Ways to Improve Your Freelance Business

When you are stuck in the startup stage for a year.

When you’ve been unemployed for over six months, all you hear is crickets. As you wait for your next job, you try all the content mills, but you cannot make enough money to survive. Because your state or province has imposed a certain salary cap, you don’t qualify for unemployment benefits and welfare.

You then decide to become a freelance copywriter. Due to the pandemic, there are thousands of freelance writers setting out to break into the market. Meanwhile, you set up a website, network on Zoom, and do everything you can to get clients. Again, you hear crickets. Could there be a problem with your website? Do you not post enough on social media? Is there any other way to attract clients, besides podcasting, networking, and social media? Do you struggle to sell your business?

Myself.

Yes, Medium pays me, but it’s not even over $50 a month. I still struggle to get more people to read my articles. It’s only been six months since I joined Medium. New users who believe they will earn $100 after they get 100 followers are mistaken; it doesn’t work that way.

Over the past few weeks, I was interviewed for the first time in over two years. Unfortunately, I did not get the job.

My business has yet to attract the clients I want.

So, I met with an entrepreneur coach, two weeks ago through Zoom. During our conversation, I mentioned what target audience I am looking for. I was then introduced to a banker who deals with businesses that my target audience works for (If you’re curious, mine are people working in the local entertainment industry.)

Yesterday, I met with this contact. He said something that I didn’t expect. It seems that there are always organizations and artists in need of money. Grant writing is the only way for them to obtain this funding. This is a pain in the you-know-what.

I have never written a grant in my life. Almost everything I write is from my own experience, and I have created audio ads in the past. I must now find a grant writing class online. It’s another step back, at the same time another step forward.

It’s a step back since I need to take classes. But it’s one step closer to distinguishing myself from other copywriters in the entertainment industry.

Aside from that, I got my email address on a newsletter to see if there are networking events in the niche I am interested in. Meanwhile, the pandemic isn’t over yet, so I’ll have to wait a little longer. Because most people are vaccinated, restrictions have disappeared, but Covid remains.

What is Grant Writing?

Those of you who don’t know, Grant writing is the process of writing an application for funding from your government, corporation, or foundation. Apart from that, I don’t know anything else about it. I think it might be like writing a pitch to request funding for a play, concert, or a film shoot in your area. Working in the arts isn’t cheap. A production or a concert needs money for everything. This is why these organizations require more grant writers.

The Lesson.

Once you have identified your niche, you must reach out to the people who are in it. That is a big challenge if you don’t know anyone in the industry. That’s why networking is the key. In my first meeting with the Entrepreneur Coach, I didn’t know that she knew someone who dealt with those in the fine arts. Then I met this person. Now I have some more information and I still have to do the leg work.

If you’ve tried an Entrepreneur Coach or Instructor in the past, and it didn’t work, try another one. Eventually, you’ll meet someone who knows someone. Nevertheless, they might give you a better idea of the niche you want to enter.

You might learn something new about your niche from that network, such as a new pain point.

There are many articles online that want you to do something that will give you instant results, but the truth is, that won’t work. Freelance writing takes time. Also, there will be times when you are busy working, and other times when you are struggling to find clients. It is a vicious cycle, but it might be worth it in the end if you stick to it.

Also, if there is a new copywriting format to use in your niche (such as Case Studies, for instance) that you haven’t done before. Take a class online to learn how to do it. Always stay on top of your game by learning something new.

For Me.

My ADHD is the biggest obstacle to finding freelance work for me. I’m constantly distracted by the Internet and social media. There are a bunch of things on my To-Do list, both personal and professional. Now I’m searching the web for a system to which I can stick to and not just freelance business goals.

As a freelancer with ADHD, I’d like to know how you keep focused on your work.