Go from day job to freelance writer

Use these 5 tips to make your move [The Writer’ s Life]( October 30, 2020 Hi {NAME}, We've heard from a lot of members since our [Freelance Writer Fest]( on Wednesday … (Did you miss any of the sessions? You can check out the replays [here](.) … and there are so many different stories. People who've been impacted by the pandemic … who need more control of their schedule … who see this as an opportunity to make a long-awaited change … or they really need new work … That was EG Orren's situation. Her career as a musician's photographer had come to a halt (no one was on stage!) and she really needed a new way to make a living, fast. As a brand-new AWAI member, she joined our [Writer's Launch Party](, and her career took OFF! EG recently posted a great message: EG Orren is feeling exhausted. Okay Launch Party Moderators … who's in charge of this course's development … I have a complaint! I actually had to say NO to a project today because I'm too busy! I did manage to "persuade" him to consider scaling it down or spreading out the work in phases! Stop teaching so well … I can't keep up! That's so awesome, isn't it?! And she's not alone. We're hearing from countless writers that they are busier than ever. As counterintuitive as it sounds, now is a great time to be a freelance writer! If leaving your current J-O-B is on your mind, or you need to make a change, today's issue is for you … AWAI Success Jon Stoltzfus is here with five tips you can use to transition to the writer's life. Jon is definitely someone to listen to … Along with making the transition himself, since making the dedicated effort to become a copywriter, he's gone from zero writing income to over a million dollars. His is an amazing story (he shares a bit of it today). Jon says he's never been happier. Now it's your turn. [Join our Writer's Launch Party next week!]( You can create the life you want with the flexibility, control, and freedom you need. To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI From Cubicle to Copywriter: 5 Tips for Managing the Transition from Day Job to The Writer's Life By Jon Stoltzfus [Billboard with the text Build the Life that You Can't Wait to Wake Up To] For those who don't know me, let me recap my story quickly. I'm a former aerospace engineer, having spent 20 years working in the defense industry. I began transitioning to copywriting in 2013 after I got laid off due to budget cuts, though I did find another engineering job to continue to support my family at the time. I found clients and success quickly as a copywriter, and in 2018, I finally left engineering in the rearview mirror to become a full-time copywriter. That means I juggled two careers for the better part of five years. Today, my base pay plus royalties are higher than I ever made as an engineer. So it probably comes as no surprise that one of the most common questions I get asked at AWAI's Copywriting Bootcamp every year is this … Do You Have Any Tips for Making the Transition? Yes, I do. And that's why I'm here today, because I know how stressful and scary this transition can be. Whether you're the bread winner in your family or not, voluntarily giving up a steady stream of income is a hard decision. To make that a little easier, I'm going to share with you five tips for managing the transition. Tip #1: Be Prepared to Give Up Some Freedom at First Not what you wanted to hear? Probably not. But I'm not here to baby you. I'm here to help you become a successful copywriter because I know how rewarding it can be. And that means you're going to have to give up some things. Your favorite TV shows. Binge-watching Netflix. Mindless time playing games on your smartphone. It all needs to stop. Because one of the most common excuses I hear is "I don't have any time" and that's simply not true. The truth is, you need to take the time you're currently wasting and make it productive towards building your writer's life. And weekends? They're probably gone too, to an extent. I know you need to recharge a bit, but you'll need to set aside a couple of hours on your days off to commit to working on your craft and finding clients. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's move to … Tip #2: Don't Hide What You're Doing There's a very good chance your first copywriting project is going to come from somebody you know. Maybe directly, or maybe just a referral or a mention from a friend to your future first client. So as much as possible, you want to announce to the world that you're taking on new clients as a copywriter. Your first client could even end up being your current employer. That's what happened for more than few freelance copywriters, including AWAI's own Pam Foster. In fact, Pam got her employer at the time to [pay for her to learn copywriting]( so she could add that to her job duties. That said … Tip #3: Don't Jeopardize Your Current Position In some cases, people have very strict employee contracts that either do or seem to restrict any outside work. And if you're worried about quitting your job early, getting fired from it probably terrifies you. So first things first, review your employee handbook or contract and make sure you understand what's there. Is it a non-compete clause? Or is it a statement that says you need to get permission to have any second job, even one at the local 7-Eleven? That was the situation I ran into in 2013 — I needed permission to have ANY outside job. So I had to decide … do I hide it and do it anyway or do I put in the request? First, try to understand why it's there and what the rules are you in your area. Second, don't create a problem until you need to. While you're learning and practicing copywriting, you don't have any conflicts. It's only when you start getting clients that you need to consider your options. And finally, don't do things that may bring unwarranted attention. For example, a nice, new LinkedIn profile of you as a copywriter may help you bring in clients … but consider the downside if your current profile is visible to your co-workers and managers and your current company values that visibility. When in doubt, talk to a lawyer. Fun fact … many employee benefits programs these days include an employee assistance program with free legal consultations for personal use. And those conversations are private. Tip #4: Know Your Walk Number Over the past few years, more than a few people asked me why I was still working my day job when I was already having success as a copywriter. The answer was simple … I hadn't hit my walk number yet. Your walk number is the amount you need to make on a consistent basis to allow you to leave your day job behind. It might not always be your current salary, though it was for me. Nobody else can pick this for you. Figure out how much you need to make consistently on a monthly basis to give notice to your current employer, because the next part is knowing how to lock that number in. Tip #5: Put Your Freelance Income on Autopilot Replacing a steady income with an unsteady one is scary. So start with the end in mind and always look for opportunities to turn a single project into a recurring revenue stream. The best way to do that is to deliver outstanding copy and be easy to work with. When you do that, clients who have more work will be quick to give you more opportunities. And then, you can look to create a long-term relationship by changing from contracts for each project to a consistent retainer contract. There are a lot of different types of retainer contracts and pricing strategies and I can't cover them all here. For more info, check out the [free Inside AWAI webinar]( on landing retainer contracts. And when in doubt or when you have a question, call AWAI's Member Success Team or reach out to a mentor and ask for help. I hope this helps and if you have other questions, feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy I made the transition, and know you can do it too. Editorial Note: If you decide you're ready to get out of the "cubicle" and get started as a well-paid writer, I want to help you get your professional writing business up and running … NEXT WEEK! >> [Check it out.]( For the last couple of months, we've been successfully helping writers get their businesses launched in just five days. And the results have been tremendous. >> [See for yourself here!]( Last Chance! Let Us Personally Set You Up as a Professional Writer — in Just 5 Days! Starting Monday, our training team is clearing their schedule to focus 100 percent on getting YOU up and running as a writer … In just five days! Join our 5-Day Launch Party and get LIVE access to our best writers, marketers, business-building coaches, and more … All ready to help YOU launch your writing career next week! We're launching as many new writers as possible by next Friday … This is your last chance to be one of them. [Get in here.]( Join the Professional Writers' Alliance for a Dollar! Right now you can join the Professional Writers' Alliance for just a dollar! With all the membership perks at your fingertips, you can find and land clients easily … Run your freelance writing business efficiently … Minimize your "unbillable" hours so you can spend more time writing and making money … And join the ranks of well-paid, fulfilled, professional writers. 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