Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s Friday already. I swear the end of the work week rolls around faster and faster each week as we draw closer to December.
Did you know it’s just over eight weeks till Christmas?
Yes, it catches me by surprise every year. Worse now that I’m older and a mum.
I’ve been feeling a bit blah about my writing and everything in life the past week. It’s been a busy busy one as usual and instead of keeping up with writing articles and publishing them Monday to Friday, I’ve been reading them.
And I haven’t done a Friday Link Love in a while.
So cheers to Friday and here’s a few interesting posts I’ve caught up on this week that you might love to add to your ‘to read’ list this week!
7 Powerful Lessons from Learning to Reject Your Limitations on Goins, Writer.
We all have limitations, some more extreme than others. I couldn’t stop reading this article. There’s so much we can all learn and realise that we are the ones who place the limitations on ourselves.
Being Authentic Matters at Horkey Handbook
Authenticity is hard to find, especially on the Internet. Gina talks about the ups and downs of freelancing and business and her honesty is refreshing. We should all stay authentic to ourselves and maybe then we’d all be closer to living our dreams.
7 Steps to Writing Killer Blog Posts That Actually get Noticed – and Read! at Problogger
I’m in the process of starting a niche site (more on that later), so I’m reading and rereading lots of articles on Problogger. There’s some great pointers in this article about writing awesome blog posts. Time to start putting them into practice!
Make Money Blogging: Lessons From 10 Successful Bloggers at Money Can Buy Me Happiness
Some great tips and ideas for making money blogging from experienced bloggers at various levels. I have a weakness for personal finance websites. I love reading them and writing them (have had one I write anonymously on).
It seems that these days being a freelance writer is cool and sexy. People around the world are chasing location independence and the internet age has given them this ability.
Freelancing is awesome but it’s not just about choosing whether you work today or not or staying in your pyjamas till noon. It’s actually requires some hard work on your part too.
Freelancer is defined as being self-employed and working for various companies. Did you know historically ‘freelancer’ meant a medieval mercenary? Just a bit of useless trivia for you.
It can also be sexy as hell.
At least Gina at Horkey Handbook makes it look like it is.
If you want to be a freelance writer, I highly recommend you go and check out Gina’s course on 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success. I did. And it was worth every cent.
There are a ton of courses out there claiming to help you become a freelancer. I’m not saying they aren’t any good. What I’m saying is Gina’s course is awesome.
It’s trumps on quality, cost, and ongoing support.
It actually tells you everything you really need to know without having to ask.
On top of that, there’s a community on Facebook for all graduates of her course. The group is impressive and generous. Whenever there’s a question, someone finds an answer. The support is incredible and sometimes that’s what you need to take the next step in starting your freelance writing career or getting out of a rut for a more advanced freelancer.
It’s not just the notes on a page, the emailed activities at the end of each module but someone rooting for you, holding your hand, having gone through similar experiences.
A lot of courses take your money, provide you with the material and then forget about you. Gina doesn’t do that. She’s there to answer your questions and offer ongoing support. It’s incredible.
If you’re serious about getting in the game, this is the course that will help you get there.
If you want to be successful you need a network of people around you. Thanks to the Internet age, your clients don’t have to live in the same city, country or even continent as you.
I wish this course was around eight years ago. It would have kicked me in the butt much sooner to get a move on and make freelancing a part of my life, and saved me a lot of frustration.
I’ve actually decided to run through the course again for a kick in the backside.
The dream is much closer than I could have ever anticipated. I feel a little giddy inside.
Accountability is important when it comes to starting a business. The beginning stages are the hardest. Having someone who’s got your back when rejection hits, and to pull you back up and make sure that you persevere and succeed is not just encouraging but fucking brilliant. We all need someone like that in our lives.
Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s a daily effort. And each day can be a success on its own merits. The definition is yours alone. Own it.
Gina regularly updates the course so it’s always up-to-date info that you can learn to get your freelance writing business off the ground. She also has a VA course, 30 Days To Virtual Assistant Success if you’re interested in that direction.
Gina’s course has everything you need to get started as a freelancer and so much more. But if you still don’t believe me, here’s a quick interview with Gina.
If you don’t believe me, check out this quick interview with Gina!
* This content contains affiliate links.
Check out the transcript below!
Interview with Gina Horkey from Horkey Handbook!
Kasia: So tell us a bit about yourself.
Gina: Hi, my name is Gina Horkey. I self identify as a married millennial mamma to two precious toddlers. Of course I screw something up in the first like minute, right.
Kasia: Um, so what about for your business side of things. Tell us a bit about that. What do you do?
Gina: At first I broke into freelance writing and then I added some virtual assistant work, ah, for a client. Um, as a full time job I was a personal finance adviser and support person to a large planning practice. So I built my freelance business actually on the side of that for the first like eight months and then I put in my notice…that was back in 2014 so I’ve been going strong going on to two and a half years.
Gina: So, I had a fair amount of success early on in my freelancing career. I was able to bring my income from nothing all the way up to $4000 a month in the first six months and that was on the side again of that full time job, and you know I am very much a processes and data person so I kind of chronicled my journey during that time so that I didn’t live out that whole definition of insanity, as far as doing the same thing over again and expecting a different results, and so by taking notes, documenting my pitches and kind of my behaviour it helped me to see what I needed to change over time and then when I reflected on that, you know six months later I thought, well, I kind of have a blueprint here that could maybe help somebody else, and so I also had somebody whispering in my ear, an online peer that said ‘hey when are you going to break into the products market’ and I was like ’what do you mean the products market? Like who am I to put something out?’ That little bug just kept growing stronger and I decided to take November of 2014 and every morning I got up, I was again still working full time, and at 4:30 in the morning and I cranked out a lesson or two. By the end of that month I had 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success. The whole goal of the course was just to take what I had learned ah, practical advice that was really actionable as well. So the lessons are really short and the goal was to like read something and then immediately go and do something, so you’re taking action every single day towards your goal of becoming a freelance writer.
Kasia: Fantastic, so did you ever think, did you expect it to be as successful as it has become?
Gina: No (laughs). Not that I’m that big of a deal, or the course isn’t that big of a deal, but you know I launched it in December and then I was hoping that people would buy it and then I was hoping that they would be able to put it into practice and get the results that I had, and you know I’m really happy to say that I’ve got some really great testimonials that I’ve collected over time, and you know people that have been in the first couple of weeks of the course that had you know started making $500 a month. There are of course people that it takes a little longer to that as well, and that’s completely ok. But it’s been really fun getting to know this community of people. The Facebook group now is almost 600 strong and not everybody that takes the course, you know decides to join that but they’re very supportive of one another and you can tell that the goal is to build each other up, and to cheer each other on, it’s very much a mentality of abundance rather than scarcity, like they don’t see each other as competition. And I think I’ve had a little bit of a hand in that. I try to be a natural encourager but I’m just really proud of the group as well for doing that for one another.
Kasia: Well, your course has probably changed a few people’s lives.
Gina: Well, they’ve done the hard work. I’ve just given them you know the tool or an instruction or two.
Kasia: Well, we all need a nudge sometimes, in the right direction.
Gina: We do, even myself.
Kasia: Um, so what makes your course unique to all the other courses that are on the market?
Gina: Sure, I think you know, me, um not to give myself a big head but you know that’s one of the common pieces of feedback that I get is that I’m very relatable and the way that I write is very conversational, and so the person that is taking the course doesn’t feel like they are studying for this big final exam – there’s not an exam at the end of the course. The exam is getting clients and being successful, right? But they think it’s instead of me kind of being over their shoulder talking to them as a friend, and teaching them as a friend and breaking it down so that they can again go and put it into practice really easily, so I’ve heard that quite a bit, that makes me really proud. I’ve also heard that encouraging part like I’m their kind of cheerleader there egging them on. The Facebook group is great that’s nothing crazy, new or outlandish, but the group itself, the people that are in there, like I said are really awesome. So when you just put all that stuff together and you know the action on your part, the dedication on your part, I think it gets results and that’s what’s important.
Kasia: So It’s not really just signing up for a course and getting a few emails, you are actually very hands on throughout?
Gina: I try to be. As much as I can. There are a couple of different tiers. So if you just want to do it yourself you totally can, if you want a little bit more coaching there’s options for that as well. I try to keep it affordable too, so it doesn’t break the bank. You should be able to make your investment back with a client or two. And you know the goal is again just to help people get started and take action because where most of us fail is thinking too much, learning too much. Um you know you can read on the internet for days and if you don’t put any of the information into practice then it’s really hard to get results so instead of listening to every expert out there on freelance writing maybe give a course like mine a try, and you know commit to putting the action steps in place to doing them and seeing where you are at the end of a couple weeks or a month, depending on how much time you have.
Kasia: That’s what comes down to, doesn’t it. It’s taking action even if it’s a small one.
Gina: Exactly.
Kasia: So, um, what do you think is the hardest part of freelancing?
Gina: Ourselves. You know, it can be a tough gig. In a way it’s sales. You’re selling yourself you’re trying to market and get clients. If you don’t have any experience than I think we get in our way by telling ourselves like, who are we to put ourselves out there, to call ourselves a professional writer or are we gonna be any good, is the client going to like our writing and you know a lot of that fear then builds up that inaction, right? And tells us not to put ourselves out there, not to pitch, not to turn in a piece for review and I think it’s really ourselves and kind of the self doubt. I think rejection can be hard but that all kind of blends in with the same thing but the opportunity is abundant if you want to spend more talking about that. I was actually on a podcast interview earlier today and we were talking about how we’re moving into a more global economy and workplace which is great, and there’s just a lot of opportunities to be a freelancer or a webpreneur these days. If you think about it every company really needs a website , every website needs writing through copy, through white papers, through email, and then a lot of them are very open to have a blog as well so obviously that’s something that needs to be updated on a regularly basis in order to connect with a client or customer base.
Kasia: Well, definitely in an information age aren’t we?
Gina: Yeah. I don’t see our mediums continuing to change and experiment, as far as video is really hot right now but you still need writing to go along with the video to introduce it, right? Kasia: That’s right.
Gina: Plus a lot of people will deliver a video interview as well as transcribe it into a blog post which has to do with writing, um, so the writing part isn’t going anywhere ah anytime soon.
Kasia: Awesome. So, how does, um 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success help wannabe or aspiring freelancers overcome some of the hardships like you said – the fear of rejection, overcoming their own inability to take that plunge?
Gina: Yeah, so, one of the things the course doesn’t really cover is how to write, right. There’s definitely tips on formatting and blogging and that sort of thing but you need to kind of have decent writing chops to begin with. Um but the rest of the course is definitely on the business of freelancing, the business of freelance writing and so, I think how it helps people that are unsure or have that self doubt is it breaks it down to those manageable, small steps, so really all you have to do is plug in and play. If you kind of just follow what is outlined for you, if you put in a half an hour or an hour a day for a period of time, then there’s no reason that you can’t put the things in place to have a launching pad for a successful business.
Kasia: So, do you think most people can be, can start a successful freelance business?
Gina: I think if you have a good attention to detail, you’re responsible as far as like meeting deadlines, you aren’t afraid of putting yourself out there or at least you’ll get better at it over time as far as prospecting. And you have a sufficient command of the English language – I’m a much better writer than I am a talker I don’t know. Yes, there’s a lot of opportunity again and you’ll get better with time. I mean look at random bloggers um they weren’t that great in the beginning. You and I weren’t that great a writers in the beginning but the more you practice your craft, the better you’ll get at it and now that also goes with the learning curve I think of the type of clients you get too, so my first client I was writing WordPress these descriptions for $7.50 a piece, US. They were 150-200 words and I think that is somewhere around like 5 cents a word, I can do the math real quick. But um you know at my skill level at the time you know that was a decent pay check , would I take that project today? Probably not. It just wouldn’t be worth my time. But I needed the certain stepping stones in order to get my feet wet to practice. My boss, the client was really great at helping me give me constructive criticism or feedback, not criticism um which helped me to grow as a writer and as a freelance writer.
Kasia: You’ve grown quite a bit from what, it’s only been what two years since you started?
Gina: Yep, going on to two and a half.
Kasia: That’s fantastic. That’s very impressive, um, result.
Gina: Yeah. I appreciate that. You know I started as a freelance writer and then worked my way into virtual assistance and then you know the course is obviously on the product side of my blog, I try to do a little bit of affiliate marketing too…I’m a big fan of diversification and I like try new things too.
Kasia: There’s nothing better than multiple streams coming through , isn’t it?
Gina: Yeah, unless you drive yourself crazy on too many things. But I think it’s good to try different things for sure and to have a couple of different ones because you know things will change and it’s summer right now a lot of the time that’s lower for freelancers because companies are taking more time off that doesn’t mean there aren’t clients to be had. Though I built my business in the beginning during the summer months as well here in the United States anyway I know you’re in winter over in Australia um but and that’s the other great part is you guys are in winter so maybe you’re not taking as many holidays as we are over here so there’s a chance to work with different types of clients across the world. Um, my point is yes, things are cyclical but I think that if you’re putting consistent effort out there especially from pitching standpoint, and when I say pitching you know going out there bidding for freelance jobs , prospecting, marketing. Um that if you consistently do that over time you know you’ll be able to fill your client load pretty quickly. And certain things take time to also come into fruition you might pitch somebody today but you might not hear back from them for a conversation for two or four months from now, so it makes sense to be deliberate and consistent about it.
Kasia: Fantastic. So if you were starting um freelancing today is there anything that you’d do differently?
Gina: No, I’m a fan of learning from my journey. I’m sure there were things that weren’t as effective but at the same time I was able to ramp up pretty quickly so I don’t see anything really glaring. Um one piece of advice is to be as authentic as possible, and relational. Ah, because you never know who will become your client or who you could refer for. But if you’re only looking at relationships, and building relationships from that standpoint of. what can you offer me or who do you know kind of thing that’s not good. But instead be interested in people to try to develop relationships that I think that really helps with prospecting too um people like to work with or refer to people they like so kind of keep that in mind from the get go. I think I could have done more relationship building and I can still do more relationship building it’s just always hard when you have a finite amount of time.
Kasia: That’s right, it is time, it comes down to time, doesn’t it? Time to fit it all in. And it is who you know, not what you know, often?
Gina: Right but I didn’t have a journalistic background. I went to college and I had a psychology degree and then I was in personal finance , did a lot of writing as a part of my day to day job activities, but I didn’t have any concrete experience in that realm, and I didn’t have any contacts in my network either that gave me work so everything that I did was built through that hustle and that grind of putting myself out there and making connections. So, please if you’re listening definitely hear you don’t have to have this established network already. It’s something that you can build over time, you don’t have to have a journalism degree. It’s something that you can use your skills and always build and invest in them as well.
Kasia: That’s fantastic advice. That’s one thing that could keep people from embarking on a freelancing career.
Gina: And the whole thing about working online and freelancing and we’ve kind of talked a little bit about this already is, like, most people want to learn new skills and always kind of to broaden their horizons, and what they’re capable of doing, and it’s a pretty fast paced world, things are always moving. There’s new tools that are on the market coming out on the market, look at social media platforms there’s a few if you’re new ones popping up all the time. I think if you have a capacity to use things and an interest in learning new things you could make a good webpreneaur.
Kasia; Um, so where do you see the freelancing industry heading in the next five to ten years especially, um when so many people are actually turning to the industry?
Gina: Yeah, we eluded a little bit to it earlier when I was talking about just like the opportunity that exists. That’s what I really think will happen, as more companies work with freelancers, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, whatever you call yourself, there are so many names these days but basically you know small business or self-employed people are going to be people that want to work in corporate America or similar capacity around the world where they like being an employee they want to clock in and just do their work and what have you, but there’s a growing number of people that are frustrated with that type of atmosphere. They want more flexibility and control and they are comfortable with taking the risk and working hard in order to get more of that reward as well. So I don’t see that part slowing down. It’ll be interesting to see what types of platforms continue to pop up. You know if you think of Fiver, or you think of what used to be Elance is now Upwork . Those aren’t places that we recommend that you go look for freelance writing work by the way although you could they just don’t, aren’t known to be the highest paid places. Um but I think that part will be interesting to see how many more places are I guess hooking up freelancers with clients and in a capacity where you’re getting good quality service and the freelancer is getting a good rate as well.
Kasia; Ok, so opportunities are still available.
Gina: Totally.
Kasia; That’s good to know. Um so why should freelancers, or aspiring freelancers sign up for 30 Days Or Less to Freelance Writing Success?
Gina: Well the course is catered definitely for kind of newbies, people that are just looking to break in that really haven’t, don’t have a lot of experience, definitely don’t have a full client load. But there’s a lot of people that have taken it that have already gotten their feet wet and they really want to take their business to the next level. So if you thrive on structure, you want kind of a road map, something that’s worked for other people, now going on, I don’t know, 800 people that have taken the course I think it’s a good kind of starting point for you. I’m also working on an advanced version right now which will focus more on like blog monetisation as well as freelance writing. Some other aspects of working online. But I think it’s a great, simple, when I say simple program, it kind of is. It will challenge your comfort zone and you will learn new things but it’s not overly technical, you don’t have to do a lot of math. You know it’s fun and there’s a great supportive place in the Facebook community as well.
Kasia: Fantastic. And so do you have any other courses going at the moment?
Gina: So I have one for virtual assistants as well. It’s the same name. So, 30 Days Or Less To Virtual Assistance Success . Um, you know I broke into freelance writing first and then added the VA services on. And the VA services are honestly what allowed me to put in my notice at work behind because of the predictability of the pay, which isn’t always there from a freelance writing standpoint although you can get more retainer type clients. Actually all the client’s i work with right now are predictable in that nature. We have a retainer agreement um so I created that course because the two are honestly very complementary to one another, and you know a lot of writers don’t want to write for forty hours a week or whatever too, so maybe virtual assistance work is a good complement for them, um plus it’s just another growing field that I see people have a lot of enjoyment with that course too. It’s been around about a year now .
Kasia: Excellent. Well thank you so much for your time Gina. It’s been great chatting to you. I mean, I’ve done the course, I think it’s fantastic. It’s definitely helped me boost my abilities and confidence so I highly recommend it. Um, thank you again and have a lovely day.
If you want to be a freelance writer, I highly recommend you go and check out Gina’s course on 