15 (mostly) painless ways to upgrade your freelance business

About a year ago, I had a copywriting epiphany: I am really enjoying this. I’d like to do this full-time, and make it my specialty

I’d been doing it on the side for years.

“It” being copywriting. Marketing writing. Creation of text that gets people to do something.

(Copywriting has nothing to do with copyrights or Xerox machines. Copy = words that sell something: a brand, a product, a cause.)

Years earlier, while earning my master’s in an entirely different field, I was a marketing assistant at Targum Press, a legendary Jewish publishing company. For three years, I worked with a super-talented team, pumping out press releases, product descriptions, backflaps, and emailers.

Then the fun ended. Targum’s closing dovetailed with the completion of my degree. While sad to close a beautiful chapter — and say goodbye to stimulating conversation and camaraderie — I figured it was a sign to dive into my conventional career.

Except I’d been bitten by the writing bug, and — I soon discovered — there was no turning back.

For nearly seven years, I regularly accepted copywriting projects on a freelance basis, in between my part-time job and other writing ventures, like Mishpacha.

About a year ago, I had a copywriting epiphany: I am really enjoying this. I’d like to do this full-time, and make it my specialty.

I signed up for an intense course. I connected with others in the industry. I began devoting the bulk of my work time to copywriting. In other words? I started taking it super seriously and treating it like… a business. I began getting more clients and more complex projects — but I also felt more overwhelmed than ever. My brand — as it appeared online, on social media, and in client correspondence — did not reflect my level of skill or experience. I had no website, no logo, and no clear vision of my niche or long-term goals.

Like many freelancers out there, my business had grown — but I was cruising on autopilot, neglecting important elements that would ensure sustainability and take it to the next level. It was time to buckle down, but I wasn’t sure where to start.

(Hint: first step is to close your email tab.)

So I consulted with peers, did a ton of research, and began a process of learning and discovery. Below are 15 of the most worthwhile — and not-too-pricey — setup steps and workflow tips I recommend to freelancers who are ready to get serious about their businesses.

Setup Time

1. Get yourself a normal office. Successful freelancers work from home offices that (a) minimize distraction and (b) feel like an inviting haven. Sure, you can work on a laptop from your dining room — but your productivity will plummet as much as 60 percent. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that post-interruption, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back on task. And working in an open, noisy space frequented by family members is the equivalent of announcing I want to be distracted and interrupted. Ouch.

Experts recommend:

2. An airy space filled with natural light. Natural light isn’t just good for productivity; it also looks more professional and inviting on video conferences with clients. Invest in additional lighting (like lamps) for the darker hours of the day — overhead lighting is generally not enough. And if you’re working in a basement (or glorified closet), look into daylight-replicating light sources.
3. Optimal equipment. Don’t skimp on your most important tools. A creative using a sloth-like Internet connection or sub-par operating system is like a food stylist slicing strawberries with a blunt knife. You’ll be spending hours typing, designing, prospecting, or researching, so you want to make it as effortless as possible. Choose big computer screens that are just at eye level or below. If you’re a programmer, accountant, or engaged in any work that requires frequent document/browser comparisons — i.e., you tend to have 25 tabs open at once — consider getting two or more screens. And if your budget is limited (whose isn’t?), pinpoint the one technological upgrade that would supercharge your efficiency… and go to town.
4. Nice and neat. Numerous research studies indicate that people are more productive in clean, aesthetically pleasing environments. For example, a Princeton study published in the Journal of Neuroscience (January 2011) and cited in Fast Company demonstrated that “the more stuff you have around you, the more each piece of stimulation competes for ‘neural representation’— that is, your attention.” The takeaway: Take time to declutter your office — and your PC desktop — daily or weekly.
5. Lots of greenery. Not ready to invest in a full-blown design upgrade? Go green. Studies show that plants make people happier — and more attentive. Dr. Virginia Lohr of Washington State University, for example, found that people’s “reaction time in the presence of plants was 12 percent faster than in the absence of plants, indicating that plants contributed to increased productivity.” Mental fatigue has also been shown to be reduced by plants.
6. Good cable management. Is there anything worse than a colorful spaghetti of tangled wires? One thing goes wrong (“My speakers aren’t working!”) and you find yourself sitting yoga-style on the floor, unraveling a cat-worthy ball instead of meeting your deadlines. Tag each cable (with a label or ribbon) so you can easily identify it, and use clever shortening techniques — with the help of rubber bands or binder clips — to avoid a hot mess. IKEA has some great products for nifty cable management.

What worked for me:  I already had a decent setup (my office doubles only as the Shabbos guest room), but I worked to enhance it. I installed a lock on the door (love you, kids!), and I’m currently hunting for a Japanese screen so prospects don’t see the guest beds in the background — or the multi-tiered Playmobil® complex. On the technology end, I recognized that I was working with PDFs quite frequently, so I upgraded from Adobe Acrobat Reader to Adobe Pro. Win!

What’s up next: Splurge on an ergonomic office chair. My current throne — a nicely upholstered chair — is functional, but spending 6–8 hours a day in it is practically begging for backaches… and a dedicated chiropractor budget.