How I make a 6-figure living as a freelance writer

No broetry here.

1. I drink at least 3 cappuccinos a day and 2 liters of water (original, I know).

2. I wear noise-canceling headphones around the house Monday through Friday so I can’t hear my boyfriend talking to me.

3. I rarely post about my work on LinkedIn and I never do cold outreach.

4. I make sure all the blog articles I write have a byline (that’s how new clients find me).

5. I always deliver great first drafts and I always deliver them on time (no exceptions).

6. I avoid (slash try to completely ignore) LinkedIn broetry, it just makes me feel like sh*t. But I do sometimes get a kick out of it here.

7. I play sports regularly to clear my head. My new goal is to become a pro padel player by the time I’m 45. Don’t ask me what year that is.

8. I say no to small businesses. Sorry, I still love you.

9. I work from random places including my sofa, my bed, my desk, my balcony, the airport, cozy cafes, my coworking space, Amsterdam, NYC, Istanbul, Malaga, Ocala, Paris — it’s pretty cool, but the downside is, I rarely unplug completely.

10. I occasionally drink a beer while I write — it’s already 5 pm somewhere, right?

11. I never charge per word or hour. I set flat fees based on the assignment scope or negotiate a monthly retainer based on deliverables.

12. I go to sleep and wake up whenever I feel like it.

13. I procrastinate by cleaning, watering my 12+ plants, doing the laundry, and staring out the window.

14. I say yes to too many projects (then I regret it and b*tch about it) — working on this.

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Steal everything I know about building a 6-figure freelance writing business (+ templates)

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This is generally what I look like Monday through Friday

But seriously…

Since starting my freelance business in 2018 (my first client was Shopify), I’ve grown it to a 6-figure business. It didn’t happen overnight. It took about three years for me to figure out what the heck I was doing, but once I narrowed down my service offering and identified my ideal client, it all came together.

Unfortunately, income taxes in the Netherlands, where I live, are quite high (but at least the streets are clean), and as a US citizen, I have to pay a quarterly self-employed social security income tax. So I don’t take home six figures. Fun times.

Anyway, if you’re a freelance writer looking to grow your business or if you’re still chained to a 9 to 5 and want to explore freelancing, feel free to ask me anything in the comments!

See you soon,

Alexis

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P.S. I write here on the side. Thankfully, I have a day job where I make a decent living, but you can show your support for my independent writing by becoming a free or paid subscriber and sharing my posts with a friend.

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