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How to get off the service treadmill?

by nellterry
7 replies
Hi Warriors,

Many of you have said that the best way to get into IM is to begin by offering services (i.e. writing) and branch out into IM from there. I am really successful with my article writing service, and I'm making good money, but I've found that every last drop of my time is spent writing content for other people.

I've found my niche, registered a domain, but I have zero time to add my own content and get my info products ready to start building a list.

Any of you care to share your experiences about how you made the successful transition from service provider to full-time IMer? I am curious about how people who did this themselves handled the change.

Thanks!

nell
#service #treadmill
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Nell:

    The obvious answer is out-sourcing. Of course, you will have to be very careful that you find quality writers that are dependable ... no small task.

    In theory, at least, if you find outsourcers that work at a lower rate than you do, you pay them first then keep whatever is left over.

    If you have a good customer base, you might also think about raising your prices slightly to give yourself a larger portion of the profits. If you are good, you are worth a small increase to those who trust you. Increasing costs for a good ghostwriter are a given in today's economy.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Brendan Vraibel
    I would think about scaling up your efforts for finding clients and outsourcing the work that you can't handle yourself.

    Outsourcing profitably is a skill but can be well worth it if you come up with a proper system. It's a little bit more difficult with article writing because inexpensive quality writers don't grow on trees but it can definitely be done.
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  • Profile picture of the author ProScribe
    Hi Nell

    I know what you mean, you spend so much time writing for others that you don't work on creating an actual business that makes money whether you are working in it or not.

    I think the main thing is that you have to make sure that you set aside a certain amount of time each day for you work outside of writing and make sure that this time is dedicated to only working on your other site(s).

    This can mean either cutting back on your client work on working longer hours until income starts coming in from your other sites.
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    • Profile picture of the author nellterry
      Thanks for all your replies! Really useful.

      I have outsourced a bit of my work this month, and I seem to spend even more of my time editing for tone, grammar, and punctuation. I seem to have such a heavy hand with editing it seems to be a waste of money.

      I would love to outsource for more free time, but I just wish I could find a writer who actually wrote like me! That would be the key, I guess...
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  • Profile picture of the author theebookcavern
    Hey Nell - You say you are really successful and making good money so would it be an option to drop some of your writing commitments, earn less money in the short term in order to free up some time?

    I know nobody likes to earn less money but as long as you are covering your cost of living in the short term it could really pay off in the long term.

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      If you are working as an outsourcer it seems silly to me to outsource your own similar work on a regular basis - but I see that advice here often.

      I've run into the same thing as a writer and as someone who has their own sites and it will happen to you more than once.

      When you begin as a freelancer you are focused on earning a reasonable sum and getting enough customers to earn the income you need. As your business grows, it's easy for it to take over your days (and your life).

      The answer is simple - raise your prices. If you are writing articles for $10 each and can write 2 articles an hour, that's $20/hr income. At $15 per article your income jumps to $30. At $30 per article....see where that goes? That's what I did when the business threatened to cause burnout. I love to write - but I don't love to do anything all day every day.

      You will lose some customers when you raise your prices - but that's OK. What you want are those clients who are loyal and willing to pay more for your work. Doing that, you earn the same money (or more) but put in less hours writing. That leave you time to work on your own content and sites.

      Ramp it up - and raise your prices whenever your workload begins to crush you. Your best clients will stay with you - and still have time for yourself.

      kay

      Edit: There's another benefit I didn't mention. You will find your writing often improves because you aren't resenting the time you spend and you know you owe your best for the increase in fees. It's a win-win for you and for your clients.
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