This episode isn’t really about copywriting.
It’s about building your career around your life instead of the other way around.
CCA student, copywriter, and ESL educator Andi is sharing how she’s taking one imperfect step after another to do just that.
On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, Andi is bringing us on a journey from Kenya to Vietnam to Montana.
And her insights are unparalleled, like how she realized as much as she thought she’d love working from home alone, she needed human interaction. So, she connected with fellow CCA student Lisa in Malaysia to stay accountable on her copywriting goals.
(Hi, Lisa! 👋)
Andi is sharing not only a wealth of advice on working with local businesses, but also on how she’s aligning her career with her values.
She says she hasn’t got it all figured out, but once you listen to this, I think you’ll agree that her mindset is one to aspire towards!
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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
[01:50] My upbringing as a military child helped me develop a vital life skill to adapt and feel completely comfortable living anywhere. Though my undergraduate degree was in environmental science, my true calling led me to travel and teach overseas in Kenya and Vietnam.
[04:27] While taking an intentional month to adapt to the massive time zone difference in Vietnam, I rejoined Facebook under a false name to network. During this transition, a copywriting training ad crossed my consciousness, prompting me to take the jump and invest in myself.
[07:38] My freelance career evolved into a slow, two-year process of incremental progress because life and teaching license demands stacked up heavily. Moving at a deliberate pace was painful for a high achiever, but it proved necessary to build a thick skin against client rejection.
[12:35] To maintain consistent momentum, I connected with Lisa, a fellow student based in Malaysia who became my weekly accountability partner. Having a trusted peer in a similar time zone to review my copy and share client management advice kept me anchored.
[16:35] I used to romanticize the dream of working entirely alone at home, but I quickly discovered that extreme isolation drained me. I realized that I didn’t actually hate my previous line of work; I simply required a collaborative environment with human interaction.
[18:52] After facing severe burnout from a intense work culture overseas, I made the hard decision to return to the United States. The universe immediately validated my choice by offering me an ESL college instructor role and a copywriting position with a past employer.
[33:57] Attending local entrepreneurship talks taught me that Montanans prioritize geographic location and community roots over transactional job titles. I successfully leverage this regional context by striking up authentic, low-pressure relationships at local farmers’ markets and coffee shops.
[38:21] I recently reconnected with a client owning vacation cabins, finding out he had saved my ignored email pitch until he actively needed it. I remind myself that silence isn’t a reflection of my talent, and I must keep throwing seeds out for future crops.
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:
“I’ve used that to my advantage to get to travel, to get to teach and see more of the world than perhaps I would’ve if I just stayed here.” – Andi
“The copywriting journey for me has been so much more emotional than it has… there’s an identity that has to be assumed.” -Andi
“Being a business owner means that you don’t necessarily have this solid door where work is out there and then life is over here. It all mixes together.” – Andi
“It’s okay to send out all these emails and then let them go… Just all the growing is happening underneath the surface.” – Andi
Related Links
- Ep. 91: Transitioning Out of Teaching to Copywriting – George’s Story
- Ep. 148: Copywriting Replaced This Teacher’s Income and She Works Less Hours—Jess’s Story
- Ep. 231: Teacher Burnout, Guilt, and Getting Into a New Profession
- Ep. 160: How This Teacher Doubled Her Salary and Decreased Stress—Amanda’s Story
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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.
