Ever feel like the only way forward in your career… is up a corporate ladder that you don’t even want to be on in the first place?
Yvonne did, too. After 15+ years in communications roles at mission-driven nonprofits, she knew things had to shift after the birth of her son.
She asked a question many parents ask:
“How can I do work I love, get paid my worth, and still be present for my family?”
On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Yvonne shares how discovering copywriting gave her a path to both professional purpose and personal balance.
She also shares her approach to client outreach (yes, she really took our “It’s just an email” advice to heart!) and offers smart, honest tips for pitching in a way that feels natural and authentic—especially if you’re new.
If you’re dreaming of a career that fits your life, not the other way around, let Yvonne’s story provide you with a healthy dose of inspiration.
There is a way to fulfillment in all areas of your life—if you’re willing to get creative and look away from the typical “ladder” and climb your own.
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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
[02:00] I’ve always loved writing. In Highschool, I was the editor of the Highschool newspaper. And then in grad school, I was the editor of the Graduate Student Journal of International Affairs. I worked for about 15 years for national mission-driven nonprofits. So I get a chance to wear a lot of hats, but I was mostly in communications roles and program roles.
[02:40] My son was born in 2018, and that was huge. So I took a step back to focus on family, and that was the right decision for me. Whenever I would look for opportunities, I never could really find something that was a good fit for me to do part-time. In the United States, it’s really hard to find that work-family balance.
[04:05] Asked myself, what do I love doing? What am I good at doing? If the world ended tomorrow, what would I keep on doing? Well, it’s being a mother and a wife, but writing is my first passion.
[04:20] I saw the CCA ad on Facebook, and I researched it. I really like the way it’s enabled me to hone those skills as a copywriter. And build the business side as a freelancer because working for nonprofits, I was doing the work.
[05:00] People are really looking for responsible brands. And so I feel like whenever I revisit my Why, it re-energizes me. It gives me purpose, and it gives me the drive I’m going. I love supporting purpose-oriented brands that I really care about, because I come from such a mission-driven background.
[05:48] Focusing on my values. What do I stand for? The reason why I like copywriting is that you personalize it to your style. For about eight years, I worked for a national nonprofit that had a lot of corporate partners. I got a chance to do a lot of CSR content marketing, CSR storytelling. I really want to make that a sweet spot.
[06:32] With the CCA training, I feel like I’m that much more effective as a communicator, as a copywriter, content marketer. So, I’m reaching back out to a lot of companies that I worked with before, my professional network, and see if I can help support their work and offer, copywriting, communications, content marketing support.
[08:10] Sometimes I go to, small business events, and I’m really grateful that I have a thriving, very supportive small business community here. I’m very honest and authentic, I tell them about my past, but say, I just launched my first copywriting business, and here are some opportunities that I see, could we have a conversation, and try to keep it short.
[13:10] I need a deadline, I’m very deadline driven, so if I say, I only have two hours to do this, or whatever amount of time it is, it’ll force me to focus, and to budget my time, and my resources. It’s just being disciplined, and setting boundaries.
[15:00] Giving myself realistic time frames, I always feel like everything has to get done right away, but just giving myself enough time and realizing that when you’re just starting out, it’s going to take some time, and that’s okay, just set realistic goals for yourself and celebrate the wins. Just be a continuous learner, or like a recovering perfectionist.
[16:39] Everyone has different trajectories and different pathways, but I started CCA, I finished the training, I built my online portfolio website, I launched my business, and I’ve been able to work and have some small business clients. I’ve been able to really improve as a copywriter, and I’ve gained confidence to reach back out to my professional network. It’s taken a while, but it’s happening.
[19:00] Personally, I just have to grow, it’s been an opportunity for me to grow in perseverance and patience, especially in this day and age, with technology, we expect things very quickly. But you just have to be patient.
[22:00] Everyone has different definitions of success, and when I felt myself getting discouraged, or getting derailed, or distracted, I would go back, and I’d pull out the piece of paper; Why am I doing this? and that would really help ground me and refocus me. Why am I doing this? What are my values? Where have I come? And then just go from there.
[24:00] As your own business owner, as a freelancer, I really like that I’m able to set the pace and direction of my career, and so that means taking on the amount of clients that I can take on, and I have control over that, and so on one hand, that’s scary, right, but on the other hand, it’s liberating, and I like that freedom and that flexibility, and I feel like I can actually focus and provide quality work.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“The CCA for me and having a copywriting career that offers this hope of being able to do work I love while managing work and family.” – Yvonne
“It’s not necessarily a pitch, but it’s just a networking call, I’m giving them an update on what I’m doing, and try to keep it short.” – Yvonne
“One of the best tactics is to be authentic, is to be yourself, not have to put on some kind of persona, just show up as yourself.” – Yvonne
“When you don’t have a deadline, and we don’t have constraints, you can just spend forever on something. It never gets done,” – Yvonne
“This sounds very basic, but it’s very meaningful for me, perseverance and patience, and just keep moving forward.” – Yvonne
“When we step into something that is new, and we take a chance, and maybe we get outside of our comfort zone. We emerge as a different person on the other side of it.” – Nicki
Mentioned in the Episode
- yvonneturnercopy.com
- Ep. 62: Defining Copywriting Success for Yourself
- Ep. 187: Change My Mind About Advertising! How to Be an Ethical Copywriter
- Freelance Copywriter Benefits: How to Build Your Own Benefits Package
Related Links
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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.
