Roving Report: Show Me the Glicken!!

“Last year was Glicken for me,” Mindy Tyson McHorse confided. “It was all about how to enjoy the more satisfying personal aspects of being a web writer.”

Mindy knows what she’s talking about. As a freelance web writer, she leapt from an income of just over $20,000 one year to $100,593 the next. If you’re not following her Reality Blog on the Wealthy Web Writer site, you’re missing valuable insights and actionable information about becoming a successful web writer yourself.

So, when she took the time to meet with a group of Wealthy Web Writer members on January 13, I made time in my schedule to be there. (If you missed it, you can listen to a replay HERE.)

Mindy reviewed her achievements, successes, and failures from 2011. (Yes, there were some of each.) Then, she shared some steps you can take to make your goals a reality in 2012.

Mindy’s Goals for 2011

Mindy had some ambitious goals for 2011. She planned to:

• Net $75,000 after taxes
• Expand her Cause Marketing business niche
• Remodel her kitchen — for free
• Improve her writing skills
• Set up two Money-Making Websites (MMW)
• Finish her professional copywriting website

How did she do?

Net $75,000 after taxes: She did it — working an average of only 20 hours a week!

Expand her Cause Marketing business niche: Mindy’s Cause Marketing effort really took off, although she admits she did little to promote it. “That speaks to the importance of having a niche,” she commented.

Remodel her kitchen — for free: They didn’t remodel the kitchen, for free or otherwise. Mindy had planned to barter her copywriting services in exchange for replacing kitchen cupboards and counters. But, once they got into the planning, they realized they wanted to make bigger changes.

In fact, they enlarged their plans for the kitchen so much that it went way beyond the scope of what Mindy felt comfortable bartering.

She also discovered she really doesn’t want to write copy for cabinetmakers.

So, they’ve reset the kitchen remodeling plans, and they’ll hire it out when they’re ready.

Improve her writing skills: Mindy worked to improve her skills in 2011, through reading, study, and practice. She feels she’s a better writer now than she was at the beginning of the year.

Set up two Money-Making Websites: Setting up the two MMW didn’t happen. Mindy never felt she had the time for something that didn’t show returns right away.

Does that mean she’s given up on that goal? Not at all. She thinks a MMW represents a wonderful opportunity, and she’s looking forward to doing it in the future. 2011 was simply not the year for it.

Finish her professional copywriting website: Mindy had felt her professional site didn’t have enough interesting copy on it, and she wanted to make it more robust. Although she doesn’t believe a website is ever “finished,” Mindy felt confident enough to consider hers done.

“I feel like it’s a sign of my maturity that I feel confident enough to put the site up there anyway,” she explained.

So, Mindy didn’t meet all her goals for 2011. But, here’s what she did in addition.

Mindy Lived Last Year!

In 2011, Mindy accomplished most of her goals, and also:

• Had a baby
• Took seven different family vacations
• Worked an average of only 20 hours per week
• Developed five different royalty deals

That certainly sounds like the writer’s life to me!

Mindy explained that she was able to drop her work hours and still meet her financial goals because she found “great clients with solid copy needs.”

She expects to see returns on her royalty arrangements for months and years to come — the reward for putting in some “power-busting hours.”

Mindy also learned something about goals last year: there’s no single finish line. Instead, you should keep striving, and moving toward newer and better goals.

Always Reassess Your Goals

Make sure your goals are in line with your personal life and values.

The goals you set when you first decided to become a web writer may not be appropriate for you today. Any big changes in your life — marriage, divorce, children, moving — should be reflected in your goals.

Mindy knew that, with a new baby, she couldn’t maintain the writing schedule she had kept during the previous year, and her goals reflected it.

You should constantly reassess your goals to make sure that professional goals mesh with your lifestyle goals.

It’s okay for goals to change. Mindy admitted that was a hard lesson for her. But, changing your goals is not “failure,” it’s just readjustment.

To Accomplish Your Goals, Create an Environment of Success

Zone Your Work Space

If you can carve out a room in your home that you use exclusively as your office, that’s ideal.

Most of us, though, share our space. Either we work in part of a room that serves another function as well, or we have non-work items stored in the room.

Either way, you should have a space that’s devoted solely and exclusively to your professional pursuits.

If you’re keeping family financial papers or kids’ school drawings alongside your work documents, find someplace else for them. Mindy and her husband Craig set up a separate desk where they keep family records, appointments, and the like.

Zone Your Time

It’s vital to have blocks of uninterrupted writing time. You may have to experiment to find what works for you and your family.

Mindy and Craig use Google Calendar. They sit down together and block out chunks of time every day which are her “protected” writing times. During these times, she can count on making a concentrated writing effort, free from family interruptions.

They also map out a few “flexible” writing time chunks. If something comes up during one of the flexible writing blocks, Mindy can rearrange them.

Mindy feels it’s important to have both protected and flexible times.

Clear Out the Clutter

Last year, Mindy found that the clutter throughout her house was impacting her ability to work, and not in a good way.

She distinguished between “mess” and “clutter.” Clutter is what happens when you have things that you don’t have space or a purpose for. Mess is what happens when you use the things that you have.

“If anything saps your energy, get rid of it” she advised. “Making your entire home clutter-free is very success producing.”

Get Yourself a “Sugar Feed”

Mindy advised that you go after clients and assignments that can take up half your work time every week. If you plan to work 20 hours each week, find an assignment that uses 10 hours of that time.

This becomes your “sugar feed,” and gives you a dependable income stream. It also gives you regular writing practice, and enlarges your portfolio.

Your “sugar feed” can be outside of your niche.

Then, find clients in your niche for your remaining work time each week.

This strategy gives you the chance to earn regular income while you hone your skills in your niche.

Mindy follows Bob Bly’s strategy — work for a year as a generalist before pursuing a specialty or niche.

During Mindy’s first year of freelancing, she learned a lot from her sugar feed. She wasn’t particularly interested in the topic, budgeting, but she gained experience and a bigger portfolio while earning an income.

Later, she was able to leverage that experience to work her way into the niches that interested her.

Put Together a “Strategic Posture List”

The Strategic Posture List is a strategy that Dan Kennedy recommends, and it helped Mindy a lot during 2011.

Your strategic posture list essentially defines the process you follow with your clients.

When a prospect calls or emails you, how do you proceed? Do you jump straight into a contract? Do you have a questionnaire you ask him to fill out? Do you start writing immediately? Write your process down.

What do you do after the first day or week? Write it down.

Once you do, you’ll be better equipped to pursue the big clients.

Some of the elements you could include in your Strategic Posture List are:

• Questionnaires
• Your Services
• Your Prices
• A Values Statement which speaks to the core of who you are as a web writer. This is highly personalized and addresses procedural and ethical questions about how you do business.
• Strategy for finding new clients

You’ll be well equipped to move forward once you’ve completed this list.

Fund Your Web-Writing Goals

Some of your goals should be financial and some should relate to the kind of life you’d like to live. (Actually, the two are pretty much intertwined.) Don’t set a dollar goal for its own sake, but for what you can do with that money.

In other words, do you want to earn six-figures just so you can put it in the bank and stare lovingly at your balance, or do you want to spend more time with your family, visit a new country, or donate more to charity?

Give Yourself a Raise!

Web writers deserve regular raises, but we have to plan for them and believe that we deserve them.

When you write, you’re not paid only for your time and effort. You’re paid for your knowledge and expertise. The more you write, the more knowledgeable you are, and the more expertise you acquire.

So, don’t hesitate to raise your fees.

You can make more money by taking on more clients and more projects, or you can earn more by taking on bigger clients at higher rates.

Be Confident

There are three types of confidence.

1. Launch Confidence — it’s what you have that gets you started as a web writer. Believe in yourself at least enough to get started.
2. Self-Confidence — you need to be able to put yourself in front of clients even before you’ve proved yourself.
3. Admission Confidence — crucial to your success as a web writer. You need to be able to look at what you’ve already accomplished and give yourself a pat on the back. If you can’t recognize your own achievements, you stifle your ability to think big. Share your victories with others.

Mindsets to Live By

Your mindset is also important to achieving your goals. Here are some that helped Mindy accomplish her 2011 goals.

Set Healthy Limits

Two years ago, Mindy did anything and everything she could to reach her six-figure goal, and she learned she needs to set healthy limits. When she took on every project possible, it undermined her quality of life.

She sat down and re-evaluated her long-term goals, recognized that it’s her responsibility to balance life and work and defined how much time she wanted to work each week. Only then did she go after projects to fill those time slots.

Other ways to set limits include focusing on projects that move you toward your goals, not on busy work, watching out for subtle pressures to do things for the wrong reasons, and taking a fresh look at your “rules” for living.

Also, watch out for project scope creep. If expanding a project doesn’t mesh with your long-term goals, don’t do it!

Don’t confuse busy-ness with business. Don’t treat your writing like a job, and don’t take on projects just to fill time, Mindy cautioned.

Don’t Compare Yourself to Other Web Writers

Every writer’s situation is unique. We all come to the writer’s life from different places, with different experience and connections. So, don’t compare yourself.

You’ll have different successes than another web writer, and that’s the way it should be.

Ask for Help

You’ll be amazed at how much farther you go when you ask for help along the way, whether it’s from your family or from other web writers.

Keep Your Body Healthy

Know how to avoid the fatigue and strain that comes with sitting behind a desk for hours, to eat the right foods, exercise, and get enough rest. When you’re healthy, everything else works better, too.

Keep Yourself Looking Good

A positive self-image helps you come across better in emails and phone calls. While it’s fun to slop around in your pajamas once in a while, you’ll reach your goals more easily if you look professional most of the time.

That doesn’t mean you should wear a suit and tie to work in your home office, but get dressed, shave or put on your makeup, and make yourself ready to face the world. It’ll shine through in your work.

If You Get Stuck . . .

Get Over Your Perfectionism

When you’re stuck, Mindy suggests you ask yourself a simple question: “Would I rather be right or would I rather be happy?”

Then, decide what you need to do to be right versus what you should do to be happy. The answer to happy is usually what moves you forward.

Five Steps that Worked for Mindy

1. Make a goal, write it down, and go public with it
2. Outsource what you’re not expert at, whether it’s web design or housework
3. Invest in your career
4. Get inside support
5. Get your family involved and make changes in your personal life

Adjust Your Goals As Needed

Should you set a big goal if you’re facing a big life change? If you downgrade a goal, does it mean you’ve failed?

These are questions only you can answer, but your life satisfaction will probably be better if your lifestyle and web-writing goals are in sync.

Don’t Waste Time Justifying Mistakes

If something is slowing you down or holding you back, make a change. Did you spend a lot of money on office furniture that doesn’t do the job? Buy a software program that just doesn’t cut it? Don’t be stubborn, get what you need to work efficiently.

Did you make a bad decision about a business niche? Cut your losses so you’re free to move ahead.

Be Generous

You can be generous with money, and as a web writer, you can also be generous with your words. Write someone a great recommendation, or help a worthy cause with their fundraising. When you’re generous with your money or skills, you feel wealthy.

When you feel wealthy, it’s easier to act successful and confident.

Nine Steps to Setting Your Own Goals

1. Set aside quiet time to consider the past
2. Paint a picture in your mind about what your future should look like
3. Write it down
4. Write a detailed plan of how to get there … Connect the dots
5. Share your plan with family, friends, and colleagues who’ll be affected
6. Map progress checkpoints
7. Place reminders of your plan in places you’re guaranteed to look (bathroom mirror, refrigerator, work area)
8. Talk about your future as though it’s already here
9. Enjoy the road to your goal!