Have you ever wondered how a freelance copywriting income might compare to an on-staff income? Lucky for you, we are catching up with CCA Student turned student coach, Stuart Tarn, and he’s sharing all of the details about his move from on staff to freelance.
In this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate speak with Stuart about how he’s actually making more money freelancing, how he’s improved as a copywriter, and unique ways that he’s found to help his clients find solutions to their specific challenges.
Listen to Stuart’s first BYCB podcast interview from early 2021! >
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Prefer to watch the episode? Hit play below (plus, hit “cc” to toggle on closed captioning)!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[1:21] Nicki introduces special guest, Stuart Tarn, and hints at some of the recent success that Stuart has found in his copywriting career.
[1:57] Stuart mentions how he recently made the decision to leave his full-time position in order to full-time freelance. He says that it has been a major change, but an exciting one nonetheless.
[2:45] Nicki asks Stuart what his plan looked like for switching to full-time freelance. Stuart explains how originally he never had any plans to freelance and own his own business, but that his plans changed the more he dove into the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy.
[4:33] Stuart mentions that to make his transition to freelance work he saved up his copywriting income to have six months’ worth of income in the bank before he left his full-time position. He says that he didn’t want to have his bill payments relying on if a client paid him on-time or not.
[8:37] Kate asks Stuart to share what motivated him to switch to full-time freelance. He said that the opportunities freelance copywriting offered, like flexibility, added creativity, and getting paid to do something he loves helped him make his decision.
[11:52] Nicki asks Stuart to share how his earnings have stacked up to his previous position. Stuart explains that based on the invoices that are still out there, he has made 1,100 pounds more per month than when he was on staff!
[14:54] Kate asks Stuart how it helped him to freelance part-time before switching to full-time. Stuart explains that he had a full schedule of freelance clients booked before he left his full-time role and that helped him smoothly switch to full-time freelance.
[17:27] Stuart mentions how he no longer worries about how good his writing is. He knows that it must be good because of all of the repeat clients that he has, but instead he works on making sure he nails the creative brief and uses that as his feedback.
[25:07] Nicki asks Stuart to hit on some of the challenges he’s had to overcome in the switch to full-time freelance. Stuart mentions that keeping his motivation up is the largest challenge, especially when projects get delayed or clients go quiet for some time.
[30:00] Stuart notes that he has a goal to send one pitch a week for this quarter even though he has plenty of clients at the moment. He says that he wants to keep the opportunities coming in the weeks ahead.
[33:20] Nicki and Stuart give a reminder to all freelancers to take advantage of the flexibility that freelancing offers! Stuart points out that you should not feel guilty for being away from your desk!
Mentioned on This Episode
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 15+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
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Last Updated on April 24, 2025
