5 Lessons I Learned About Starting a Copywriting Business

Starting anything new, especially a business, can be overwhelming and daunting. In May 2022, I had enough of being a high school teacher and could not do it for another year. After the pandemic, the demands of being an educator increased, and the students and parents were more entitled and out of hand. My mental health, physical health, and overall work-life balance were not stable. So, I told my husband that I would not be returning, and he was supportive of my decision.  

I finally decided to pursue the one thing I’ve always been so afraid of doing, writing.   

I found out about copywriting on a YouTube channel by a local freelancer, Jordan Makelle from the Writing Revolt. I watched all her videos and tutorials and was inspired. So, I gave my letter of resignation, packed up my belongings, donated all my classroom decor, turned in my electronics, and closed the doors to my teaching career.   

It's been over 6 months now and I have learned so many lessons along the way that I wish I knew earlier. It’s true that everyone’s journey is different, and I wanted to share mine.   

Here are 5 lessons I learned about starting a copywriting business.    

You Don't Need to be an Expert   

Everyone starts somewhere and that’s what I did. I was no expert and had no idea what I was doing. I had to retrain my brain by telling it that I did not need to know everything about the business, copywriting, project management systems, contracts, and marketing. Indeed, these are important facets of copywriting and business development, but learning as you go is the best teacher in business and life in general.    As humans, we don’t like to fail or make mistakes, but in business, making mistakes is essential because it aims at finding a solution for each problem. To be an expert, you will encounter lots of trial and error and with time you improve and master your skills.  The fact is that going through the process of learning, executing, failing, and learning is what essentially makes you an expert in the long run.    
Here is a tip for those of you just starting:  
start, show up, do your best, fail, find a solution, and try again.   

Don’t Focus too Much on One Specific Thing   

Don’t focus on one aspect of your business. I wasted an entire year working on my website and portfolio when I could have been more advanced in my business, but I was too focused on one aspect. I lost time in practicing my craft, pitching to clients, and learning the basics of copywriting. This was because I was suffering from imposter syndrome and extreme perfectionism but if I could go back, I’d do my best to set a timeline and move on quickly.   
Portfolios and websites are important elements of the business, however, the more you learn and work on your skills, the more you can improve and revise them along the way.  
Don’t Always Depend on Motivation   
Motivation is great! But it’s not always there and eventually, you’ll wake up one morning and feel like not doing anything.  
Here is a tip, create habits and discipline to allow you to keep going. There are going to be days when it gets hard but these habits will be ingrained in your daily tasks and keep you consistent. There will come a time when you don't see the fruits of your labor but stay consistent.  
Once you see small results, you will be motivated to continue and that's how the cycle goes.   

Motivation, Habit, Discipline, Consistency, Momentum, Motivation, and all over again.

Keep showing up and you are guaranteed to do a little better than the day before. And by the time you know it, you are sixty percent better than you were months prior. The more you do, the more you improve. Motivations are feelings of desire, but that desire will only be fulfilled with discipline and consistency.  

It’s Not a Sprint, it's a Marathon  
In high school, I was a sprinter. I did the 100 and 200-meter sprints. It was fast, painful, and over within a short time. I liked running full speed for a short period of time versus long-distance.   
I thought it would be the same as starting a copywriting business. I thought I was able to learn a new skill and be successful at it right away. But I was wrong!   
I learned that you cannot skip over the process because it's not a sprint, it's a marathon that you must keep working towards. It’s impossible to learn everything at once and master it effectively.  
In marathons, you begin strong and stay steady, but at some point, you begin to grow weary and tired, but you need to push through to make it to the end. In the same manner, starting a business and learning a new skill, you also begin strong and steady, you won’t be perfect, and weeks may be weary and overwhelming, but keep going.   I am learning to slow down, focus, and be present in this season of my business.  

Your Mindset Determines your Success   
This is the biggest lesson for me. The mindset of success. For many years, I believed that I was not smart enough, capable enough, or worthy enough to write. I had a scarcity, discouraged and fearful mindset that wouldn’t allow me to pursue my dreams. I was limiting myself with my own thoughts and beliefs about myself.   
What I did was, I invested in building up my mind and worked hard to convince myself that I was capable, worthy, and smart enough to start this business. Today, I have a stronger mind and can see the other side of growth and abundance. The more that I think about my future success, the more I can clearly see it. I have written down my goals, created a vision board, and repeated it daily for my subconscious mind to dwell on it habitually.   
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One year ago, I could never do this. Today, I know I will succeed because I have thought about it, put in the work, and I have declared it.   

These 5 lessons have shaped me not only in my business but in my personal life as well and if you are starting out, know that anything is possible if you are willing to sacrifice and plant the seed of success in your life.