This month I am delighted to bring you the story of another good friend of mine, Floor Ijlstra, who has turned her passion for writing into a succesful business.
“When I started my copywriting business, I was looking for more freedom and a broader scope than the company I worked for could offer. Finding my personal blend of challenges and rewards, taking initiatives and improving my skills certainly gave me a sense of freedom and satisfaction. The flip side: I needed to find jobs, network, and take care of the administrative hassle. After leaving the Netherlands and returning on home turf after a number of years abroad, I quickly re-registered as a copywriter. Quoting baseball legend Yogi Berra, it was “déjà vu all over again”. But somehow, it seemed a whole new ballgame the second time around.
The playing field had changed, I had changed, and my team had changed. Copywriting now gravitated towards digital media: from telling a story, writing had become even more concise while using SEO-words. Besides mastering that craft, I felt slightly hesitant getting started because it is not in my nature to brand and promote myself. While I love to promote other people’s businesses with web content, blogs and presentations, promoting myself took some courage. As for my team, my family sometimes had different priorities when I came to bat.
So I started out by planning and training. After making a business plan, I quickly relayed administrative tasks to an agency I trust (Simon Schouten). To boost my knowledge, I took a course in London to gain thorough understanding of digital copywriting, getting research-based information from a well-known firm. Connecting with others in the same line of work was inspiring! Locally, I joined several clubs to network and socialise. Getting a business started isn’t easy, but once I did, I was rewarded with the flexibility and challenge I was looking for while thoroughly enjoying what I like to do best: writing. “
Please click on the link to find out more about Floor and her copywriting business, Corporate Content.