3 Things I Wish I Had Known Way Back When

It’s hard to imagine that six short years ago I first wrote content for hire – ten articles on weight loss supplements. Now I have my own successful article ghost writer service. It just goes to show that if you stick with it, you can make good things happen. Here are some things I wish I’d known back in the beginning; it might’ve taken less than six years to get here!
Treat It As A Business
At first, I wrote articles in the evenings for a little extra cash. Actually, it was to pay off my student loans. I had no thoughts about doing it full-time like I am now. So, for me it was nothing too serious and I didn’t treat it like a business. The fact is, it is a business, and the sooner you start thinking of it that way, the sooner it will take off.
Running your own business means being professional, keeping track of the money, staying organized and managing your time well. No matter what kind of slacker you might be, these are things you can learn and practice.
Value Yourself And Your Service
When I first started writing, I couldn’t believe people were paying me for words! And this led me to seriously devalue myself. The reason is that I thought the value of my work was $0. If they offered me $5 an article, I thought it was just great that anybody paid me for my work. I’ve gradually come to realize its worth, but I did way too many lousy jobs for low money.
You should set your prices according to what it’s worth to you. Even if you enjoy writing, you’ve still got to be serious about it. If the time and effort it takes you to write on article is $10, then charge $10.
Another way you can do this is to calculate the time. Decide how much you want to make in one hour, divide it by how many articles you can do in one hour, and now you’ve got your rate. For example, let’s say you can do 3 articles in an hour. If you want to make $20 an hour, you should charge at least $6 per article. Then again, why not charge $12 and make $40 an hour!? You’re a freelancer so go for it.
Over Deliver And You Will Always Do Well
Finally, always give your client more than they expected. Get your stuff sent off to them before the deadline. Throw in an extra article or some re-writes. Just do a little more than they expect, and they’ll stick with you and give you lots of work. Doing this creates more value for everybody.