Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

I've got such a lovely roster of clients at the moment. I'm not opposed to taking on work I'm not 100% into, but it's nice when I enjoy every little thing I write. I'm just gonna bask in that this week (and smash up my bathroom a bit more).

Here's what I've been up to this week work-wise:

👉 I wrote 4 pieces for clients (including Experlogix, Cobloom, and Salsify)

👉 I refreshed one piece for Shopify

👉 I ran a week-long challenge in The Promo Playbook's Slack channel

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~20

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~2

💰 Total revenue this week: £4,070

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Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

There’s no such thing as overnight success.

There, I’ve said it. I’ve put it out there. When we see someone seemingly “taking off”, there’s usually a ton of work that’s gone on in the background. We only see the end result.

In fact, one of my favourite sayings is “You too can do this overnight in 10 years.”

I look back over the last 10 years and think BLOODY HELL.

How did I manage it?

So much has happened. It feels like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.

I know there are plenty of you out there still in those early days, wondering whether freelancing is the right path for you, and trust me, I’ve been there (on more than one or two or three occasions!).

Today, I want to show you that no two freelancing paths are the same. There’s no “right way” to do things—only what works for you.

So, without further ado, here’s what my freelance journey has looked like.

2014

In 2014, I quit my job and moved to Spain with one month’s notice. I had no clients, had never freelanced before, and didn’t have a lot of support from my friends and family.

That first year I hustled HARD. I took every gig on Upwork and Craigslist that I could find (some charging £0.01 a word or £25 for 3,000 words). When you broke it down, I wasn’t even earning minimum wage, plus I was working up to 14 hours a day.

It was exhausting, but I had a taste of freedom. I didn’t have to ask a boss if I could book a flight or take the day off. It was LIBERATING. And I wanted more.

In about March 2015, I realised I never wanted to go back to “proper” employment.

2015

I moved back to the UK because my grandma was ill. I took a lot of time off work to see her and my work suffered. In October 2015, I thought I might have to go back to full-time work because my income had suffered and I was struggling to land any contracts.

2016-2019

I came off Upwork and started to take control of my own freelance destiny.

I began pitching prospects and joining Facebook groups full of other freelancers. It was also during this time that I joined a coworking space and surrounded myself with other amazing freelancers.

It was the encouragement I needed to carry on.

The pitches started working (FYI: it took me about 6 months to a year to start seeing REAL results from my pitches after months of experimenting).

I started to get referrals from fellow freelancers.

And finally (probably the best thing I did for my career), I pivoted to writing marketing content for brands instead of travel and lifestyle content.

In 2018, I started sharing my life as a freelancer online. I started to build an email list and create resources for other freelancers, which I quickly found out was a major passion of mine.

2020

We all know what happened in 2020.

In March 2020, I lost all but one of my freelance contracts. This was the second time in my career that I really considered going back to full-time employment. My income sank and the panic set in. But by June 2020, things were picking back up. I had landed a few clients in the ecommerce niche and began gearing my services towards those brands.

(Sidenote: the ecommerce sector grew QUICKLY during this time, and I was right to jump on the bandwagon when I did. Sometimes you gotta go where the money is).

In August 2020, I hit my first £10k month and I CRIED. Honestly, it was ugly tears. That year was such a bloody rollercoaster.

2021-2024

The few years since the pandemic have been the absolute best in my business. I’m working with household names like Shopify and Klaviyo, and my experience and subject matter expertise now means I can charge upwards of £1,000 a piece.

Since that first £10k month in 2020, I’ve consistently made six figures each year. During this time, I also create my signature resources for freelancers which have really taken off over the past year.

Now, when I look back at 2014 me, I can’t quite believe we’re the same person.

She worked HARD and I’m so glad she did because now I get to do what I do every day and I love it, love it, love it.

For those of you at the start…

YES, it’s a long old slog.

NO, freelancing isn’t a quick way to make money.

ABSOLUTELY, you can do this. It’s just going to take a bit of time.

This week, we have a diary from Maria Jose Rodriguez — a ghostwriter for B2B Leaders, VCs, and founders.

Where are you based? Quito, Ecuador 🇪🇨

How long have you been freelancing? Exactly 1 year!

What do you do? I primarily (ghost)write for B2B Leaders. I have yet to niche down a bit more.

What was your 2023 revenue? $10,270.18

I got started April 2023 with one small client as a side-hustle.

How much did you take as a salary?

This year I'm averaging $1420.25 USD per month after subtracting operational costs, but before taxes. Because of the way my business is set up, every single $ goes to me, and at this point it basically just covers my expenses.

How much did you pay in taxes?

I paid around $840 in income tax for 2023, $1,032 in social security, $954 in sales tax, and about $100 for a yearly permit I need to operate as a freelancer. Ecuador's policy allows you to work as a freelancer with your Government ID, all you have to do is pay for a special license that allows you to generate govt. approved invoices so you can declare your income.

What are your business expenses? About $117 if I average out all my yearly expenses into monthly expenses.

This does not include courses, or consulting. The way Ecuadorian law works, I can only write off the purchases I make within Ecuador, and all the training programs I've purchased have been outside Ecuador.

This year I enrolled in a Ghostwriting course and community, it was $4k. It was a lot of money, but I am sure it will pay off in the long run.

Do you contribute to a pension?

I pay into the gov. social security, which includes a pension plan, but I also have savings (in investments) that are set aside for retirement. Once I start making more money from freelancing, I plan to keep on adding to those savings.

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

Learning how to use spreadsheets has helped me the most. My business is not big enough to afford an accountant, and most accounting software isn't compatible with Ecuadorian regulation, so it's pretty useless for me. I manage all accounting on my own for now, which isn't my favorite activity, but it helps me feel in control and understand how my business and my life work. My goal is to understand it well enough so I can easily delegate once I earn more money. 💰

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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