The New Year has so far been extremely kind to me. I got to ring in the holiday with my sister visiting from Virginia and have had an excellently productive first week as both the Art Director for the print shop I run full time as well as the Artist & Writer I promote here on Lady Jenji Writing.
My website has expanded greatly and now includes updated services and writing and graphic design samples from some of my favorite or most touching projects. (If you haven’t read my creative nonfiction piece Saying Goodbye but are in the mood to cry click here). My samples will be continually updated as I take on new projects and finish ones I’m currently working on.
Speaking of finishing….
I am so close to wrapping up my final sample copywriting project, Budget Brainiacs, for AWAI’s Accelerated Six-Figure Copywriting Program. I can almost taste the finish line and can’t wait to share my finished promotion (I’ll in fact be working on this project just after lunch). Finishing up this program signifies two major things for me: first, I’ll finally be a certified direct response copywriter and second, I can start promoting myself to clients and work on landing paid projects. Yes, I know I could already be doing that but I really wanted to follow through and finish this program first. Direct response copywriting is the service I absolutely want to launch, although I will still offer my other writing services such as content writing and creative writing.
In fact, I actually have a content writing project to get started on here soon. I’m going to build a website for my mother’s drapery business. She used to have her business long ago when us children used to be just that – children. She dropped the business for over 20 years to raise us but since we’ve all gone off to college and started our own lives she’s gotten back into it (and of course running a business has certainly changed since the 90’s). We planned to start after the holidays so I’ll add that to my list of current projects which include – designing an actual logo for Lady Jenji Writing, making social media sites to promote my business, adding detailed description and prices to my services pages, creating a sales promotion letter for myself to score projects, and of course, finishing up my copywriting program!
I’ve also decided to set myself a solid weekly business plan to grow my freelance career. I think part of my biggest problem in 2016 was that I wanted to write, but I was just so all over the board when it came time to actually sit down and work. I needed structure and so this year I’m introducing – you guessed it – structure!
Since I currently still have a full time 9-5 job I’m going to make Saturday my official full day of business. I’ll get up and get to work by 9am here at the house. I’ll take an hour for lunch around 1 or 1:30pm and then go back to work until 6pm. Every Saturday I’m planning to post a weekly update on my progress. I may miss a Saturday here and there when I’m out of town at Paintball Scenarios, but on those weeks I’ll try to get one in Sunday night after we return. I also want to post a weekly project or article that doesn’t relate to myself and my business (like the Disney Princess Zodiac I posted this week. If you missed it click here to read). My goal will be to post that project on Tuesday every week, just something fun or maybe my view on a current event. Along with Tuesday night being set aside as a work night, I will also make Thursday evenings a work night. After dinner from 8:00pm to 10:30pm I’ll squeeze in some hours of writing. And of course Sunday afternoons I’ll work, although I’ll be lenient about that day as I have to dedicate time to team practice, exploring Florida parks, and my novel series (which is coming along fabulously).
Overall, I’ve set the bar pretty high for myself here in the new year. I think it’s time for me to focus on my goals and step back from all those little things I do that waste time (scrolling my Facebook newsfeed endlessly being one of them). I can’t wait to experience all that this year has to offer and with any luck by the close of 2017 the only person I’ll be relying on to produce my income is ME. Okay, and my clients, but seriously I cannot wait to work freelance full time.
Set your goals high and reach for them. Stay focused. And as Taylor Swift sang, “I believe in whatever you do. And I’ll do anything to see it through because these things will CHANGE.”
Yours for Happy Writing,
Lady Jenji
Lady Jenji Writing & Design 