Freelance copywriter.

on October 10, 2014 Copywriting Careers with 0 comments

Going it alone eh? Overcoming the fear of not making enough bank is probably the biggest worry for you. After all, those pesky twits at Quantico keep getting the serious stuff while you’re stuck on hourly billing that barely pays for the old Macintosh you bought off your ex-freelance buddy who’s now working at Quantico.

Believe it or not you’re doing something that almost always shakes up the establishment. Even though they’ll never admit it. Or maybe they will. (See what I did there?) The truth is, nothing has more potential to destroy the monopoly of the status quo than a fresh, fast-moving new entry. And that’s one scary truth for the establishment, at least for those who compete. If you’re going to compete with the big players as a fresh, new entry you’ll likely fail. Of course you will.

The big players are, well, big. And they’re players because they know how to play the game. It’s unlikely you’re going to beat them at the game because they influence the rules. So don’t compete. Don’t go into an industry trying to copy what others have already invented. Instead, be what you are — fresh and fast-moving.

Get into the industry as a unique entity that’s going to bring something new that no one else has brought. You’re a freelancer. You’re small, mobile, and flexible. That’s the stuff of dreams and startup cultures. Why would you hide that just because you can appear to resemble the rest of the pack? Forget the competition. Focus on what makes you different from the other players. Invent your own ways of doing things. Let the others worry about you. It worked for us back when we first started out.