“If you’re so good at freelancing, why do you teach how to freelance,” is a relatively common question on the Facebook ads for the Freelance Success Framework. It rarely seems as though the commenter is asking the question in the most, let’s say, open way. (Isn’t that the case for most Facebook ad comments that appear in the middle of the night?)
In any event, enough people have asked this question enough times that I want to answer it. And maybe you want to know, too!
First—and I want to make this crystal clear—I do not teach freelancing instead of freelancing. I am a working freelancer (in my case, copywriting). I’m in the weeds along with my students. I teach people how to freelance AND I do freelance work myself.
And I can make a lot of money as a freelancer. I’m a six-figure freelancer. The finances are a bit murkier now that I run multiple businesses and I don’t devote 100% of my time to freelancing. But I can easily hit six figures per year when I am entirely dedicated to my freelance career.
It’s true that I could be completely comfortable if I focused solely on my freelance work. But, at the same time, I’d feel like I was missing out on something.
Here’s how I got started as a freelancer:
When I began my freelance career as a copywriter (nearly 20 years ago!), it was a tough slog. I had to encounter and overcome all the obstacles on my own. The business side of freelancing is always tricky. I made a ton of mistakes, which means I wasted a lot of time and money.
As I progressed in my career, I had the opportunity to mentor a team of new copywriters. And as I helped them learn the principles of writing effective copy, I discovered how much I loved teaching. I loved helping people learn how to freelance.
Because I’m a realist, and I know how freelancing leads to job security, I encouraged each copywriter to build their own portfolio sites. In short, I taught them what I wish someone had taught me when I was starting out.
After that initial training ended, I thought, “What if I could help more people build great careers? What if I could lead other people away from the dumb (but common) mistakes I made when I was new? What if I could broaden my scope and teach others not only how to freelance, but build six-figure careers, too?”
There aren’t many resources that help people who want to create their own freelance careers. I wanted (and still want!) to offer this training to the world. (And, well, wouldn’t you rather learn from someone who’s already done it successfully??)
I teach because it is meaningful to me.
It’s my passion to help people build fulfilling freelance careers of their own. Each time a student achieves a goal, I am overjoyed. I want to be right there, alongside all of my students as they succeed. I am thrilled to offer my support and resources to help them realize their dreams.
Why do I teach freelancing? Because I love it. I love watching my students build amazing, successful careers of their own.
And I still write copy as a freelancer because I love that challenge as well. I combine creativity and strategy to craft messages that resonate with the audience.
Could I be any luckier? I have two amazing careers. I love them both, and THAT’S why I do them both. 🙂
Last Updated on March 12, 2024.
