Just a few months ago, Charlotte had no idea what copywriting even was! She set the goal of replacing her teaching income by August of 2023, when her youngest child started going to school. Spoiler: she replaced her income within six months of joining the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy.
On this episode, Nicki, Kate, and CCA student Charlotte talk about the transition from teaching to copywriting, including how Charlotte set the goal to leave her job, how she built up a financial safety net, and what it’s been like working from New Zealand with clients all over the world.
Psst: We’ve since caught up with Charlotte to hear all about where she is now—more than 2 years after this interview! Check it out here >
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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
[1:30] Our hosts introduce us to Charlotte, a former teacher with young children who was starting to feel burned out and wanted more flexibility to create a better work/life balance. She also felt like not all of her strengths were being utilized in the classroom.
[3:45] Prior to seeing a CCA ad on Facebook, Charlotte had never heard of copywriting and had no idea what it was.
[5:00] Charlotte’s initial goal was to replace her income by August 2023 when her youngest child would be heading off to school. Spoiler alert – Charlotte was able to leave teaching this fall and jump into copywriting full time!
[7:30] Charlotte is now working full time as a copywriter, splitting her time between freelance clients and working for an agency. And she is making more than she was as a teacher! The flexibility has been life changing for both Charlotte and her family.
[10:15] Even though she is working full time Charlotte recognizes that she is still learning so much and really values the different views and ideas she finds in the CCA student-only Facebook group.
[12:50] Your clients don’t have to be local when working as a freelancer. Charlotte lives in New Zealand but has clients in North American, Europe, New Zealand and Australia!
[16:00] There are only so many hours in the day, and it’s not practical for one person to do both the CEO tasks and the administrative tasks. Charlotte is realizing that as a business owner she is ready to outsource some of the tasks that are important but not a great use of her time and strengths.
[19:40] To anyone thinking about becoming a copywriter, Charlotte says to do it but be ready to give it 100% and to persevere. It takes time and courage to do something different and learn something new.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you listen to the entire conversation! But, here are a few of the highlights:
“The best case scenario is it works out great—you never know. How am I ever going to give it my all and know what’s possible without making the leap?” – Charlotte
“The flexibility has been really life changing. This week my seven-year-old had a half-day at school. Normally, I would have been like OK, I have to take the afternoon off. Or what do I do? This time I was just like, I’ll pick up the kids, go to the pool, have some fun in the afternoon and just catch up on work later in the evening.” – Charlotte
“If you’ve got a goal, then you have to be willing to work towards it and take those steps. And so I think for me it was just like, ‘Yep, I can see what I want and I’m going to do what it takes no matter what it takes, whether I feel like it or not.’ I’m just going to keep that goal in mind and keep working for it.” – Charlotte
“It’s about realizing that you’re a business owner and you don’t have to be a one-man band forever, especially if there is something you can outsource.” – Charlotte
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 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 April 23, 2025
