Get stories from an adventurous writer, fly fisher, and content marketer. After 25 years of writing I've learned a thing or two, join me as I share that knowledge, offer up insight in surviving as a writer, and talk about fishing (and nature and marketing and whatever else is on my mind that day).
It takes a village to raise a freelancer
Hi Reader,
The other day I posted a reminder to myself on LinkedIn about a task I wanted to finally complete. I’d been putting it off for a while and was sick of looking at it on my to-do list.
After I posted, about half a dozen friends and well-wishers responded with words of encouragement and one person said they’d check in.
Sure enough, 12 hours later I crossed the item off my list and let everyone know who commented on my post that it was done.
It was a good reminder that even though I spend the vast majority of time alone, I’m not alone in running my business. I have a great network of folks who I can turn to for help, advice, or just to vent and I wouldn't be nearly as successful as I am without that network.
I can confidently say that because when I first started freelancing, I didn’t have much of a network. I knew a few other writers, but not nearly enough to get the kind of support I needed at the time. I was content with the idea that I was a solitary writer, quietly doing my thing. And it was killing me.
Business life without a network to help support you.
As soon as I started building my network (aka meeting other writers online), things started to change. Not only that, but I realized that nearly every good thing that had happened to me as a writer happened because of people I’d known.
I mean, sure. It’s possible to make it work without a network, but having tried, I can tell you it’s significantly harder to make progress.
Our networks don’t just help keep us accountable or prop us up when we’re struggling. They share leads, warn about less-than-ideal clients, and give us someone to share memes with.
Basically, they’re our office friends. Freelancing is lonely work. You’re home, often alone, all day every day. If you don’t have some kind of outlet, eventually it catches up to you. I know this because it happened to me.
It wasn’t until I started connecting with people online (and in person) that I realized how much I kinda missed other humans.
Of course, building relationships isn’t easy for everyone. Even though I have a pretty awesome network these days, I struggle with meeting new folks. If you’re the same, stay tuned. I’m going to dive into ways to make networking (both online and in person) less painful.
Cheers,
Doug
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Get stories from an adventurous writer, fly fisher, and content marketer. After 25 years of writing I've learned a thing or two, join me as I share that knowledge, offer up insight in surviving as a writer, and talk about fishing (and nature and marketing and whatever else is on my mind that day).
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