Start & Run a Copywriting Business. Steve Slaunwhite
last note about goal setting: Don’t forget to celebrate when you reach a milestone. When I was starting out, I worked hard to win that first major corporate-writing assignment. When I did, I got my wife to take a photo of me proudly holding the purchase order. That picture is still pinned to my bulletin board where I can see it each day. It’s quite motivating. (And the company that gave me that order is still one of my clients.)
Are You Going to Start Part Time or Full Time?
Part time is a great way to launch your copywriting business, and I do recommend it. However, it can create conflicts with other priorities. For example, if you have another job during the day, how are you going to contact clients and complete assignments? If you are a busy parent with small children at home, how are you going to handle a crying child while you’re struggling to meet a deadline or you’re on the phone with an important client? Careful planning is crucial.
The key advantage of working part time is financial. If you have another source of income, then you avoid many of the financial pressures associated with starting a business. You can start small, make some mistakes, grow your client base at your own pace, and not get too stressed by cash-flow headaches.
Setting up a full-time copywriting business is a much different experience. Financial demands increase dramatically but, in many ways, it’s easier than working part time. You have fewer conflicts because your business is a priority, not just a sideline.
You’ll also be taken more seriously by clients when you’re working full time. You can attend client meetings at any time of the day, and can freely schedule the time you need to complete client work. When I quit my job and went out on my own as a self-employed copywriter, my business tripled in the first month. The reason? I was putting all my energy, full time, toward making the business work.
However, you’ll likely experience some financial worries from time to time, especially if you are relying on your copywriting business to generate some or all of your personal income needs. Financial stress is part of any new business venture, and there’s not much you can do about it. Just plan well, carefully monitor your cash flow, and try not to get too many gray hairs.
Playing the Name Game
The Write Touch … Write for Business … The Write Words … The Right Writer … Writing that’s Right … No doubt you’ve seen names like these before, especially among freelance writers, copywriters, and business writers. There is nothing wrong with creating a business name that plays on the curious fact that “right” is pronounced the same as “write.” It has just been overdone.
Coming up with a creative, unique business name is difficult. In fact, some corporations and start-ups pay consultants tens of thousands of dollars to do just that. I recently read an article about a firm that charges $100,000 to find a name for a corporation. One name!
I’ve had a long adventure with business names over the years. One of my earlier creations was word/vision. The perfect name; I’m a genius, I thought. Until one day I was networking at a trade show and everyone thought I worked for WorldVision Canada, a well-known charity.
Then I got it into my head that calling myself a “copywriter” was too uninspired. So I adopted the title of “Promotional Writer” and included it on all my letterhead and business cards. Brilliant, I thought. I’ll stand out from the crowd. And I certainly did. Within weeks I had received inquiries ranging from someone wanting me to run an employee incentive program, to an auto dealer asking if I could rent him a large floating gorilla for a weekend sales blitz he was planning. (I had no idea how he connected Promotional Writer to promotional balloons. And I didn’t care. I dropped the name.)
For a couple of years, I was known by the business name, “The Writing Project.” Not bad as names go, but I was never comfortable with it. It didn’t sound like me and it created confusion. Some people thought I offered writing seminars. Others commented that the name sounded like academia, not business. So eventually, I began to market my services simply as “Steve Slaunwhite, Copywriting/ Consulting.”
The funny thing is, once I began to market my services under my own name, my business improved. I discovered that agency executives and corporate marketing professionals were far more interested in Steve Slaunwhite the copywriter than the business name I used. In fact, when I hid behind a business name, I would sometimes get confused for a mortar-and-brick type business, not the independent professional most clients were interested in hiring. So Steve Slaunwhite, Copywriting/Consulting it was and has remained.
If you do decide to use a business name — rather than your name — expect that name to change as your business evolves. I know very few self-employed professionals who have kept the same business name they started with. You may find within a few years that your business has gone down an unexpected road, and the business name you are using isn’t appropriate anymore. You might want to think about this before you invest in your initial supply of business cards and letterhead. (I still have reams of The Writing Project stationery, and use it for scrap paper.)
Business Cards and Letterhead
Business cards and letterhead are a necessity for any business. You’ll need business cards to trade with clients and prospects. Imagine how clients will react if they ask you for a business card, and you don’t have one? You’ll also need letterhead to write sales letters, invoices, and other client correspondence. Without professional-looking stationery, few people will take you seriously.
I have seen lots of effective business cards — some jazzy and daring, others plainer and more conservative. I suggest you go with a business card design that is simple and effective. You can always invest in more complex designs, or even a logo, as your business matures.
A simply designed business card and letterhead doesn’t mean cheap. Be sure to use a professional designer (unless you happen to be a very good designer yourself) and get your stationery printed on high-quality stock. Never yield to the temptation of buying those business card templates available in most office supply stores, and printing cards with your inkjet printer. This is not suitable for the professional image you need to convey. And no “bubblegum machine” business cards, please. In my local shopping mall there is a kiosk in the main hallway. For $10 you can punch in your name and other information, pick a template, and print out 100 business cards. No, no, no.
Michael Huggins, a graphic design professional and president of MindWalk Design Group of Toronto, says, “Expect to pay at least $1,000 to $1,500 for a good business card and stationery design. Of course, less experienced designers will charge you less, but will have less expertise and require more direction.” And be sure to show your designer samples of business cards and stationery you like. That way, he or she will be able to create a design that best appeals to you and fits your business needs. Design, by the way, does not include printing costs. That is extra.
Planning Your Work Space
I once received a sales letter from a freelance copywriter offering a cassette program on — what else? — becoming a successful freelance copywriter. He described in blissful terms the wonderful life he leads sitting by his swimming pool each day, getting a tan, and writing copy for his blue-chip slate of clients.
Sounds idyllic, but I suspect very few successful self-employed professionals work this way. (I once tried working on my patio and I got too distracted.) Most copywriters I know work standard business hours in well-equipped, comfortable home offices.
As a copywriter, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in front of a computer, so I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to create a pleasant, productive work environment for yourself. If that happens to be by the pool, great. Just make sure it’s quiet, efficient, and comfortable.
When setting up a home office or any work area in your home, make sure it is dedicated to your business. This is especially true if you intend to use your home office as a tax deduction. Most tax jurisdictions will not allow you to write off a home