No Pain, No Gain

It is very painful to say 'no' to new business. But sometimes you teeter on that edge between taking on one more assignment and potentially losing control of your house of cards, and gracefully declining so that you can give your best to your current projects. In all fairness, isn't that a position many small businesses would like to find themselves in? I suppose it is, but it doesn't make it any easier.

I am juggling a number of small jobs for a valued client and many of them seem to mushroom into more than I signed on for. This sends my precarious time management system into a tailspin. Just when I thought I was getting organized, the job that should have taken about 3 or 4 emails on an afternoon in late October, is STILL in progress because of one more screw up. I guess I'm choosing this venue to wail and lament because I signed on for the afternoon, not for two months. It's an example of how we can't predict when mistakes happen, and we can't control what others do. When all is said and done, the client will have a correct and updated version of a document for sharing with their distributors.

I need to remind myself that I am indeed in the customer service business, regardless of my illusion of being in the writing business. If the customer can walk away satisfied at the end of the day, I've done my job.

Email: Heaven or He**?

At the end of any given day I am amazed at how much was accomplished through the miracle of email. Final edits sent off to clients, quotes given, approval submitted, and happy stories shared with others. For the most part, email has provided us with a wonderful way to get the facts to and from each other with great speed and efficiency. We are getting more done than ever before.
Or are we? Because so much of what I do depends on people getting back to me before I can proceed, I need to check my email frequently. This is good and bad. I can get several things done at once and since sending an email only takes a minute or two, it is a minor disruption while I'm actually tucked into a writing project. The problem occurs when mingled in with the relevant emails I find a newsletter from my favourite writing guru. Oops, I find myself off reading and before I know it 15 minutes has passed by.

Although I am controlling myself much better these days, those little distractions disrupt my flow. In addition to the 'fun email' distractions, there are the myriad of back and forth emails when someone is trying to figure out a small detail of a job. When working out the details of a job, we could find ourselves going back and forth 20 times! Yesterday I decided to pick up the phone and within 10 minutes had three of the back and forth jobs figured out. As a bonus, it was pleasant actually chatting with someone and laughing about how much more efficient it is for us to have the conversation on the phone.

I guess I will continue my love/hate relationship with email. Now if only I could tame the demons that tempt me to click on that little envelope icon every 10 minutes or so!

Business Ethics

I had an opportunity this week to work with a client of a client. At first I was excited at the prospect of a potentially new client with lots of work possibilities. I didn't think there was any conflict of interest as what I was asked to write was something I didn't think was supplied by my original client. I then learned that it WAS something they do, so I had to bow out.

Saying 'no' to any new business is extremely difficult for me. Not only does it limit my ability to grow my business, but it also deprives me of an opportunity to do what I love - write. But as I think about the situation, I knew there was a reason that I had a 'gut feeling' to turn down the new business. I have worked very hard to forge an excellent working relationship with the first client and it just didn't seem right not to be openly candid about business dealings relating to his client. In the long run, I know he appreciates my honesty and I can sleep well at night knowing that I did what I felt was right.

In the end, I believe good and bad comes back to you. Today I interviewed yet another new client due to a referral made by another associate. Open and honest communication have worked for me so far, so I think I'll stick with it.

Ezines and Newsletters

In developing my marketing strategies, I have decided that I would like to publish an ezine on a monthly basis. My objective is twofold: to help aspiring writers get their business jump-started and to get my name out there as someone who works extremely well with small to medium-size enterprises in perfecting their communications materials.

My research has brought me to ezEzine which is a terrific place to start. I decided that before I could sign up with them, I would come up with twelve ezine topic ideas so that I would know what I'd be writing about for the next year. Well, that didn't take much time at all as I seem to have MILLIONS of ideas. But I wanted to focus and make it clear what the objective was of the ezine. So I have entitled it "Real Writers Top Ten". The brief description is: 'A monthly ezine to give a leg up to aspiring writers and small businesses using the voice of experience lightly sprinkled with humour."

The newsletter will be small at first as it focuses on ten key points related to issues such as becoming a writer, marketing, researching, creating a website, and the business side of writing. As it develops, I hope to incorporate useful links to get the readers excited about making their business a success and appropriate affiliates to direct them to relevant products and services.

Now I'm off to figure out how this whole thing is going to work and how I'm going to get subscribers!

Beautiful Alliances

What an exciting time for my writing business! It seems that one project leads to the next and more interesting opportunities are presenting themselves almost daily. Yet I know that to successfully manage my writing business I will need to keep an eye on marketing.

So, I am delighted to have made an alliance with a new friend and graphic artist, Amanda Zylstra. She's setting up her website as we speak (with yours truly helping a bit with the words) and I'm having a wonderful time watching her work through the process. It brings me back a couple years to a time when I made my first website and thought I was 'all that' because I actually figured it out. Truth is, it wasn't very tough. But I didn't know that, so it was a great sense of accomplishment. Now, with Amanda's help, I can take the design of my site up a notch and incorporate some of her suggestions to make it more appealing. You can visit her at www.studio19.ca to see how she's doing and you're welcome to check out www.communicationartistry.ca to see my changes. I've come to realize that a website is a living entity that needs constant updating and changing to be of value.

We are both planning on developing our individual businesses with an eye to offering a 'one stop shop' for clients needing design and copy. It's an exciting new day for Communication Artistry and in the world of sole proprietorship, alliances are a welcome breath of fresh air.

The Oprah Experience

Yes, it was very cool. I was thrilled to say the least when my friend Nicola called and asked if I wanted to go to the show with her. Who wouldn't? And the fact that we had to leave on the first day of school and be gone for most of that week was, um, inconvenient. But she managed to get the time off work and I managed to have a supportive husband and we were off and running with our plans.

It took about 10 hours to drive to Chicago but the roads were clear and the driving was easy. Nicola had assembled three 'trip' CD's for us to listen to so there was no lack of great music. We hadn't seen each other in a while so there was no lack of conversation either. That's what I love about good friends - lots of time can go by between chats and it seems that gap melts away upon the next conversation.

We got to our hotel thanks to Joyce the voice (GPS system) and found fabulous food at PF Changs just around the corner. We hit the hay early as we had to be at the studio by 6:30 am to begin the adventure. We arrived on time and joined the already long line up. After about an hour and a half we boarded a bus that took us to the movie theatre to screen "Sicko", Michael Moore's film about the health care system in the US. It was horrible to see (his version) of what happens to our neighbours to the south. I felt truly blessed and decided at that moment that there was nothing that could entice me to ever live there.

Following the movie, we made our way back to the bus and grabbed the provided box of lunch on the way. We sat and ate the sandwich in the bus as we waited for everyone to get on (there were 4 or 5 buses) then back to the studio we went. By now it was about 11:30 or 12:00 and we waited in line again outside Harpo Studios as everyone had to go through security before getting in. Of course it was mostly women, who almost all had purses that needed to be checked, so that whole process took ages. Once we were in, we had to go up a flight of stairs to a waiting room. This room was too small for the number of people that went into it, so there was standing room only and by this time people were sweating a lot and complaining about sore feet and backs.

Finally, people who had been called to join the show were being called down to the studio and soon Nicola's name was called. Holy cow! We were seated in the fourth row and I had an aisle seat! I had a direct view of Oprah. At this point I didn't even care what the show was about, I just felt good that I was there.

The show seemed short after all the waiting, but it was interesting and it was terrific to hear Michael Moore be so passionate about the topic. Several people from the audience had questions and comments and Nicola had her hand up but was not called upon. Ah well, maybe we'll see ourselves on TV anyway. Immediately following the taping, we were asked to stay seated so that Oprah and the green room guests could exit then we were allowed to file out. We were directed right out of the building and when I asked where the store was I was told I'd have to buy t-shirts online. All this way and I still have to pay duty and shipping for my souvenir!

Nicola and I went back to the hotel room and freshened up then shopped like crazy along the Magnificent Mile. It was fun and exhausting. We found a terrific place to eat called the Weber Grill then made our way back to our room again and prepared to pack up and head home the next day.

We would definitely do it again but maybe just go to a show rather than go to one where we have to screen a movie first! We should be so lucky.

On The Move

I always found pleasure in pursuing my writing activities in a variety of locations. My trusty pad and pen accompanied me to the library, the park, the coffee shop -and always allowed me to capture snippets of conversations or funky setting descriptions to incorporate into whatever project I was working on. I also found that something I had written in the more confined space of my office would somehow look different in another place. My best editing took place anywhere else.

Fast forward to today and I am blessed to have a laptop to help me with my work. Since so many projects are web site copy or newsletter editing, it makes more sense to tackle them on a computer. Working on several pages of text at a time really lends itself to the memory and screen of a laptop. Even without a 'hot spot' to connect me, I had copied clips from various websites into OneNote which enabled me to get some ideas from the Internet even when I wasn't connected. All this while sitting in a waiting room for several hours.

Even now I have moved to a different room to give me a fresh perspective while I try to keep my commitment of writing a weekly blog. The overstuffed couch is comfortable and with my feet up on the coffee table I am very relaxed. And that is always helpful when trying to be creative.

Time Management

I'm not exactly the 'word' in managing time, but I have been giving it more serious consideration lately with an increasingly busy schedule. I find that I come up with terrific plans and the best of intentions, then splat! things come crashing down.

Well, I think that to be successful in any business you need to be able to keep busy and fresh. This means managing your time to seek out new opportunities and ways of doing the same thing in a different way. So here I am revisiting my long-ignored blog hoping that I can share with readers bits that I've learned about the writing life. Well, today's nugget is to manage your time.

So the plan is this: Monday will be the day for the weekly blog post. There will be a chunk of time every afternoon dedicated to marketing. Early morning hours will be my 'quiet time' opportunity to edit my novel or work on my new book. Other than that, I find that my time is largely flexible based on the urgency of the various projects on my plate and their deadlines. And, for heaven's sake, stop checking email ten times a day! Most of my projects require frequent email communication, but I plan to streamline that a little so that specific times will be email 'check & response' times.

Well, that's my plan. You'll know if it's working for me if I actually remember to make a blog post next Monday. Enjoy your writing week!

Hire a Professional

I have just approved the final artwork for my new company logo. The process was so efficient, I can't believe I waited this long. But I guess like many self-employed, small business people we think we can do everything ourselves. And for the most part, we can. But in the words of the king of copywriting, Bob Bly, "Unless you are making your top rate for an activity or love what you're doing, delegate it elsewhere." It makes total sense.

Hiring a professional graphic artist to create the logo was the right choice for me at this moment because I am now getting much more work and my name is getting out there. I was also starting to get a little bored with and embarrassed by my 'template' logo. To try and recreate one on my own would have resulted in far too much stress. Instead I contacted someone recommended by a friend and less than a week later she had produced a wonderful piece of art for me. All I had to do was be the client and pay the bill. No stress...just creative fun. Hmmm, gotta love that!

Although my blog posts have been sadly infrequent (did I mention that I'm getting much more work now?), I hope to remedy that and incorporate it into my weekly routine. At the very least, I will post a note here to let you know when the new logo has been uploaded to my site. To see the old, boring logo for comparison check out www.communicationartistry.ca.

Beyond Writing

Most writers I know are happy to spend their time writing away either at their computer or with pen in hand...anytime and anywhere. I include myself in that group but I find the researching part just as interesting and fun as the writing process itself. It's like feeding my mind with something different every day.

What I am discovering as my writing business develops, is that the other seemingly mundane tasks such as editing and proofreading are as much in demand as writing itself. I cannot tell you how many potential clients I have met who 'started' writing something and then got lost and need help. I like to pride myself on being a 'finisher'. Many people are perfectly capable writers so they'll give the project a try only to discover that it was more work than they imagined or that their vast knowledge on a subject resulted in a mere 300 words when they thought it would be ten times that.

Part of the fun of being a writer is being able to help out folks in that situation. It feels wonderful to take something and turn it around. The old 'sows ear into a leather purse' scenario. I think it also brings value to a project when you can help the client to develop their own skills and become less dependent on you. This may not sound like logical business practice, but it is my experience that developing relationships (which includes doing joe jobs and teaching writing lessons) is infinitely more valuable than getting the job, doing it and moving on. We may be poised in front of a keyboard for the better part of a day, but it's our interactions with people that develop our character and consequently our 'saleability'. If I want to be truly spectacular at what I do, it starts with being the best person I can be and sharing that through my writing and my interactions with others. I'm still a work in progress.

Discovering A Niche

When you are crazy about all things related to writing and researching, you find yourself opening up to just about any topic out there as a potential for your next article or blog posting. The problem with that is you become a 'jack of all trades, master of none'. Yes, you are intelligent enough to learn about any subject to the point where you can discuss it briefly. But I think what sets a writer truly apart is one who can find one or two topics that he/she is deeply interested in and commit to those topics. When this happens, you tend to dig a lot deeper into a subject and therefore come up with more unique, original angles resulting in more compelling copy.

So, here I am struggling to find my niche so I can get down to business and FOCUS already! What I have decided for sure is that I would like to concentrate on my passions. Other than writing they are: karate, motorcycles, and the elderly. So at this point I have been researching places to market my karate writing while simultaneously reading a lot about motorcycles. (Although I ride one, I still consider myself a novice and only qualified to write from that perspective). As far as the elderly go, well, I'm unsure where that market will take me. All I know is that I feel there are certain portions of the senior population who are virtually treated as throw aways and I am trying to figure out what can be done to highlight this. Any ideas are welcome.

In the meantime, I'll continue to read, write and surf to see where these subjects will take me.

It's A Business as well as a Passion

Being tax time, I find myself working through the financial details of my writing business to ensure that everything is properly accounted for. This is one of those right brain things that simply has to get done on a regular basis. If you leave it too long....well, let's just say it's bound to come up and bite you from behind.

As much as writing is a creative pursuit, if you truly want to spend your time doing what you love you have to make sure your ducks are in a row. Take a look at your marketing strategy. Have you thought out where your next jobs are coming from? Review your budget items and see whether you are keeping your expenses in line with your forecasts. How do things stand with your invoicing? Are you billing customers promptly and making sure they pay in the agreed upon time frame? These are all simple strategies that, left unattended, can end your business quickly.

So take a few moments now and see about your financial affairs. Once they're put to rest, you can get on with your creative day.

Finding a Web Presence

The majority of my writing lately has been business profiles. I find that the process of interviewing people and determining the best angle to tell their story has been a very joyful experience. The businesses and people are so diverse and they each have a wonderful take on the importance of their customers. It's such a mixed bag and I have yet to post the most recent ones to my website. Keeping the site current with my latest projects has proven to be my biggest challenge. If you go to www.communicationartistry.ca you will connect to some older samples and I am setting up www.communicationartistry.com to be a more developed site.
You'll be able to see pdf's of various brochures, press releases and marketing materials once I get them up. Keep coming back to see what's new!

Passion To Write

It's a cinch to find web sites to help you with your freelance writing business. Most of them will offer you the opportunity to purchase their book or ebook and will provide you with the top ten things to do to make lots of cash with your writing, tips to get you motivated when you have writer's block, little known markets on the web or perfecting your search engine optimization skills.
I have read much of this material and have purchased many items. Some have been helpful, some not so much. They all managed to tell me what I already knew. If I want to be a successful writer, I MUST WRITE! Silly in its simplicity, the bottom line is that if anyone wants to make an income as a writer, they must commit to the task of writing. Regularly and consistently. And submit it to whatever the desired markets are with no regard for potential rejection.
If you're passionate about writing, you will get started writing now.