Courtney is a writer who went from working seven days a week in government to becoming a successful freelance copywriter.
In this episode, Courtney shares her story of how she built her business in 15 months and now lives life on her terms. Courtney also shares tips on how to get started, the power of networking, the importance of speaking up, taking risks, and finding the right support system.
Tune in to Courtney’s inspirational story!
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Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[0:50] Introduction and Courtney’s background.
[3:06] Pivoting from the entertainment & music industry to a job that allowed more flexibility to be a mom.
[5:26] Quitting full-time job in October of 2021.
[7:55] Courtney’s life now as a copywriter with increased flexibility because “I live life on my terms now.” “So before — single mom, gotta get up take the kid to the before-school program or drop him off at school. Get in the traffic … I mean it was all over the place. I’m leaving the house by 7 in the morning and I’m not home til 6 or 7 at night. And it was a lot, but you know what? It’s what most people do every day, right? Now … my morning starts slow, how I like it to. There’s not this mad dash in the morning. And then my day just depends! [My son] plays basketball, I can go to his games—at 3:30 in the afternoon and I’m not asking anyone, ‘Can I attend?'”
“I tell you, I live life on my terms now. And I’m still trying to come off this cloud, of this is really my life! Because it’s so vastly different. I’m at peace. There’s not as much stress. Anything my sons needs, I can attend to it. I have autonomy over my day, over my schedule. 10 out of 10 experience, I just can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner!”
[10:15] “… Nicki, you said in trainings … and it really stuck with me … and I actually have this, I’m looking at this sticky on my computer, ‘You don’t get through self-doubt before taking action. You get through it by taking the action.’ I felt all the stuff. All the stuff come up for me. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m new at this.’ … I just kept doing it anyway.”
“The other thing you said is ‘There is more copy to be written in this world than there are people who can write it.’ And I tell you, I meet these clients and they’re not super experts. They’re like look ‘I don’t really know writing like that. I don’t have time for that. I want something that sounds good. I want something that speaks to my client.’ And I’m telling you, that benefits versus features foundation, that’s it! You can really get started if you just get that concept down. Get the brand voice down … If you can get those concepts clear, you can start making money as a copywriter. And all of the other pieces will come.”
[12:48] “The CCA…meets everything you need.” Courtney talks about using the CCA videos as she runs into different situations.
[14:08] You have to adopt the mindset that you can do it.
[14:58] Why Courtney prefers copywriting to writing social posts or content.
[18:23] How to tap into in-person networking.
[22:51] Landing a client on retainer by speaking up and offering expertise.
[25:03] Looking to the future: doing work as an S-Corp and only working 6 months of the year.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you listen to the entire conversation! But, here are a few of the highlights:
“I’m a writer by nature, so I knew that I had skill. But I needed to know what it really meant to be a copywriter. I’ll never forget I did that first module—features vs. benefits—and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got this! I’m on my way! Features vs. benefits? I get that! That makes so much sense!’ And really from there I just started finding people I could write for. Literally, when I would book a job, I’d go into the CCA, ‘let me see…email … let me take that course. Let me figure that out.’ I didn’t wait.” – Courtney
“I started in March, I booked a 4-figure client by May. It’s possible! And people will book you. It’s the mindset and the confidence, but you just got to be prepared for the self doubt to come and work through it.” – Courtney
“I really adopted this mindset of ‘If they can do it, I can do it.’ I would go through the Facebook group and look for people’s testimonials and their stories of success and things that the’ve done. I’m like, ‘Ok. I can do it! If they can do it, I can do it! Really, I adopted that mantra wholeheartedly and it really has paid off.”
“I have surpassed my 9-5 income. Last month was my highest grossing month. I’m like thiiiis close to 10K, I can’t even believe this is my life. I really can’t. My advice to anyone listening to this is to just go for it. Find a few people you can start writing for.” – Courtney
“I even think about my life before copywriting … there was one point in my life i was working 7 days a week … raising a kid! working 7 days a week. Moonlighting in the evenings and the weekends. I waitressed. all kinds of stuff. I now have one job. One income. And it takes care of eveything and then some. And I have peace. I have so much peace. I am a regular, degular person. I mean you hear this — especially when you’re just getting started, and you haven’t had a lot of success yet. I was that girl 10 months ago! I would binge these episodes and be like wow … that’s possible for them? It can happen for me, too!” – Courtney
“I think people really get hung up on trying to do it perfect. Just do it. You will learn.”
“When you’ve been ingrained… my dad’s a government working, my sister, we all worked for the government! So it was just ingrained in me to be this way. And when you go against the grain, oh my God! So much fear. So much self doubt. So much waiting for the other shoe to drop. I constantly have to remind myself you’re ok.” – Courtney
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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 10+ 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 December 13, 2023