This morning was one of those mornings where I justified not writing this newsletter. I bargained. I promised I'd do it next week. Or tomorrow. Or whatever.

Then I saw this tweet.

The show must go on, friends. And thank you for the motivation, Lars! 🍻

How I got into blog writing

Copywriting takes a lot of different forms. I know bros are banging out more than I am by just writing tweets for big accounts. Unreal. Of course, email marketing is alive and well. But don't sleep on being a hired gun writing corporate blogs.

But how exactly did I get into blogs? Are you ready for it? Completely by accident.

Just a happy little accident

Ok, so we have to back the truck up a little bit. If you've been following me for a while, you have probably picked up that I am an opinionated veteran (is there any other kind?). Well, in late 2015, I was at the twilight of my career although I had only been in for 13 years. Truth be told, I should have left a lot sooner, but I needed the money. It's crazy, but that $340 I was making for a whole weekend really meant something back then, and I needed it.

Anyway, I was getting the rolled out of the Air National Guard whether I liked it or not, and had to replace that $340 A MONTH somehow.

Ironically, I had also just gotten residential custody of my then-12 year-old daughter, who had been living in a disaster of a home with her mother. It was good to no longer be paying $550 per month in child support, but I was in the hole at least $10k-$15k in legal fees. Plus, I knew my ex wasn't going to pay child support to me.

Don't worry, this is going somewhere good.

While I was trying to chase down her sources of income, I saw receipts for her Upwork profile. Not knowing what it was, I set up an account. Back then, Upwork had a battery of skills tests of all kinds of knowledge, and I scored in the top 5%-10% on all of the aviation-themed tests (I am a private pilot, was a jet mechanic for ~10 years, and managed an airport for 7 1/2 years). The account was more or less static for a few months because I didn't know what to do with it. Then, in February, the first proposal fell into my lap.

I have a confession: you've heard of imposter syndrome? I hadn't at the time, but I sure felt it. I was so scared when I saw the invitation that I sat on it for a week. I told my wife about it, and she was like, "what the hell are you waiting for?! And what do you have to lose, anyway?" She's always been my encouragement because I could never visualize this becoming something more than supplemental income.

Long story short, once that first gig started rolling (it was hourly, so the work was continuous which seemed to help the algorithms for attracting more work), others came along quickly. After about a year, I branch out into the firearms and shooting sports space (a long-time hobby and passion of mine)

So, how about the blogs?

This has a shorter answer: clients asked me for blogs, and didn't ask about emails or social media posts. After I started writing blogs a lot, it became second nature. The structure and format never changes much from one client to the next, which is good for speed and turnaround time.

I wish the answer were meatier, but it isn't. The real wins are learning how to go from asking $0.14 per word in 2021, to negotiating a $6,500 per month retainer for ten articles a month. In fact, that might be a great topic for next week 😉.

What's the point?

Your beginnings can, and probably will, come from unlikely places. But it's not about your beginnings; it's about how you craft your opportunities down the road. Never in a million years did I think those first articles paying peanuts would turn into a five-figure monthly business.

Listen to your gut, and men, listen to your wives. They know you and what you're capable of better than you do. Women's intuition is real, and I have learned to listen when she has advice. We are paired up for a reason. We all have blind spots, and your spouse will help you identify yours.

Persistence is king

You've probably heard Dave Ramsey say that cash is king, right? Well, in this game, persistence is king. Stick with your plan and execute ruthlessly. Not seeing success with 50 cold emails? Do 100. Branch out and use Fiverr & Upwork even if you don't like the fee structure. It is all about getting your foot in the door and building momentum.

There is no substitute for experience

You can follow all the right big accounts, and join Discord groups, but there is NO substitute for skin in the game. Peter didn't have skin in the game until he stepped out on the water, ya know? Then he saw and knew.

You will not be a profitable freelancer until you are willing to do uncomfortable things like haggle for prices that are way more than you think you're worth. It's the only way to grow. And one more time: Listen 👏🏻 to 👏🏻 your👏🏻 spouse👏🏻. For my latest contract, I was going to start negotiating at $6k per month, but she convinced me to ask for $8k. I settled at $6.5k. If I had started at $6k, the final figure would have been $4k or $5k.

Also, if you want to start on Upwork, which I still suggest doing despite the fees, check out my book. It's no fluff, no BS, and loaded with receipts.

Until next week, keep it between the ditches, y'all.