Paper Anniversary for HD Words – 1 year on…

When I began this business, a year ago, I wasn’t entirely sure what my day-to-day routine would be like. However, I was fairly sure I’d be writing a lot, every day, and pictured myself almost like the stereotypical Victorian writer in a garret. My mind’s eye conjured up a half-drunk cup of tea, fingerless gloves, a cat on my lap, and a large clock ticking down on deadlines. 

The reality has been a little different. Yes to the half-drunk cup of tea, and the cat. Yes, occasionally, to the fingerless gloves, but there has been a lot more company than I’d initially anticipated.

When I left my previous employment, I said that the things I would miss were the people, and the regular pay cheque. I’m working on the pay cheque part… but the people, well, I thought I’d be a bit lonely, to be honest!

How wrong was I?

There have been clients to meet, both in their places of work, and at coffee shops. There have been business breakfasts, and the potential for business lunches, though I’ve not quite made it to one yet, for a variety of reasons (theme appearing here, don’t you think – food – it’s been such a hardship!)

And there have been various marketing events. I’ve been to a number of business shows and other exhibitions, talking to people about becoming my customers. Some people I’ve met at more than one event are becoming friends, even without also becoming customers. And there are customers who are definitely becoming friends, too.

Every customer is different. The majority are busy people, running their own businesses, who’d prefer to be in their workshops, kitchens, studios, etc, rather than writing for their websites. The difference in their trades, or the artwork they produce, is what keeps my job interesting.

And the writing.

I’ve loved the writing. I enjoy talking to clients and finding out what they want to say, who they want to talk to, what their style is – and the style of the people they’re talking to.  Writing for a large hotel, to attract families to visit Cornwall, is quite different from a chatty blog post which will be mostly ready by existing customers. Conveying the same information to teens, their parents, and professionals, has also been interesting, ensuring that no jargon slips through the net, and no-one either feels patronised or tunes out due to information overload.

So thankyou to all my customers, and all the people I’ve met over the last year since I embarked on this interesting journey of being self-employed, as well as the people who helped me in the six months prior to that, giving me the tools and belief to do so. And thankyou to all the people who have been recommending my services to their contacts.  You’re all great, and I couldn’t do it without you!