The Business of Writing Podcast

In This Episode: After 100 amazing episodes, we are stepping away from The Business of Writing Podcast to focus on exciting new ventures and partnerships. In the final episode of this first chapter, Laura and Rachel reveal why they're making this decision, what we're doing next, the biggest lessons we've learned along the way, and how you can make space for your business (and yourself) to evolve. Episode Highlights Why we're stepping away from the BOW Podcast for a little while How to give yourself and your business space so you can evolve and change over time Why you should never forget that everything has a shelf life Finding people who can ask you hard questions to make sure you don't get "stuck" in your business How to treat your business as an experiment so you can test new ideas without fear Where we're putting our focus and attention next A very special 'rapid fire' question round And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: So many of our listeners want to market themselves and build great platforms, we want to highlight the kind of person who can really make it happen. So today we are interviewing Laura Valenti, who is the genius behind many of the systems here at the Business of Writing. We could not have made this show without her. Laura is a creative and dynamic project manager and UX/UI designer freelance. Ever since she was young, Laura rejected the idea that having a job had to be exhausting so she simply decided to build her dream career. She spent 5 years working in London and a year and a half in Lisbon, before moving back to Italy (where she grew up) and bringing back everything she learned abroad. Right now she is working for multiple clients with different "hats". These days Laura is primarily a designer but she is also a project manager, social media manager and ux researcher. Today we talk about project management, mindset, and building a business that's authentically you. Episode Highlights How to embrace free online learning to change your career (and your life!) Laura's advice for getting paid to learn new skills How to see change in your business as healthy and exciting (rather than stressful) The first person you should hire when launching your new business How to build trust and brand awareness quickly when you're just getting started Which parts of your business you should automate and systematize first How to automate more of your writing business so you can focus on the work you love most Becoming a collaborator (rather than an employee) when working with clients The powerful mindset strategy behind increasing productivity and creativity Laura's advice for fixing an unproductive day The 3 lists you should carry around with you daily to consistently move toward big goals How to enjoy the "journey" of building your business (and not just the destination) And plenty more along the way.

In This Episode: Angie Colee is a heavily-tattooed rocker turned copywriter and entrepreneurial coach. She was one of our very first guests here on the show, and since then she's made some incredible shifts in her business. She's recently said goodbye to most of her client work to focus on her coaching, podcast, and writing a book – All supported by the incredible lessons she's learned on her journey from cubicle copywriter to badass business owner. In that time she's coached hundreds of creative freelancers through finding clients and confidently fulfilling the gig… Strategized and written multiple multi-million dollar launches, including two during the recent pandemic… And Generated over $50MM in direct-to-consumer sales with her copy. Since she walked away from her day job, she's created strategies and promos for companies like Masterclass, Copy Chief, The Hustle, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Product Launch Formula. These days, she's teaching everything she's learned in her new business called Permission to Kick Ass. There she provides business and confidence coaching for creative entrepreneurs. Episode Highlights Why Angie decided to move away from being a copywriting gun for hire How Angie manages her creative work while working remotely from the road Her superpower that makes her the perfect person to turn to when you need a loving kick in the butt. How to have difficult conversations with clients when you need to set boundaries The difference between a "red flag" and s "miscommunication" when it comes to managing clients How you can use your personality and quirks to attract the right clients The filters you should run all prospects through to make sure they're easy to work with And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Many industries today - especially online marketing - are so transient and based on "trends." One thing we want to do here on this show is make sure we're sharing lessons and insights that will stand the test of time. Stories to help you build a business without being worn out, stressed out, and ready to quit. Stuff that is sustainable and can help you build long-term growth. So today Laura and I want to share more about the evolution of our businesses over time, and the lessons we've learned that will help you build a business that's set to thrive through all kinds of ups and downs, and turns of industry so you can always make great money doing what you love. Episode Highlights The catalyst that caused each of us to launch our businesses How we overcame the biggest difficulties as we built our businesses The main values we seek out in clients, employees, and business partners Our biggest "ah ha" moments over 10 years of working for ourselves How we stay updated with new business ideas and strategies The secret to finding that work-life balance Our best advice for our younger selves if we were to do it all again And plenty more along the way.

In This Episode: Jacqueline Burns was commissioning editor at Random House and Editorial Director at HarperCollins. There she edited classics such as Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus, Who Moved My Cheese, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and Toddler Taming - all of which have sold millions of copies. She is the author of Write a Bestseller, and a bestselling series of successful books for Random House. Jacq has also ghostwritten a number of well-known titles, co-founded The London Writers Club, and is a literary agent for authors. Today we get her to spill the beans on the "behind the scenes" details of publishing books that sell millions of copies, how authors can work with large publishers, and what makes a blockbuster bestseller. Episode Highlights What it's like working on the most well-known books of modern times What Jacq looks for in books that she chooses to publish How authors can write a book that will stand the test of time The common elements of books that are likely to become blockbusters How to avoid the biggest mistakes new authors make when writing their first book The #1 piece of advice Jacq gives authors who want to make it big The specifics of what you should look for in a writing coach (and it's not a long list of accreditations) And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Sharon Hurley Hall is an anti-racism writer, a professional B2B writer and blogger, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast. She holds Masters degrees in both media and education and has not missed a deadline in 25 years of work! More than that, she's a true veterans of the industry – having thrived through the many changes that professional writers have weathered as the market shifts. Today we talk about growing your business as a B2B writer, building a strong network of writers to support you as you grow, and the fast-growing needs that writers can fill as diversity, inclusion, and equality take the forefront. Episode Highlights Sharon's accidental launch into journalism How she made the transition to B2B writing The truth about competing against other writers Her process for bringing in new client leads The criteria she runs through before accepting new clients How she builds a strong network of writers (and why it's been critical to her career) The nirvana fallacy about creating an equal world And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Athena Dixon is a poet, essayist, and editor. She is the author of The Incredible Shrinking Woman and No God in This Room. Her work also appears in The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2: Black Girl Magic. Athena's work has appeared in various publications including GAY Magazine and Narratively. She is founder of Linden Avenue Literary Journal, which she launched in 2012, and the co-host of the New Books in Poetry Podcast. She lives in Philadelphia. When she's not publishing her own work, Athena helps businesses and authors edit their work – both for quality, and by providing "sensitivity reading" which helps them hone their marketing in a way that promotes equality, and fights discrimination and stereotypes. In this episode, we cover a wide range of valuable topics like getting your prose published, what to do FIRST if you're just launching your writing career, and the raw truth about what it takes to make it as a professional writer. Episode Highlights The step-by-step process Athena used to find and land her publisher Demystifying the "romantic writer's life" with the truth about a professional writer's day to day How Athena supports her "ideal writer's life" financially Why she recommends NOT writing every single day What to do FIRST if you want to build a career in editing or professional prose The biggest mistakes new writers make when pricing their services How to package up editing services so they're a "no brainer" for clients to say yes to Athena's advice for helping business owners market with equality and inclusion in mind How the publishing industry can make more room for smaller presses and authors And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Mike Abramov is a direct response copywriter and consultant based in Los Angeles, California. He's written for industry titans like Agora, PaleoHacks, The Dig Agency, NativePath, and Organifi – and is now branching out to seek exciting new ventures of his own. When he's not writing, he's coaching up-and-coming writers – helping them move past mental and emotional blocks they have around their writing process. Episode Highlights How Mike ended up the youngest copywriter for some of the writing from some of the biggest direct response publishers in the world Mike's process for qualifying new client projects Why Mike prefers a holistic approach to writing a sales page How he works with other copywriters to make sure he's doing his best work Mike's advice for moving past perfectionism How he finds stories hidden in "boring" product research Mike's advice for balancing work and life while in lockdown How to start writing a new draft quickly Mike's advice for creating urgency in your copy without being sleazy How to manage your emotions when it comes to the writing process And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Bonnie Caton is an in-house copywriter at AWAI — The American Writers and Artists Institute – where she helps AWAI provide copywriting training for over 250,000 writers. Before her time at AWAI, she was a content marketer and travel writer – using her writing skills to work her way around the world in over 40 countries. Now she writes for one of the biggest companies in the copywriting industry, is a regular contributor to The Right Way to Travel, and also runs the Breakfast Stock Club, which helps folks to get up-and-running selling their photos in online stock photo agencies. Join us today as we talk about using your writing skills to work your way around the world, working in-house for a major marketing company, and battling imposter syndrome. Episode Highlights How Bonnie has used her writing skills to travel to over 40 countries What it's like working in-house for AWAI How Bonnie transitioned from content writing to copywriting What's involved in writing big front-end promos that bring in new leads How experienced copywriters deal with imposter syndrome What it's like working with a high-level Copy Chief How Bonnie writes for multiple platforms while still fully "showing up" for her copywriting at AWAIAnd plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Eric Maisel is a creativity coach and the author of 50+ books, including A Writer's Space, Coaching the Artist Within, and Mastering Creative Anxiety. He leads deep writing workshops around the globe to help writers form their ideas into actionable offers and programs, and also coaches writers on how to manage anxiety and mindset around their creative work. Episode Highlights Why creative work causes so much anxiety Anxiety management tools to help you manage your creative energy The visualization exercise to reduce your stress How to control self sabotaging thoughts while still allowing your brain to have creative freedom Why we often push our own work back in favor of client work How Eric has written over 50 books without sacrificing quality What to do when your fears are realized and your writing doesn't work How Eric uses his writing to travel around the globe Eric's advice for carving out space to work on your own business in between client work The sleep-thinking exercise to "write in your sleep" so your words flow smoothly the next day And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Amisha Shrimanker is a copywriter who specializes in launch copy – blending psychology, persuasion & personality to help her clients have less stressful launches. Her clients love her for going super deep into research – not only for the products she's selling and the market she's selling it to – but also researching her CLIENTS to pull out the most interesting pieces for her copy. But what they don't see behind the scenes, is that she's got a very detailed and strategic system for consistently exceeding her clients expectations. Today she's walking us through all the nitty gritty details of how she "wows" her clients again and again – to keep them coming back and send her new work. Episode Highlights An in-depth walkthrough of Amisha's robust research process The "smile" test she uses to predict if copy will work well or not How to get clients to work with you exclusively Amisha's strategic (and unique) new-client onboarding process How she gets great referrals from her existing clients Why she only works with 2 clients at a time (even though she has a team and an agency) How she raises her rates consistently when working with repeat clients Her detailed sales process for landing new projects The first roles she hired for when building her team Her advice for adding multiple revenue streams to your own writing business And plenty more along the way.

In This Episode: Our guest today sports a pretty impressive resume. Brett Randell is a sales copywriter, content strategist, and yogi-musician who works almost exclusively with female clients. Over the past 7 years, Brett has written content and copy for 4 TEDx Speakers with 3.5 million+ combined views, as well as dozens of leaders in the spaces of women's empowerment, entrepreneurship, diversity & inclusion, and more. Brett has also supported Austin-based Storytelling for Entrepreneurs with content, copy, and social since 2011. Brett has also spoken on the topics of Storytelling and Diversity multiple times at Denver Startup Week, Storytelling intensives, and recently created productivity and remote leadership trainings for the Western Council of US Forestry leaders during Covid. Outside of business, Brett has released 4 CDs, published poetry, traveled to 30+ countries, and performed music at yoga festivals around the world. He lives in Denver, CO and is working on his first fiction novel as a 2019-2021 Fellow for the Book Project at The Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Episode Highlights Why Brett works almost exclusively with female clients How he learned to write in a woman's voice The surprising fact Brett learned about the companies who thrived during COVID How Brett survived the "pandemic pivot" when he lost BOTH of his biggest clients His tactics for getting new clients FAST How to reactivate old client relationships to explore new work opportunities Why times of chaos are best times for copywriters and marketers How draws out the authentic stories his clients often have trouble sharing His advice for boosting your mental and physical health so you can do your best work Brett's intense morning routine that he says is the main reason his life is so awesome And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.

In This Episode: Your business numbers tell a story – do you know what it's saying? If not, Terrell Turner can help with that. Terrell is an accountant-finance leader by trade with over a decade of experience — from running Fortune 500 business segments to helping start ups go from pre-launch to billions in revenue. He is also a content creator focused on making complicated business topics simple, using words, and numbers to tell compelling stories that shape the vision and actions of entire organizations. His Business Talk Library show helps business owners understand their numbers and use them to craft a story they actually WANT to tell. Join us today as we dive into financial best practices for your business, understanding your numbers, and crafting your financial story so it has a happy ending. Episode Highlights How Terrell uses his storytelling abilities to make complicated topics simple Why knowing "the numbers" is just as important for writers as it is for accountants How to use YOUR numbers to make smart business decisions Terrell's advice for crafting powerful stories (even when talking about seemingly mundane topics) How to get more proactive with your business finances Best practices for managing your revenue and expenses (even while navigating tough times) How to "rewrite" the rest of your story if your numbers don't look ideal right now And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.