“In order to succeed, we must first believe we can” – Nikos Kazantzakis.

I remember the first time I told my best friend I wanted to quit my well paying job and become a full-time writer. It was over a call from my apartment terrace in the evening while I was walking with a notepad and pen, listing out ideas. I had been ruminating about it for a long time, probably over a year by then. It was so far fetched even for me. I had eight years exp. of working in corporate communication and digital marketing.

Yet, the idea of detaching from a banyan tree like corporate and running my show solo seemed absolutely beyond my ken. To give up a moderately hefty paycheck and start entirely from scratch had me sleepless and in paranoia. But, one thing was clear. I had to do it. Writing was my calling. Words are my jam.

In those early days, I didn’t know the workings of a freelancing writerly life. What the jargons were or how to network or even how to charge. Didn’t even know about the commonly used term PPW was. I thought it meant Price Per Word. Rightly so, but not quite.

On an ordinary morning, an extraordinary thing happened. I received a LinkedIn enquiry for writing an article. I weighed-in the time it will take for research, writing, proofing and gave them a quote. I charged 3 bucks per word for the 750-word article, and they agreed. After submission and at the time of payment, they paid me 225 bucks, and I was startled and mind-numbed. Apparently, PPW meant Paise per word and the 3 that I quoted inferred 30 paise per word.

Imagine my agony. I was gutted. I couldn’t say anything because I had clearly agreed to this stupidity knowingly, unknowingly. I was also shaken to learn how the industry sees the freelance writing market. It was a wakeup call for me and a top class learning experience.

I learnt the nuances of writing in a way that would blow my customers away. I wanted to over-deliver at all times and create an unmatched reputation, and it happened. I also tested out methods to position myself as the writer of preference for all my clients, for all their writing needs, and at all times. Like a family doctor. A business/content writer in my case. Simultaneously, I upped my networking skills, writing style, enrolled for courses, revamped my portfolio, worked on my client calls. I became a woman with a plan and vision. Did so many amends to my way of operating and found what works for me. Now, I charge close to 10 rupees (not paisas, ya’ll) a word. Even more, sometimes.

Perseverance, continuous learning, gratitude and not taking shit are valuable lessons of my journey to this stage. Entrepreneurship is not easy.  Freelancing can be taxing. You are expected to do a lot of things at the same time and do them well, too. It’s fantastic, nonetheless. It’s challenging. It’s creative. It’s worthwhile. It can expand our potential in ways we never imagined.

I want to share what I know because I love it so much and it works. Also, I love to see other people succeed because of my two cents. It upsets me to see a lot of people stuck without having any guidance or direction.

So, If you are a (budding/struggling/passionate) freelancer and want to know more about how to approach prospects, build a reputation, charge for your service and maintain relationships in the freelancing world – Email me at hello@getsyjenita.com with the subject “Freelancer Coaching”. I’d love to help you out.