This is my personal history.
I'm 21 and still living with my parents.
I happened to stumble across TMF about 8 months ago and decided to quit my job.
In my opinion, it was a good decision since I was only earning $US250/month part-time. (Yeah, that's above minimum wage in my country, which is Dominican Republic.)
Provided my geographical limitations and my budget (~$US1,000 in savings), I decided to give a couple of online business models a try.
Internet marketing was my decision, specially informational marketing and digital products since I'm not that attracted to the physical products' business models, namely, FBA, Shopify or Dropshipping (I fell at this point they're too saturated for me to make a difference and my budget was not that big).
From July 2017 to December 2017, I dabbled around affiliate marketing and kindle publishing along with social media and blogging. I created two websites that went nowhere and published a couple of books that made around 5 sales in total.
I knew I needed to focus, and with a budget next to 0, but all the time of the world, I turned to freelancing.
But knowing that is not what I'm going to do full-time over the long-term (+5 years) I came up with a slightly different approach.
I asked myself, "What's the #1 skill I need to build an online business? One skill I could offer as a service that has a high-income potential?"
After some thought and research, I settled on copywriting.
Being a non-native English speaker, the road to high-paid freelance copywriting career is not a walk in the park, but I feel capable of such.
However, knowing literally nothing about copywriting (perhaps not even 100% proper English) and needing some cash, I had to find something just to get by in the meantime.
I found the opportunity to work as a VA for an Internet Marketer for $400 a month and grabbed it (hey, it's on my field of interest and is more money than my previous job).
I have 2 months working for him and he has already told me that he wants me to deal with either his marketing or managing other VAs (since he's noticed I'm capable of more than just data entry and research).
On top of that and on top of aiming to become a high-paid freelance copywriter, I started blogging about my freelance progress in Spanish (which is my first language).
The purpose of that, is not only force myself to learn a little bit more of the other moving parts of an online business (SEO, Web Design, Email Marketing,...) but to also start to build an audience around that niche.
Why?
Here's the thing.
The freelancing niche (in Spanish) is mainly dominated by a brand called VirtualiaNet which sells a course with a bunch of freelance careers like Virtual Assistance, Web Design, Content Creation, Social Media Management, etc...
But I feel there's a gap between teaching people how to build up the skills and teaching them how to market themselves—and get paid decently.
Being a freelancer now, I've noticed communication and marketing (in which copywriting has its place) are the two main skills that will determine your potential—probably more than your main technical or creative skill.
I really feel there's a legitimate need for people to learn how to compete with their brains instead of compete with their rates.
So the whole selling proposition of the business I'd like to build in the future would be a mix of English communication skills, marketing skills and freelancing. Something like:
"If you know your craft, how to market it and how to communicate effectively, as though you are a native-English speaker, you can get paid like one—or even more."
Obviously, I have to do it first to teach it. That's my goal.
I have to make it a reality in my life before being be able to sell that possibility.
So here are my vague and optimistic projections—or expectactions, however you want to call it:
2018
(1) Keep the contract with the marketer and be able to charge at least $1,500/m at the end of the year (negotiating my rates based on the value I add to his business or searching for other opportunities).
(2) Polish my copywriting skills. Build my reputation and work with a couple of clients here and there.
(3) Keep building an audience sharing my progress, my sucesses and my failures via blogging and reach the 100-visitors-a-day milestone by the end of this year.
2019
(1) By January, I should be able to have enough copywriting experience (and confidence) to charge +$US40/hr and be able to earn at least $US3-5k per month on average.
(2) I expect to have consistent traffic, some affiliate sales and have reached a 'decent' 4-figure (5000-9999) email list by the end of year.
2020
(1) Kick-a$$ copy (and maybe even some consulting). +$US100/hr.
(2) An information product launch based on my experiences and my subscriber's needs. Potentially in the $US497-997 range.
Some other ideas
Is 2-3 years to start actually 'fastlaning' too much? Will I be shamelessly turning into a hypocrite fastlaner selling 'slowlane' strategies? Am I spreading myself too thin by trying to build two things at the same time (a freelance career and an internet business)?
I'm 21 and still living with my parents.
I happened to stumble across TMF about 8 months ago and decided to quit my job.
In my opinion, it was a good decision since I was only earning $US250/month part-time. (Yeah, that's above minimum wage in my country, which is Dominican Republic.)
Provided my geographical limitations and my budget (~$US1,000 in savings), I decided to give a couple of online business models a try.
Internet marketing was my decision, specially informational marketing and digital products since I'm not that attracted to the physical products' business models, namely, FBA, Shopify or Dropshipping (I fell at this point they're too saturated for me to make a difference and my budget was not that big).
From July 2017 to December 2017, I dabbled around affiliate marketing and kindle publishing along with social media and blogging. I created two websites that went nowhere and published a couple of books that made around 5 sales in total.
I knew I needed to focus, and with a budget next to 0, but all the time of the world, I turned to freelancing.
But knowing that is not what I'm going to do full-time over the long-term (+5 years) I came up with a slightly different approach.
I asked myself, "What's the #1 skill I need to build an online business? One skill I could offer as a service that has a high-income potential?"
After some thought and research, I settled on copywriting.
Being a non-native English speaker, the road to high-paid freelance copywriting career is not a walk in the park, but I feel capable of such.
However, knowing literally nothing about copywriting (perhaps not even 100% proper English) and needing some cash, I had to find something just to get by in the meantime.
I found the opportunity to work as a VA for an Internet Marketer for $400 a month and grabbed it (hey, it's on my field of interest and is more money than my previous job).
I have 2 months working for him and he has already told me that he wants me to deal with either his marketing or managing other VAs (since he's noticed I'm capable of more than just data entry and research).
On top of that and on top of aiming to become a high-paid freelance copywriter, I started blogging about my freelance progress in Spanish (which is my first language).
The purpose of that, is not only force myself to learn a little bit more of the other moving parts of an online business (SEO, Web Design, Email Marketing,...) but to also start to build an audience around that niche.
Why?
Here's the thing.
The freelancing niche (in Spanish) is mainly dominated by a brand called VirtualiaNet which sells a course with a bunch of freelance careers like Virtual Assistance, Web Design, Content Creation, Social Media Management, etc...
But I feel there's a gap between teaching people how to build up the skills and teaching them how to market themselves—and get paid decently.
Being a freelancer now, I've noticed communication and marketing (in which copywriting has its place) are the two main skills that will determine your potential—probably more than your main technical or creative skill.
I really feel there's a legitimate need for people to learn how to compete with their brains instead of compete with their rates.
So the whole selling proposition of the business I'd like to build in the future would be a mix of English communication skills, marketing skills and freelancing. Something like:
"If you know your craft, how to market it and how to communicate effectively, as though you are a native-English speaker, you can get paid like one—or even more."
Obviously, I have to do it first to teach it. That's my goal.
I have to make it a reality in my life before being be able to sell that possibility.
So here are my vague and optimistic projections—or expectactions, however you want to call it:
2018
(1) Keep the contract with the marketer and be able to charge at least $1,500/m at the end of the year (negotiating my rates based on the value I add to his business or searching for other opportunities).
(2) Polish my copywriting skills. Build my reputation and work with a couple of clients here and there.
(3) Keep building an audience sharing my progress, my sucesses and my failures via blogging and reach the 100-visitors-a-day milestone by the end of this year.
2019
(1) By January, I should be able to have enough copywriting experience (and confidence) to charge +$US40/hr and be able to earn at least $US3-5k per month on average.
(2) I expect to have consistent traffic, some affiliate sales and have reached a 'decent' 4-figure (5000-9999) email list by the end of year.
2020
(1) Kick-a$$ copy (and maybe even some consulting). +$US100/hr.
(2) An information product launch based on my experiences and my subscriber's needs. Potentially in the $US497-997 range.
Some other ideas
- At some point I may expand to the English market.
- I've also thought about selling other things my target audience (a struggling freelancer) could need like (1) an office product business, (2) some sort of software as a service, (3) build a team of experts and teach each individual career in depth (Web Design, Programming, etc..).
- I could end up building some sort of services agency related to marketing and copywriting if that's what 'sticks'.
Is 2-3 years to start actually 'fastlaning' too much? Will I be shamelessly turning into a hypocrite fastlaner selling 'slowlane' strategies? Am I spreading myself too thin by trying to build two things at the same time (a freelance career and an internet business)?
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