Roughly one year ago, I officially left employment to engage in personal pursuits. As a multi-potentialite, I often find myself doing everything and this is how I started. However, within a few months, I started getting requests from my friends for writing work and eventually decided to focus on freelance writing.

On the 2nd of September 2016, I was excited as I finished putting together my writer website. So, I used my WhatsApp messaging app to create a broadcast to my contacts. My message was simple and to the point, “Kindly take a look at my website and share your feedback”. I included a link to my “About Me” page.

I have no idea how my former boss’ number got onto this list as I was careful to only add my friends. However, I am glad it did because within an hour, he called and asked to meet me. It turned out his company was launching a new innovative service and he had no idea how to spread the news.

That is how I landed my first $500 from writing blog posts, and a little more for social media engagement. Granted, the pay wasn’t extraordinary at $0.1 per word, but it was the first business I landed on my writer website. So after I texted my boss, this is what happened next:

I Made My First $500 Online:

The first direct result of our engagement is that I made money. When I set up the website, I was just getting ready to start cold pitching which is often a long and tedious process. He gave me something to work on as I searched clients to pitch, and this helped me to earn $1,000 in my first month.

I Was Able to Identify my Niche:

I had previous experience writing in Health and Fitness niche but I was not sure I wanted to specialize in that. His request made me focus on funding opportunities offered in the bank, and this helped me shift my focus to entrepreneurs. Now I am a confident business writer, with a major focus on entrepreneurship.

I Got More Ideas:

Isn’t it amazing how one thought can bring you so many other ideas you hadn’t even imagined? That is exactly what happened. I was able to identify similar companies to pitch. As we talked I also realized there was more I could share from my accomplishments – like being a super sales person or leading teams.

My advice to those who are just starting out – reach out to people who you have worked with (not necessarily the boss). They could be more familiar with your strengths and they can help you in networking and niche selection.

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Elizabeth Wangare is a communication consultant and writer from Kenya. She has been freelancing since 2015, and is now a full time small business blog writer. She is a contributor for the Huffington post. She shares her freelance writing tips on www.elizabethwangare.com. Connect on https://ke.linkedin.com/in/elizabethwangare or https://web.facebook.com/elizabeth.wangare.750

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