Writers, like anyone else, are afraid.  We are most afraid of rejection, but if you don’t ask, you never know what might happen.  Case in point:  I have a contract for a book on starting your own business.  Easy for me to write, with my backgroiund, but the publisher wants me to gather up some "case studies."  Ten of them, in fact.  In other words, I have to conquer my fear of rejection and get out there and ask people to submit interviews.  I don’t know ten people in different fields, so I started to think about people who might have some expertise in certain areas, and who might be willing to share.

Now, this was a total leap of faith, because I didn’t know if I could get all of these people to say yes, but I was on a tight deadline, so I had to just plunge in.  Of all the people I asked, ALL said yes.  This included some friends (easy ones first):, but I also had some pretty big people in the book world that I asked.  For example:

Kathyrn Hendershot-Hurd, author of Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results

June Walker, author of Self-Employed Tax Solutions.  She wrote up a great description of how she started her business, and then she gave advice on keeping tax records.

And Larina Kase, author of The Confident Speaker.  She was very busy, but she agreed to a half hour interview and I got both her personal story and her advice on conquering fear.  Wow! 

Here is what I’ve learned from this experience.

First, get your "gumption" up and just ask. 

Set out exactly what you want the person to do.  Then make it easy for them to do it (like interviewing a busy person).  Be prepared with EVERYTHING (including a recorder, for that interview). 

Follow up to make sure what you have written is approved.  Even the slightest change might be an issue with someone. 

Finally, when you are done working with someone, ASK for a TESTIMONIAL or recommendation.  The more of these you accumulate, the higher will be your credibility.  Get going on this.

AND, don’t forget to include these people in a blog.  After all, a link is a link, and we all need them. 

Be sure to say "thanks" and mean it.  It’s kind of hard to express thanks via email, but you’ll figure it out. 

Again, don’t be afraid to ask - you never know what might happen!

Some web marketing concepts from Jerry Bader (adapted by me):

1.  Think people, not clients.  Your writing clients are people first.  That means they have good and bad days, are under pressure from bosses, and want your help for the least money possible because they also are under budget.  Think about how you can serve these people extraordinary writing services to make their lives easier.  They’ll keep coming back to you, which is what you want.

2.  Think stories, not pitches. If you’re creating a sales pitch to a client, tell stories.  People love stories.  Create an audio that tells about the clients you’ve served.  Get one of them to tell the story of how you saved their bacon.         

3.  Think focus, not confusion.  Everyone who starts out in business has too large a focus.  You want to write for everyone.  But you can’t.  You don’t have time and if you spend time trying to learn new areas of writing, you’ll miss the areas where you have the edge.  Decide on one writing focus to begin with, one you’re very familiar with and comfortable writing about easily and quickly.  Then broaden only when you have some good base clients in your primary focus area.  I decided my first primary focus would be writing about starting into business, including books and articles and business plans.  That’s it.  I’m as busy in this area as I want to be, so soon I’ll venture out into related areas. 

More later on this subject. 

Everything is online these days.  Every kind of computer application can be found online.  For example, here is simple accounting software called Less Accounting: (http://www.lessaccounting.com) you might want to use to get started in your practice.  They store all your data online and they back up everything.  The charge is only $19.95 a month.  It looks like they have all the basic accounting functions and reports (although I am not sure if they have payroll processing capabilities).  Good price, backup of data automatically.  What could go wrong?  Well, for starters, what happens if you need to do some accounting and you can’t get online?  Now what?  And what if you decide to transfer to a  bigger better system?  How will you get the data back?  I imagine you’d have to print out everything and input it by hand.  What other problems could you see? 

I had an online file folder from GoDaddy to store data, but I kept forgetting the password, which is another problem.  When I decided to stop using it, I had to transfer hundreds of files back to my computer, just to be sure I had them.  

The pluses of online applications:

1.  They are cheap.  Most are under $20 a month.

2.  They don’t require you to sign up forever. You can sign up month to month and cancel at any time.

3.  They store your information online, so you don’t have to worry about backing up your computer.

4.  They are very user-friendly, giving you lots of helpful information and easy tutorials.

What’s not good about these online applications:

1.  You are storing personal and company information online, which might not be secure.

2.  You have to remember your password and be able to go online to get the information.  If you have a bad day and forget your password, or if your Internet connection does, you’re SOL, if you know what I mean.

3.  Most are pretty limited in what they can do.  Some of the online programs I’ve used are very sophisticated, for the high end version, but many don’t have much power.  If your business grows you will need something more powerful.  Which leads to the last problem:

4.  If you stop using them, you have to manuallly pull off the information and manually load it onto another applicatoin.  This might not be so easy, if you’ve been using the app for a while.

In general, I would say if what you’re doing is very simple and doesn’t take much power (like a simple accounting system), consider the online version.  But if you think your practice will outgrow the system within six months to a year, bite the bullet and buy real software that you can load on your computer. 

I would welcome your comments on this subject.

 

First, you may be wondering what an LLC is.  It stands for "Limited Liability Company."  That pretty much says it.  Your liability (for the debts of the business) is limited to your investment in the business.  It is not a corporation.  The advantages of the LLC are:

1.  It looks more professional to be an LLC

2.  It still allows you to pay taxes as a sole proprietor, on your 1040.

3.  It gives you some protection against creditors and others who might want to sue you.

IMPORTANT:  Being established as an LLC does NOT protect you from being sued by an irate customer who feels you have damaged them in some way. For this, you would need professional liability (malpractice) insurance.

 

4.  Setting up an LLC is much easier than a corporation.  You set it up in your state, through the office of the Secretary of State.  You make application and fill out an Articles of Organization form and pay a small fee (usually under $100).  You don’t need an attorney to do this.

 

Planning for Writing Success has more information on this and other subjects relating to this and other business startup and operations subjects.

 

The only factor becoming scarce in a world of abundance is human attention.
Kevin Kelly, in ‘Wired’

Agree. Stephen Covey says (Habit #2) - First, seek to understand.

If you are not going to pay attention to and understand your clients, you won’t have clients. What can you do to improve your attention skills?

1. Listen interactively - respond with a meaningful statement when you have heard what the person has to say.
2. Don’t interrupt. Terrible habit. My husband accuses me of doing it; he’s worse than I am. Pay attention and don’t think about what you are going to say.
3. Remember important information about the person, like his/her name, children’s names, pet names, spouse/significant other name, favorite food, last vacation etc. Take notes if you can’t remember.

What are your comments? What can we do to pay attention to each other?

Whenever I think about creating a marketing niche, I think of the song "Who are you?" by Pete Townsend, popularized on CSI. 
Knowing who you are, and what kind of writing business you want to create is an essential first step in starting your writing business.  It’s about creating a writing "niche."  So what’s a niche?

A niche is defined by wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) as “a narrowly defined group of potential customers.”  It’s also described as a focused section of a larger market which can be targeted by advertising.  The idea is that if you can define your market more specifically, it will help you determine how to advertise to that market.  If your market for  writing services is publications for young adults who are active in sports, then you will be able to figure out what types of  advertising  would work best to reach them.  The more specifically you define your niche, the less wasted advertising you have trying to reach people who you’re not interested in serving.  In other words, niche marketing is more effective in bringing in clients and less costly than trying to market to everyone. 

For example, look at gift baskets.  This is a huge industry, with many competitors in a local market.  How does one local gift basket company stand out from others?  What makes it unique?  How about fruit baskets for health-conscious givers?  How about diabetic gift baskets?  How about pet gift baskets (the pet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry)?  If you get this idea, then you understand niche marketing. 

In contrast to niche marketing is mass marketing, where you reach out to everyone.  Yellow Pages ads are mass marketing, and advertising on TV is also mass marketing, because you can’t control who will see your ad, assuming you’re writing for a local market.  If you are advertising nationally with no specific message other than, "here I am," that’s mass marketing.  In other words, mass marketing creates a lot of waste (meaning advertising dollars spent on people who won’t ever be patients.)

Of course, as you start your writing business you may not be too picky about types of clients, but you’ll soon develop preferences and you will rule out certain types of clients or writing assignments.  The key is to continue to refine your niche as you go along to the kinds of clients you want to work with, and the message you want to create.  Then you can do a better job of targeting your advertising and promotion efforts to these people.

For more information on niche marketing, check out the great blog of a friend of mine, Kathy Hendershot-Hurd.  Her book, Beyond the Niche, is a fantastic short course in marketing for any small business owner (www.beyondnichemarketing.com)

And if you REALLY want to get the answers on how to market your startup, email us for an advance copy of Planning for Writing Success, soon to be published.  We’ll send you the book in e-book format and you can start planning your startup now!

 

Should you use a credit card to finance your new writing business? 

Well, as usual, I have to say, "It depends." I usually tell people to save the credit card for the "last resort" and look first to a bank. It’s always a good idea to find a friendly local bank and establish a relationship with them. Since you’re a professional in a local community, this relationship is a valuable
point in your network of other professionals. A bank can steer business your way, and vice versa. Having that relationship in place is helpful when you need more funding in the future, for expansion, for example. A good local bank can also help you with SBA funding, if necessary.

On the other hand, it is possible to get a good rate (under 8 percent) on a business credit card. If you already have a credit card with a low rate, you could use that too.

You might also find that a combination works. Maybe the bank will loan you enough for startup but not enough to carry you through those first tough months with working capital. The credit card line can serve this purpose.

I always encourage people to look for the lowest interest alternative, because interest is "wasted" money; it doesn’t benefit you and it’s just money out of your pocket.

This discussion assumes that you have good credit, and that you don’t have your credit cards maxed out. If your credit is not good, you probably won’t be able to get a good rate, and you won’t be able to use your cards for business expenses. It’s best to clear up credit card issues before you start looking for that business loan.

If you are considering canceling a credit card, it might be a good idea, if you have a lot of credit cards that you’re not using. On the other hand, if you’re going to be applying for a business loan, canceling a card might hurt your credit. Read this article from Bankrate.com

More on using credit cards wisely, from Getrichslowly.com.

 

The Monster of Startup

 My favorite Sesame Street character is Grover.  And my favorite Grover book is called “The Monster at the End of this Book.”  Throughout the book, Grover tells the reader, “There is a monster at the end of this book.  Don’t turn the page.”  Of course, the reader turns the page, and Grover gets more and more terrified as the end approaches.  On the last page, the monster is revealed – it’s Grover!  (It reminds me of the old famous Pogo quote:  “We have met the enemy and it is us.”)

This also reminds me of the famous quote by Franklin Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  I never really understood this quote until I started working with people who wanted to start their own writing businesses, and until I started my own businesses.  I have thought a lot about fear and the way it can paralyze us and I have seen this paralysis first-hand. 

 Here are a couple of examples:

1. I was talking with someone who has a passion to teach, but she is afraid of public speaking.  She said she wasn’t sure how to overcome this fear.  She was not moving forward to conquer the fear (I of course, encouraged her to try Toastmasters.).  She was just sitting there thinking about being afraid.
2. In another example, I spent a lot of time, and many phone calls and emails, helping a professional with the startup process.  He would go only so far, only to stop.  He needed a loan for startup costs, but he only tried a couple of banks then gave up.  After months he finally decided to stay where he was working, for someone else, where he was unhappy; for all I know, he’s still there. 
3. In another more personal example, my elderly mother-in-law has known for over two years that she needed dialysis.  She was terrified of the whole process, since she had never been in a hospital in her life, so she kept putting off telling her family.  When they finally found out and convinced her to start dialysis, she found herself feeling much better.  She was more afraid of the dialysis than she was of dying without it.  Think about that for a minute. 

Why does fear paralyze us?  “The Stress Doc” (stressdoc.com) says there are several reasons:

1. Old voices.  We all have voices in our heads, from times when someone (parent, friend, spouse) told us, “You can’t do this,” or “This is stupid.  You’ll fail,” or “Don’t risk failure.” “If you fail, it will be terrible.”  As long as we listen to those voices, we don’t move ahead.
2. Perfectionism.  It’s great to want to do things well, but we often are way too picky about how things must be.  For example, the guy who wanted the perfect location.  Or the woman who was sure she wasn’t going to be the perfect teacher.  I’m in the process of writing a book about how to start a writing business, and I was getting hung up on trying to make it totally complete.  A friend of mine gave me some advice:  “My rotten published book is better than your perfect unpublished one.”  So I’m sending it off to be printed.  How about, “My ok writing business is better than your perfect unstarted writing business.”

 “Don’t just do it.”  We figure we have to start at the beginning and work toward the end, in some kind of specific sequence.  Then when we get stumped at a certain point, we figure there’s no way around.  Not necessarily.  Sure you will have to get a loan before you can start buying that computer you want, but there are lots of things you can do to get started with little money, and there are lots of paths, not just one. 

 After all my thinking about how to work with people who have “Fear of Startup,” I came across a book (as you knew I would) that I want to share with you.  It’s the “hot” new motivational book The Four-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss.  (Crown Publishers, 2007).  Ferriss talks about the process of escaping the 9-5 live, living anywhere, and joining the New Rich.  While Ferriss’s life probably isn’t feasible for you and me, there is much in the book to help you think differently about your life after Palmer.  Here’s what Ferriss says about conquering fear: 

1. First, define your nightmare.  What is the worst thing that could happen if you fail in your new writing business?  What’s the monster at the end?  Spend some time thinking about this.  Create a worst case scenario.  Then consider two factors:  Probability and Severity.  These are insurance terms, but they apply.  First, what’s the probability (on a scale of 0% - never happen, to 100% - guaranteed to happen) of failure?  Then look at the severity – the cost – of failure.  While I’m not a fan of dwelling on the negative, I do believe you need to look under the bed to convince yourself there really are no monsters under there (like Grover.) 
2. Then look at the steps you could take to repair the damage.  How could you get your life back on track if you fail in writing business?  Spend some time thinking about alternatives, like starting again elsewhere, or working for someone else.  Over the course of my adult life, I have had times when I lived very well, with a nice house and no worries about money.  And I’ve had times that I lived frugally and worried about money.  I can tell you the first is certainly more pleasant but the second is do-able.  The frugal times are actually more clarifying, because you find out what is really important.  Maybe cable isn’t the necessity you thought it was.  And you really should think about the book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” because it really is all small stuff.
3. Consider the outcomes and benefits of more probable scenarios.  Think about what would your life look like in a “best case” scenario.  Then set yourself to thinking that this is the more probable outcome of starting your own business. 
4. Finally, Ferriss says, start working on your fears by taking baby steps to overcome them.  Resolve to do one thing every day that you fear.  In your work toward starting your writing business, do one small task every day that will move you toward your start date.  It might be as simple as calling the Yellow Pages and ordering an ad in the next book. 

“What we most fear doing is what we most need to do,” Ferriss says, emphatically.

 About.com suggests two positive things you can do to overcome your Fear of Startup:

1. Change your attitude to failure.  Our culture tends to define people in terms of what work they do and how successful they are at it.  But creating a business that fails does not define you forever.  You’re not a failure if your business fails.  I can give you lots of examples of successful business people who have had failed businesses.  The only way you can fail is if you stop trying. 
2. Prepare to succeed.  Learn how to succeed by gaining knowledge of how to start a business.  Start working on your business plan, your blueprint to successful business startup.  Working on your business plan not only moves you toward your goal, it focuses your energy on positive action.  By the time you are done writing the business plan, I think you’ll find you will see that startup success is not only possible, but you’ll feel more confident about starting your writing business.   

 So, Grover, I hope this discussion was helpful to you in getting you past the Monster of Startup and the paralysis that comes with this fear.  My favorite all-time quote, from Henry Ford:  If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. 

 One way to help you get started is to use my book “Planning for Writing Success.”  It includes lots of useful information and resources to get you started putting together your business plan.

 

 

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If you are a professional writer, or considering starting a writing business, you’ve come to the right place.  The Thriving Writer was created to help you through the many decisions you’ll need to make to start and succeed (to THRIVE!) in your writing business. 

The definition of "thrive" includes:

• "to boom" (I especially like that one; it sounds really gigantic!)
• to grow stronger, as your clients multiply and your  financial statements look better and better
• to increase in wealth - and that’s what it’s all about, really

I’ll be talking about how to set up your office, how to create and present a great business plan to get funding, how to set up your accounting systems, how to hire and work with other professionals, like a Virtual Assistant and a webmaster.  If you have questions, I’m always happy to answer them and others can see the answers. 

I’m excited to be part of your journey to wealth and fun in your writing career.

Jean Murray