A few weeks ago I was reading a book and the author wrote:
What does being successful mean to you?
The quote, in a book being on following your inner “clues” to success and fulfillment, stuck with me, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
During these few years of being a freelancer and business owner, I’ve had several goals (big and small) that I’ve worked to accomplish. Consistently publishing on my website and social channels, bidding for a certain number of contracts, a book of a certain number of clients, certain earnings in my bank account… the list goes on.
But one thing I never really thought about is what “successful” really means to me. My goal with my business isn’t to make millions or build a nation-wide consulting agency, but I do want to be self-sustainable, work less, and make a comfortable (or more than comfortable) living.
But how do I know when I get there?
So I sat down to write this post and force myself to really think about and define what my success looks like to myself.
And then weeks went by, and I didn’t write anything because I didn’t know the answer.
Now, finally, I’ve figured it out.
First of all, I will say I believe I’ve been successful already. I have several consistent, wonderful clients. I have built an emergency fund and savings that I’m comfortable with. I’ve formed an LLC and am a business owner. I’m respected and have done great things at my full-time jobs. Those all are amazing things that I can’t believe I even get to say.
So when I’m old and retired, what will I have accomplished that will allow me to look back and think “wow, I was successful”?
I think long term, my success doesn’t look like $ in the bank or X clients in my portfolio. In fact, I don’t think it can be quantified by a number. Instead, I think it’s a feeling and a vision of my future. Ultimately, it comes down to lifestyle design.
I want to be able to choose my lifestyle. To wake up every day and decide what I want to do and when. If I want to spend hours writing, I will. If I want to go to the park or read a book on my patio all day, I will. Maybe I’ll sleep in, or maybe I’ll get up early to enjoy a quiet, local coffee shop. No meetings. No boss or corporation to answer to. Just myself and the most important things to me, like loved ones and friends.
I want to be able to choose whether I spend my time in my house in Cincinnati, or on a beach, or in Europe, or at my parents’ house. I want to choose whether I take on a new client and write myself, or send the work out to a freelancer while I earn passive income. I want to love what I do every day, both from a “career” standpoint as well as day-to-day activities.
I want to wake up happy and excited for the day, and go to bed happy and excited for what the next day will bring.
That is my success. That is what being successful means to me.
Surrounded by friends and family, with the freedom to choose what takes up my days and mental space. Being happy and fulfilled by things I choose.
I’ve written it on a sticky note and hung it on the window sill above my desk so I can look at it every day and remember what I’m working toward. What the goal is. And continue pushing for it.
And I’m so excited to see what the future brings.
If you haven’t, I encourage you to sit down and think about what success means to you. Write it down. Start making a plan. Your definition success won’t look the same as mine or someone you know, but I think it’s important to know and embrace what you’re working toward – so you know when you get there, and can feel empowered, proud, happy and successful.
Is one of your goals this year to grow your book of business?
In order to do this, you’re going to have to perfect the art of pitching and bidding for contracts.
While I wouldn’t classify myself as an expert, I have personally submitted hundreds of pitches and done quite a bit of reading/research on how to win a contract. This is especially important when I’m bidding on contracts through Upwork since there is no limit on how many others can also bid, and I could be competing with tens of others.
When you pitch work to a company or bid for a contract, the keys are to:
Stand out
Be memorable
Quickly showcase your qualifications and why you are the best fit
This includes whether you’re bidding for a posted contract or pitching your business to a prospective client.
So, how do you do this? Especially within just a few sentences or short paragraphs? Here are a few things I’ve learned and recommend.
Bidding for a Posted Contract
If you’re using a freelancer service such as Upwork, or applying for jobs posted on a job network like LinkedIn, these tips may be applicable to you.
Carefully read the job description. Make sure you understand everything the client is looking for. Not only do you want to ensure it’s something you’re actually interested in, but also something you’re qualified for. Sometimes clients are looking for specific expertise or tasks that may not be applicable to you.
Look to see if the client included a proposedrate in the description, which can either encourage or deter you from applying. Check for links to their website or additional information. Finally, some clients will include words/phrases to include in your pitch (to ensure you read the job description), or questions they want you to answer ahead of time.
Tailor your pitch to the job specifics. I, like I’d imagine many other freelancers, have a generic pitch typed and saved on my computer. Whenever I’m applying for contracts, I copy and paste that into the application. While I’ll talk later about what I actually include in it, one thing I do for each job is tailor the pitch to the job.
If the client is looking for a blogger, I focus on my blog experience and expertise. If they are in need of a social media manager, I share my experience in social. Same with proofreading or digital marketing consulting.
Then, I try to take it one step further. If the client is a pet food business, I share something personal about my pets at home. If they need insurance content, I highlight my experience specifically with insurance. The point is to get the job, so make sure the client knows you are the one for their specific job.
Highlight specific qualities. This goes hand in hand with tailoring your pitch to the job, but focuses on specifics about you and your experience. Is there a particular client you’ve worked with or experience you have that makes you more qualified than others? Can you share statistics you have on ROI or engagement with content you created? Be specific about why you are best for the job.
Link to your website or portfolio. This is an important step in setting yourself apart from other applicants. First, if a client sees your website or portfolio in your pitch, they may see you in a more professional light.
You also give them an opportunity to screen you before wasting each other’s time with follow up communications or interviews. They can look at your site or experience and determine whether or not you are right for their brand or job, and decide whether or not to move forward.
Consider including your rate. Whether or not you do this can be subject to change based on the job. If the client asks for your rate, you should probably include it. If not, you can decide based on information you have about the client, or proposed rate they have in the job description, whether or not you’d like to include rate out front.
The key is to find the sweet spot that doesn’t scare the client away, but also doesn’t let them think they can take advantage of you. Perhaps try to avoid including a specific rate, and instead give a range. Or, my go to statement is: I’m happy to negotiate a per word or per article rate. This gives us both flexibility but keeps the ball in my court, because I can say yes or no to what they say.
Pitching Your Business to a Prospect Client
If you’re at the point in your career where you’re “cold-selling” yourself to businesses to bring them on as new clients, that’s great! Many freelancers start small with people they know, or businesses in their local community. Or, perhaps you’re ready to expand to those you don’t know or who are larger or even national. These tips may help with your endeavors.
Do your research. One of the worst things you can do is pitch to a prospective client without having done research on their brand. While you’re doing research for yourself, much like prepping for a job interview, you also want to know the exact areas where you can help.
Understand as much as you can about their products/services. Learn about their values and brand, including the tone and feel.
Spend time on their website and check out their blog.
Visit their pages on different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. What type of content do they post? How do they engage with their customers? How do customers engage with them?
Search them on Google. Does their website appear? Do they have any Google reviews? Are there any articles about them?
Find the important people on LinkedIn and Google. This may include the owner, CEO, CMO, someone from HR, or whomever you are pitching to or want to talk to. What is their experience? How long have they been with the company? Can you find out anything personal that you can relate to?
Tailor your pitch to the client. Similar to pitching for a specific job, you want to tailor your pitch to the client. The client shouldn’t feel like you just blasted out the same pitch to 10 different businesses. Help them understand their business is important to you, and make them feel like they are the only client that matters. Also try referencing things you learned about them or their brand in your research.
Be specific. This is two-fold to answer two questions: How can you help them, and why should they hire you?
It’s critical that you do not criticize the brand. Don’t list what they are doing wrong. Instead, encourage them that you can help it be even better. Maybe you can help with training the current marketing person. Or, perhaps marketing is being done by the owner of the business and you can simply free up their time for more important things. Be positive about what you reference and how you phrase how you can help.
Additionally, be specific about why they should hire you. Talk about your experience, involvement with the community, past experiences with the company. Include stats or information that provides context or support to your experience.
Be personable. You’re hoping to build a long-term working relationship with this client, so make sure they see you as a person they can work with. Include something about yourself, or how the company personally interests you. For example, you love this locally-owned pet store and have made several purchases from there yourself for your own fur baby.
People like working with people, and since they don’t know you and didn’t approach your first, you want to make sure they know you mean well, you can help them improve their customer acquisition/retention/whatever goal you want to help with, and that you are a great person to work with.
Link to your website, portfolio, and client testimonials. Again, this gives a sense of professionalism right off the bat. Plus, the prospective client likely doesn’t know you or exactly what you can provide. By linking to your site, you give them the opportunity to research you and understand what your business is all about to help decide whether or not they want to hire you.
What to Include in Your Pitch
Keeping the above tips in mind, here are a few things I try to include in every pitch. Typically, I try to keep mine between 250-300 words – short, sweet and to the point. Yours may be shorter or longer depending on the client or job.
A brief explanation of my experience, including college education and years in the industry.
A brief overview of the type of clients I’ve had and industries I’ve worked in (specific to the job, such as blog writing or social media marketing).
One sentence about where my specific expertise lies.
One to two sentences specific to the job/client and specific experience I have related to it. Or, a short narrative that makes me relatable.
A link to my portfolio.
One sentence about certifications I hold.
If applicable, one sentence about rate.
A closing, encouraging reach out to me with any questions, thanking them for their time, and sharing my excitement about discussing next steps.
It’s no surprise that the majority of humans are ready to leave 2020 behind.
Not that on January 1 the world is magically going to be a better place, the pandemic will be gone, everyone has their jobs back and life is back to normal. But just that the year where so many terrible things happened is left behind and we can literally turn the page.
2020 was a rough year for many, including myself. I was furloughed for three month, I was (and still am) anxious for family members who are healthcare heroes and work on the front lines, I had family members and friends get the virus, and people close to me lost loved ones. I struggled with not being able to see friends and live our normal, outgoing and busy lives. I was scared, angry, sad and sometimes lonely. Between the pandemic (and everything that came with it), celebrity deaths, wild fires, BLM movement, protests, the election, murder hornets, and more, this year was a lot.
But 2020 was also one of the best years I can remember. I bought a house, got a puppy, went back to my job and now work from home (which I’ve always wanted), went on a mother-daughter vacation that we’ve talked about for years but never made time for, fell back in love with writing and my side-hustle work, read dozens of books, continued building my business and brought on new clients, realized the value of friendship more than ever, slowed down and enjoyed life like I’ve never done before… and without some of the bad, I never would have had the opportunity for some of this good.
Every year, I write “resolutions” or goals for myself and my business. With 2021 just a few days away, I sat down to think about what I want to accomplish next year. Going into 2020, I had some very specific and S.M.A.R.T. growth and opportunity goals. In 2021, I’m going in a different direction.
Here are a few of my goals (personal and professional) for 2021:
Read. Read at least two books per month (fun or professional development… doesn’t matter!)
Learn. Earn three certifications in something I’m interested in and can help me in my life/career.
Build. Continue to nurture relationships with my clients and provide outstanding, exceptional work. Keep my eyes open for potential new jobs/clients, with less emphasis on the “quantity” of clients and more emphasis on the “quality.”
Enjoy. Be intentional with any time I get to spend with family, friends or coworkers. Take advantage of any experiences I get to share with loved ones, and stay in the moment to enjoy every second possible.
Improve. 2020 was a huge year for learning about myself, my passions, my work ethic, what I want in a career and future. Next year, I want to continue to improve myself personally and professionally. While I don’t know exactly what that looks like, I want to be intentional about recognizing when I have opportunities to do so.
Travel. Whether it’s somewhere distant for a week, another state for a weekend or to the park down the street for a few hours, spend more time outdoors and creating and embracing experiences and memories.
While these look different than any other annual goals I’ve ever set for myself, I am more passionate about them and excited to take them on.
If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to think back on 2020, remember the positive things that happened, and take that momentum into 2021. Build on it, grow, continue to embrace what’s really important, be intentional and stay in the moment, and don’t take work, love, family and friendship for granted. Set goals for yourself that make you happy and will improve your life. We’ve all learned a lot this year, and it’s time to make ourselves and the world better next year!
Yes, I’m one of the millions of people who makes New Year’s resolutions each year.
I’m also one of the millions who usually gives up on those goals one, three or six months into the year.
I don’t go crazy with my resolutions. Like, instead of saying I want to lose 30 lbs., I instead say I want to eat healthier, get in the habit of exercising, and feel better about myself. I try to keep them general to help increase my chances of success. (I recognize that’s the opposite of what they teach you about setting goals, but in this scenario it seems to work better for me.)
A lot of people look at the new year as a fresh start.
#newyearnewme
In just a couple of days, we will be entering a new decade. And I can feel big, great things coming my way.
2019 was rough. It certainly had it’s ups, but it also had some of the lowest downs I think I’ll ever feel. And I’m determined to take everything I’ve felt and learned right into 2020 and make it one of the best years yet.
A few of my 2020 professional-bucket goals include:
Five consistent freelance clients throughout the year.
Complete fulfillment (and perhaps a promotion) at my existing job.
Re-focus building my business with the ability to be solely reliant by 2022.
Build my blog and brand, and continue providing timely, exceptional work for my clients.
Earn at least two certifications in a marketing field.
Become more educated in business ownership, finances and accounting.
I’ve already begun planning my content calendar and social media post calendars for myself and my clients, and committing to building my client list as much as I can handle. I’ve already set several personal and professional goals for myself, and written out my plan for accomplishment.
Submit 10 proposals per week for clients.
Have three consistent freelance clients by March 31.
Have five consistent freelance clients by June 30.
Commit one hour per day to my business – whether it’s for myself or a client.
Finish one certification by April 30.
Finish second certification by November 30.
I also want to commit to journaling at least one time per week, reading at least one book per month, and setting daily intentions. These are all things I have done in the past and have fallen out of habit, and I strive to re-commit to them next year.
For a few months, I fell out of love with my business and my work. But recently, I’ve fallen back. I thrive when I’m writing. I glean excitement from working with prospective and existing clients. I feel accomplished and proud when I complete an assignment. It’s a different kind of fulfillment the I get from my day-to-day job, and something I want to continue feeling for a long time. It’s also something I want to re-focus on building and creating in 2020.
2020 will be my year. It will be a year for my business and brand, my clients, and my success. What personal or professional goals are you setting in 2020? Share in the comments!
Since I was a child, I’ve been encouraged to set goals and do what I need to do – whatever it took – to accomplish them.
Whether it was getting an “A” in a class, landing my first (or second, or third) job, being accepted to college, earning my master’s degree, studying abroad, moving to a new city, starting my business… it started with having a goal. Once I had the goal, I had to envision accomplishing it. Sometimes, that included making a plan for getting there. Other times it was simply doing what it took – staying at practice longer than everyone else, constantly reading and writing to improve my craft, setting up my Upwork profile to begin my freelancing career.
Recently I’ve been taking a long, hard look at my life and what my next goals are. I’ve accomplished a lot in my 27 years so far, and this year has been a whirlwind both physically and emotionally. As I check things off my bucket list, such as formalizing my consulting business, I’ve realized it’s time to set my next one, five and even 10 year goals, in addition to focusing on the next 3-6 months.
Most of the time, I make a list of my goals. This week, I tried something different.
Have you ever heard of vision boarding? It’s when you cut or print photos of what you want in your life, or how you want your life to be, and pin it on a board where you can look at it every day. I had a vision board once – house, car, engagement ring, family, beach condo, a book with my byline. I still have many of those goals. They say visualizing your goals is a great way to accomplish them. But after reading the book You Are a Writer (so start ACTING like one) by Jeff Goins, I had another plan.
His words encouraged me to start writing again for the sake of writing, because I love it, with no rules or purpose. As I sat at my desk and thought about it, I was encouraged with an idea – to develop a vision board, but with words.
A vision immediately flooded my mind. Waking up (no alarm) next to my boyfriend, our dog at my feet. Tip-toeing out of bed, puttering across our kitchen and living room, to the back patio sliding door. Opening it. A gush of salty sea air hitting my face. Journaling and meditation on the porch with a cup of coffee, sun in my face. Gathering my things and walking down to the beach. Setting up my spot, and opening my laptop to check emails and log time for my clients. The vision is my family five years from now, living in our little beach house in the Carolinas, freelancing full time and living the life I’ve always dreamed.
As I wrote, 3,000 words poured from my fingertips. I felt myself being embodied by my vision. I embraced my thoughts and the feeling of pure joy and excitement to be living the life I’ve imagined. It made me excited and to be honest, I got a slight thrill. Butterflies in the pit of my stomach. It was exhilarating to envision my life the way I want it to be, and write about it as it is truth. I imagined a future journal entry celebrating how far I’ve come accomplishing my goals and it felt amazing.
I’ve decided I’m going to make this at least weekly personal development time. Taking time to focus on building and envisioning my goals will help me prepare for them better and accomplish them faster.
REFLECTION: How do you keep track of your goals? What do you to do work toward accomplishing them? What goals are you working toward now? Leave your story in the comments!
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