How I Made $107K in Year 1 of My Business

My first home office in 2017.

This was 2018, when we lived in a Chicago suburb.

I have to tell you that when I wrote this article title, I thought it might look clickbaity or braggy. And you know that as someone who teaches authentic and intuitive writing, that is NOT my jam. And, as a woman, I know we need to celebrate our wins loud and clear. Doing so doesn’t diminish others.

In a meeting with a client the other week (who’s a financial planner and former Wall St. badass), I told her how much we owed in taxes this year. I WAY underpaid my quarterly payments to maintain cash flow in unpredictable times.

We talked about money, and I told her how much I made in year one of starting my freelance copywriting business. She was surprised.

Here’s what 2017 looked like — 3 months at my corporate job and $50k in my business

Then… just a year later…

2018 — $107k — officially double the previous year.

I rarely discuss this because, as a copywriter and writing coach, I didn’t think people cared. But… 99% of people who read my articles are business owners or want to be. They’re also new copywriters wondering what’s possible for them.

Anyway, when I told my client this, she said, “You need to teach people how you did it.”

So here it is.

It’s also crucial to tell you that I had a safety net. My husband had a full-time job, and my income was still a substantial portion of our total household. I also have a family who would never let us starve or find ourselves homeless.

Yes, I have the privilege of support from many people. Yet, returning to a corporate job that I was determined to leave and never return to lit my fire to make sure that I’d make my business work. There was no plan B.

Some other important things to know:

• I’d been in the corporate world for 13 years and was making roughly 120K plus bonus when I quit

• I started my copywriting business on the side while I was still in corporate and managed both for about a year and a half with two young kids and a horrendous Chicago commute

• The deal I made with my husband was that if I could make 50% of my corporate salary three months in a row while side-hustling, it would make sense to go full-time

Now, what I did to earn $50k in the first 9 months and $107k in my first full year:

1. Crate consistent blog content. 
   I’ve been blogging since 2012 (it started as a plant-based food blog). Not only do I write for others and teach people how, but I LOVE writing. It’s my meditation, happy place, and creative outlet. I switched to blogging about lifestyle stuff in 2016 and then pivoted to writing in 2017. Some old blogs are now unpublished, but I aimed for 2–4x a month with a newsletter that went out at the same frequency. Consistency! Consistency is unsexy, but THE thing that helps a business stand out.

   Sign up for the FREE 7-day email series to help you build a consistent writing habit HERE.

2. Telling everyone.
   When I started my business, I made a big spreadsheet of all the people who might hire me or know someone who could. I sent them this exact email and personalized them one at a time. I’d do a bunch each day. I probably sent about 100. Some passed my name along; some hired me, and some hired me three and even eight years later. Always keep the long game in mind.
   I’d talk about my business to everyone I knew. This got me some content writing gigs with startups — consistent, repeatable revenue. I also updated all my personal email signatures to match my business one. You never know who you email on a daily basis who needs you.

3. Offered to work for free for a small number of people.
   Some people on the list above got a special offer from me — five hours of free writing or editing in exchange for candid feedback. A few of those turned into paid opportunities. I received sparkling testimonials — yay! I can add these to my website for credibility!

4. Referrals.
   I ask every client to pass my name along and even write the email for them to do so (here’s how I do referrals — with a free template too!).

5. Client words.
   I ask all clients for feedback, use that to write a testimonial, and send it to them for approval (how I do it)

6. Job sites.
   I sourced a good number of initial projects on Upwork. There can be a lot of crappy tasks on there (like, “Hey, can you write me a 50,000-word manuscript for $30?”), but I’ve had only amazing experiences by asking for a mid-premium rate, delivering awesome work, and learning how to write a kickass proposal (community members have my template for this too). Some of these clients are still in my life today.

7. Genuine Networking.
   Not the barfy, what can you do for me kind. I kept in touch with old colleagues and connections. I asked for mentoring. I told them what I was looking for and asked them to keep me in mind. I also networked with other copywriters and brand and website designers , and they often sent me amazing clients. The power of keeping in touch with people: a handful of people I worked with 10 years ago have recently hired me.

8. Authentic visibility in select online communities.
   The paid ones give you the best results because it’s not a bunch of people trying to get free advice. I met some great people in free groups, too. Show up, answer questions, and be helpful. Notice I didn’t say “pitch my services” — I didn’t have to. By sharing my knowledge, people learn to trust you AND notice you.

9. Showed up as a PRO from day 1.
   For all projects, I delivered a custom proposal. A custom proposal takes me up to an hour to prepare, and the results are well worth it. Invest in the upfront work, and you’ll be more prepared than 99% of your competitors (but really, I don’t even believe in competitors). Potential clients appreciate the professional presentation – which also builds trust. (community members, you have this template).

10. Delivered outstanding work.
    This was non-negotiable. A lot of people overlook this important piece. Do great work, and people WILL pass your name along. At least 95% of clients and community members find me today from someone else. I’ve never done a paid ad or cold email pitch. Business owners often underestimate the power of doing a great job.

11. I NEVER entertained the idea of the starving freelance writer.
    Literally wasn’t even a thing. It was non-negotiable to me to meet and exceed my corporate income. I didn’t get there in year one, but the time, energy, and money savings from NOT commuting to a job and spending $6 on a daily latte and $15 on a salad at lunch — totally made it worth it. Not to mention, I love doing work with smart people.

While a list like that might look like I did a ton of things, I still worked around 25–30 hours a week. My kids were about 6 and 9 then and so I had plenty of things happening on the home front.

I think it’s also important to share what I didn’t do:

• I didn’t obsess over my website copy, blog posts, or social media — I aimed for 80% good enough and got it out there.

• I didn’t know anything about SEO until several years after starting my business.

• I didn’t pay for ads.

• I didn’t send cold email pitches to strangers.

• I didn’t do anything that felt slimy or gross.

I’m glad my client prompted me to share how I grew my business in year one. Seeing it laid out here like this, I can see how valuable all this is for someone just getting started in business or wanting to maximize their time.

For a long time, my clients have always told me, “You’re so much more than a writer.” They also get my business brains on their businesses. Words AND strategy. Heart AND process.

Want my brains, eyeballs, intuition, and heart on your business? I can write for you or coach you to improve your writing.

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