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Abstract

was write. I finished work for one and moved to the next.</p><p id="dec0">In doing this, I burned out again and again. Even when I did take a break, the idea of coming back to write for clients again was a sore thought in my mind.</p><p id="bde7">This toll on my mental health caused my productivity to take a nosedive. I did lower-quality work for my clients and for my own projects.</p><h2 id="115b">My physical health dwindled</h2><p id="1b4f">I used to write a ton of fitness and health stories, but I stopped doing it halfway through 2021 because I wasn’t exercising as much.</p><p id="2c12">At that time, I was spending more time writing for clients and had less time to focus on myself. I was eating poorly, not working out and sleeping less.</p><p id="bb1b">This resulted in gaining unnecessary weight and unhealthy thoughts about my own image.</p><p id="a1c9">The worst part about my physical health dwindling was that I could see it happening. I realized I was exchanging time for money instead of health — and I was OK with that for months.</p><h1 id="317b">Now it’s all about me</h1><p id="366a">Instead of working for clients this year, I’ve decided to do something crazy: <b>Work for myself.</b></p><p id="cb52">Why would I help a client boost a website that’s making them thousands of dollars every month when I clearly already possess the skills to boost my own?</p><p id="ce4f">For reasons like that, I’ve decided to go all-in on myself. No more working for someone else when I could try trusting myself instead.</p><p id="6be8">I understand this means I’ll be taking on a lot more risk than I was before, but that’s OK. If I fail, at least I did it my way.</p><h1 id="4758">I thought I was at the top</h1><p id="6662">Before I started freelancing, I thought writing for clients was the endgame. I read articles and watched videos about how profitable it could be and the money that could be made from home.</p><p id="0b5e">Once I got my first few clients, I started to see a future where I could get paid from wherever I want.</p><p id="34ae">However, I’ve realized having clients <b>IS NOT</b> the top of the totem pole.</p><p id="85d7">There are so m

Options

any better opportunities to pursue that are more profitable than working for a client. The best one is investing in yourself and your own endeavors.</p><p id="155f">And that doesn’t mean writing for clients is all bad. For one of my clients, instead of opting out of my contract, I became a partner instead. I’m making less money but I’m learning more and getting more out of my situation than before.</p><h1 id="e95c">Here’s my new plan</h1><p id="d0d5">Instead of writing for clients, here’s the plan I’ve devised for myself.</p><h2 id="24d1">Books</h2><p id="45e0">I already wrote a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/50-Stay-At-Home-Side-Hustles-hustle-ebook/dp/B09CPRGHGN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><b>book about side hustles</b></a>, but I think I have a few more left in me. My goal is to not only get better at writing self-published books but also improve at marketing them and making them profitable.</p><h2 id="207d">Websites</h2><p id="fb7c">I learned first-hand from writing for clients there’s a lot of money in owning a blog. After partnering with that client on a blog, I’ve learned the basics of creating content online, driving in traffic and monetizing it.</p><h2 id="690d">Newsletter</h2><p id="2046">My <a href="https://sidehustleclub.substack.com/"><b>Side Hustle Club newsletter</b></a><b> </b>grew a lot in 2021 and my hope is it continues to grow. I want to offer more value to readers and grow my audience.</p><h2 id="fc98">Physical health</h2><p id="fd0f">I gotta get back into shape. It helps me write better and clears my mind. Working out consistently is a major goal this year.</p><h2 id="6e56">Enjoy life</h2><p id="6b56">Instead of aiming my intentions at earning money, I want to be focused on saving it and using it to enjoy life more. I was so work-focused last year with clients that I missed out on a lot of fun I could’ve had.</p><p id="87c3"><i>I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you’d like to support me as a writer, consider <a href="https://marxd.medium.com/membership"><b>signing up to become a Medium member</b></a>. It’s just $5 a month and you get unlimited access to Medium.</i></p></article></body>

I Cut Ties With All My Writing Clients

Why I decided to leave high-paying clients who I enjoyed writing for

I am no longer working for or accepting writing clients. While I made $12,000 from my writing last year and clients were the majority of that money, it was time to let them go.

I’m not leaving my clients for the typical reasons. If I’m being honest, I worked for some really awesome people and groups. I wrote about topics I was genuinely interested in, had a lot of autonomy and even received a couple pay bumps.

My clients loved having me and I loved working for them. I helped them get traffic and hit goals with my words and they paid me for it. It was a solid client-freelancer relationship for more than a year.

However, I made the decision to leave for several other reasons.

Time is money

My goal at the beginning of 2021 was to make more than $10,000 from side hustles. By the end of the year, I achieved that goal and surpassed it with my writing alone, never mind my other side hustles.

But it came at a cost.

I passed up on opportunities

I had a lot of opportunities to grow as a writer and as an entrepreneur last year that I had to pass on. It was simply because I didn’t have the time. I was too weighed down by work for clients.

Looking back, some of those opportunities could’ve sprouted and grown into much bigger paydays but I missed out on them.

I sacrificed my mental health

At one point I was writing so much for clients that all I did most days was write. I finished work for one and moved to the next.

In doing this, I burned out again and again. Even when I did take a break, the idea of coming back to write for clients again was a sore thought in my mind.

This toll on my mental health caused my productivity to take a nosedive. I did lower-quality work for my clients and for my own projects.

My physical health dwindled

I used to write a ton of fitness and health stories, but I stopped doing it halfway through 2021 because I wasn’t exercising as much.

At that time, I was spending more time writing for clients and had less time to focus on myself. I was eating poorly, not working out and sleeping less.

This resulted in gaining unnecessary weight and unhealthy thoughts about my own image.

The worst part about my physical health dwindling was that I could see it happening. I realized I was exchanging time for money instead of health — and I was OK with that for months.

Now it’s all about me

Instead of working for clients this year, I’ve decided to do something crazy: Work for myself.

Why would I help a client boost a website that’s making them thousands of dollars every month when I clearly already possess the skills to boost my own?

For reasons like that, I’ve decided to go all-in on myself. No more working for someone else when I could try trusting myself instead.

I understand this means I’ll be taking on a lot more risk than I was before, but that’s OK. If I fail, at least I did it my way.

I thought I was at the top

Before I started freelancing, I thought writing for clients was the endgame. I read articles and watched videos about how profitable it could be and the money that could be made from home.

Once I got my first few clients, I started to see a future where I could get paid from wherever I want.

However, I’ve realized having clients IS NOT the top of the totem pole.

There are so many better opportunities to pursue that are more profitable than working for a client. The best one is investing in yourself and your own endeavors.

And that doesn’t mean writing for clients is all bad. For one of my clients, instead of opting out of my contract, I became a partner instead. I’m making less money but I’m learning more and getting more out of my situation than before.

Here’s my new plan

Instead of writing for clients, here’s the plan I’ve devised for myself.

Books

I already wrote a book about side hustles, but I think I have a few more left in me. My goal is to not only get better at writing self-published books but also improve at marketing them and making them profitable.

Websites

I learned first-hand from writing for clients there’s a lot of money in owning a blog. After partnering with that client on a blog, I’ve learned the basics of creating content online, driving in traffic and monetizing it.

My Side Hustle Club newsletter grew a lot in 2021 and my hope is it continues to grow. I want to offer more value to readers and grow my audience.

Physical health

I gotta get back into shape. It helps me write better and clears my mind. Working out consistently is a major goal this year.

Enjoy life

Instead of aiming my intentions at earning money, I want to be focused on saving it and using it to enjoy life more. I was so work-focused last year with clients that I missed out on a lot of fun I could’ve had.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you’d like to support me as a writer, consider signing up to become a Medium member. It’s just $5 a month and you get unlimited access to Medium.