skills while pitching for work, I’d have missed out on jobs – jobs which led to even more jobs.

        
Russell advises working sensible hours so you can retain your enthusiasm for both jobs while making the transition: 

I cut my 12 to 14-hour workdays to a standard nine-to-six day and set aside two hours every weeknight and one weekend day for my freelance business. Soon I might have to put in a big spurt to get the extra freelance work I need to make that final break, but that’s okay. When I quit my full-time job, I’ll know I leave it in a better state than I found it in.

An editorial aside about Russell’s approach – I firmly believe that if you have a worthwhile dream you’re pursuing, at some point, you will almost certainly have to lead an unbalanced life – at least in the short-term – to make it a reality. If you’re unwilling to get uncomfortable and work some serious overtime for a while, it probably won’t happen. That said, I know I can’t do that for extended periods of time without going crazy – but I also know it’s easier to hang in there when I’m building something of my very own, not just working insane hours to build someone else’s fortune.