Tag / blogger

by caitlyncallahan14

finding and welcoming new clients

Over the past couple of months, my clients have kept me on my toes with quite a bit of end-of-summer work coming my way. I’ve spent dozens of hours between June and now cranking out content on a variety of topics including personal finance, healthcare, Medicare, job search and career information, travel and more.

While I’ve been busier than ever, it’s been the most exciting and fun time of my freelancing career so far. Plus, not only have I been writing, but I’ve been forced to perfect an even better organization and time management system for myself.

That said, the time has come once again to expand my business. I’m ready to bring more work to Callahan Communication.

If you or someone you know owns a business or works for a company who is in need of content production, freelancers, or contractors for marketing purposes, my Contact Me form is a great place to start! Or, they can send me a private message on Facebook or Instagram @callahancommunication.

I’ve also been working diligently on putting together a services & pricing guide and client welcome packet for prospective and new clients to help ensure we have the best working relationship possible and they get all deliverables they’re expecting.

Read on to learn what you’ll get if you contact me and if you hire me!

what I include in my services & pricing guide

When you contact me to learn more about how we can best work together and what I can bring to your business, I will email or review in person a services & pricing guide. This guide is meant to be a high-level overview of my business and what I offer so that you can make the most informed and best decision for your brand.

my story

I love what I do, and I’ve been doing it for a long time. Here, learn more about me as I introduce myself and my business, including what I value, why I do what I do, and what I hope to do for you. It’s essential that prospective clients know they are working with a person, so I’ll also give you a peek at who I am and what I’m all about.

service packages overview

If you have a general idea of the types of services you’ll need, great! I’ll send you package overviews specific to your needs. If you aren’t sure yet, that’s ok too! You’ll receive summaries of my most encompassing service packages and we can narrow down your options from there.

deliverables

I want to make sure it’s clear what you’ll receive, gain and achieve after working together, so here I’ll outline specific deliverables to each service package. However, I recognize flexibility is key, so once hired, we can work together to clearly outline deliverables tailored to your needs.

portfolio

I want you to feel confident that I’ll bring exceptional work to the table, so here you’ll find information about past clients, as well as links to previous work so you can see for yourself.

client testimonials

And, you don’t have to take just my word for it. Read some testimonials from previous happy and satisfied clients.

processes

When you hire a freelancer or agency, you need to know what to expect. Here, find a general outline of my processes so you know what to expect and when, and to better understand if we’re a good fit to work together.

FAQs

This list of frequently asked questions from clients, and my answers, can help ensure a positive, successful working relationship.

call to action

Ready to learn more? This section outlines all of the ways you can contact me to take the next steps, including scheduling a free consultation, contract and SOW process, and more.

what I include in a client welcome packet

Once you’ve let me know you’re interested in working together, I want to make sure you feel confident and comfortable with your choice. You’ll receive either in the mail, through email, or in person, a client welcome packet guiding your through the most important pieces of working together.

welcome message

You made the right choice by hiring me for your content or digital marketing needs. I’ve spent almost my entire life immersed in the world of content and communication, and want to help business owners be successful through the power of the written word.

services overview

This page summarizes the services/package you’ve hired me for, so it’s clear what is (and isn’t) included. Our formal contract and statement of work will be built off of this information so we are always on the same page and expectations are clear.

communication

I take pride in being available for my clients. I’ll hare with you the best ways to contact me, and how and when I’ll plan to communicate with you.

processes

Here, I’ll be very clear about my process so you’ll know what to expect, including what I need from you, what I’ll deliver, deadlines, and more. This includes the contract, SOW, deliverables, editing processes and more.

I’ll also take time to briefly explain my process for investigating and understanding your brand and business, how I create content that works for you, and what the editing and finalization process entails so you can rest assured you’re receiving exceptional work every time.

guidelines

I want to make sure we both are maximizing our time working together, so I’ll share some guidelines and best practices that may be helpful.

tools & resources

If applicable, I’ll share tools you need to be familiar with, plus links to information, ebooks or other educational or informational tools that may be helpful during our time working together.

FAQs

This list of frequently asked questions from clients, and my answers, can help ensure a positive, successful working relationship.

next steps

I’ll clearly state for you what next steps are, either from you or myself, as well as timelines. I want to make sure you feel confident in moving forward together.

If you’re a freelancer and looking to grow your business, feel free to use my services & pricing guide and client welcome packet outlined here for inspiration for your own brand!

by caitlyncallahan14

one year ago

One year ago today, I was sitting at home, scared, anxious, depressed, and unemployed.

At the beginning of April 2020 I, along with hundreds at my organization and thousands across America, was furloughed.

A year ago, I was probably sitting on my patio on a lawn chair (because I hadn’t bought patio furniture yet), wondering how I was going to pay my bills, still in shock about the furlough situation and unsure about the state of the world. They had told us it could be three months before we got called back. I had just bought a house – how were we going to make ends meet?

I spent the first month crying and worrying, busying myself with unpacking and getting the new house together, and obsessively searching for freelance contracts to help tide us over in the meantime.

I accepted a couple of small contracts in April, and then landed a large contract that made me cry tears of joy. Things started looking up.

By the time May came around, I was getting used to being home. I started to embrace the time I’d been given (for the first time ever) to just enjoy life. I spent hours reading and writing, sitting on my patio and bird watching, and giving myself time to breathe.

By June, I’d thrown myself into the freelance-at-home lifestyle. I’d gotten a true taste of the life I’ve always dreamed about, creating my own schedule each day on my own time, completing work for clients, writing… I had a lifestyle I designed. I could so easily picture how my life would be if I was a full-time freelancer because I’d been living it for two months. I wasn’t balancing a full-time job or other responsibilities (since everything was shut down and we couldn’t leave the house). I was just doing my thing. It was magical.

Honestly, it was hard to go back.

Obviously I was so thankful to return to work, and knew and appreciated how lucky I was considering the thousands that didn’t get to. But I’d had a real taste of my dreams becoming a reality. And I wanted more.

It’s crazy to think about what life was like last year at this time. Businesses shut down, exponential unemployment, the inability to see friends and family, people sick and dying.

But for me, it was also a blessing in disguise. And it gave me the inspiration and motivation to keep building my business. To work hard, crack down, build my book, and write like there was no tomorrow. Because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and now that I had that taste, I wanted it more than ever.

Last week I wrote about balancing building a business and life, and asked if it was possible to keep living and also build a successful business. I still don’t know the answer. But today, as I sit on my patio, watching the birds, reminiscing on and writing about the past year, I’ve found a newly renewed motivation to keep going.

And I encourage everyone else reading this, whether you’re in the same place as me or you’re miles down the road, to keep going. This year has been hard, but I hope you’ve had time to find yourself, find a new love or passion, grow personally or professionally, read, learn, and do something you enjoy.

Keep doing it. Keep going. Build your lifestyle. Find your passion. And once that happens, don’t let it go.

by caitlyncallahan14

8-10 hours/day

I went to the eye doctor last week (for the first time in years) to talk about getting contacts because my vision is so bad. As we were going over my history and concerns, she asked me what I do for a living and how many hours a day I spend on the computer.

I told her 8-10 hours, average.

She laughed at first.

And then when she realized I was serious, she expressed concern about how bad that was for my eyes.

I told her that between my full time job and my business, it’s the truth. And yet, these last few weeks I’ve found that even that much time isn’t enough.

You may have noticed it’s been about a month since I posted a blog post. I also haven’t been regularly updating my social media, or posting industry articles. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been slacking. My full time job has been so busy lately and it’s been exhausting. I’ve been working longer hours, and had no time during the day for a break (so many meetings!). On top of that, I’ve been very busy with my existing clients, and working on onboarding two more.

Therefore, I’m spending 8-10 hours a day, 5-6 days a week staring at my computer.

But, I’m still falling behind writing and publishing for my own business. Which without that new content, I’m not continuing to grow and establish. And while I know the importance of prioritizing my own business, I’m not. And sadly, it’s an active choice I’m making.

Because after 8 hours of meetings and 2-3 hours of writing for clients, I’m tired. And I want to watch an episode of my favorite show, or read some of my book, and then go to sleep. I know I should be writing a blog post, or scheduling out social media posts. And I can’t say I don’t have the time (because that would be a lie), but spending that time working means I’m sacrificing time doing other things I enjoy, or time with family or friends.

I’ve been doing this freelancing gig for about three years now and I’ve written before about finding the balance. Now more than ever it’s challenging to find that balance as I’m busier than ever with work and clients.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s the best feeling to have. I love what I’m doing with my clients and the work I’m publishing. I’m so proud of my success so far and how far I’ve come.

But to keep going, I need to continue to prioritize my business. I just honestly don’t know how.

So here’s a question to my fellow freelancers – how did you do it? How did you build a successful business, while also having and enjoying your life? Not missing those moments in life is so important to me, but I feel like too often I read about successful people having sacrificed everything to get to where they are, including family, friends, sleep and their own health.

I don’t want to be like that. I want to change the narrative. I want to prove to every kid out there dreaming of this life, having their own business and being successful writers, that you can have it all.

I’ll be sure to let you all know if I figure it out.

Until then, I’ll keep spending my 8-10 hours.

by caitlyncallahan14

1,000 words

A picture is worth a thousand words.

How many times have you heard that saying? Probably at least a thousand, referencing both good and “bad” photos (we all have at least one picture on our Facebook we are embarrassed about).

Pictures can evoke emotion, bring back memories, tell a story… each worth a thousand words.

But have you ever sat down, looked at a picture, and written 1,000 words?

I hadn’t. Until today.

While reading a book about tapping into and expressing creativity, the author (a photographer) described how each photo he takes, he embodies how photography is about capturing a moment and creating a story – at least 1,000 words worth.

It sparked an idea for me – I’ve never actually written 1,000 words about a picture. And what better way to practice writing, express creativity, and hone my craft than doing just that?

The general guideline is each typed page is about 500 words, so I sat down at my typewriter to write out about two and a half pages (since typewriter keys are larger than typical computer font). I scrolled through my phone’s photos and selected one I took today of my view from my patio chair. It’s not a spectacular photo, and it’s not of a spectacular time, which I thought would make for a challenge.

You don’t realize how many words 1,000 words really is until you’re writing them. But I found that my fingers flowed across the keys and typed out 2.5 pages in just under half an hour. Even though I had taken the photo only a couple of hours before, I felt so much emotion writing about it. Gratitude, joy, satisfaction, relief, content. I described the sky, trees, flowers, and grass. My dogs. My book. The sun. The breeze and warmth from the day.

Honestly, I could have written 2,000 words. Maybe more.

And the point is it got me writing. It inspired this blog post. I spent half an hour of my day writing, letting my mind wander, exercising my fingers on the keys. Practicing my craft.

I’ve written before about Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert rule. Today I added to my expertise.

I encourage you to take at least 30 minutes a day to practice your craft. To better yourself. Whether it’s exercising, writing, reading, learning, cooking, painting, knitting, or whatever it is that you love to do, start with 30 minutes. And then make time for 60. Or, if you have a busy day, take just 5 or 10 minutes.

And if you’re a writer, I encourage you to take or choose a photo and write 1,000 words about it. Tell a story. Feel the emotion from the photo, or evoke emotion from the viewer and reader. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But the more you do it, the more you practice, the better writer you will be.

by caitlyncallahan14

i don’t edit my blogs

I don’t edit my blog posts.

It’s quite the opposite when I work on pieces for my clients.

Once I’m finished with a piece for a client, I put it to the side and don’t look at it again for a day or two. Then, I print it out and edit the old fashioned way – with a pen. Reading the piece out loud, I mark up as I go. Once I’m finished, I make all the corrections on the electronic copy. If the piece is long or a complicated topic, I’ll print it out and hard-copy edit again. Or, I’ll read through the electronic copy, making additional edits as I go.

Depending on how extensive the piece is, I can spend up to an hour editing. I don’t rush. Sometimes I’ll put it to the side and sit on it for another day or two. I find that giving myself space from the piece clears my head and gives me additional clarity. Most of the time I’m able to go back and catch things I missed, make additional edits improving the flow, or realize something that made sense when I wrote it no longer does.

Giving my clients exceptional work isn’t just so I can continue to have a business, but it’s also what I expect from myself. Spending extra time editing and making sure what I submit to them is perfect is simply part of the job. It helps ensure I’m adding quality pieces to my portfolio, and it keeps the client happy.

However, when I write my own blog posts, I feel differently.

On my own blog, it’s important to me to be authentic. To be real, and honest. I write like I’m having a conversation with you because that’s how I want you to feel. And by editing and re-writing, I feel I lose some of that authenticity and spur-of-the-moment conversation feel.

This isn’t something I’ve always done. When I first started my blog, I felt like everything I wrote had to be perfect because I wanted people to trust that what I’d create for them is perfect. But over time I’ve found that there is a separation between my work for my clients and writing for my blog, and there are different expectations.

Building a relationship with my clients is critical to both of our success. If you want to see my portfolio of my professional work, and learn what you’d expect if you hired me to write for you, go to callahancommunication.com/portfolio. But if you want to understand me as a person, what I represent, why I do what I do, and why you should trust me to help you with your digital marketing, read my blog.