Sorry I’m sending today’s email so late.
It’s been quite a day. Life happens, y’know?
And to be honest, I wasn’t feeling the 90 Day Writing Challenge when I sat back down at the computer at 8:25 PM.
But that’s the whole point:
If you want to achieve things that others only dream of achieving, then you need to do things that others only dream of doing.
And I’m not talking big, sexy, “share-the-photos-on-Instagram” things either.
I’m talking parking your keister down at the keyboard when you’d rather be wrapping up The Defenders and grinding it out.
So.
Here we are.
And by now…
You’ve set a clear financial goal for your writing business, and…
You’ve determined WHY you want to start a writing business
I do hope you took the time to do both of those things. They may seem like minor things, but in my experience they’re crucial for success.
Okay? Okay!
And with those two important things done, let’s roll up our sleeves and start building a writing business, shall we?
But first let’s talk about pizza.
I love pizza.
But I wouldn’t try to cram an entire pizza in my mouth and eat it all at once.
Like any sane individual over the age of 14, I eat my pizza one slice at a time.
And that’s how we’re going to build a writing business: one “slice” at a time.
The first thing we’ll do is choose a niche.
You’ve got to know WHO you’re writing for if you want to build a successful writing business. And that means choosing a niche.
But before we even get to that first step, I want you to do something.
I want you to decide how much time you’re willing to devote to building your writing business. How many hours per day?
Personally, I think two hours per day is a good place to start.
And if squeezing an extra two hours out of your day seems tough, remember to focus on resourcefulness instead of resources.
You may feel like you lack the resource of two extra hours per day to work on your writing business.
But could you be resourceful and get up an extra hour early every day to write? Or work through your lunch break? Or skip watching TV and write at night?
If your WHY is exciting enough you’ll find the resourcefulness to overcome a perceived lack of resources.
And whatever amount of time you decide to devote to building your writing business -- be it two hours or 20 minutes -- make sure to put in that time every single day.
Pinky swear, okay?
Now let’s talk about choosing a niche.
I’m going to share more about choosing a niche with you throughout the week. (And I’ll need your help as I try to narrow down the niche for my new writing business.)
But right now, I want to talk about a potential niche you may have overlooked.
What’s great about this niche is that you’re already an expert in it. You know what works and what doesn’t. You know the passions and pain points of the clients in this niche.
And that level of expertise equals bigger fees for your writing biz.
So what is this potentially lucrative niche you may have overlooked?
It’s the niche you’re in right now… AKA your JOB!
Writing for your current job is one the fastest and easiest ways to start a writing business.
Think about it:
You’re already an expert.
You know more (perhaps much more) than any outsider copywriter your boss or company might hire.
And writing copy for your current job is a great way to build a portfolio for future clients.
One complaint I hear from beginning copywriters is that the LAST thing they want to do is write for the industry they’re trying to escape.
Fair enough.
I was a teacher for 10 years before I started copywriting and I had no interest in writing for the education industry.
But I wrote for the education industry anyway. Even though I was extra-tasty-crispy burned out by that point.
Why?
Because writing FOR the industry was much, much better than being employed IN the industry!
Anyway, food for thought.
And just to give you a glimpse of what’s possible when you parlay your current work experience into a writing business, dig this interview I did with Les Worley.
After 30-years in software and IT, Les was burned out.
So he decided to take his expertise as an IT professional and translate it into writing services for hi-tech companies.
Today, Les is much happier, works fewer hours, and he’s making plenty of dough.
So if you’re open to the idea of writing for the industry you’re currently in, then you’ll want to listen to this audio training:
>> Turn Your Skills Into A Writing Business (audio training)
And if you’re currently employed, would you consider writing for your industry?
Would that fit your idea of a dream writing business?
Let me know. I’d love to hear what you think!
Talk soon,
Paul “grinding it out” Buzan
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