I’d just left a short-term contract in automotive software that left me feeling uninspired and quite unwilling to seek out a new employer and a new cubicle. Instead, I had the intention of making an online income so that I could move back to Spain, where I had lived and worked before. The only catch was that I promised myself that my work had to help people and the planet.
So, I put my environmental knowledge, marketing skills, journalism background, and writing skills together and decided to become a freelancer-cross-consultant who could help environmental companies to communicate better, through blogs, articles, ghostwriting, downloadable content, and more.
I wanted to make enough money to travel around Spain, to work with brilliant companies who really wanted to make a difference, and to grow my portfolio and reputation as a writer. Once I got started, I realised I had a real knack for this line of work, and I drew a great deal of enjoyment from it.
I spent a lot of time in Spain, and after helping several companies to communicate their purpose and sustainability efforts, I realised I was making enough money to go and travel. Honestly, I never thought I’d get to work remotely in places like Thailand, Morocco, Kosovo and San Marino, but it happened, and I have some incredible memories to think back on and smile.
Well, I remembered the phrase ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’, so having already worked in the environmental industry, I started providing value to, and then pitching my LinkedIn audience. Then, I continued growing my LinkedIn network and targeting potential customers, such as the owners of sustainable and environmental businesses. I managed to reach my working capacity and began outsourcing jobs, when needed, to a small circle of professional freelancers whom I know personally, things like web and graphic design.
While I wish I could say it was all plain sailing, the first year was actually a real struggle, I even had to pick up a job teaching English to pay the bills, and at one point (about 7 months in) I had spent my entire savings and had just the €200 left in my wallet. Luckily, I also had the determination and self-belief to escape that situation, and after spending sleepless nights pitching companies and doing deals, I managed to scrape myself away from £0.
I’ve also had some nightmare clients, a couple of disappearing acts, and a few bad debts to write off, however, for the most part, I get to work with like-minded individuals who want to use their business as a vehicle for positive and sustainable change. I think in the three years since starting this line of work, I’ve written around 1,000 articles and I’m about halfway to the 10,000 hours of mastery that some people subscribe to.
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