You made it through another year of freelance blogging. Congratulations!
Your business birthday is a big deal. Really, it is. It serves as a reminder of everything you’ve accomplished, and it gives you a chance to reevaluate your business annually.
Each year, I like to look over what I’ve done in the last 12 months and what I want to do the following year. You can do this on your business birthday—the anniversary of when you became a freelance blogger—or for the new year. It’s your pick.
Either way, it helps to take the time to sit down and complete the following tasks once per year. Good luck!
1: Establish goals for next year
Your business needs goals! Let’s face it. You started freelance blogging because you wanted to achieve something great. You can’t jump straight to “something great” in one big leap. That’s where goal-setting comes in. Outlining your smaller goals will help you get farther in the future.
But don’t just think about it. Write it down.
People who write down their goals are 50 percent more likely to achieve them. To increase your chances of success even more, share your goals with others, and provide progress updates. You can do this one-on-one with a blogger friend, publicly on your blog, or in a professional group on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Your goals can be anything related to your business! In 2016, one of my goals was to guest blog at least once a month. I also outline income goals each year as well as write down any classes or certifications I want to take.
Don’t just look toward the future. Let the past guide you. Were there goals you didn’t accomplish in the past? What can you do differently to complete these goals this year? Did you exceed your expectations for other goals? How can you adjust that and push yourself a little harder over the next 12 months?
To stay on track, I personally outline my accomplishments and goals on my blog. Then I copy my “goal” list into a card on Trello and update it with my accomplishments as I go. Entrepreneur recommends six coaching and goal-setting apps that you might like to help you stay on track.
2: Reevaluate your rates
At least once a year, look back on your rates and consider if they’re working for you. If they’re not, it’s time to change them.
Questions to ask yourself that can guide you on setting your rates include:
- Am I landing enough clients at this rate? If not, you might consider lowering your rates. If you’re getting more requests than you can handle, it’s time to raise them. If you’re comfortable with your work load and income, you may have found your sweet spot.
- Am I worth more than the last time I raised them? Chances are the answer is yes! You have a whole new year of experience. That means you have more portfolio items. You may have had a blog post that went viral. That makes you more valuable to clients! If you went through any training or certification courses that apply to writing or your niche, then you’re definitely worth more to clients. Time to up your rates!
- What are other writers charging? Writing rates aren’t static for anyone. The industry is always changing, and if other writers are increasing their rates, then you have to keep up, too. Consider what other writers are charging, and try to price your work similarly. If you can’t find rates on other writer websites, it’s okay to ask writers in your circle what they recommend you charge.
3: Update your website
Your writer website is your hub. It’s where clients can learn more about you and where you can turn prospects into paying customers. If you neglect your website, there’s a good chance you’ll lose a few prospects who would have hired you otherwise.
Personally, I’m constantly updating and tweaking my writer website, but if you don’t find the task as fun as I do, then at the very least, look over it on your business birthday.
Things you should consider updating include:
- The Design: Web design trends are constantly changing. If you haven’t updated your site design in the last several years, it might look outdated, and there’s a good chance it’s not mobile-friendly. A modern design will keep it looking fresh and attractive to convert more visitors into clients.
- Your About Page: Make sure your about page stays updated with all your latest accomplishments. If you’ve been certified for something in the past year, add it to your site. Now that you have an extra year of experience, you can mention that, too.
- Your Portfolio: Your portfolio doesn’t need your most recent pieces; it needs your best pieces. That said, there’s a good chance you wrote something awesome in the past year. Add it to your portfolio. If you’ve written for a well-known publication recently, use the logo on your home page in a “Where I’ve been published” section.
- Your Testimonials: Have you been recommended on LinkedIn lately? Consider displaying it as a testimonial on your site.
Of course, if you have a blog on your writer website, you should be updating that regularly, but these other aspects should be revisited occasionally, too.
4: Declutter your computer files and email
After a year of emailing clients, saving blog posts and notes on your computer, and downloading images, things can get pretty cluttered! To start off the next year on the right foot, give yourself that feeling of refreshment by clearing out old computer files, deleting old emails, and organizing the rest.
Go through and delete files and emails you haven’t touched in the last year. If you haven’t opened them in that long, chances are you won’t ever need them again. If you want to keep them, consider filing them away in an archives folder. At least then you still have the files on-hand, but you’ll clear out the front-end of your folders to keep things more organized where you’re using them most.
I personally organize my folders by each client, both in my emails and on my computer. Other files end up in a more “general” folder. After a year, I delete emails and files that are no longer relevant, and I even get rid of old client folders if we haven’t worked together in the last year.
With these four ideas in mind, you should start your next year as a freelance blogger feeling refreshed and ready to take on any challenges the year throws at you. What kind of goals will you set for your next year as a freelance blogger?
And Now… The 2017 BAFB Birthday Scholarship Prize!
This blog is 4 years old on Sunday, January 15th, 2017. To celebrate, Sophie’s going to give one BAFB reader a full scholarship — free access to both of the training courses she’s created since publishing the first post way back in January 2013.
Want that prize? Keep reading.
Here’s what you could win:
- Get Started for Freelance Blogging Success, a course for beginners at blogging, freelancing or both. It’ll teach you all the essential skills and knowledge you need to launch your freelance blogging business in just 28 days.
- The Freelance Blogger’s Client Hunting Masterclass, a more advanced training that shows you where and how to get hired by better clients who pay higher rates for your blogging services.
- Plus if you’d like to pitch a guest post to Be a Freelance Blogger after you finish your scholarship, Sophie and Lauren would love to hear about it.
To enter the scholarship contest:
- Write a miniature blog post or essay that tells Sophie why she should award this scholarship to you, and what you’ll use it for if you win.
- Keep it shorter than 250 words.
- Post it in the comments box at the bottom of this page before the end of Thursday, January 19th, 2017.
- That’s it; you’re done.
- Sophie will choose one winner on Friday, January 20th.
You ready?
Good luck!
This contest is closed.
I would like to write a blog that shows how science learning can contribute to and be a part of the entire learning process. My desire for creating this blog stems from the positive response that I got to a request from a company that makes supplies for science teachers. They wanted some way to include science in a lesson about spring.
I told them the story about Now Rooz, the Persian New Year, which is celebrated on the first day of Spring. I explained how some of the history behind that holiday could be used to emphasize the importance of considering all the contributing factors, before developing some type of scientific hypothesis.
This could well be a part of my first blog post. I would go into detail about why that story demonstrates the correct method for forming a scientific hypothesis. I am sure that science teachers would appreciate it. The company that made the request liked my suggestion, and gave me a small prize.
I can see using science experiments to help children that are still in the process of learning how to read. If the tested objects are lined up from left to right, then the students get practice in moving from left to right, like the eyes do, when a person is reading. I could suggest other ways for using science to strengthen the lessons being taught in the classroom.
I was wanting to know how to earn an income blogging…..
My dream – my goal – is to make a living by being a freelance blogger. I want to be able to travel the United States and write of all my travel adventures, while at the same time being paid to do it. With your help I believe I can achieve this goal!
I currently have no time to write my travel blogs because I have to earn my money as a freelance writer. My first travel blog, which I haven’t had a chance to work on some time, is Wyoming in Motion.
Thanks!
As a young and stereotypically struggling “broke college kid”, I’ve found that one of the most beautiful things about my major (Public Relations) is that it’s unexpectedly introduced me to freelancing.
Through remote unpaid internships and other small projects for others, I never really realized I’d been “freelancing”. And I certainly didn’t know that blogging/freelancing could lead to getting paid… even to those of us who aren’t celeb/influencer bloggers.
Over Thanksgiving break I actually stumbled upon an article/blog post on this site that showed me practical ways to earn a freelancer. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to bring freelancing to a larger scale role in order to support myself through school.
I’ve recently resigned from a part time job that wasn’t helping me towards my professional goals and was actually detracting from my studies (40+ hrs a week on top of a full-time class schedule) in hopes of building my portfolio and bank account as a Junior in college.
A scholarship to one of your courses would help tremendously in providing me with direction to take the next steps as an aspiring skilled freelancer!
Where to start? Here is my story, I completed high school with excellent scores- had to study something great and I completed my engineering degree in metallurgy. With effort of course, it was tough. I started working at a steel manufacturing company, wore my hard hat and overalls every day. Then I fell pregnant. One look into those little eyes changed everything. I want to be a freelance blogger, it is fun, creative, and most of all, gives me time to be around my kid.
I would use this prize to enhance myself as a writer. I am merely a rookie in this business and the exposure would be well sought. Have to start somewhere, right?
I am sure that there will be many, many people detailing and explaining exactly why they should get the prize. They might make list upon list of reasons of why they NEED these prizes, and they will most likely all be valid reasons. I, however, will not have a list of reasons of why I NEED them.
Instead, I can merely try to explain why I want these courses. Sure they’re great, but nobody really NEEDS them. Sophie is a prime example of how you can be successful without using courses. I don’t necessarily NEED them, but I do want them. There are a few reasons for this.
I want them because I have been struggling for a while with no success. I want them because I feel that they can give me the boost I need. I want them because I believe that I will make the best use of them to grow my career into the vision I have for it. I want them because I have heard how excellent they are. I want them because I feel like I might get nowhere without any help. I want them… But I might not get them.
And that’s okay. Just because I don’t get them, doesn’t mean I won’t be successful (though it might take longer). If I don’t get them, I won’t be doomed. All that will happen, is I will continue to work hard at making my dream a reality. Though, if Sophie should decide to give me this prize, I certainly won’t let it go to waste. 🙂
Hi Sophie!
What an awesome opportunity for those who share the passion for writing/blogging! My name is Teresa and still what I consider a “Newbie” Blogger. I am proudly in my early 50’s and just discovered my true passion for writing June, 2016. I was handed an opportunity that doesn’t happen to us everyday.
From the time I was very young, I had a dream of becoming a writer and eventually having a book published. Throughout life, I would revisit that thought, then file it away again. I would write occasionally, but not for anyone’s viewing but my own. The confidence in my writing abilities weren’t strong enough for me to try and pursue this dream.
Hope, you’re doing well.
First, Have a Happy year to a ‘Be a Freelance Blogger!’
May your blog grow year by year so we could read great posts (read inspiring) by you.
I haven’t started my blogging career yet. But thinking about starting my blog very soon.
This scholarship is a ‘God’s Gift’ to start my career.
If I win it, I could learn the best techniques and trends of blogs by experts like you.
Writing is my passion. Have a keen eye on the latest trends in various aspects along with blogging. Want to become a copywriter. It’s my dream.
This scholarship means to me as a first step to achieving my dream.
I read your blog religiously. However, I don’t know that from where I can start.
Right now, I’m in a dark phase. You can show me a right path by holding my hand. That’s why I want this scholarship.
They say if the blind asks for one eye, the god gives him two eyes!
Right now, my condition is similar. I was searching the right guidance to start my blog. And look, who is helping me now, You Sophie!
Nevertheless, if I lose this chance, will pursue my dream reading your blog, for sure!
Can use this scholarship to start my blog.
Now, ending my post here. Once again, Happy Birthday to your blog!
Thanks.
Sulaksha Gad
If you want to get somewhere fast, take the main road. If you want to see something along the way, veer off and take the side/back roads. These are the roads I prefer when I’m out photographing. They take you away from the hustle, bustle and congestion and depending on the road, it may even take you back in time where everything digital was a distant dream.
I’m a blogger about travel writing. I write about the places I visit, hike and see with my furry co-pilot, Aria, along my side. I like to write about dog friendly places and see things through her eyes as well as mine. My main focus has been on parks, mostly state or regional parks, as they are more dog-friendly and allow them on the trails.
I feel this scholarship would be a huge benefit to me as I’m still learning how to write and how to get myself published and begin making money off of it. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. http://thewriteshot.blogspot.com/
If you want to get somewhere fast, take the main road. If you want to see something along the way, veer off and take the side/back roads. These are the roads I prefer when I’m out photographing. They take you away from the hustle, bustle and congestion and depending on the road, it may even take you back in time where everything digital was a distant dream.
I’m a blogger about travel writing. I write about the places I visit, hike and see with my furry co-pilot, Aria, along my side. I like to write about dog friendly places and see things through her eyes as well as mine. My main focus has been on parks, mostly state or regional parks, as they are more dog-friendly and allow them on the trails.
I feel this scholarship would be a huge benefit to me as I’m still learning how to write and how to get myself published and begin making money off of it. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. http://thewriteshot.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Vian. Your entry is in – good luck!
In September 2016, I left a job I loved – teaching preschool – to pursue my ultimate dream of owning my own freelance writing business. I had been blogging for several years as a hobby, but I wanted more. I had a degree in English and I wanted to make use of it. Plus, I absolutely love writing.
As a single mom of two children, one with special needs, I knew that working from home would be an ideal situation for all of us. Still, I was scared to death to leave a steady job for something completely new and unknown. The world of freelancing was scary to me.
But, I read one sentence in a book that changed everything. It said something to the effect of, “You may never feel like you’re ready to make the leap, but if you don’t, nothing will happen”. I felt like it was speaking to me.
So, that week, I put in my 2-week notice at work, scared to death. But, since then, I’ve been moving my business forward by leaps and bounds and making twice the income I was at my job.
Still, I want to learn new things. I want to maximize my time, effort, and income. I want to obtain clients I’m passionate about, ones that will help me grow. I’m a firm believer that there is always something new to learn, and I feel that your courses and trainings will absolutely set me in the right direction.
Hi there Sophie
First of all thanks so much for the wonderful information you give to Freelance writers. I appreciate each post and I try to implement the steps that you suggest. I am currently contributing content to a few clients and I am ashamed to say my current rate is around 10 dollars per client. As a Native English speaking South African it is sometimes hard to break the barrier and to gain international clients’ trust. I gave up my day job a year ago and with a passion for writing I decided to take the leap. It has been hard and I have tried to achieve as much as I can. I would like to get to the point where I pitch confidently and get awarded the job. I think my fiance is tired of handling most of the expenses. I have the gift of the gab when it comes to writing but I need that extra boost to get into the market and really make it as a successful writer. I believe your scholarship will change my life and my entire approach to this line of business. I don’t want to go back to the daily grind and I am willing to fight tooth and nail to be successful. I am sure there will be many worthy causes that deserve the prize and I hope I will be considered as it would be an absolute honor to learn the tricks of the trade that I lack. Regards, Marinelle
I would like a chance at winning this scholarship. I have been going from site to site trying to figure out how to actually begin. (maybe, I know, but just don’t have the confidence I really need.) I have embedded in my mind that you only get one chance at how you get started and once done, you can’t redo it. I am stuck on how to start off my personal blog for my web page. I have looked at all kinds of courses, but I am disabled and cannot afford, at this time to, to enroll in one. I have a desire to do this and I will figure it out and get started. I just know that winning this scholarship will make my new and exciting life happen much faster. I am so ready to move forward.
After working for 38 years in the job force, I started having panic attacks. Doctors put me on antidepressants and that kept them in check for a while. Then as part owner/working manager of a small business, the other owner/working managers decided I needed to take six months off without pay. Who can afford to do that? That was my question to them and they didn’t really seem to care what I thought. I went back to the doctor and he switched my medication. The new medication all but crippled me. I was fired from my job three months later. A job I had done for 10 years.
I’ve been off of the debilitating drug since September of 2015. After changing doctors, my new doctor ran several tests. Turns out my panic attacks were due to low blood sugar, which could have been prevented or at the very least managed with the right foods.
All this being said, I have learned that you should never go into business with anyone. I thought my co-owners and I were all on the same page and had one goal in mind to build the business for the employees and ourselves. Turns out, that’s not the case. I also learned that with the low blood sugar, I can’t just go out to work everyday like I used to. When it acts up, I have to eat certain things and sometimes lie down. No one is going to want to keep me as an employee when I say, “I need to lie down”. It is for this reason that I am looking to be able to work from home. I am not ready to throw in the towel on earning an income. I would love to be the person to receive the scholarship, as it would help greatly toward my goal of being able to work again, this time, from home.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being Independent
All of us at some point of our lives discover, what money is. In my case it all happened pretty fast. I can recall the moment when I moved abroad a couple of years ago, and suddenly realized that I need money, now. Side note: at the time I considered myself to be a very poetic, otherworldly person too great to go for your 9-to-5 job. (I still secretly do)
In the place where I live it is hard to find a job if you are a foreigner. However, I managed to find it fast and a damn good one! I was really happy at first, but then came another epiphany:
• I still do not feel myself financially free
• I do feel myself dependent on my employer
This is how my freelance writing journey started. I spent quite some time working at the slavery rates for the freelance agencies and I had enough of it! Now I pursue the plan to start my own successful writing business.
Apart from being proactive and business-minded, I am that kind of person who always splits the tasks and tries to make up a clear plan of actions. Getting this scholarship will mean to me that I am destined to succeed, because the plan of actions will be provided by one the best professionals in the industry. (and I have everything else needed for success) 🙂 Thus, I am applying without second thought!
——
Dear Sophie, thank you for holding this contest and running an extremely useful blog. Happy Blogging Birthday!
Best wishes.
This is awesome. So why do I need this course? Because I need the motivation. I get so tied up in doing “things” that nothing gets done! This is so frustrating for me and I need to change. Today I downloaded an app on my phone that I will use to keep track of my daily goals. That is step number 1 for me.
Second is, I read your post and now am submitting my response to hopefully get more insight into what I am doing wrong and how to do it right. You see, I love to write. In fact, I wrote and published a book back in 2011. But, I haven’t done another since. Got them started, but can’t seem to find time to finish.
I am 67 years young. They say old dogs can’t learn new tricks. Well, I learned how to use a computer and smart phone. My granddaughter is amazed at how much her grandma knows. That’s just it. I love it and want more. I have an insatiable appetite for learning and teaching about writing. Can’t do it if I don’t learn and get motivated myself.
This is only the beginning of the rest of my life. Every day is a new beginning, but how will the ending be? I will never know what kind of legacy I can leave unless I do what I need to do daily.
My life has been travelling in the same unsatisfying loop for nearly a decade. I got lost on my journey early on and I gave up control, causing me to drift around purposelessly for years. Nothing in my life is for certain except for my calling to write. It brings me joy, it challenges me, and fulfills my deepest soul cravings. Writing is something I know in my heart I was meant to do. If following my heart and getting serious about my writing brings me nothing more than self fulfillment I will still come out richer than before.
Winning this scolarship would change a lot of things for me, my life is once again at a point of colossal change and this time I’m taking the lead. I’m in the process of restructuring my entire life and if in the process I was provided with these invaluable beginner tools and resources, it would really help me to start my career in the freelance writing industry. Writing has been the only constant thing in my life, the one thing I can’t ignore. I’ve found my purpose and now nothing else will do.
I won’t settle for a life of mediocrity. I have so much undirected ambition and inspiration bursting from within me. I lack the structure and support to set me off in the right direction. I’m no stranger to hard work and I firmly believe I have what it takes to make it as a full time writer but I’ll never know until I begin.
Thank you Sophie for the resources and support you provide, they have been immensely helpful to me. This wonderful online community that you have created has aided me in the process of refocusing my life on the things that truly matter.
We all have our own valid reasons, why we take part in contests, and why we feel that we deserve to win the contest. In my case, I wish to win so that I can finally put an end to the cat and mouse game that I have been playing with my writing self. Writing has always been my passion and I have always come very close to choosing it as a career. The one thing that always puts a stop to my efforts is that I’m not sure where and how to start. Even as I was fighting this losing battle with myself, Sophie sent me a link to this contest for a prize that might teach me exactly what I wanted to know …how to make a career out of my writing skills. This seemed like a declaration by my writing self, which stated that I have no more valid excuses left for this procrastination. As I tried to frame and re-frame this essay in my mind, the one thing that stood out was that I loved writing. If I win this contest, this would be my starting point, and if I don’t, it would just become my turning point. One way or the other …I will write!
You should award this scholarship to me because I am awesome and my birthday is actually on January 20th. I will be 52 and am looking for a new way to spend my time as I look ahead to my hopeful retirement one day in Maui, Hawaii. I have wanted to be a writer for quite some time and have been told by many throughout my life that I write well. And yet, fear and security got in the way of taking this plunge. I finally decided to dive in and resigned my full-time position to do what I have wanted to do for so long. I realize that most recommend not doing this but I am privileged to have a partner who is supportive and can support us both for now. If it wasn’t for her, I would still be grinding away at a set of work that I had grown out of and about which I was no longer passionate. Anne Frank said that, “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” I have decided to walk along a path where I am not sure where it leads – a huge risk for me but one for which I am ready. Perhaps, it will lead me back to where I started. And if it does, that will be just fine. I will be at peace knowing that at least I gave it a try!
Looks like I’m going to have to enter! How exciting. Emailing you today with my entry. Thanks for the opportunity
I mean putting my it on here. Man my Mom brain is off the charts today! 🙂
It’s amazing to me that this email landed in my inbox today!
I’m starting work for a friend tomorrow on a part time basis, creating content for him, for his LinkedIn profile, and also his business blog.
I had an informal business chat with him just ten days ago and he liked some of my ideas. He asked me to write him a blog post and subsequently decided he would poach me from my day job.
I’m excited because I’ve always liked the idea, but very apprehensive at a new venture.
The reason I’d like love to win is twofold. Firstly because I’d love to be able to solidify the talents that I have, whilst I get hands on experience. Seems like a dream come true TBH.
Secondly, and this is a bit more painful, I’ve not been well and my wife has left me, and taken my two children. I’m so lonely as you might imagine, and this would help me fill some time.
This would work for me right now in so many ways!
Nice thought for a moment….
It’s amazing to me that this email landed in my inbox today!
I’m starting work for a friend tomorrow on a part time basis, creating content for him, for his LinkedIn profile, and also his business blog.
I had an informal business chat with him just ten days ago and he liked some of my ideas. He asked me to write him a blog post and subsequently decided he would poach me from my day job.
I’m excited because I’ve always liked the idea, but very apprehensive at a new venture.
The reason I’d like love to win is twofold. Firstly because I’d love to be able to solidify the talents that I have, whilst I get hands on experience. Seems like a dream come true TBH.
Secondly, and this is a bit more painful, I’ve not been well and my wife has left me, and taken my two children. I’m so lonely as you might imagine, and this would help me fill some time.
This would work for me right now in so many ways!
Nice thought for a moment….
And wow, I just read further down, and what did I see, a blog about mental illness! That’s why my wife left me
Happy Birthday BAFB! Congratulations on 4 years of success! Thank you for giving me (and all your readers) a chance to win this scholarship! What you may not realize, is that you have motivated me to end my long time writing procrastination. I have loved writing from the time I was a toddler. Back then, I would write in secret. Hiding behind furniture, I would practice my name. It took my mother a little while to realize that I was writing it perfectly- but upside down and backwards. My writing skills have improved somewhat since then. However, I would still benefit greatly from the guidance and direction that your training would provide. I feel the information and knowledge that you have to share about being a successful blogger would be invaluable to anyone wishing to delve into the blogging world. Sometimes all we need is just a little push in the right direction to show what we have to offer. Sometimes, we need to develop more skills, gain more knowledge to be a success. I think your program would provide that guidance and motivation! One of my goals for 2017, is to not only write more, but to write successfully and profitably. Eventually, I would like my passion for writing to become my full time profession. I believe your training will be instrumental in making that happen for me.
The truth is, I would love to win something, anything, but know I simply don’t deserve it. I have to say that at the outset to try and quell my normal bent of narcissism. I might claim to have some superiority talent for writing, some lofty wit (which most people acknowledge the half), but I must be painfully honest with myself. There are people much more talented and deserving, much more prone to success, but that still doesn’t stop my trying. I don’t have enough sense for that. That seems to be the common curse of the writer. Something drives us on the mad, quenchless frenzy to see words emerge in print, our words, our thoughts, solidify from the ethereal mind to the lofty symbols of Times New Roman, and shared, hopefully, with someone who enjoys and appreciates. So I press on, insensibly, a writing zombie; dutifully attending the seminars, buying the books, scouring inspiration like a vulture from printed authors, and worshiping at the shrine of Noah Lukeman. Now that I’m older, nearly 65, I no longer have the excuse of time-lack. I can pursue the dream that Miss Wilks threw down, the gauntlet still heavy. She wrote that damning sentence in her florid hand, in teacher-red. “You have a real gift for creative writing. Very well written. Keep up the good work.” The Wilks curse continues on. I have to keep up the good work. I have to try. I would like your help to try. Thank you…
My blog, JoAnn’s Food Bites, is one year old this month. In that year, I have made exactly $730.82 from freelance writing, which actually had nothing to do with my blog. It was strictly cold pitching and being awarded the gig. Frustration cannot begin to describe how I feel.
Although I earned several writing opportunities from cold pitching, I lack the confidence to do it on a regular basis. It is not the rejection I fear…I fear that I am really not good.
That fear has spilled over into my food and gardening blog.
I always wanted to be a writer, inspired by my mother. She wrote poetry and appreciated books. Her passion, turned into my passion. I worked in the retail and corporate world for most of my life, until my husband’s job relocated us to a new state. Relocating to a new state allowed me to quit my corporate job. At my WONDERFUL husband’s encouragement, I started writing a blog.
I have attended several free webinars, full of wonderful information. However, only making $730.82 from my writing, does not allow me to spend money on E-courses or E-books to further my knowledge. The opportunity you are providing would be fantastic.
Your program can help blossom my blog and freelance career at the same time!!!!!
Sophie, please consider me for your gracious, scholarship opportunity, as I would not take it for granted.
I know there are many people like me who struggle with wanting to succeed with writing but instead are stuck in a job that is necessary, but not fulfilling.
I am in a spot that I need to maintain a full time job to support myself and my daughter, to make our lives as regular and normal as possible because that’s what she deserves. That’s what we deserve.
My life as it is..IS fulfilling, but I am getting older, and I sometimes take a moment to wonder… “When do I get to do something for me, when do I get to do what I want to do and responsibilities be damned?”
The simple answer to that is never, never, because my responsibilities are too big, too important to ever damn them. Am I building a box around myself? Decorating it from the inside, making it as close to perfect as I can get without losing the most important job I’ll ever have? Or am I just doing what I need to do to, to maintain integrity and dignity for myself and my child?
If I win, I will finally prove the ones who doubt me, that I AM a writer. If I don’t win then I will continue to paint the inside of that box with beautiful words and colors, and we’ll be fine.
BUT…If I do win, that box will get a total renovation, even an addition, to hold all the opportunities and surprises that show up.
I know about a billion people are going to enter this contest, all preening and gloating about why they should win. I’m probably no different, except in that I have no idea how to turn my blog into a business. Yet. I’m curious about the courses, but I know they aren’t truly necessary. I have been blogging for quite a while, but I use it mostly as a portfolio for the freelance jobs that I’m NOT getting. It’s making me a bit despondent if you must know. I was an English major, worked many different and interesting jobs and I have been published, but with no monetary compensation. I write about staying mindful and motivated. I’m nearly certified as a life coach, but my passion is and has always been writing. My hope is that should I win, the courses can show me what I’m doing wrong, and how to turn my blog writing into a freelance writing career.
I should get this scholarship because I am exceptionally passionate about not only blogging, but about writing in general and sharing my insights with the world. There are numerous mediums through which communication occurs—like blogging! It can be mediated and/ or facilitated through culture—behaviorally and sartorially—and through technology. Communicating digitally through blogs is effective because of social media and how the internet has grown to be globally influential. An efficient tool to gather together, the act of blogging is helpful and therapeutic in venting feelings and thoughts! It is a way to embody one’s perceptions and outlooks and, not only that, but share them with the entire world.
I plan to use my winning to further my pursuits in creative and journalistic writing by enriching my blog. Fashion is one of the mediums with which I am incessantly and increasingly intrigued. Although I have much I can say about it, I can also say that it, among many forms of communication, is a signifier and indicator of psychological, cultural, and social background and demographic information. The reason I mention this is that my blog is focused on fashion and how astute and ageless a field it is. My blog also is dedicated to my other passion that I am deeply invested in—which is Disney. It is a massive corporation that communicates impacting and insightful messages through film and the consumerism of its parks and products.
Happy Birthday and congratulations!
Why I think that I should win the scholarship?
Well there are several reasons why I think that I should win this scholarship.
First, I have been unsuccessful in finding a job where I live. The job market out here isn’t what it used to be. It used to be where you could walk into a place, and fill out an application then you were given an interview with the manager even if you didn’t have a recent job history would hire you for the job right on the spot, but now it’s gotten ridiculous cause now all they want you to have is some type of college degree.
Second, I don’t have any type of transportation to take my mom to and from all of her doctor’s appointments, plus I have to walk everyday to the store and back.
Third, well we recently found out a month ago that my mom was diagnosed with Type II DKA Diabetes with COPD. She also has anxiety, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, one kidney, emphysema, and she was born with a heart murmur as a child. They told my mom and me that she can’t even walk to the store, can’t be home alone or even live by herself because she could have a spike in her blood sugar or blood pressure and her sugar levels would rise rapidly and she could go into a diabetic coma and never wake up from it. She was hospitalized a month ago with blood sugar level over 1300.
Fourth, she has a very rare diabetes that is very life threatening. She has to take insulin for the rest of her life, and the least little cold she gets she will have to go in the hospital because of her sugar, and she has a very low immune system.
Finally, the reason why I want to win this scholarship is so that I can stay home and take care of my mom plus make money to help pay for all her medicines. I know that if it was me going through this she would do the same for me. She’s the only living parent that I have left, plus I hope to get married and have kids so that she can be there to share the happy memories with me. Plus I have always loved writing since I was a young kid.
In 2012 I was a senior in college with a couple of weeks left before I graduated. My professor Ms. Kavy pulled each student to the side to give us advice on planning after college. When it came to my turn, Ms. Kavy crushed my dreams of being a fashion editor. Ms.Kavy suggested I should pursue my career in the internships I’ve done.
Although I know what Ms. Kavy said is unethical, I proceeded to look for work after graduation with her advice.One day my job announced it’s closing down. I used this as a way to get my foot in the industry. The job listing was to be a showroom assistant for Dusica Sacks. Being a showroom assistant for Ms. Sacks was a surreal Devils Wear Prada moment.
After I had the strength to move on I reached out to temp agencies. I worked as a temporary drop ships coordinator. I was struggling financially in my new temp job, but I felt happy to learn the ins and outs of the business.
Then one day my friend reached out to me with a miracle job. She asked me to be a blogging teacher in her company. Little did I know she will change my life! Honestly, I was thrilled of my newfound confidence and even more proud of myself for not giving up on my dream.If I won, I would use the classes to help my blog design and learn how to profit more successfully.
This morning my written goal was to get my blog up and running before the 1st of March. And this afternoon I read about your BAFB Birthday Scholarship Prize. No need to seek advice on what to do next.
I am and have been enmeshed in the process of seeking and living the solution for myself, across many years. After ten particularly difficult years, I have found an even deeper passion for problem solving on a personal level. This has translated into an understanding of our situation here in America, at least on a mental & emotional level.
From this insight I have been writing about both the problem and the solution. I continue to write short, one to four page pieces, discussing the topic of mental & emotional well-being. Emphasizing the need for responsibility on an individual basis, to deflate our epidemic of emotionally driven words and actions that are destroying our potential to live and love.
Continuing on this line, I address our loyalty to the status quo and how this has brought us to where we have created our own interpersonal disaster, that reaches far and wide. I then use the power of reflection by asking questions created to challenge the mental and emotional status quo.
Your scholastic opportunity coupled with my existing material and the ability to continue to write meaningful content, is why I am a fantastic choice to receive this scholarship.
I am interested in becoming a blogger because I enjoy writing and would like to share my experience of raising and homeschooling seven children with others who are interested my experience.
While I’ve been told I can write, the whole blogging thing is new to me. So I week would greatly appreciate any help in learning how to get a blog running and how to make it successful. While I don’t mind the challenge of trial and error but as I stated earlier, I have seven children.
I am also currently in need is income through something I can do at home. I can blog when I’m nursing my baby, or just getting a little “me time” in the restroom.
So if I win this scholarship, I believe I will gain some very valuable tools to use in making my dream come true.
I am interested in becoming a blogger because I enjoy writing and would like to share my experience of raising and homeschooling seven children with others who are interested my experience.
While I’ve been told I can write, the whole blogging thing is new to me. So I would greatly appreciate any help in learning how to get a blog running and how to make it successful. While I don’t mind the challenge of trial and error….but as I stated earlier, I have seven children.
I am also currently in need of income through something I can do at home. I can blog when I’m nursing my baby, or just getting a little “me time” in the restroom.
So if I win this scholarship, I believe I will gain some very valuable tools to use in making my dream come true.
Consider the bromeliad tree frog: she spends her entire life in a flower, high in the canopy of a rain forest, never knowing the ground exists. My life has been the opposite. From my earliest youth I have been an explorer and a writer. Why do I want to win a scholarship for your blogging courses? Because life has equipped me with the grit, passion, and wit to be a successful blogger in the fall of my life.
I have a solid foundation to build upon: integrity, tenacity, and resilience helped me earn a pilot’s license, homestead in Alaska, and build a cabin by hand. Brutal northern winters endowed me with resourcefulness and an appreciation for the easy bounty of life back home in Oklahoma. Throughout my adult life I have kept journals and written letters. Learning how to blog would provide me the framework to reflect on my Southern roots, wanderlust and penchant for adventure.
Maybe I have come full circle. Perhaps a blogging career is my bromeliad: an opportunity to slow down, get cozy and share the wonder of exploration and travel with others.
Please consider me your new student.
It took me a long time to call myself a writer, although writing has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Last June, I finally took the leap and quit my teaching career of 17 years to realign myself to my soul’s purpose. I haven’t regretted a day away from the classroom yet, and I started a blog of my own a few months ago. I feel that winning this scholarship will help me to focus my energy on building my freelance career, as well as my own blog. Currently, I feel that I am floundering on how to proceed. There is so much information on the internet about blogging and freelancing, but having all the essential skills and knowledge in one place would allow for structure and time management that I crave right now. I I would use all that I learn to build my brand, gain clients and readers, make connections with others, provide a source of inspiration through my writings, and earn financial abundance. Ultimately, being my own boss and having financial freedom will allow me to spend time on a cause that I feel so much passion that it brings tears to my eyes, and that is saving elephants.
Honestly, I don’t know how to explain why or how winning this prize would change anything because this is my first time exploring this work from home field such as blogging or freelancing ( in no disrespectful way.) But I do know that I wanted a change in my current life. A change for my seven children. (Yes, we actually have that many kids in this 21st century.) That change is the ability to do something that I love to do and want to persue (writing) furthermore while staying home with my kids. I hope that this change will allow me the freedom to bring in income so that there will always be food in the frig and on the table. My husband and I both are hard working parents who believes in the dream of something better. This winning here, would be the start of that dream especially from someone as successful as Sophie. Just throwing my gut honest thoughts.
You know those security questions that websites ask you in order to verify your identity? They are typically questions such as, “In what city were you born?” Well, one of my security questions is, “What is your dream job?” For years my answer has been “writer,” but I didn’t take any steps towards making that dream a reality until recently.
Up until then, I was stuck in the quagmire of corporate crap. My last job (and I mean LAST!) was as a Program Manager for a software development project in India. While working 60 hour weeks in that role, I also somehow managed to start my travel blog. Six months later I rejoiced when I hit 1000 followers! I began studying everything I could about blogging so that I could eventually make a living at it.
In September, my company gave me 90 days’ notice. The project was ending and so was my employment. They didn’t have any new projects in the works. It was time for me to move on. Fortunately, I had saved a good deal of money over the past year. It seemed like a good opportunity to get off the corporate hamster wheel and make a solid commitment to my dream job. So on December 15th I took a leap of faith and said goodbye to corporate America forever. I know I have a long journey ahead of me before I’m a successful travel blogger, but I’m working hard to make my dreams come true.
Beth Bauer
There may be much better people who can win this prize and good luck to the person who does . Now this may well sound as if I have already resigned myself to not winning far from it
I have been looking at my career path for some time now and writing I now feel is the way forward I have recently started a blog which is not to bad but the tools provided by this prize would enable me to make it more successful. Websites are another area which I am looking at, I have always been a great believer that in order to succeed you need to have the right training from people who have been through it and understand the pitfalls . This prize has it all and from someone who has been there and done it.
This prize offered by Sophie is one which I would relish and make the most of any opportunitys which came along as a result. My goals for 2017 have been set and posted on my blog winning this prize would help me enhance them
Am I “Good Enough”? That is the question I would try to answer with the courses you are offering.
It’s like the “Good Enough” Mom. I certainly cannot be the “Super Great” Mom and I hope that I am better than the “Below Average” Mom. I work at being the “Good Enough” Mom that allows for some grace in being human and in making mistakes. I make plenty of mistakes!
My blog site kissmybutt.today is about being good enough. It is a creative outlet for myself in hopes that one day my poetry and ramblings will be good enough to share with others.
Fear keeps me from sharing and making my writing public. Plus my inexperience with exactly how do I do that thing called “putting it out there”? Nerve wracking, stomach wrenching stuff.
So, yes I would love to win your contest, step into my “Good Enough” self and begin to put it out there!
Like many others before me, I would love to win this scholarship. I am returning to the workforce after a year spent figuring my way out of severe depression. I want to find a profitable way to earn a living. If possible, I would like to enjoy what I do and I enjoy writing.
I am moving away from teaching English to writing it, I hope. After a seeming lifetime away from writing, I have rediscovered it as a favorite thing to do. I don’t write much, but have promised myself that I will write a little everyday.
I tried blogging a short while ago, but never imagined that I could make money at it. And making money at something I enjoy is a dream of mine. One blog idea I have is to help others make their way out of the depths of depression by blogging about it. I’ve been told that I write well and that what I write is enjoyable to read. It is fun to work, and play, with words. I would like to learn how best to put a successful blog together and start a new life doing it.
Thank you,
Lucille
Hello Sophie,
Have you ever been in a spot in life where you knew that with the proper guidance and mentorship you could begin the process of living out your dreams?
Well that is the position I am in. I am a stay at home dad of a 6 month old baby boy and while I was in college I enjoyed researching and writing and I was very proficient at it but I never thought about being able to do something like freelance blogging or writing as a career. However I now see such big potential in being able to do something that I would love to do.
I should be awarded the BAFB scholarship because I have a drive to succeed and provided my family with a lifestyle that we dream about. With this opportunity I could provide clients with high quality work that they are all striving for.
This opportunity would also allow me to continue being a stay at home dad, to show my children the value of hard work, and to show that you can make it on your own without the need for a “regular” job, that if you think outside the box and you push yourself you can do anything you want in life.
If I win the BAFB scholarship I would use it to learn how to start my own freelance blogging business, to build long standing relationships with good clients, and to become the most successful student you have ever produced.
Thanks,
Chris
I’ve been blogging regularly for pay for some three years now, but still am lucky to earn more than $1,000 a month, because I’ve found it too easy to depend too much on a tiny handful of regular clients plus family support. Now, I want to grow up and become fully self-supporting (and relieve my family of a financial burden, and myself of some guilt and inferiority-complex feelings).
Since I have more than enough objective opinion to verify that my writing is professional quality, and I’ve never had trouble completing an existing assignment on schedule, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that what I need most is a little hands-on guidance and accountability. I especially like the prospect of the Client Hunting Masterclass, since finding new high-paying clients is my weakest area (and I fit that course’s description of the ideal student pretty well–some writing experience, willingness to commit a couple of hours a week, a serious passion for “how-to” tips and new ideas); but I believe I could also learn much valuable information from Get Started for Success, especially the more business-oriented lessons. (And if “success” means full financial freedom, it’s no great stretch to call myself a “beginner” there!)
Experience to be Shared
Over the past five-plus years, I have built my writing company from the ground up, learning about SEO, ghostwriting, and industry idiosyncrasies that I would love to share with other potential or up and coming online writers.
Through my first-hand experiences of starting my business with low paying job boards and working my way up to higher paying gigs, I have come across all types of clients, from excellent resources to complete scam artists. This is the kind of first-hand knowledge that I would like to share with those just starting out; the ins and outs of what to look out for, best ways to improve their portfolio, and suggestions of useful software products that help minimize time spent proofreading and image resourcing.
Even though I am a published author and former children’s book editor, I have found that the web content business is its own special beast when it comes to the writing industry. I have watched my portfolio grow and witnessed my writing style expand through learning these differences in content and would enjoy sharing them with others.
Making my living as a full-time writer has been my life dream, and although I took many different paths to reach this point, I believe that those paths have given me the tools that I needed to finally be doing the work I was meant to do. It is this passion for writing combined with decades of experience in many fields that I have to offer your readers.
This is the year of unlimited possibilities! So my goal is to step out of my comfort zone and do what I love. I constantly find myself writing and reading about informative topics daily.
Blogging is something I’m really excited to learn more about! My goal is to inspire and encourage young women around the world. I want my blogs to be relatable and reach a broad audience. I’m only asking for the opportunity to learn and gain experience as a freelance blogger.
Happy new year! It’s great to see established bloggers helping newbies. This is an amazing opportunity, and of course I’d love to benefit from it.
After a non-stop pace of studying and working (which started at 15) I have two degrees and 6-5 years of working experience under my belt. Yet I feel as unfulfilled as ever, not to mention tired. I’ve been mechanically moving from step to step.
I finally quit my job to re-assess what I want out of life. It seems to me that writing promises to be more fulfilling than my previous career as it is something I am choosing rather than a direction I was pushed along. However, I am at a loss as to where to begin. I attempted a writing career two years ago but I dropped it due to some sudden added responsibility. Now I have the time and determination to make a second attempt, and I feel as if I absolutely need to make this work, or else it’s back to the old unfulfilling career.
What I appreciate about this scholarship is that it can help with some of the biggest issues I currently have: information overload, and lack of a step by step pathway. I am an absolute beginner and a scholarship like this would be of great value to me. Thanks for the opportunity, and congrats to the winner!
Jan. 18, 2017
Help Me Make a Difference
Dear Sophie,
Thank you for the opportunity to explain why I should receive your scholarship.
1. Your investment in my life will make a difference in people’s lives. My goal is to create a blog to encourage individuals who are suffering from physical and emotional distress. People often suffer in silence. I will not try to play doctor or counselor. But my articles and my wife’s photographs will be a source of inspiration. I want to help people not just survive but thrive in the midst of their suffering.
2. Your investment in my life will make a difference in my life. I am 66 years old. My wife and I lost almost everything in the recession. At my age, I need to supplement my small retirement fund. Learning how to make an income blogging will make a huge difference in my life.
I assure you, I am a disciplined person. I will put in the time needed to learn how to make a living blogging. I will do everything in my power to successfully use your material to make a difference in this sometimes complicated world.
Finally, I want to thank you for making a difference in people’s lives. I appreciate your emails. Your articles are full of helpful content.
Why this scholarship?
Having lost my job in October 2016 for the second time in three years, gave me the push I needed to actualize my dreams. I want to start my own freelance writing business (zero experience in freelancing), be in charge of my own time and be there for my family (three children and a husband).
I started a new blog called http://www.chichikekeocha.com almost a month after being unemployed. Being in the corporate world prison would not have allowed me to achieve the above. I am glad that I have been kicked out of my comfort zone. My entry into the blogging world was by chance and I never would have considered myself a WRITER.
If I win?
If I win this scholarship, I will use it to learn how to source for better blogging opportunities and knowing how to pitch correctly. Also, I want to learn about the best places to discover and get hired by better paying clients.
Finally, I will use myself as a testimonial to advertise the course to others. This is because some people who love to write are stuck working for content mills. I want these people to know there are better alternatives to choose from, only if they know how to and where. I want to share what I have achieved and currently achieving by writing one or two guest posts for http://beafreelanceblogger.com/ and on my own blog.
Happy Blog birthday!
My blog’s a Capricorn, too:-) It turned 1 on December 29.
This post cued me to reflect on my first year of focused blogging. Thank you!
Essentially, I started covering up the image of me as the poster child for what not to do as a career changer. Things like…
Cutting all but one client to free up time for professional reinvention. (That client cut me during a downturn.)
Dabbling in shadow careers rather than facing my writing fears.
Drowning out my inner child’s pleas to pursue freelance blogging with the broken record “You’re Too Slow to Go Pro.” (Horrible tune. Trash it if you have a copy.)
Being a cheerleader for everyone’s dream but my own.
I’ve covered several mistakes over the past year. My confidence is up. I’m facing fears. I have a couple of samples for my portfolio.
Next up? Fill in blogging knowledge gaps. Cover my marketing mistakes. Land better-paying clients. Dig myself out of debt. Pay it forward if I’m tapped to do this with the help of the BAFB scholarship.
Tall order? Sure is. But it feels doable.
On that note…
Best of luck to my fellow bloggers, the BAFB team, and Sophie with this selection process.
Keep Creating,
Marianne
Over the past two years, I’ve been writing for my Nature in Mind blog, initially about wildlife conservation and the environment, and more latterly about how nature benefits our health, mental health in particular. I’ve also contributed to science and wildlife websites, as well as exploring memoir writing and posting snippets on Medium.
I’ve always relished the entire writing process, right from initial scribbles to carefully crafted pieces. I thrive on the challenge of researching new topics and writing in an informative and creative way.
Recently, I’ve started setting up my freelance writer’s website, all the while reading helpful articles on Be a Freelance Blogger, and other notable blogger and writer websites. I have boundless energy and enthusiasm and love learning, but now it’s time to stop researching how to become a freelance writer and to take confident strides in being one.
I am driven to be a freelance writer working with sustainable and ethical businesses, whether related to wildlife conservation, food or energy production, or travel and tourism… the list is endless!
The posts on Be a Freelance Blogger are not only informative and helpful, but they are also motivational. With expert tuition and guidance on your scholarship blogging courses, I could learn how to find my ideal clients and use words to inform and excite people about sustainability and living with nature in mind.
I have never been more ready for the challenge and reward of being a professional freelance writer and helping people in the process.
Thank you Sophie for giving readers the opportunity to win this exciting scholarship on your Business Birthday!
I am determined that 2017 is going to be a year of great change. I have worked hard over the past year to keep a positive mindset, despite having numerous unexpected obstacles pop up and try to drag me back over to the dark-side into an abyss of negativity. Part of how I keep this positive state of mind is through writing. I have always been passionate about writing for as long as I could scribble notes in the margins of notebooks and on order taking tickets. I am determined that it’s time to turn this passion and hobby into a money making career.
To help push me into high gear towards goal achievement, recently, I received two nice kicks to the rump. Number one: my child was recently diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (a blessing and a curse)and becoming a stay at home working, home schooling mom might have to be available as an option in the not so far future and Number Two: there is a very real possibility that the company I’ve worked for the past 9 years might not be around for me to see a tenth.
If I were to receive this scholarship I would use it to help me break into a writing career where I can work from home earning real money while being able to care for my child. I want to turn the life of my dreams into a reality.
Is raw, untamed passion everything what it takes to become uber-successful in any sphere? Maybe not. Otherwise, mere existence of a raging torrent on world’s mighty rivers would have produced electricity with zero involvement from us. The fact is, we build dams, store water in reservoirs, and then use that water to generate hydropower. Thus our homes get illuminated. Humankind’s engineering prowess acting as a transforming agent transforms one of nature’s most formidable forces into something meaningful and incontestably indispensable to modern civilization. Now if we bring a freelance writer into the scene, we can extrapolate a similar conclusion.
A freelance writer with tank full of passion inside their heart is only good to take the initial plunge. But afterward, they find themselves hurtling down the jungle path in a car on a pitch-black night. And the irony is the car has no headlights at all! They don’t know how many more seconds, minutes, and hours they have to persevere behind the wheel to reach destination. The lone option: wait for the next morning when sunlight will give them back their visibility. Here, sunlight is the transforming agent. Well, for the last three years, I have been searching for such a transforming agent that can guide my blogging career to real success. It’s not that I am not getting assignments, but I still feel the absence of solid wings to fly high, very high. I believe a scholarship from a master blogger like Sophie will give me those wings.
It’s time for me to emerge from the shadows.
I’m bringing my two blogs with me.
I started http://www.BaseballByTheLetters in 2010. My own little soapbox, http://www.tomowens.wordpress.com, followed.
I kept writing. More than one thousand posts later, I hadn’t monetized. I hadn’t started an e-mail list. Why? Too much fear. Not enough focus.
Then, I learned something new about myself at age 54: a diagnosis of ADHD.
This wasn’t an excuse. It was an explanation. Since then, I’m hoping that my doubt gets replaced by doing.
A scholarship from Sophie Lizard would be a two-fold boost. Along with helping two patient blogs regain their steam, Sophie would be a kindred spirit. She’s bent on kicking Bipolar’s ass every day. She’s a role model every ADHDer should applaud.
I’d apply all this BAFB learning and inspiration immediately. I’ve been a silent Who in blogdom’s Whoville for too long.
I’m ready to blog like never before.
When I finished high school and got into college, I thought I was going to be free from the whole “what are you going to do with your life” talk. I was wrong.
I’m just starting my final year in college. By December I’ll have a Languages (Portuguese and English) degree. Yay me! I mean, I should be happy, right? And I am. Except because I’m freaking out about what exactly I’m going to do next.
By logic, I should go and become a teacher. That’s what everyone expects me to do. But I don’t want that. Years ago, 13-year-old me decided she wanted to be a writer. Well, 21-year-old me can’t see myself doing anything else in the future.
I have been stressing out about that until I found out my dream job exists! I can spend my days writing, and be paid to do so! I can even choose what to write about!
That was when I decided I am going to be a freelance writer.
The problem is: I don’t have any money to invest. I see all these training courses around and they sound amazing, but I can’t afford them. I know, there’s plenty of free resources in the sea. And I will become a freelancer writer eventually, no matter what it takes, because that’s the path I’ve chosen.
But having a scholarship would be amazing! It would help me so much, and I could launch my career even before I finish college! Just imagine that! 😉
By Andressa Andrade
P.S.: I tried my best to make this sound like a blog post, but I’m just starting out. Hope it is good enough.
P.S².: Happy Birthday to ‘Be A Freelance Blogger’! I just discovered this website, and I honestly love it. Wishing you many more years of success to come! =)
Blogging has been something I have done a lot of in the last decade, but something I have always struggled with doing consistently. I have often lacked direction and organization for how to structure my time in order to do this professionally. I have often been told that I write well and that an audience can connect with what I say. I have been encouraged by professors and friends alike to pursue this passion. Feeling like I have something to give to the world through my writing, I do wish to pursue it seriously. Now being a stay at home mom, I’m finding myself in the perfect situation to have the time to learn and study the craft to make it a reality. I just need the direction and some help to get me off the ground. My passion is in connecting people, and as a writer I know this is my way of doing that. I wish to connect people with our common humanity, so that even though we differ in many ways, we can learn to understand each other’s viewpoints and see our commonality and humanity amidst our varied experiences and beliefs.
Thank you for the opportunity to be considered for this scholarship.
Over the past few years, my life has taken a sharp, hair-pinned turn into financial hell. I found that because of my age (I’m over 50), it has become harder to find a job in today’s workforce.
Luckily, I have rekindled my love of writing. This is something that I enjoy and believe that I can go a long way with it. To get my feet wet, I’ve written for a few content mills and have quickly realized that if I want to continue living indoors, I have to move onto bigger and better things. This is where blogging comes in.
All of my life, I have had one great passion … Animals!
I love animals and believe that they all deserve a long, happy, and safe life. Animal rescue organizations do a lot to save as many animals as they can. I would like to use my written words to help our four-legged friends find forever homes.
Once they have found their forever home, I’d like to advise their human companions on how to care for their new furry family member. I’ll cover things like pet food, pet accessories, and everything in between.
With Sophie’s freelance blogger training courses, I’ll have the tools needed to make my dream of having a blog and becoming a guest blogger a reality. I will be able to finally help others and myself at the same time. My goal for 2017 is to make this happen within the next 90 days.
Happy Birthday!
I had to really think about what I wanted Sophie to hear for this. Thank you for your time, Alicia. I appreciate the opportunity.
http://www.alwaysreiding.com/scholarship-opportunity/
Dear Sophie,
As someone who has spent many years amassing knowledge about so many things, I’m stuck when it comes to working for someone else. My resume is crazy, but I hit the ground running and rock any job. I’ve been put in situations, handling them with professionalism and grace, that cause others to freak out. Despite this, I have realized my job is not a career.
At my current job, I am underpaid and over utilized. And when I get home from this job, I need ‘me’ time that my family cannot afford. There is hope—controlling my destiny via a freelance career can help me (and my family) pay bills, have some family time and do something I love for people… I want to be that girl who has control of her destiny again. I want to leave my job, once I have clients who can replace my salary and share my gifts with the world.
What I’m stuck on, is where to start, and once I have the knowledge, where to go with that knowledge to amass a list of amazing clients. I read 200 books a year and try to pass along kindness as much as possible. I write letters, real ones, and have a to-do list I take great pride in completing. I’m ready.
For these reasons and many more I respectfully request your assistance and allow me the scholarship… you will not be sorry.
Sincerely,
Nicole Reid
Since I’ve worked in print journalism up to this point, I feel like I’ve reached a crossroads in my career. I do have a blog (which I started in order to promote my book), and while I enjoy working on it, I don’t feel completely at ease with social media in the first place. (I’m one of those Gen-Xers who’s just young enough that people expect me to do everything online, and just old enough that I feel uneasy about it!) Much of my print work is freelance, so I can’t tell if I just need to change my mindset to be more comfortable with online platforms, or alter my approach completely. I’d take the course knowledge in a few different directions: building readership for my published work, better interaction with those who regularly visit my site, and finding new clients for my writing.
Hi!
I would love to be considered for this scholarship. In 2017, I want to begin building the foundation for living my best life. The first step is becoming debt-free. I’ve set an audacious goal for myself, one that I believe is both achievable and realistic, and being able to partake in these programs would provide me with an extra boost towards reaching this goal.
Writing is something that I have done since I was small child. I believe in the power of words and their ability to help people realize their dreams whether that’s through creating blog posts for their audience, crafting templates for speeches and online workshops, or helping someone find the perfect words to write the book the world needs to read. I fully intend on elevating my game this year and want to bring as many people along with me as possible.
Now is the time, more than ever, for creativity and innovation to flourish. I have the writing skills to help people bring their gift to wider audiences and I think that through becoming the recipient of this scholarship I will be able to not only reach my own goal, but become a small part in someone else’s journey towards whatever thing they’re trying to do.
Thank you for offering this and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
I wrote a mock “thank you” letter to describe why I would like to be chosen for the scholarship and what I would use it for if I win.
Dear Sophie:
Thank you for awarding me the 2017 BAFB Birthday Scholarship Prize!
As a new freelance writer, the scholarship helped me to lay the groundwork for a successful blogging business. I specialize in freelance writing for nonprofit organizations that provide humanitarian relief services. I had three business goals for taking the courses. I wanted to learn the nuts and bolts of blogging, blog for humanitarian causes, and attract well-paying clients. I am happy to say that within six months, I have met my three goals! I want to share three of my accomplishments with you.
First, the courses taught me several fundamental steps for creating a blog such as using a blogging platform, branding my blog, growing an email list, and using social media. After applying what I learned, I now have over 1,000 subscribers and counting! Second, the courses taught me ways to be more creative, productive, and efficient with writing blogs by using a variety of techniques. I attracted several well-paying clients by writing heartwarming blogs my clients appreciate. Lastly, I am blogging to bring awareness to causes I am passionate about. I am enjoying my business successes and I look forward learning more! Thank you once again.
Sincerely,
Yvette Williams
First of all congratulations on a one more year!!! I would love to win the scholarship because I truly would love to learn from one of the best Sophie I just bought my domain name for a blog is something that I want it to do for sometime but I lack the confidence to get out there and be myself. I am at stay at home mom and live in a strict budget I keep reading and try to learn but I know that if I win this scholarship would do a lot for me. I would love to help my partner pay the bills if I win this scholarship will definitely give me the right path as I would use it as a guide to boost my confidence and for a better future thank you for doing this Sophie.
I’ve read lots of compelling entries here – thank you all for sharing your stories!
OK… The winner of the 2017 scholarship is:
Tracy Brighten 🙂
Congratulations, Tracy. Please email me (Sophie@beafreelanceblogger.com) and tell me what email address you’d like me to send your training stuff to!
Thank you so much for awarding me the 2017 BAFB Birthday Scholarship – I was so excited to see my name in your post comment!
I can’t wait to crack on with your courses, put in the hard work, learn from your expertise, and make the transformation from passionate writer to freelance writer!
This is such a great opportunity, thank you again Sophie 🙂
Hi Tracy! Congratulations! All the best
Congratulation Tracy Brighten on winning the scholarship.
This is definitely something I need to do when my next blog birthday comes about!
It’s very great article. I will ty something new for blog’s birthday.
Fantastic tips Alicia,
It’s very important that we need necessary changes and keeps engaging with new and return customers.
Thank you
Hey Alicia, got some good tips from your end, re-evaluation is quite necessay especially of your busness 🙂