guest post: Why Working From Home Isn’t Just a Pipe Dream

Please welcome Izzy Woods, a freelance writer and journalist. Izzy first contacted me about a guest post for Totally Together on November 7, then touched base with me again on November 11, November 18, November 30, and then again today: December 16.

Izzy’s credits include writing for the US Daily Review, Organic Health, Wiki-bee, and Capitol Macintosh. She shares her work-from-home story with us below but I can tell you right now why Izzy has succeeded: she never, ever, ever, ever gives up. And neither should you.

also: the Big Dreams Mama site is running an interview they did with me about *my* big dream, and is hosting a More Make it Fast giveaway.

2012 is going to be a wonderful year—- I just know it.

Why Working from Home Isn’t Just a Pipe Dream

I’ve never been one for the nine-to-five. Even when I first entered the working world, I knew that I couldn’t stick to such rigid hours. To start with, that caused me quite a few problems – not least of which was paying my rent! It was then that I stood back, took stock, and decided what I really wanted to do was become a writer. I knew that simply writing a novel or short story wasn’t going to ‘bring in the bacon’, so to speak, so I decided to become a freelance copywriter.

It wasn’t easy, and it’s taken a long time, but I can now say that I make a decent living from writing online. And best of all, I can do it all from the comfort of my own home. I’d like to share with you exactly how I did, and offer some invaluable advice straight that I wish someone had told me when I was getting started!

Sharpen your skills

The first step you need to take before entering the world of freelance writing is ensuring that your writing skills are up to the job. The last thing you want to do is secure a large contract then be unable to provide the quality content your client will no doubt be after. If you think your writing ability needs a little polish, there are plenty of courses available online that can help with your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It’s a great way to ensure you’re providing the best possible service.

Know how to find new work

Once I was ready to start working, I hit a bit of a roadblock: where am I going to find work? I’d heard so many horror stories about scammers and the many problems that freelance writers can have, so I was understandably wary. In the end, I decided that a career path such as this inherently contains some risk, and the main thing to do is limit that risk as much as possible. That means that when you reply to a job posting, you should always thoroughly research your clients. I’ve had at least two or three over ten years that were very unscrupulous and ended up not paying.

That’s when I learned: always get a signed contract.

It will protect you from scams, and keep everything above board from a legal point of view. Once you’ve got this nailed down, you’ll be able to enjoy a huge array of potential clients, from golf shoe manufacturers to websites that offer coupons. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

Be proactive and reactive

I started out by finding a lot of my writing jobs on sites like Craigslist and other job boards, but recently I’ve started using ‘Pay Per Click’ advertising like Google Adwords. Both of these methods can be successful; however I’ve found that I get the best quality jobs from PPC adverts linking to my personal website. This way, the client is actively looking for help, and is generally less likely to be a scammer. Always be cautious when applying for advertised jobs; my golden rule is and always will be ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’ I remember one job when I was starting out, the pay was huge for the amount of work required and I thought I’d hit the jackpot! Of course, I never saw a penny and lost hours of work. The lesson was to always check out prospective clients, always get a contract, and always be realistic about what a client is offering.

The freedom of working from home

With the words of warning out of the way, let’s focus on the positive. By becoming a freelance writer, I’ve been able to enjoy a much higher quality of life. I generally set my own hours, and I’m always comfortable at home. I don’t have to worry about bosses because I’m my own. Being a freelance writer has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done –  and I’m proud of the time and effort I’ve put in to get here. If you want to follow the same path, just remember that you’ll need plenty of time, plenty of effort, and (perhaps more importantly), a boat load of patience!