It’s pretty safe to assume that businesses and entrepreneurs are finally coming out of their COVID cubby holes. For the past two weeks or so I’ve been INUNDATED with clients, old and new! Five new (two potentially long term) in the past week alone. WHEE!
Potential clients are coming to me from Upwork even without me submitting for their projects. It helps that I’m top-rated with a 100% rating there, because Upwork boosts my profile as a result and seekers spot it more readily. I charge a lot more than most of my competitors do (because they don’t have my writing chops, history, testimonials, ability to convert browsers into buyers, OR my 100% positive results), so when I land a gig, Upwork gets 10% of it, so they’re motivated to promote me, I suppose.
I’m reprinting below the reviews I’ve received already from two of them, even though I’ve already added them to the Testimonials page…
October 6 2023 “Kris is very professional and a pleasure to work with. Our corporate will be re-hiring Kris again for future copy writing.” ($1200 writing/editing project, mostly editing/copy enhancement — no extreme makeovers except for a sales letter so far!)
October 5th 2023 “The profile page you wrote for me for Upwork (three or four years ago) has been a life-saver for me. And as a result, this year I was hired by someone I greatly admire. A guy that you quote at the top of your Upwork Profile page. He found me on Upwork.
“Also, what’s been interesting is other Freelancers in my niche have admired the profile you wrote and to date I’ve found it amended and used by 4 other people! I had to contact Upwork and ask them to contact those individuals to have them write their own. Your work is definitely impactful.” – Catherine Jackson
October 5th 2023 “Thank you, you’ve really bought it to life! You are so talented and I appreciate you.” (Copy enhancement of a raw draft of a landing page) – Catherine Jackson
*sigh*
I can live for a week on a compliment about my writing/conversion skills!
My only concern is that I may end up writing for more than the ten hours a week that I want to be working. My two regular long-term clients (I’ve been serving one of them three-plus years and the other more than six) use me at least every few weeks and if one or both of them start using me the way they have in the past, I won’t have much free time at all. I’ll be working 20+ hours per week on some weeks, as I did this past week.
That’s okay during the upcoming cold winter months when I can’t get out and about to walk, ride, hike, but in the spring, summer and fall, I want to be almost free as a bird to go wherever I want at any time. I’m semi-retired and don’t want to end up feeling like I’m in a grind, or in any way behind.
When I land a project, I’m so proactive, I’m anal. I jump on it with both feet! Hence the 20+ hours I spent last week on writing projects!
NEW ZEALAND TRIP
And this spring I’m flying to New Zealand for two weeks and won’t be available to write then, so it’s good I’m getting lots of work now so I can build up my savings and my “mad money stash” for the New Zealand trip! My money will go a lot farther Down Under than it does here, so with $1K to spend, I can get something like $1500 worth of goodies, and there is no way I can fit that many goodies into my travel bags. I’m NOT planning on spending much on souvenirs but I do plan to take some excursions that will cost moolah. We plan to go to Hobbitton, take Peter Jackson’s Weta Workshop in Auckland, get mud baths, see the glowworm cave, and visit a couple of zoos so I can see the NZ wildlife up close and personal.
There are other attractions, too:
Take a harbor cruise – Nicknamed the City of Sails, there are SO many boats in Auckland, and the harbor is a must-see aboard one. I love this 1.5-hour harbor cruise that takes you past the Auckland Bridge, and you even get to help the crew steer!
Go to the beach – Only 45 minutes from Auckland is the famous Piha Beach! This is one of the best beaches in New Zealand and one of the most beautiful with bright blue water.
See dolphins and whales – One of my favorite Auckland activities was joining this dolphin and whale watching tour to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. You’re on a luxury catamaran looking for all the amazing animals that call Auckland home. ($122.00)
Yeah, I’m getting excited! Less than a half year from TODAY!
