Christmas 2016.  I served my last day of a successful career in education, with the aim of starting 2017 as my first full-time year of running agoodwriteup.  No longer would it be a growing hobby that I worked hard at in my spare time in order to build a professional reputation and portfolio of potential.  2017 would be the year that I put everything into my passion and made it all about me.  I’d love every minute, but agoodwriteup would now be solely responsible for keeping a roof over my head and my alarm clock in commission.  I was excited!

Christmas 2017.  I’m writing this blog having brought a best-selling book and a beautiful little baby into the world.  In addition, I achieved both feats having survived being bounced around on the waves off Torquay Harbour, whilst I documented my friend and client, Mike Newman, race a speedboat at over 100mph into the Guinness Book of World Records… blind!  I am exhausted!

These experiences proved to be some amazing highs for agoodwriteup in 2017, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.  Yes, that was a pun.

24 hours before LinkedIn saw me form a relationship with Joseph Valente – 2015 winner of the hit BBC TV show, The Apprentice – whose number one best-selling autobiography and business book I would go on to write, the very same social media platform had led me to gain contact with another high profile person of repute… one who showed a different side to me than which he showed to his social media disciples, and one who completely mocked and belittled agoodwriteup and the name I was trying to make for myself as a writer.  It was just one person’s view, yet I’m disappointed in myself to say that it was almost enough to make me consider jacking it all in at that point.

In addition, for pretty much the first half of 2017, I probably cancelled or turned down more meetings for agoodwriteup than I attended, having needed to spend a significant amount of each day throwing up due to ridiculously titled ‘morning’ sickness.  It obviously wasn’t much easier to schedule a meeting with me after the baby was born, either.  I had to make it work, though.  I’d walked away from a full-time career, and I’d tasted too much of what it meant to be self employed; making your own choices – and making your own money.  I needed to figure something out to ensure that I could make a success of agoodwriteup, whilst also making an even bigger success of being a parent.

It was a tough year, but what helped me through it was the support of my clients.  I had long-term clients who continued to work with me despite the limitations I faced due to a tough pregnancy, and new clients who appreciated what I was doing and why I was doing it in balancing a baby and a business.  This was obviously not going to be the case for every client, however…

For every client who signed me up to be their go-to person for their professional writing needs, there were two who would drop me immediately after all the free advice and groundwork I’d put in, in favour of a ‘cheaper’ option.

For every client who paid me either up front or on time and piled on the praise in a public forum, there were two who I’d never hear from again, or pay me only after I’d spent more time writing chase-up emails than writing their initial content.

For every client who went out of their way to wish me well with my daughter, surprised us both with gifts, and started every correspondence asking after her welfare, there were two who would be irritated when I wouldn’t take on their project on a Sunday afternoon, or acted like they were doing me a favour by approaching me at 10 o’clock at night to ‘invite’ me to pitch for their business.

Having said all this, when I wasn’t busy raising my child or lowering my expectations of how people tend to treat copywriters, I learned some very important lessons in 2017.  As a result, I will be making some very important changes in 2018.

1. I’ll be raising my prices for the work I do.  This is something I haven’t done in my last four years of professional service, and I need to reflect my proven worth – and keep up with inflation!
2. I’ll be putting a firmer set of terms and conditions on my invoicing.  If I know anything about my business, it’s that what I offer provides fantastic value for money, efficient turnaround, and complete ROI – and therefore deserves to be paid for.
3. l’ll be choosing my clients rather than hoping they’ll choose me.  I set out with my own venture with the aim of enjoying my work and calling my own shots in my own life, and so if a client doesn’t like how I work, then we are both free of those ties early doors.

In the main, 2017 was a great year for me professionally, and an even better one for me personally, but I need to remember that it worked out nothing like I planned, and therefore could have ended very, very differently.

2017 gave me my big break, but it almost broke me.

In 2018, I’m going to be ready.