Thread: Copywriter who lost $10,000

I ordered MF a month ago on Amazon, but didn't read it until yesterday. In fact, yesterday was the perfect timing, as I just found out that one of my biggest clients went bankrupt and is defaulting on the 10,000 they owe me for my copywriting services. MF stated it perfectly: If you want to be rich, you need CONTROL.

I read MF front cover to back in one 6-hour sitting. This book was the most eye-opening book on money I've ever read. It sparked something in me that made my brain come alive... I can no longer rely on others to pay me if I want to be rich--I have to find a way to pay myself.

Copywriting is a great job. I get to sit at home, sipping tea while I make $1,000 for writing a 2-page sales letter. But this job has its flaws:

• I've become lazy. I only work 2-4 hours a day. So, even though I have a high-paying job, my monthly salary is no different from a slowlaner.
• I'm trading time for money. While some of my clients give me royalties for sales, most just pay me a lump sum. This means if I want to earn more, I have to trade more time.
• Copywriting fails in three commandments: Control, Scale, and Time.

After finishing MF yesterday, I just sat there thinking for awhile. I think I am like many others here, who only recently realized their approach to making money was flawed. I also want to get on the fastlane.

Right now, I am at the very beginning. I have a few ideas, but I need to work out the kinks. I will continue copywriting for some immediate income, but slowly ween myself off. I'd love to hear from others who've gone through what I am going through right now.

Originally Posted by MJDeMarco

Perhaps you can expand on this angle. Your copywriting services for free and you're paid a royalty/commission. This way, you can leverage the works of dozens, perhaps hundreds of products -- all that work FOR YOU, while you aren't working.

It also presents a great hook -- if my copywriting isn't effective, I don't get paid! I can't recall ever seeing that.

What if you made this a non-negotiable condition for new clients? There are a lot of different payment terms you can work with, and you end up living with the clients that you choose to accept. You could even provide more value by managing more of the process for them in return for a royalty.

I'm in a similar position (with a different service). I don't need to work long hours now, but that still leaves several limitations that are a bit inconvenient I think the service has enough value to build a decent business so I'm hiring and training others. I'm also looking at getting more control by testing out some ideas for my own products.

One thing I'm trying now is a promising partnership. If you can get involved with a partner who needs strong online sales (which you can do) that can give you more control over the business as well as the benefit of their experience and skills. But you have to be a lot more selective than you are with regular clients...