Hello all, welcome back to the Friday File. Sorry about last week; whatever that God-awful illness was had its way with me. But I’m back.

So, now we are up to the point when I finally took the plunge almost two years ago. While it is going great now, it hasn’t always been great since I’ve been doing this. In fact, there were many times that I was ready to throw in the towel and rejoin the workforce. Some of that was just programming; you get so used to a certain lifestyle that you’ll go back to it, even though it’s terrible. But thankfully, those days were early on; by 2022, I had established some good leads and was making consistent pay.

Let’s talk about some of the things I’ve learned since then.

Lesson 1: spend way more time brand building

So, here is a funny little truth: I didn’t start trying to build a Twitter following until after I had quit, around May 2021. I had only a vague idea of what it was used for. Also, my view of writing gigs, and their value, was completely dictated by people on Upwork who had been lowballing me for years.

It would have cost nothing to have started a Twitter account five years ago, dedicating myself to it daily, and growing it over the years. Also, starting a newsletter. Better late than never. but this could be several years into circulation instead of months. Again, newsletters cost nothing but the time it takes to write them.

When I look back over the past two years, I’ve honestly shocked that it has turned out so well because I was so woefully unprepared for what it would take to make it. It is proof that grit, determination, and an iron will can carry you when you need them to.

Lesson 2: when your big break comes, DON’T MISS IT

Okay, so here’s the truth: I have one client who pays a ton of money monthly (equivalent to a good-paying full-time job alone). And I almost let this client go after a few months because I couldn’t get along with the founder. Now, here’s the truth: I still don’t like the guy at all, but I also realized there is a lot of pride that I can swallow to keep those checks rolling in.

But here’s the thing: we didn’t see eye to eye because I wasn’t doing as much as he wanted me to! Yes, he wanted to pay me for more, and I couldn’t get it through my thick skull. See, up until this, all of my clients had been little more than one or two articles here or there. When he said he wanted 200+ articles, he meant it.

When someone tells you they have funding and tells you they want to pay you, listen to them. I know, you get in a certain mindset after dealing with lowballing, broke losers. But when someone offers to change your life, take them up on it.

Lesson 3: don’t settle for less

Once you find that one client, don’t settle for less than that going forward. Use that one to leverage other clients. That is how I have ended up with a pair of clients that pay over $6,500 per month. Once I had one, I was comfortable to say no to broke losers.

Now, let me explain something.

I do not write in generic industries. I am not a ghostwriter or something where a million faceless writers can write my work. I specialize in aerospace topics, so there aren’t many options. And yet, even then, I routinely get people looking for an experienced professional and then want to pay absolute peanuts for the job.

No.

Know your worth, and don’t allow yourself to be undervalued. If you do, you will never break out and earn to your full potential; you will always be playing catch-up instead of making progress.

Parting thoughts

Even in a three-part series, you can only capture a tiny glimpse of all the lessons learned along the way. I think maybe next week I’ll write about a scammer I dealt with. Well, scammer is not exactly true because it was a legitimate company. But it was definitely a scam as far as the writer goes. Yeah, I think I’ll do that.

Look, my main takeaway is that you should think very carefully before you walk away from your career. It is a genie that you cannot put back in the bottle. On the other hand, jobs can be had fairly easily, so it’s probably worth taking a chance and betting on yourself. At least, I think so.