The Time of Private Clients: 3 Tips for Growing Your Small Business
Just when I think I couldn't love teaching any more, several members of my writing classes contact me about taking them on as private clients. YES! Yes, I would love to!
When I get this question, I have a series of responses that begin with tearing up. What people write with me is often hard. They are facing painful truths that have otherwise been dodged in life. They are choosing to stare their haunts in the face without fear. There is nothing more rewarding for me than being invited to support a writer through that process.
Image Credit
There are a few ways I take private clients. One is through direct contract with me (shawna dot ainslie at gmail dot com). Another is through the Center for Creative Writing (linked above). These plans are established differently meaning I offer different services depending on venue, and we can talk more about that if you contact me. This is an aside, really. I'm not looking for clients at the moment. I currently have three plus a Monday evening class. This is a significant load, but I am open to establishing new relationships. Do feel free to reach out!
My true reason for writing about this is that translating in-person students to private clients has been a goal for me this year. I am seeing the fruits of my labors. The seeds for the trees were planted a few years back. I have been slowly cultivating my teaching practice in order to confidently offer what writers need. Now I am hearing that it has worked along with the request that we go further. It's exciting!
You know what I mean, Steemians. You come here and write every day hoping to turn a profit and be self-sustaining. My end-goal is actually to have a steady enough Writing through Trauma practice that I can switch roles with my husband. He can be the primary parent while building the business of his dreams.
I have quite a ways to go. I'm okay with this. Patience is something I have in abundance when it comes to pursuing this dream.
If you are trying to build your own small business, here are the practices that have best helped me:
Work for free.
Seriously. Establish your authority by offering free services on a regular basis. The profit you turn in your first year is your reputation.
Break down all goals into mini-goals.
This allows you to see your progress and prevents disillusionment. What I have been growing now, I have been growing since 2012. The first year my goal was to teach one class for pay. I taught three, and I populated them by offering my writing instruction services for free at least one night every month.
Stay positive, even when it feels impossible.
There will be dry spells and slow periods. That's okay. You may not see the growth happening, but it will be. Keep chipping away at those mini goals. Set new ones. Mark down some you achieved without planning to. You've got this.
Now it's your turn to share with me. We learn best from each other. What tips and tricks can you share to help me keep growing my platform?
Recent Posts
- She Could Love Herself (psychology)
- Diagnosis as a Path to Self-Acceptance (psychology)
- Not Sharing is Caring (poetry)
- Do Not Enter (life)
- Reflections on Gym Days, Depression and Permission to Take a Break (psychology)
- Meditation (poetry)
- ALL These Cookies are for the Homeless: THANK YOU STEEMIT! (steemit)
- Games Boys Play, Like Rape (psychology)
- SOS Please Bring Chocolate! (life)
- Cookies, Comments and Community: A thank you and an invitation (life)
- Hope in Camouflage (psychology)
- How My Chosen Family is Healing My Heart (psychology)
- Good morning, amphibious friends! (life)
- Discover Me (life)
- The Weight (life)
Join us @steemitbloggers
Animation By @zord189
That is really exciting. Congratulations to you on this progress and success!
I love the way you frame that. I think @vgc5000 has a valid point, but I would argue that there is an important difference between offering free services and working for free. You are still putting yourself out there as providing something that has real monetary value, but choosing to give it to this person right now for free. I think there is a way to do that without leaving that person with the feeling that it will always be free, or that it should be free.
Agreed! This is the boundary I was thinking about when I responded to @vgc5000. They have a great point. I don't want my work undervalued. An example of free work includes the 15 minute sessions when usually I work in two hour sessions. We can get a LOT done in 15 minutes. People usually have a sample and then come back to ask about prices because the work I do is therapeutic in nature (although I am not a therapist).
Perfect example. I really enjoy learning about the work you do. Personally I would love to move into doing something therapeutic in nature and I am also not a therapist--although, i am a lawyer and lawyers are called counselors.
🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃
🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃
🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃🢃
Super Boost Your Post To Sky
Cheap resteem service you will ever get.
Exclusive Get Free Upvote for 30 days (limited time offer)
ORDER NOW CLICK HERE
I will think of more, but one thing , never work for free. You can work for a smaller amount, but I find when people don't pay anything, they are less invested in what they are doing. It also "cheapens" your services and lessens their commitment. Your experience and expertise are valuable or others wouldn't pursue it--
I like this advice. It's what I began with, actually. But because the work I do is so largely trust-based, offering two 15 minute sessions once a month with followup turned out to be the way I was able to attain a steady and growing income. If I charged for those sessions, I would have so many fewer people who tell their friends about me, fewer referrals and less success all around.
I do believe my time is valuable, but I also believe expressive writing is a tool everyone should have access to. Because of this, I consider the free work I do to be service or donation. It fills my heart with joy. With that said, you are still right. There are boundaries that MUST be maintained and made clear, and if people see they can easily work with you for free, they may try to take advantage/undervalue your work.
Agreed! you'll do well however you do it!
i will say its a beautiful one..at least the one that struck me is the 'work for free'
could you believe that in the last three years of my life i have met huge clients private clients and i have almost thrown them away, because i am always feeling used, having given so much into their work only for me not to receive as much as i deserve from them. but the truth remains if i had made up my minds that'i am working either ways..i.e paid or not' then i wouldn't have picked any offense during the cause of the job.
here is my humble opinion.
in as much as we are trying to start a business and remain in business we should also remember the fact that we are not slaves to money
nice post anyways
Thank you so much. I don't want to be driven by money. Sometimes need wins out and I start to panic about income, but I find that a great way for me to personally balance fear of not having enough with working extra hard is to offer those free sessions. The reason is I know that someone else who may be struggling can benefit. I know what hard times are like. If I can make a difference in someone's life, I'm grateful. In fact, I mod on Discord to this very end!
Thank you for sharing this. As always I enjoy reading your words and here you give an insight to what you do for making the monies.
Sometimes we need to see others so we can see the possibility and attain it ourselves.
I especially resonated with your comments about showing up everyday writing with the hope of being self sustaining.
What is the scope of your mentorship? Are you guiding beginners to creative writing stories? Or are you Sheparding people into publishing the first time?
@jocelynlily, I actually do both. An example is I teach an arc of classes on memoir that open as we go to include fiction and poetry. My trauma writing classes touch all bases. Private coaching is designed around the needs of the writer at the level they feel comfortable with. I have worked with people who have never written before to create an essay, help people outline and maintain focus on books through discussion and feedback, give written responses to work and more. The only thing I don't do is technical edits. I am dyslexic and just as likely to put an error in as to take it out.
An example package I sell is 10 hours over the course of 5 weeks. Clients write to a goal each week and turn it in to me on a certain day. I take two hours to read, respond and go back and forth via email on goals. Included with that is a phone or in-person discussion of the client's work at the end of the session at which point we look to next steps. That may be referral to an editor, working with me on pitching, or a re-up of the hours-based package to reach a new goal.
Does this answer your question?
Absolutely! I love it. Comprehensive and detailed. I appreciate the time you took to answer. I'm sure you have many happy clients that respond well to the effort and time you put into their efforts.
Have you considered putting a book out about your process? I am interested in learning what you do what you do.
Maybe when you have extra time (haha!) it might be an avenue to take. Or if you have something already, published you could direct me there.
Yay, excited for you! You rock and you deserve all the nice things. ❤️❤️❤️
This is just the kindest thing to say. Thank you!