Freelance Writers – Why Not Make Your Own Site?

Being a freelance writer appears to be a pretty good gig. There, I said what most people probably already know.

Yes, it can be frustrating to get started in a competitive market, but there should always be a demand for good writers, so as long as you can hone your skills, there will be work to be found.

I'm not going to list any advice on becoming a freelance writer in this post. I've been saluted on my writing before, but flattery from friends isn't the same as having an employer willing to pay you for your work.

In other words, I'm no expert.

Besides, I got into working from home because I didn't want to have an employer. I didn't want to have competition for jobs in ANY market.

I'm terrible at selling myself. Someone else is always chosen over me. Freelance writing online is an incredibly competitive field. Not for me.

OK, now that I'm done putting myself down, I'm free to get to the point.

If you're a highly talented, or heck, even moderately talented writer, why rely on someone else?

When I first started out online, I dabbled with Squidoo, Hubpages, even paid article writing sites like ineedarticles.com.

I earned some money, and it boosted my confidence about possibilities, but in the end I reached several conclusions that convinced me not to bother being a freelance writer.

Why I don't “free-lance” anymore.

  1. Mind your own business. Why help grow somebody else's business with your work, when you can grow your own?
  2. Your work is controlled by somebody else. Somewhere like Squidoo could take your articles offline at any time. Equally disturbing, they often do remove people's articles.
  3. Freelance work only pays once. Unless you are very lucky, as a writer you are just going to be paid once for your work. You write it, the buyer pays your fee, then you need to find another assignment. Meanwhile, the buyer could earn over and over again by embedding their affiliate links into your article. I know this, because I've done it. Learn about affiliate marketing here.
  4. Growth is limited. Apart from growing your reputation and client base, a years' worth of writing isn't going to make your business any larger. A years' worth of writing for YOUR OWN website however could see your earnings explode (in a good way!)
  5. Real writing talent is rare. There are some highly talented writers out there, and I'll happily pay them a lot more than the average writer. The problem is though  the average writer often drags the price down in an effort to get work. Don't sell yourself short. If you have a modicum of talent, you can earn a lot more writing for your own website.

What Stops You?

I guess there are quite a few uncertainties when it comes to making the switch to having your own website.

You're worried you'll miss the steady income flow (it takes time to grow your own site).

You might have no idea about creating and running a website.

There's no guarantee you'll earn anything.

It's not easy (but the payoff is much, much better).

For the guarantee part, I'll say that's very much true. Then again, if you take the risk, you could well see the rewards.

As for the lack of income, a little planning and schedule adjustment will allow you an extra few hours per week to build up your business, without sacrificing some of your income.

You can spare a few extra hours can't you? After all, that's why you became a freelancer.

Now, for the lack of expertise.

You're not going to be able to learn a new skill right off the bat, it does take time and patience. As I like to say, you have to LEARN before you can EARN.

But hey, once you've removed those L plates, you've just got “earner”.

You're an independent thinker already, and you're familiar with the number one skill required for having a successful business.

Writing.

So take action, and see where you can go writing for YOURSELF.


take-action

I'm not one to suggest a course of action without providing the means to follow it.

I'll admit, I've been writing this article with a few purposes in mind.

The first was to open your eyes to the possibilities of working for yourself, and the greater rewards and freedoms that come with it.

The second was to highlight that you don't actually need to do a whole lot of work to get started. Why?

You've Got Me.

HumanProofDesigns creates and sells ready-made sites precisely for people like you.

We research the niche, research article topics and ‘keywords', construct the basic foundation of the site, then hand it over to you.

The best thing? We provide training manuals, diagrams, and guides every step of the way.

All you have to do is choose a site to buy, let us install it for you, then log in and get writing.

I'm assuming that writing isn't going to be a problem for you!

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