Trying to Make the Transition from Employee to Full-Time Commercial Writer? (Guest Post)
Great guest post from fellow commercial freelancer (and fellow Atlantan), Don Sadler. Don’s carved out quite a lucrative niche in his area of specialty, and how it all came about is a good story. I hope it can serve as a good discussion catalyst, and can spur others who’ve either been there as well (or may be in the future) to weigh in! Thanks, Don! Enjoy!
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It’s probably the most challenging (and scariest) part of becoming a freelance commercial writer (FLCW): Making the transition from a full-time job, with a regular salary and benefits like health insurance, paid holidays and paid vacation, to a full-time freelancer — with none of the above.
I made this transition myself almost four years ago. I wish I could say that I was fearless and brave and decided to make the jump on my own, but that’s not what happened. Instead, I got the dreaded layoff call, letting me know that my position as an editor with a major custom publishing company “was being eliminated.â€
Not exactly the best way to start your weekend! But now, nearly four years later, I can see that it was actually the best thing that could have happened to me professionally. I had wanted to strike out on my own as a full-time commercial freelancer for a while, but the (apparent) comfort and security of the salary, benefits, etc. were tough to give up. And I had a pretty good job, so there wasn’t a lot of urgency to jump ship.
What follows is a brief account of how I made the transition from full-time employment to full-time freelance. Everyone’s situation is unique, so my intention isn’t to provide a step-by-step “here’s how to do it†guide. Rather, I hope that by reading my story, you might pick up a couple of nuggets that could help you make the transition if this is something you want to do. Or at least be inspired that it doesn’t have to be as terrifying as it seems!
Going Back to the ‘80’s
My first professional job out of college (where I majored in Journalism) in 1985 was as a staff writer with a newsletter-publishing firm in Ft. Lauderdale. I worked there for 12 years before moving to Atlanta to work for another publisher in 1997, which in turn was acquired by another custom publisher in 2005, for whom I worked until early 2009.
So, I had about 24 years of professional experience as a writer/editor before going full-time freelance. But the biggest factor in the success of my transition was this: I had spent pretty much this entire time specializing in a couple of content niches: business and finance. As a result of this specialization, I was able to immediately “brand†myself as an expert when it came to writing content in these areas. This turned out to be huge for two reasons:
1. There is a high demand for freelance writers who can tackle these subjects without having to be brought up to speed on basics like the difference between defined contribution and defined benefit plans or the nuances of various banking and financial products and services.
2. Therefore, these freelance writers can generally charge relatively high rates for this type of writing.
The second thing that helped me make a successful transition fairly quickly was the fact that I started doing freelance work “on the side†long before I ventured out on my own as a full-time FLCW.
One of the first things I did when I moved to Atlanta in 1997 was start looking for freelance work. It didn’t take long to land gigs with a couple of business magazines, from which I was able to get pretty steady assignments. Over the decade-plus that I did freelance work on the side, I built up a nice little freelance clientele that eventually formed the foundation for going full-time freelance.
In addition to providing a little “mad money,†this part-time freelance work was invaluable in helping me get my feet wet and learn about how the freelance world worked. Just as importantly, it gave me a sense of “entrepreneurship†and what it was like to look for and gain clients on my own. I found it tremendously exciting and rewarding to land new freelance clients, make them happy and get paid for doing it!
What Should I Do?
Due to these three factors—my long history of experience as a professional writer/editor, albeit as an employee; my well-established content niches of business and finance; and my 10+ years of on-the-side freelance experience—I was about as well-positioned as you can be to make the transition to full-time freelance. And since I kind of saw the layoff coming for at least six months, I had even started to think about what I would do if and when I lost my job: Try to go full-time freelance or look for another job?
I got my layoff notice at 4:00 on a Friday afternoon (which is by the corporate textbook, by the way). Since I was a remote employee and worked from home, I immediately fired off emails to two of my freelance clients letting them know what happened and that I was available for as much freelance work as they could send me. They both replied before 5:00 and said they would have work for me Monday morning.
I took that as my sign that I should give full-time freelancing a real shot before looking for another job. And by the end of my first year of full-time freelance, I was consistently meeting or exceeding my old monthly salary.
Are there other challenges to being a full-time freelancer beyond just landing clients and generating income? You bet! Health insurance, for example, is one of the biggest, but that’s been discussed in another post on this blog. But in my experience, if you can get the freelance ball rolling down the hill, it tends to pick up speed if you are diligent and work as hard at building your freelance business as you did working for an employer.
Lay the Groundwork Now
Like I said, I didn’t write this with the intention of providing a step-by-step guide to transitioning from full-time employment into full-time commercial freelance writing. I realize that not everybody out there has more than two decades of professional writing and editing experience as an employee, or has been able to cultivate a profitable content niche like I was fortunate enough to do.
But if going full-time freelance is something you think you’d like to do one day, I encourage you to start laying the groundwork now. For me, success as a full-time FLCW was far from “overnightâ€; it was actually more than two decades in the making!
The best advice I can offer is to start doing freelance work on the side from your regular job now. This will help you learn how the freelancing world works and start to build up a small clientele that you can expand when you devote your full-time energy and effort into your own freelance writing business.
Oh, and buy The Well-Fed Writer! I read it about three years after I struck out on my own and I can’t imagine a more practical, hands-on guide to getting started as a freelance commercial writer. Peter confirmed some of the things I was doing and offered some great new tips and insights I hadn’t thought of.
And no, Peter didn’t ask me to say that—it’s really that good!
1. What has held you back from making the transition from an employee to a full-time FLCW?
2. If you’ve made the transition, what are one or two tips you can offer to others who hope to do the same?
3. What is one mistake you made during the transition that others should guard against?
Don Sadler is an Atlanta-based freelance commercial writer specializing in the areas of business and finance. He writes content for all different types of media, both print and electronic, and in all different formats — print and e-newsletters, magazines, search-engine-optimized websites, white papers, blogs, ghost articles and books, etc. Visit http://www.donsadlerwriter.com to learn more.
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A good and interesting post, thank you.
To answer your questions:
1. Nothing! I made the change a very long time ago and have no regrets whatsoever, and it’s miles better in just about every way.
2. As long as you have some experience under your belt, are reasonably organised and flexible, then go for it. Once you’re established it’s actually more secure than being full time, not less. Try and get samples of all the work you do and hang on to them, even the pieces you wouldn’t normally put in your portfolio. One day someone is going to want to see that you’ve written about a certain product or sector and if you’ve got something to show them then you’re far more likely to get the gig than the writer who has nothing.
3. You need to be your own account handler, planner, finance person, receptionist and all the rest of it. In an agency you’re just the writer and generally fairly sheltered, so be prepared for that. Get yourself some terms and conditions and confirm everything in writing before you start a job. And for new clients or big jobs, ask for at least some of the money in advance.
Great post, Don.
What held me back? Fear, plain and simple. I had looked into freelancing for a few years towards the end of my 30+years in Corporate America. It took a last straw event that had me quitting on the spot. The problem was more mine than my employer. I don’t recommend waiting until you reached your breaking point.
Tips? In hindsight, I would have something to offer – an ebook, a report, white paper – whatever – to draw traffic and for marketing purposes. And I think the biggest adjustment for many (if not most) freelancers is the business side. I had a safety cushion (money in the bank) from my many years of corporate life. I recommend at least a year’s worth. It relieves so much of the pressure.
Mistakes? How much time do we have. 🙂 Knowing (and believing) my true worth and not settling for less. Thanks to a great freelance community, I learned the value behind that. Well, that, and I like to eat. 🙂
If you are new, I also highly recommend Peter’s Well-Fed Writer books – not kissing *ahem* It was one of the 1st I bought 5 years ago and I still use today.
Good stuff, Peter and Cathy!
I would heartily second Peter’s admonition to collect as many samples as you can. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve spoken to (either by email or when we’re in a coaching session) who tell me that, while they did a TON of writing projects as an employee in past jobs (projects that would make GREAT samples, and would give them a portfolio overnight), they didn’t keep any of them and have no way of getting their hands on them after the fact.
Obviously, I get that one has to know, while in those jobs, that you plan on building a freelance copywriting business at some point, and in those cases, our field wasn’t yet on their radar. But, a lot of people who DO know they’re headed our way, don’t necessarily think of projects they’ve done as employees of a company.
And I know that because I’ve heard from a LOT of people over the years asking me if I think it’s okay for them to use those kinds of samples (like there’s some unspoken rule against it or something). And the answer is, “Of course!” with the caveat that if it’s “internal” communications and somehow sensitive, you need to be very careful. But, even then, one can “sanitize” a sample of identifying references and still be able to use it.
I also have to second Cathy’s warning to not wait till you’re going to go postal in your current job to make the break. If you decide to pursue this business long before you actually leave that J-O-B, the job morphs from being this unbearable drag that saps your time, energy and spirit, to nothing more than a vehicle, a means to a much better end. And you can then appreciate it for the income it provides, which, as you save more and more of it, moves you closer to that day when you can make your break!
PB
Don makes an excellent point about leveraging his previous experience. I’d like to add that education/training can be similarly leveraged. I’m amazed at how well my MFA in Playwriting (surely not the most practical training in the world) prepared me for my role as a marketing copywriter. Not only did the “nuts and bolts” of one discipline transfer admirably well to the other, but the fact that I was able to come at a marketing campaign from a slightly different angle separated me from the crowd — another critical factor in getting a freelance career off the ground.
And it doesn’t have to be a writing-related education either. Got a degree in nursing? Write health articles. Degree in education? Write articles for teachers. Once you’ve got a foot in the door of one niche, you can push your way into other niches until you’re in demand for practically any topic.
I second William’s idea that the skills from one writing discipline transfer easily over into another! While creative directors weren’t interested in seeing my short stories and fiction as samples when I would meet with them, the acquired skills helped me create solid brochures etc. so that I WOULD have something they’d want to see. Leverage what you got, and don’t look back! All it takes is (at most) some creative perspective.
Welcome to the freelance world, Don! Sounds like your transition was much smoother than most. I love that you took charge instantly. I’m betting your attitude has a lot to do with your success!
For me, the transition was a little rockier. I didn’t get laid off –I was terminated. I’d been caught in a changing-of-the-guard situation, and the new EIC did not like me. Word on the street after my exit was that he wasn’t one to play well with girls in general. I was prepared — I had my desk cleared out a month before he actually fired me — and like you, I was up and running the next day. I’d also taken home plenty of contact information. I’d built good relationships, and that’s what kept me afloat that first year.
If you’re transitioning into freelancing, I think the most important thing to build is a marketing and networking plan. Build those relationships. Know how you’re going to reach out to client prospects and how often. Create a workday process in your head that includes marketing. When you first start out, marketing may be your entire day, or at least the larger portion of it. Make it count. Know that if you contact Sam on February 12th that you’ll check back in on the 19th to make sure he’s received your email/call, and that if you get no response, you’ll try again on April 19th.
One other thing that cements or dissolves your success — your rate. Know now what you want to charge, what you can charge, and know what your minimum is. Starting out your rate may have a little more negotiating room, but that shouldn’t be the case if you have specialized skills or once you get some projects under your belt. Protecting your right to earn is essential to succeeding.
Ah, my mistakes. There were many. I’ve worked without contracts (bad, bad idea), allowed clients to low-ball my rates (really bad idea), questioned my own value (deadly idea), and didn’t market consistently so that I found myself without projects or checks (oh, so very bad idea!). Whatever you do, operate like you’re operating a business — you are. If you can think of each decision as a business decision affecting the bottom line of your business entity, you’ll be able to remove emotional reactions and stick to what works for you.
Thanks, Lori! These are great points — especially your advice about contracts, marketing and knowing what you should charge for your services (and sticking to it). And most importantly, running your freelance business like a BUSINESS. I see blogs and comments from some freelancers that almost make it sound like they’re ashamed to be stooping to the level of “selling out” and writing for commercial clients. Huh? If that’s a freelancer’s attitude, then go find a job to pay your bills and get your creative writing ya-ya’s out during your free time!
Great stuff, Lori (as always). Thanks for weighing in… And hey, we all make our share of mistakes, especially when we’ve not yet owned our value, and as such, are less likely to assert ourselves, and more likely to be willing to be the fire hydrant to a client’s dog…;)
And I’m with you Don. A lot of strange attitudes out there about our field. As I’ve said before, a lot of writers truly believe they should be able to sit around in their underwear writing poetry for $100K a year. Our skills as writers never operate in a vacuum; they’re always inextricably entwined within the market system, and are worth only as much as the market values them (as you’ve found out by virtue of your niche).
And William and Jordan, absolutely right. As much as possible, you need to leverage the skills, knowledge and experience you bring from past jobs, education or life experience. And the best part of that is that a solid background can go a long way to make up for the lack of a big portfolio. As long as someone sees that you can write well, even if you have few samples, if your background is a match for what they need written, that background can spell “short learning curve” and that’s always a plus!
PB
Don,
Great post! Loved your story and mine is pretty similar.
For those looking to go out on their own, I would say to definitely reach out to other copywriters in their area who are successful and ask for tips, excess work, being an assistant, etc. Some of my best, earliest work came from other copywriters who passed on leads.
Forget competition – there’s plenty of work out there! I know Peter endorses this mentality as well.
Thanks again for your story,
Jenny
Thanks Jenny,
Good stuff! I definitely reached out to other copywriters in the area when starting out, though actually not to seek overflow work, but rather to just get the lay of the copywriting land in Atlanta, advice on the market/rates, and anything else that could help. Good to hear you got overflow work from some writers starting out.
I’m approached ALL the time by newbies asking the same thing, and usually with the offer to give me a chunk of the proceeds. But, 1) I don’t get too much overflow work, and 2) when I do, I have a network of proven local folks I can turn to, which makes far more sense. I can only speak for myself, but I’m just not likely to steer work to an unknown writer with unknown skills.
One piece of advice I’d offer in that arena is this: Don’t ask for overflow work from my own clients. That’s just not likely to happen. Instead, ask that I keep you in mind for work I come across that I wouldn’t take on myself (usually because the pay’s too low). That’s far more realistic.
And Jenny’s absolutely right – forget competition. There IS plenty of work out there. Stop listening to the voices of gloom and doom and the “experts.” Each of us needs such a tiny bit of the overall copywriting pie to make a good living that the competition and “the state of the economy” really doesn’t matter. And I covered this very idea in more detail some years back in this blog post.
PB
Hi Peter and Don!
1. Having lost my job last April, I wasted too much time checking the sky to see if it was falling. After that, I got busy writing but not having a portfolio, I am having a hard time getting started. I don’t have any prior experience like Don. My background is in food so I started a food blog and was recently published locally. I am working on a professional business website as well. I submitted an article to a larger magazine and have my fingers crossed. I love technology and would like to focus on internet writing such as eNewsletters but don’t know if this is monetarily feasible???? SO need a mentor!
2. Have no tips and need all I can get! 🙂
3. I am not sure if this was a mistake and would love feedback. I felt that offering a freebie might benefit my empty portfolio so I offered to write a newsletter for my favorite local market. The owner is a great guy but he doesn’t even have a website. One of his employees mentioned that he could use a hand in that department so I thought that perhaps we could help each other out. I told him that I would write it if he would cover expenses. I turned in a rough draft but can’t seem to pin him down to finish the job. I am determined, short of stalking :), to track him down but am wondering if offering this service was a mistake. Hopefully my newsletter wasn’t quite that bad that he feels the need to hide!
P.S. Did buy the Well-Fed Writer and am looking forward to lots of great advice!
Thanks, Laura, and welcome!
I think most of us here would agree that you’re not going to get where you want to go (assuming that “place” is a GOOD income as a writer…) with a food blog and writing for food publications (or for magazines in general). Don’t misunderstand: if that kind of writing turns you on, then by all means, do it, but don’t think it’s going to pay all your bills. If you like writing about food, look at the business side of food, all the companies making food, serving those industries, making cooking equipment, or anything even peripherally related to food.
And nothing at all wrong with doing some freebie work to start in order to build your portfolio. I’m glad you picked my book (and no offense, but it’s clear you haven’t gotten through it yet, since, in it, I discuss doing free work as a solid strategy to get established!), because a whole new world is going to come into focus for you as you go through it.
I wish you the best as you move forward!
PB
Great article – and a wonderful one to see after being away from both this site and writing in general for too many months (a year or more?).
1: Fear of the wrong thing, pure and simple.
Yesterday [2/22], in a reply post to a reviewer who had an issue with the author’s “explanation” of a swipe file, I clarified what a “swipe file” is (and isn’t). The reviewer praised my “clear and concise manner.” So, I know how to write, write well, and write to get my point across.
But, my fear made me add this: “No, I’m not an affiliate of ______. I once had aspirations of being a copywriter, but couldn’t get past the blocks of trying to write sales letters to strangers about products I didn’t believe in, didn’t care enough to learn about or didn’t understand well enough to talk about.”
Just hours later, I wrote, “A laugh on myself, though. I guess to be a copywriter (or even a writer using ________’s information) I need to focus on the products I DO believe in, DO care enough to learn about and DO understand well enough to talk about!”
I’ve nothing specific for #2 yet, as I just yesterday realized the truth of my words to the reviewer.
Although I do have a few tips for #3 from a mistake I made a couple of years ago with a woman who owned a website and wanted help with her AWeber ads. That mistake – working with her – made me think I had no business in this business (which was my own stinkin’ thinkin’):
**Do not sign a non-compete clause, especially if the terms are so broad as to encompass any work you might do for anyone else. Non-disclosure is one thing; non-compete is another animal entirely.
** Do not accept work without some form of written contract spelling out precisely what is expected on both sides. She changed the nature of the work she wanted from me – twice.
** Unless you both agree you’re working pro bono, do not accept work without some payment up front. She told me she didn’t pay up front to writers she didn’t know “because she’d been ripped off too many times.” I accepted that – and worked for her for 6 weeks. Then, because I asked for payment, she found fault with what I’d accomplished. The upshot is that I never received a penny from her (and to this day I see my work on her website – which should prove to me that I DO know what I’m doing!).
It’s back to Peter’s book for me (I have a signed copy for heaven’s sake!) and this time, I’ll take his words to heart!
Thanks D,
A few things… You DO know that writing long-form sales letters (what many people think of as “copywriting”) is one tiny sliver of the overall copywriting pie, right? You can decide you never want to write a long-form sales letter (a.k.a. direct response), and still have an enormous amount of project possibilities to pick from.
And yes, sounds like you learned the hard way with that client, though I suspect that, since she’s using your copy, and you can prove you wrote it, you could take her to small-claims court to collect your money. Though if you had no written agreement (yes, big mistake), that might be tougher to pull off.
Though, it’d almost be worth it to watch her explain to a judge why, if she supposedly wasn’t happy with your copy, and didn’t pay you for that reason, she has it posted on her site… 😉 At the very least, it’d be worth it to embarrass her; public shaming (or even the prospect of it) can be a powerful behavior modifier.
Yes, NDA’s are a very different thing than a non-compete. The latter is very hard to enforce, and as you point out, essentially prevents you from making a living, so yes, you should avoid them.
One final thing in response to this: ” I guess to be a copywriter…I need to focus on the products I DO believe in, DO care enough to learn about and DO understand well enough to talk about!â€
I promise I’m not picking on you when I say this (because many aspiring copywriters have said things like this…), but actually you really DON’T have to believe in a product to write about it. I’m not talking about things you might have a moral objection to writing about; that’s different: if you can’t, in good conscience, write about something, then don’t.
But, do you have to believe in…fiber optics, building materials, financial planning, dentistry, tree-removal service (you see where I’m going with this?) to write about it? Don’t get dramatic about things – sometimes it’s just a job (albeit a really well-paying one). Most of the things you write about you’re really not going to have strong feelings about one way or the other.
I wish you the best as you move forward, with these new lessons under your belt… 😉
PB
LOL I get your point re believing in things like fiber optics, building materials and so forth. No, I don’t have to believe in them. And a little research will make me sound like I know what I’m talking about. In any case, for the first time in a long time, I think I can do this.
Re the woman: she was in Canada at the time I worked for her; we communicated via email and YIM. Last time I heard from her, she’d moved to some south of our border country and then cut off communication. It isn’t worth the effort to chase her. Since then, I’ve run across several not-so-nice things about her from other disgruntled writers. Meh… lessons learned.
Thank you for your kind words and your gentle prodding.
(P.S. I use Kendra in conversation; the D is my first initial and merely part of my signature.)
Don – Such a great (and timely) post! Your first two paragraphs describe my situation to a “T!”
I’ve contemplated freelancing for so many years, researched it til I was blue in the face and came close to jumping off the dock and going for it a couple of times, but I’m a sucker for things like “security” and “steady paychecks.” And those two concepts wrapped up in a healthy package of fear have held me back. I remember being fearless many moons ago – back before I had a family to feed.
For the second (nearly 3rd) time in 9 years, I’m being downsized out of a job. The first occurred 6 years into a career with a major insurance company. The “almost” occurred 4 mos into my replacement job when a merger was announced and folks were being given pink slips and a couple hours to clean their desks. I scrambled and managed to find another replacement job before I could be handed a pink slip. Then another 6 yrs into a career with yet another major insurance company and my job is back on the chopping block.
I’m beginning to see a real pattern here and it doesn’t involve job security or guaranteed paychecks. The idea of starting over in some other cubicle for 2wks of vacation a year just so I can find myself here again in another 6yrs just turns my stomach. I’m still scared to death to publicly hang my shingle and dare the world to come prove me wrong (did you mean you were a REAL writer?). But it’s either that, or the cubicle.
Frankly, I’m getting a little claustrophobic.
So I’m taking Lori’s “marketing and make it count” advice to heart. I switched up my work schedule for the remainder of my time on the day job, arranging one day off a week I can use for marketing. Hopefully come Freedom Day in early May, I’ll have that ball rolling steadily down hill.
Hi Don (and Peter)!
What a great and heart-felt post. My transition several years back was nothing to write home to mom about. Although I went from employee to full-timer as an IT consultant, not as a writer, I ended up copywriting on a full-time basis without ever expecting to initially. Actually, I was always the go-to-guy for various writing projects throughout my working days, but never made the connection to pursue writing.
I can honestly say what held me back was fear of losing that elusive “cushion” of a regular paycheck. Yet there was something inside of me that burned with misery from doing anything other than making a living as a consultant (I was freelancing as a copywriter on a part-time basis back then, and hated my 9-to-5 accounting job).
2. In case I’m even qualified to give a tip or two…here we go!
a. Plan to work harder than you’ve every worked for an employer in the past, and expect to do a ton of writing in the beginning for free. Of course when I say free, I mean marketing yourself and the amount of writing that is involved to get up and going–before you get busy writing for clients!
2. Stay flexible. Sometimes opportunities come to us in either ways we didn’t expect, or in ways we perceive as bad luck or setbacks at first. Being able to see opportunity in adversity and rework your plan as needed (and knowing WHEN to rework your plan) may prove helpful; especially in our current climate of rocky economics and fickle clients!
3. One mistake that I made during my transition was getting to comfortable; not constantly prospecting for new clients during my busiest months was a hard lesson. The roller coaster emotions of worrying if I’d have enough cash to avoid homelessness in the months ahead were brutal. Which all could have been avoided if I would have set aside time daily (as much as I physically could) to prospect AND work.
And I learned that no matter what you plan…things happen! So it’s best to always have a full pipeline, if nothing else but for a peace of mind.
Thanks for this post.
Jarvis
Thanks Jarvis and Sandy,
Good stuff – thanks for sharing your experiences. And it’s healthy to finally realize that there is precious little security in full-time salaried employment. Self-employment, if you’re good at what you do, and diligent about getting the word out, is FAR more secure than any full-time job.
The biggest hurdle to get over is your own mind, and your programming (what most of us heard growing up) about what constitutes the “right” or “sensible” path. But once you get past that, bust your butt and get established, your ONLY regret will be that you didn’t do it sooner. Mark my words.
PB
Thank you for the great post, Don! I’m also enjoying reading everyone’s comments.
Donna