Freelance Corporate Writing – 5 Tips for Success!

It’s been almost a year since I made the move from the corporate world to freelance writing. While I’m still finding my “voice” in a sea of wonderfully talented writers and social media gurus, I have been fortunate to fill a niche within companies who need writing assistance outside their normal walls. It’s no secret that companies are downsizing and outsourcing. One of the first departments to take a hit in Corporate America is communications. Regardless of whether you lost your job as a corporate writer or you elected to pursue a freelance career, now is the perfect time to seize opportunities. While every project is different and has its own inherent challenges, I’ve jotted down a few “how to” notes for creating successful experiences once you’ve been presented with an opportunity.

Make sure you have a clear picture of the scope of the project, including a well defined budget, before quoting your price. If your assignment includes editing, ask the client for detailed expectations. Are you strictly editing for word count or are you expected to correct grammar, punctuation, and clarity? (Naturally, if you wrote the original, you shouldn’t have any issues with grammar, punctuation, or clarity!) If you see early on that the project will require more time than first estimated, discuss your concerns with the client immediately and make the necessary adjustments at the start…..instead of at the end when you invoice them for an amount over their budget. Having been on the client side, if a contractor submitted an invoice to me that was over budget without having discussed any issues with me along the way, they were immediately placed in my “don’t call again” box. Always be up front with the client, especially where the budget is concerned.

If it’s a multi-faceted project, agree to an initial “test run” to ensure that you’ve estimated your time for each layer accurately. I recently worked with an architectural firm that needed assistance with a series of articles highlighting its Top 25 architectural projects for 2008. The firm designed everything from hospitals to water treatment plants. Since I had no previous experience in the industry, I knew it would take a little extra time to get up to speed with the language and culture. The client and I agreed on a tentative average of five hours per project, at a fixed hourly rate, with the understanding that more complex projects might require more time for research and comprehension. In the end, we discovered that our estimate was pretty accurate. The articles for the “easier” design concepts flowed quickly and could be completed within a couple of hours, while more complex projects required 6 or more hours. In the end, it all evened out and the client was happy, and I was satisfied that I had given each article the appropriate attention.

Discuss with the client their preferred process for submitting finished material. Make sure you are comfortable with the process. Discuss any areas of concern and amend the process if necessary so that it works for both of you. Have a clear understanding of the client’s preferred file format and method of delivery. Do they work on a Mac or PC? Do you need to save files to an older version for compatibility? Does the client want you to submit a rough draft to ensure that you’re on the right track, or do they want a polished piece? (With intricate projects, for your first couple of assignments, it might be helpful to forward a rough draft just to ensure you’re both on the same page.)

Keep a detailed time sheet so that the client knows exactly how you’ve dedicated your time, and how many dollars remain in the budget. If it’s a long term project, you may want to forward your time sheet on a weekly basis, which helps you and the client stay on track. The more complex the project, the more you will appreciate a spreadsheet that keeps a running tally of both hours and budgeted dollars. Excel offers many great templates that allow you to input your start and stop time (in military time) so that you have an accurate record of every minute and penny for each element of your project. The architectural articles involved several steps including formulating interview questions, conducting interviews, refining transcribed notes, and editing for length. In the beginning, it was helpful to enter start/stop times for each aspect to offer a good perspective on proper time allotment. In the end, it was extraordinarily helpful to have a detailed analysis of my time and the client’s money.

Respect your client’s time and always make it a point to thank them for the opportunity. If you want the client to call you again for future projects, tell them and thank them often throughout the project. Remember, they called you because they couldn’t fulfill the need within their own organization. Your project is one of many items on the client’s plate. Respect their time, get your work in on time or ahead of schedule, and be true to the budget.

While I enjoyed my time in the corporate world and garnered valuable experience, my new career as a freelance writer has been more rewarding than I ever imagined. Though it can be unsettling to negotiate the terms of a new project (especially if it’s a new client), remember that you have a skill that many companies cannot afford to keep in house. Therefore, you have quantifiable value! From the very first day, commit to open and ongoing communication with the client and you will sow the seeds for a successful project and a long term relationship.

Always look for ways to enhance your value in the marketplace; fine tune your inherent strengths and established skills; and be confident in your worth as a freelance professional.

I Had No Idea….

I recently learned that a dear friend has been battling cancer. She’d tried to contact me, but with all my social networking savvy, I’d failed to alert her to my new email address. It had been several months since we’d spoken, and when she didn’t hear back from me, she wasn’t quite sure what to think. And well, she had other things on her mind.

My husband discovered her email quite accidentally when he checked an old address we’d shared. And there it was….a note from her announcing to her friends, all and any she could think of, that she was most probably dying.

I immediately called her and fumbled through an entirely inadequate apology for not being there for her. But, it didn’t matter. She was just happy to hear my voice and to reconnect with an old pal she thought she’d missed. As we caught up with each other and she explained the hell of her past few months with rectal cancer, I was relieved to know that she had built an extensive support network through an amazing website called www.lotsahelpinghands.com. Through this wonderful site, she has been able to schedule volunteers to help with rides to and from treatments, grocery shopping, housework, and any other needs that come up. It’s a good thing because my friend doesn’t have too many she can rely on….or so I thought.

Woe is me…
Sometimes I mope when things don’t go my way. I guess it’s one of life’s curses for being the youngest in a large family. I learned to turn out my bottom lip at a very early age. It worked for me for a while, until life showed me that it just didn’t care how pitiful I was. So, I’ve made a concerted effort over the past 20 years or so to retire the bottom lip movement. I’m better. But, old habits die hard. And, then I think of my friend.

This lovely spirit who has never failed to make me smile and appreciate the beauty in life virtually has no family. Her father died many years ago and her mother lives in a nursing home in Connecticut, a prisoner of multiple sclerosis. She has a brother, but it’s a distant relationship. (As the youngest of five children, I still have more family than I can count…..and many of them I’d gladly give away.) My friend has never married and has no husband or children to rely upon. She can’t work and, therefore, has no income. She also has no health insurance. She has nothing, right? Wrong.

I really had no idea…
I volunteered to pick her up and drive her home after her next chemo session. Naive, silly girl that I am, I had no idea that I could actually sit with my friend while she received the treatment. I guess I just didn’t pay attention to that part in movies. But, before I saw her, I saw all the others who’d been robbed by the same heartless, evil bandit as I waited in line to valet park….at the cancer center. Did you get that? Business is so good that they offer free valet parking, and even warn you ahead of time that tips will not be accepted….and they mean it. As tears quickly floated to the surface, I realized that I was angry that so many were fighting this battle. Wheelchairs were lined up along the drive as patients….most of them obviously gravely ill, some still managing to smile…..waited for their rides. I wondered how many of them were being picked up by family members, or how many were simply relying on the kindness of strangers trying to share a little hope along with the ride.

It was just so wrong, and I thought……were we eating it, breathing it, touching it? Had it been passed down through the generations from an ancestor we’d never known? Or had some unfortunate souls just been dealt a bad card in the hand of life? The sad truth is that, most likely, all of the above are true. Which means no one is safe.

It’s the little things….
I entered the small but cozy area just big enough to allow a recliner for her, a sink, an extra chair for guests, and the intrusive IV pole that held her healing medicine. It’s a good thing I knew her room number, because there’s no way I could have found her simply by peeping in each room as I walked by. I wouldn’t have recognized her. Her long dark beautiful curly hair was gone, leaving a perfectly formed shiny, bald head; her face swollen from all the treatments and jumble of meds that had invaded her body to scare out the cancer. But her smile was there. And it was just as sweet as ever. She giggled when she saw me, squeezed me hard and said, “I’m so glad you’re here.” I felt my bottom lip begin to pooch and quiver, so I bit it hard, and stuck it back in where it belonged. We chatted and shared photos of our puppies and kitties, and my boys. She was the first to crack a joke about her illness and we laughed about how cancer was a real pain in the ass….especially for her. She had to laugh, she said. Some days it was all she had to remind her she was still alive.

A day in the life…
When her treatment was over for that day, we stopped by the grocery store on the way to her house. She wanted to keep doing as much as possible, she explained. She wouldn’t give in. She made no attempt to cover her head or hide the fact the she’d just come from chemo…her port for meds visible through the top of her blouse. She simply didn’t have the energy to care what others thought. She was saving it to make a new recipe for homemade guacamole, and focused her strength on making sure she had everything she needed. As we squeezed and prodded our way through the avocados and tomatoes, my friend checked off the last item on her grocery list, and we headed for the fast lane with 10 items or less to check out. I wondered why the woman in front of us was babbling something about “too many items to qualify for the quick check out,” until I realized she was feeling guilty for having made my bald, sick friend wait. Caughtcha, I thought. As I looked at the woman, I realized how much she truly resembled the cat who ate the canary. My friend just smiled. We shrugged our shoulders and waited for the ole bat to unload all her groceries onto the counter. When it was our turn, the clerk quickly scanned the few items and smiled as my friend proudly paid with food stamps. A young bagger with kind eyes looked at me and lingered for a moment as he handed me the bags. As we left the grocery store, I could tell my friend’s energy was just about gone. Damn the ole bat and her 16 junk food items, I scowled quietly to myself as we walked outside into the softening sunlight.

I dropped my friend off at her home, briefly entering just long enough to help her unload the groceries and meet her kitties….her angels with fur, as she calls them. We squeezed each other tight as we hugged goodbye and exchanged I love you’s. Oddly enough, I didn’t cry as I left. Earlier that day, my friend shared some good news and showed me her recent CT scan, which indicates that her tumor is almost gone. She is shocked, but relieved, and clings to the hope that rests in that sheet of film. Her doctors are honestly amazed. I’m simply thankful to have my friend back.

Sometimes you can go home…
What matters now is that my friend has just been invited to move into a new neighborhood in the universe of cancer……for survivors only. I’m excited for her, and hope that many more will move in next door to her. She has so much to give, and more than happy to share a cup of sugar….or an avocado for homemade guacamole.

Welcome to your new home, my friend. May you and all your new neighbors thrive and prosper, never again to travel the dark road that brought you to this unexpected promised land.

[If my blog has been meaningful to you, take one more step and Stand Up to Cancer by clicking on the link on the right under SocialVibe. It costs you nothing, but each time you click, my sponsor (Sprint) will donate to the cause. Thank you.]

Why Can’t It Be All About Me?

Changes and choices. We face them every day, which can sometimes suck. Sometimes I’d like to have a day with no changes and no choices to make. Just a nice smooth no fuss Groundhog Day kind of day, where everything stays the same just long enough for me to get my balance. And I’m one who actually loves change….most of the time. In fact, if given the choice…..see, they’re everywhere….I’d definitely choose change over status quo.

Some changes are rough, unexpected, uninvited. Like the millions of Americans who suddenly find themselves without a job, without savings, without any idea how next month’s mortgage will be paid. Or a visit to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up that reveals a life-changing health issue. Or a phone call telling you a loved one has died. Suddenly, some things don’t seem so important any more. I don’t have to list them.

I’m pretty sure we don’t consciously summon most changes in our lives. I say “consciously” because, let’s face it, some things we ask for even when we don’t actually “ask” for them…..like the crap that tends to hang around in our lives. We hate crap. Don’t want the crap. And can even say we didn’t ask for the crap. Yet, if we don’t consciously make changes in our lives that lead us away from crap…..we get crap. That’s just the way it works.

Other changes happen because, well, life happens. The kids grow older. The price of gas increases. The grass grows….somebody’s gotta mow it. The sink gets stopped up…..which begs the question, real plumber or the liquid kind? Work that used to be done in the course of a regular work week must now be taken home over the weekend just because that’s now the “standard” in corporate America.

With those changes….the invited ones or the life ones….come choices. You don’t have to buy the kids bigger clothes or pay for piano lessons or give them money for their senior trip. I mean, you could always say no….but really, would you? You don’t have to drive a car. There are bikes and scooters….yeah, right. Don’t even get me started on the sink. We’ve all made the wrong choice on that one no matter which way we went.

As for taking work home on the weekends, we all know it has to be done from time to time. Some times more than others. When I was working in corporate America for one of the largest healthcare companies in the nation, I realized that the standards were very quickly changing. The “up and comers” were the ones who always came in way before anyone else in the morning, stayed much later than everyone in the evening (or at least until the last decision-maker left for the day) and always took work home on the weekends. When I was a twenty something single mom trying to blaze my trail…..or at least pay the rent….I had that kind of energy and determination. I wanted my talents and dedication to be discovered and recognized as I fought my way to the top……or what turned out to be the lower half of the middle. Until I realized that choosing to leave an extra hour early in the morning or staying the extra hour in the evening or working through my weekend meant time spent away from my boys…..kids who never chose to be born. Now that’s heavy.

Ah, memories and the choices I made. I recently left the corporate life after I realized that my heart just wasn’t there anymore. I’d gleaned about all I could glean from that world. Now, it was time to move on. Before I made that permanent choice, however, I had to think back to a time when I made a similar decision. A choice I made that would alter all other choices in my path. And one that I wouldn’t change for a million dollars….or more.

Changes
In late 1994…which seems like a lifetime away….I lost my job. As a single parent, I’d worked my way through college as an administrative assistant, then a marketing manager in a neurosurgeon’s office. Though my workplace was an incredibly stressful environment, I still regarded the small staff as my family. They supported me and cheered me on as I worked my way through school. I persevered and eventually graduated after my 31st birthday. During my last semester of school, I’d interned at a local radio station where I produced 60 second health spots for a regional hospital. So, in essence, I worked two jobs with two children, ages 6 and 7, and tried to cut some kind of trail toward a career in the entertainment industry via Nashville, Tennessee. Two days after Christmas, I had no job and no viable means of support. Life changes. Sometimes it sucks. Choices have to be made.

I hadn’t earned that much money while I worked there, but I’d managed to save a few thousand dollars in a retirement fund. As depressed and lost as I felt, I also knew that losing my job had presented me with a wonderful gift…….the gift of time. Time with my young sons. The money was important. I mean, we had to live and prepare for the future, right? But, time was something even more precious to me; something I might never be able to afford again while my boys were young.

Choices
So, I cashed in my retirement, such as it was. Before you start forming too many opinions about my financial no-no, let me tell you about my boys. And, before I start….how much time do you have?

As single parents, our options are often limited. We do what must be done and that’s that. We become so programmed to approach and often attack life with such dogged determination that we often miss tiny windows of opportunity. We may see the windows, but we believe they are closed to us because our circumstances allow us no other choice but to pass them by. Financial planners may squirm, especially in today’s economy, because I made a choice that lost money. But oh, what I gained.

When I think back on those few months of concentrated time with my boys, I remember how wonderful it felt to be able to hold them as long as I wanted and as long as they needed without having to sneak a peak at my watch to make sure we were still on schedule. If one of them called from school with a fever or stomachache, I was able to go to them without hesitation because I no longer had to ask permission. I could sit with them and swab their hot foreheads, hold them, and comfort them without worrying about how many sick days I had left.

And what a difference it has made in my life. My sons are my heroes. They’re the ones who kept me motivated when I wanted to quit…and still do; who remind me that time is fleeting and that they were worth those brief moments in time. Today, they are grown and more phenomenal than any parent could ever hope.

I’m not saying that they are who they are because of me. They have a great dad who also made choices when changes were thrust upon him. But somehow, we have been blessed with amazing sons. And I think back to the days when I could have chosen the corporate ladder. But instead, I chose a bridge to hope that I never could have built on my own.

Why Can’t It Be All About Me?
I’m now at another crossroad in my life. My boys are grown and living their own lives now, and not long ago, those greedy hands of time began tugging at me yet again. So, what did I do? I left a perfectly good job in corporate America because I had begun to ask…is this all there is? Time’s a tricky thing, but unlike money in a 401k, it doesn’t accrue as the days go by. You use it or you lose it. I now work freelance as a writer, editor, and voice-over professional. Ironically, I also serve as spokesperson for a series of health-related television commercials in the Nashville market….proof that internships can pay off. Most days, my office is my back porch. The salary isn’t always as impressive. But, the benefits are amazing.

In the days when my sons were small, as fervently as one searches for bargains on cereal and socks and aspirin, I searched for those windows that offered a glimmer of hope, just as I do now. I latched onto that hope and shared it with my children so that they might catch a glimpse of my heart and know it as an infinite and boundless source of unwavering love, and a projection of their miraculous destiny.

And during the difficult times, when I wonder why life is so hard and I ask why can’t it be all about me?, I remember those early years with my boys and a brief few months of their little lives, and I remind myself that money cannot buy some treasures. Time, while fleeting, can serve as a reservoir for opportunity and hope. And sometimes, when changes come, the difference between hope and despair is simply a choice.

Full Circle: Why I Left a Perfectly Good Job in Corporate America

I cried the day I signed on at the largest healthcare company in the nation. I had sworn to myself that I would never work a 9 to 5; that somehow I could earn a good living on my own as a writer and publicist, even pursue my lifelong passion of acting. Though I didn’t live on the west coast or New York, I did live in Nashville, Tennessee where opportunities seemed to be growing with the rebirth of country music. Going to work for a large corporation fueled my fears that I had given up my dreams.

That was almost 12 years ago. I had 2 small sons and bills to pay. Like many, I needed the steady income and benefits. I had just worked my way through school, finally earning a degree in communications. For a while, I was able to survive with a temporary agency, picking and choosing where I wanted to work while seizing creative freelance opportunities wherever possible. Eventually, my efforts led to a full time position in Corporate America.

Admittedly, I was one of the lucky ones. If I had to settle for a “regular” job, at least I landed one with supervisors who recognized my talents and created opportunities for me to use them. That’s not to say that I exactly skedaddled up the corporate ladder. I was a bit of an anomaly…..a creative soul in a very conservative traditional structured organization….and in the south, no less. Translation….I was an assertive, goal oriented woman mired deeply within the good ole boy network. Not exactly a recipe for success.

Frankly, I’m sure that most executives through the years didn’t exactly know what to think of me, but I was promoted a couple of times in spite of their confusion. In 11 years, I had been given amazing opportunities to write, produce, and voice corporate videos, book national speakers and entertainers and serve as set director for our corporate general sessions at our annual conventions. In my last year, I was even promoted to my dream job as associate managing editor of our corporate magazine. Not bad for a 9 – 5.

So why did I leave? Why did I choose to say goodbye to a good salary when our economy is at an all time low? Why would I walk away from a sure thing?

A dozen years ago, I had no tangible experience nor did I have the confidence that experience creates. And I lacked one other essential ingredient……a financial alternative. But, now I had a support net. I’d worked hard and I had something to show for it, plus a supportive husband who encouraged me to follow my heart.

In the beginning, I’d been afraid to let go of my “freedom” as a creative spirit. But, funny thing about that. The corporate world that I, at one time, so desperately feared had become my lifeline….a paycheck and annual raises I could count on…security. I was holding on so tightly to the known because I feared re-entering the world of the unknown. Until one day I realized that the known didn’t feel so secure any more. As a veteran in our department, I’d slowly lost my voice over the past couple of years as new leadership entered the scene. The significance that I’d worked so hard to create didn’t seem significant anymore. Instead of energizing and breathing new life into me as fulfilling careers should do, I felt used and spent, as though the life was being sucked out of me. Sunday nights were the worst because Monday morning was only a few hours away. That’s no way to work, and it’s certainly no way to live.

That’s when I knew it was time to let go. I reasoned that if the known wasn’t adding to my life, I might really be missing out on some truly amazing experiences that awaited me outside those walls. I had come full circle. Both of my sons were happy, successful young men….proof that I had made the right decision 12 years ago. They were my first and most meaningful dream, which has been fulfilled. Now, it was time to return to my other dreams and finally make them real.

So the miraculous journey has begun, and oh what a difference it has already made in my life.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. – Anais Nin

Welcome to My World

As they say, life is a journey…..

After 11 years in corporate communications at a major healthcare company, I recently made the decision to pursue a freelance career. Although it was a very important decision, it was not a difficult one for me. I was fortunate to work for a company that not only allowed me to use my creative skills, but encouraged me to fine tune them whenever possible. As a creative personality, it was really only a matter of time before I felt the urge to move into other realms of my profession.

During my last year at the Company, I was the associate managing editor of our corporate magazine, a quarterly publication.  I was privileged to write the president’s column for each edition, and wrote a feature article for the 4th quarter 2008 publication. Throughout my corporate career, I developed visual tools to assist our marketing and communications department. While managing projects such as the creation of our glossy 70+ page annual conference program booklet and the production of the conference video, I was able to stay connected to Nashville production entities and also maintained a “side” career as a voice-over and camera talent for corporate videos and commercials. These connections have proven invaluable as I return to my freelance roots.

I know it’s an often used….perhaps over-used…..term, but I am truly an out-of-box thinker. While I appreciate traditional approaches, I recognize the value of throwing in a curve ball from time to time.

Currently, I am working on projects that combine my creative skills and abilities with my knowledge and understanding of the healthcare industry. And, there are few places better to do that than in Nashville, Tennessee.

If what you’ve learned about me interests you as you develop your client base or build upon proven strategies, contact me. I’d enjoy the opportunity to discuss mutual accomplishments and share innovative ideas.