How do you GROW a freelance writing business?
Your freelance writing business is coasting along.
But how do you take things to the next level? What does it mean to grow?
Two not-so-big-picture thinkers discuss how we think about growth and offer suggestions on where to go (grow?) next.
Building a business beyond yourself
Many freelancers run successful businesses without scaling too far beyond themselves. But when you’re a business of one, it’s hard to keep the machine running if you’re sick, need a vacation, or have too much work coming in.
A good sign you need help is if you have more work than you can handle on your own. Hiring support helps fuel the growth of your business.
What’s nice about subcontracting is you can start small. Try subcontracting parts of the process (like research or editing) or one small project at a time until you get in a routine with your subcontractor(s).
The best part about outsourcing: getting to do more of what you love.
“Subcontracting frees up the time I need to do what I love.”
Offering something new as a way to grow
Growth isn’t just about money. As a business owner, no one is going to promote you. It’s up to you to work on your own professional development and create opportunities for yourself. One way to create opportunities is to offer new services or re-package your offerings in new ways.
“We don’t have the opportunity to get promoted unless we make the opportunity for ourselves.”
1. Should you offer a digital product or create a course?
Digital products and courses let you share your expertise with clients who are looking for a low-touch and lower price point. That can be selling templates, how-tos, courses, and other digital products.
Identify a common problem you solve for your clients, and find a way to broaden the market you can serve with a smaller, more affordable option for a wider audience.
Scaling is a great way to grow your business beyond working one-on-one with clients; IF scaling aligns with your business goals. Working with clients and having that be enough is more than okay.
2. Should you offer a productized service model?
Some freelancers and consultants offer a “buy my day” model. Here, a set amount of deliverables is completed within one day.
An example would be helping course creators go through a course launch. The client needs help with a launch timeline and needs email copy before launch. A freelancer would sell their day for something in the range of $1500-2500 and promise a set amount of deliverables.
But this model isn’t one-size-fits-all; it depends on the clients you serve and the nature of work you do. For Kaleigh, scoping those products doesn’t lend itself well to writing blog posts. Emma tried it out, but it didn’t work well for case studies either.
We think it could work well from a consulting perspective: “Buy My Day and I’ll audit your entire website.” Ultimately, though, we think it’s still too tied to your time.
Avoid “shiny object syndrome”
When you see how other freelancers run their businesses, you start to play the comparison game. You can’t help but second guess yourself: Am I doing enough? Am I growing fast enough?
You wonder if there’s something more you could be doing.
What if I started a podcast?
What if I offered a course?
What if I created a digital product?
How do you know which direction to take?
We recommend you start with a different question altogether: what do you value?
Before you create a new offering or restructure your entire business, take a step back. Run your ideas through a filter: will this match the values I’ve set for my life and my business?
(Emma strongly recommends Pivot by Jenny Blake to anyone who is thinking about trying something new for your business).
“Follow one inkling and see if it lights you up.”
Where do you want to be five years from now?
We promise: this isn’t an interview. There’s no right or wrong answer here. This is about you and what you enjoy doing. What are your priorities? Five years from now, what do you want your days to look like?
Here are some questions to help you narrow down your priorities:
What do you want to learn?
Who do you want to help?
What little things can you do to make your day-to-day work more efficient?
How can you create a more enjoyable workweek?
“Grow the business in a way that grows your quality of life.”
Growing is not necessarily about making more money or reconfiguring your business. Ask yourself: What part of my work excites me the most? How can I build more of THAT into my business?
Most importantly: don’t worry about what you think you should do (or what your mentor is doing; what your peers will find impressive). Every freelance writer has a different path; that means no one’s Five Year Plan will look the same.
There isn’t a set path to success
Creating a lasting, fulfilling freelance writing business means doing more of what YOU love. And doing what you love doesn’t mean checking off a list of “should dos” or following someone else’s idea of success. You get to choose what your day looks like and how you want to grow your business.