One of my favorite conversation starters with friends is, “So, how’s business?” Though the answer may vary from,” We can’t keep up,” to “I’ll never be able to retire,” there is rarely any hesitation before an interesting and, usually, passionate response comes forth.
Several months ago a series of posts related to my desire to start a new business appeared on docsology.net. You can read those here, here or here. Today’s post is a report on some of the challenges and steps toward success encountered so far in the adventure of getting a start-up like StevePearsonInk.com off and running. I sincerely hope it will be interesting and helpful and possibly stimulate you to consider stretching your horizons when the time is right.
Challenges…
- Choosing the right services to offer. The number of broad categories of options for a freelance copywriter is daunting.
- Choosing the right niche to work within. That should be obvious for a veterinarian with decades of experience, right? But, as I have discovered, one’s niche must be highly specific and relevant as well as not overcrowded with writers.
- Educating myself in areas like persuasive writing, SEO, keyword searches, managing a website, working with clients and on and on and on. The more you learn, the more you see that needs to be learned. (The good news is, I like that!)
- Marketing my business must be done continuously. At least at this point it does. But, there is a great connection in this one. The more I learn about marketing myself, the more valuable I will be in marketing future clients’ businesses.
- Cash Flow. A serious approach to any start-up business involves some financial investment. In my case, that has included a web design and set-up, paying for professional online courses and hiring a mentor to walk me through lots of details.
- A significant change in lifestyle. I’ve been on my feet and moving around almost constantly as a practicing veterinarian. Working as a missionary kept me moving, too. But now, writing requires a lot of time sitting, and it’s easy to lose track of time and go way too long between stand-up breaks. Thankfully, there is an App for that!
Steps Toward Success…
- Finished several educational courses. One good thing about online courses is how they become a virtual library. They are always there for review and use in producing products for various clients.
- Published content on some websites for local businesses. It’s been interesting to meet with clients and get a feel for their business and their particular message. Then writing their message in their “voice” is, well, fun.
- Contracted with a national pet health insurance company. For the time being, I’m writing articles on pet health issues for their website. Opportunities for other avenues of marketing their business are there, too.
- I finally have the confidence to think of myself as a writer. The next challenge is giving other people enough evidence to think of me as a writer who happens to be a veterinarian.
As always, I’d be pleased to read your comments which you may write at the bottom of the page.
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