Today is going to be a short, because it’s Friday: which is a good day for short and sweet blog posts.   For your amusement and edification, I present you with:

10 Things You Don’t Know About Me:

1.  I love sheep. I have a huge collection of sheep items and sheep stuffed animals. This is mostly due to a life changing experience with this section of The Little Prince when I was young.  It isn’t really about the sheep.  It’s about the perspective and the possibilities that the sheep represent in my head.

2. When I was in third grade, I wrote a book about how I wanted to be a ninja turtle when I grew up.  I’m not sure how this relates to my current career, but I feel like this may have foreshadowed something.

3.  I work out with belly dancing toning tapes. I like being in shape, but I hate cardio workouts in almost all forms.

4. I have suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia since I was 14 years old.  In my free time, I do CFS/Fibro/ME advocacy stuff online.

5. My first attempt at a college degree was in classical mythology: this lasted until I realized that I loved writing and storytelling, but I also loved food that wasn’t ramen.

6. I speak nearly fluent French, but I’d love to learn Russian.

7. I could live off of sushi and Indian food happily, if I lived in a larger area where they were available.

8. If I could live anywhere in the word, it would be Venice. Water,  music, history, and great food: what’s not to love?

9.  I am 24 years old, and in awe of the accomplishments of most of my clients.  You guys are inspiring.

10. My work uniform involves pajama pants, a tank top, and fuzzy yellow duck slippers.

P. S.  I am up on Julie’s blog today! It’s a totally different style of writing, so head on over and go check it out!

No matter what else happens as a result of this week, I have done some things that I am very proud of.

1) I completed a really huge job for a great client.  I wrote my ass off, learned a ton in the process, and was satisfied with the result.  I have that great feeling of total satisfaction and complete exhaustion when you do a lot of work really well.

2) A client made money off my copy.  It increased her sales, in a measurable way.  I am so proud of both of us.

3) I had my first teleclass!  And despite a massive attack of nerves and imposter fear, I did it.  No matter whether it brings in more clients, or leads to new projects, I faced a fear and overcame it.

4) I called someone about renting a house.  A great house, and an awesome house, that would require a huge life change and a lot of courage to follow through with.  But I’m at least willing to get past the stuckness and acknowledge that I want better things and I know what they are.  This is a huge change in my attitude, and I’m happy it’s finally appeared.

5) I have caught up on most of my tv shows from the last three weeks.  I can’t explain why this is such a satisfying item on the list, but it is.

6) I have a post going up on a Big Deal blog on 2/8!  I will save the rest of it as a surprise, but it should be fun.

How was your week?  What are you proud of? Feel free to share in the comments.

Hey guys!

I’m so excited that you’ve all signed up for my class.  We’re going to have a big question and answer session at the end, so please feel free to ask any questions you like. If you’re not a phone person, feel free to comment and leave the question here.  I’ll check it periodically during the call.  If I don’t get to you this week, I’ll put your question down for next week, or answer you personally in an email.

Comment away!

This post was suggested by some readers as a preview for the teleclass.  About Pages are one of the many things we’ll talk about there: we’ll talk about how to make yourself marketable and real, all whiIe being comfortable with your marketing plan.  About Pages are up today because I’ve been writing a ton of them lately for clients, and they really strike terror into the heart of many small business owners.

So, first of all, you can market yourself on your About Page.  Not only that, but you should.  Now, this doesn’t mean you have to do selling on your page, but you do need to think about the image that you present, and how you’re appealing to your awesome Right People.  In addition, we’re going to talk about what you shouldn’t put on your page, which isn’t always as obvious as you think.

We’ll use mine as an example, just because you can all see it.   First of all, you can see that I have tattoos. This probably means that I’m pretty casual and laid back about things (before you ask, they are all about writing, because I am a super nerd).  My Right People are also pretty laid back, so this is good.  Secondly, you can see that I used to write grants. Now, while grants aren’t marketing, they are also pretty heavily results oriented, and successful grant writers can dig up a hell of a lot of money with some great writing skills.  This appeals to clients: after all, why hire a marketing writer who doesn’t have a proven track record of making money for a company?  Finally, I list hobbies.  This lets my clients get to know me a bit better, and reassures them that I am a laid back normal person, just like them.  I frequently attract clients who are terrified of Selling, but find me approachable and easy to work with.  So they hire me instead of someone else.

Now that I’ve broken my page down, we’re going to talk about how to write yours.  First of all, make a list of all the information you’d want your Right People to know about you.  It can be everything from your favorite number to your obsession with tropical fish.  Remember, part of what you’re selling is you, so you need to be authentic everywhere on your site. Once you’ve made your list, take a look at it.  Which items would appeal to your Right Person?  What would make them jump up and down and go “Oh wow, that’s me too!”? Those are the items that should be on your About Page.

Many people assume that About Pages are really a platform to prove work experience and proven results in your field. Well, yes, it’s good to indicate that somehow, but most clients can get that other ways.  Testimonials, talking to other clients, and if they’re there by word of mouth, you’ve already proven that you’re good.  So think of your About Page as a way to reassure clients that you really are who you say you are: both in personality and values.   When you think about it, this is marketing.  You’re marketing yourself.  But you’re doing it in an honest and genuine way that targets the people you want to work with.  So in the end, everyone wins.

Now, a brief note on what not to talk about on your About Page.  This is really unique to each person or business, and if  you do consulting with me, we’ll talk a lot about crafting a marketing image that is you, but is also smart.  I will again, use me as an example, since it’s easiest.  I don’t have a photo up.  That’s purposeful.  I’m pretty young looking, and I know that some clients would be scared off by that.   I like my writing and my hard work to speak for themselves.  That’s the biggest omission for me that I can think of, but it’s one that directly effects who hires me. Now, I’m probably losing some business that would come from people who think I’m young and that’s amazing, but I can deal with that.

Many people omit things on their About Pages.  Hell, James Chartrand omitted that he was actually female.  People omit their race, their gender, and all other kinds of information.  I’ve worked with clients who are students who are also running a business, and sometimes encouraged them to not advertise their student status.  That said, there are tons of people making ridiculous amounts of money out there who are really upfront and don’t really care what people think.  I am mostly one of them, and I really admire people with that attitude.  But I also respect that everyone is different and has different comfort levels.

Finally, whatever you put on that page, make sure it’s true.  Make sure that the information that clients read actually reflects you.  I know I drone on about truth in marketing a lot, but it’s really important.  Customers and clients want to hire trustworthy people, and you want to be one of them.  Especially on the internet, where you can’t shake hands with someone or get to know them in person.   Be transparent, but don’t be stupid.  Be yourself, but be the best version of yourself possible.  And if you’re still confused, hire me. I write a mean About Page, and I can probably help you write one too.

So, I functionally took the weekend off and rethought a lot of the business stuff.  Which as you guys could probably tell, I needed.  I did a lot of thinking about what Cottage Copy is currently, and what I’d like it to be.  Luckily, those two ideas aren’t too far removed from each other right now!  But, I’ve definitely made some new policies and resolutions that should help things run smoother in the future.  Most of these problems, in fairness, stem from my own business inexperience.  But now that I am big and experienced, I am going to make changes to get rid of them(Well, hopefully).  So, without further ado:

1.  If you want to work with me from now on, you need to go through a phone consultation first.

I have now instituted a mandatory half hour phone call for new clients.  This accomplishes several things. First of all, from a writing perspective, I get to hear you talk.  Which is invaluable when I’m writing your marketing material, I promise. It also lets you get to know me and see if we’re the right fit.  All of this leads to better communication, and fewer revisions.  The phone consultation is free.  It’s really just a tool to let us work together better.  I’ve been shying away from this policy, because some days I can sound like a squeaky 19 year old.  Which I am not, but I’m always nervous on the phone that clients won’t hire me because of my speaking voice, or how young I sound. But after some thinking, I’ve decided that you future right people clients can probably move past that. Right? Good.

2.  Payment for services now has to be upfront.

I will be totally honest here.  I hate this policy.  I didn’t want to have to do this.  But I also think I have to, at this point.  I will not hand over any final written work until I am paid in full.  Because while I understand that everyone has money issues and things come up, I like buying groceries too. That said, if you do work with me, and you get into a bad position where stuff just happens, let me know.  I can probably work with you.  I’m not trying to shut anyone out here, but I owe it to myself to have stricter policies about money matters.

3. I do now have the resources to put together project teams if you want a whole site or project done.

I got a bunch of requests for this when Cottage Copy got started, and I can proudly say that I now know some great graphic designers/programmers/tech people who I work really well with.  So if you need something built from the ground up, I can now do that for you. Well, at least ask some other really talented people to help me do it.  This is kind of a scary step for me, but it’s also one that I know people want, so feel free to get in touch and talk to me about it.

I hope that this new stricter stuff doesn’t scare anyone off, but I don’t think it’s too different from what other people do. I wanted to be upfront about it, since I know that goes a long way towards reassuring people. I’m still me, just a slightly more aware me.

P. S. If you’re thinking about working with me, now is actually a great time to talk to me about it.  I’m having my two hour consulting sale ($99 for two hours as opposed to $149), which could be a great intro session if you’re thinking about a big project or long term work. The sale isn’t reflected on the “Work With Me” page, so go ahead and email me at holly [at] cottagecopy(com) if you’re interested before I get around to changing it.  If you’re still on the fence, sign up for the teleclass.  It’s free, and you can see what I’m like in person! Or at least, over the phone.

Holly here!  Since I am on a plane this afternoon, Laura has very nicely agreed to take over this blog space.  I met her through email about the blog, and we’ve been having some great conversations ever since. See, reason #23463 why you should email me to say hi: interesting new business friends and conversations come out of it!  Have a great day, make sure to show Laura  the awesome support and encouragement that you guys demonstrate all the time, and I’ll see you guys tonight!

The Elusive Right People—And How Finding Them is Like Fishing
Guest Post by Laura Espinosa

Holly and I were recently talking about the frustrations over finding the Right People.

You know. That special client who gets you.

This elusive Right Person loves your work, trusts you to be left alone to do your work, values your advice and expertise, and, most importantly: pays you handsomely and on time.

We all want this type of client; this special breed of heaven sent people who love us for us and are a joy to work with. And who we, in turn, would be more than willing to make happy.

But finding these Right People is a lot like… fishing.

You putter out in your boat one morning at the butt crack of dawn and stake out a prime spot in Possible Client Lake. You hope to catch The Right Fish today. So you take out your fishing rod and string up your line. You put the right weights and lures. You do everything that the “Ultimate Guide to Catching Right Fish” tells you.

You even get the Special Right Fish Bait.

You went through a lot of trouble to secure that bait. You better catch Right Fish.

And so you hold your breath. You throw your line. You wait. And wait… And then…

You get a boot.

Or… you get the Sort-of-Right Fish, which is a pretty good catch, but not what you were looking for.

Or you get the Came-From-Another-Dimension Fish, which finds your lure fascinating, but you don’t know what to make of it and it doesn’t know what to make of you.

And then you accidentally catch the dreaded Fish-From-Hell, which has razor teeth just for chomping up Business Fishermen like you.

But none of them are the golden breed known as The Right Fish. And you wonder, as you sit in your small business boat with all your Non-Right Fish catches of the day… what went wrong? Was it the lure? Was it not attractive enough? Or maybe you got the wrong hook. Maybe the bait wasn’t as fresh as you thought. Or you didn’t drop your line to the proper depth.

Then the more painful question come up: What do you do now?

Well, for starters, take all your Sort-of-Right Fish that you caught and cash them in. They’re not the Right Fish, but they’re not the Wrong Fish either. They’ll help you pay for more bait.

Next, find a way to salvage the Came-From-Another-Dimension Fish. You might not know what to do with them, but you seem to have a knack for attracting them. Maybe it’s time to swap out that lure. In the meantime, partner with a Came-From-Another-Dimension Fisherman. He obviously knows what to do with them, and you might get a nice cut for doing half the work.

And as for the Fish-From-Hell?

Just survive long enough to get it off your hook before it kills you. And then vow never to catch that fish again.

And after you’re done selling your catch at the market, go home. Sleep. And then get back up at the butt crack of dawn and do it all over again.

Why? Because that Right Fish is out there, hiding. Shy. And your fishing the other day taught you a little bit more about how to catch it. You might not think it. You might actually feel very silly. But trust me, you’re a little wiser. You’re learning. And eventually, you’ll have enough experience fishing in Possible Client Lake to never catch the Fish-from-Hell, to not attract the Came-From-Another-Dimension Fish, and to know the difference between Sort-of-Right Fish hot spots, and Right Fish.

And when you finally catch your first Right Fish? That’s golden. That’s worth it.

Fish on my fellow, brave fishermen. Fish on.

Laura Espinosa is a web copywriter and ittybiz entrepreneur. When she is not writing copy, she is moonlighting as an animator. And when she is not doing that, she is working on her novel to satisfy the voices in her head. You can find her on LinkedIn . And if you want to see something really crazy, check out her animation portfolio
at LauraEspinosa.com.

Holly here! Amy and I have been having a lot of talks about the thought process behind art and writing, and the similar issues that we face as designers and writers when trying to find what the client really wants. Today, we decided to switch places and blog for each other about the process of art and writing. Check me out at Amy’s place, complete with photo of myself for the terribly curious among you!

About an About Page

I’m Amy, and thanks to Holly, my About page now reflects what I’m actually about. So, on the flip side of Holly’s awesome guest post on my blog today, I’m going to talk about how a cartoon is like an About page.

When I’m getting ready to draw a cartoon of someone, I start with two things: the facts in the form of a photo, and the person’s own impressions of themselves. When Holly worked with me on my About page, she did the same thing for me, she took the dry, factual text I already had and drew out of me as much personality as possible.

Then, after brainstorming dozens of ideas, we narrowed it down. She gave me a huge long list, and then made me choose the things that were most important to my right people. We distilled all the many options into the important essentials, and chose a writing style that worked for me and reflected not only my personality, but the personality of my ittybiz. Just like when I do a cartoon, we talk about the client wants to be wearing, holding, and what style of drawing they’d like to end up as. We pare down all the chaff and are left with just the essentials.

In my About page, I wanted to showcase things that would attract my Right People, my target audience, not only to myself but to the business as well. Holly helped me find a balance of personal and business, and smoothed out the tone so the whole thing has a nice coherency to it. And then she let me poke and prod the copy, just like a client being shown their pencil sketch before it’s inked and colored.

When I’m doing a cartoon, one important thing I always have to ask is what the client’s skin, eye and hair color really is — you’d be amazed at how much those snapshots don’t match the person’s image of themselves, with bad lighting and funky color mixing to blame as much as anything else. The thing that Holly did was to take what I had given her and then ask how the things that were already there matched up with my internal image of myself, and helped me align the facts until it all clicked. In the end, we both deliver something that shows off the essence of a person and makes the right people, their right people, smile.

The one way that About pages are nothing like cartoons, though? Cartoons are way more fun to do, even of yourself.

Amy Crook is a graphic designer, illustrator and fine artist. You can find her on twitter as @amysnotdeadyet, and at Not Dead Yet Studios and Antemortem Arts. She promises she’s not as morbid as it sounds.

This post has been in the works for awhile, but I’ve been a little nervous to hit publish on it.  I love freelancing, and I love my business, but sometimes all the freelancing nightmare stuff just happens in one week and it’s hard to focus on the positive. And no one really writes about that stuff. On all of the freelancing sites, there isn’t any really acknowledgment of the simple fact that sometimes freelancing/running your own business sucks.

A short list of the work terror stuff that has happened this week:

I have written almost 30k words every day since last Tuesday.  I’m not sure I’ve ever been this tired in my entire life.

I have some clients who have still not responded to my invoices; I’m this close to changing my payment policy so I never have this fear ever again. And kind of pissed at myself for letting things get to this point in the first place; I’ve been putting off dealing with it because I hate confrontations.

The normal parts of my life (showering, my social life, drinking things other than coffee, exercise) have pretty much disappeared.

I worry that I’ve exhausted my client pool, and that I have no readers. I know intellectually that this probably isn’t true, but it still terrifies me.

I really want to move.   I’ve even looked and found cute and reasonable beach houses that I could easily afford if I was making my target amount of money each week. Which I’m not.  And for all of my ability to market for other people, I’m pretty much out of ideas to market myself.  And I hate admitting that.

Now, please understand, it’s not that I’m ungrateful. I still love my business, and I still love writing.  I love that I need to write 30k words a day, even if I’m totally exhausted.  But sometimes, it all piles on and you have to get it out.

There’s been a lot written about the internet this week, and how people find solace and support in it. I’m in the same camp. I have met the kindest, funniest, and sweetest people. You guys cheer me on, and support me, and I can’t tell you how much that means most days. I get amazing emails about how I’m on the right track. And I feel like I owe it to those people to also be honest. I’m not superwoman, and today, not being superwoman makes me feel like a complete and utter life failure. And I know I’m not unique in that respect. So, to those of you struggling with business stuff. I get it: I really really do. I hope that it all works out organically and naturally for you guys, as I hope that it works out that way for me by the end of this week.

Now, I’m off to send semi-confrontational emails and write more and attempt to shower like a normal human. Comments, emails, questions-you know where to find me.

Update: Since several of you sent really nice emails asking if things had gotten better today, I thought I’d update and let you know! I worked until about four am. I’m still behind, but feeling a little less panicky. Thanks for the love and support, and please let me know if there’s ever a time when I can return the business/friend support favor. Truly, you guys are great.

So, before I get to the cool saving money part, I want to talk about how in the world your business is connected to Valentine’s Day, at least in my mind.  In my family, Valentine’s Day wasn’t ever a huge romantic holiday.  When my parents went out for Valentine’s Day dinner, they took me.  Like many things growing up, it was about family.  Not just spending time with family, but appreciating them for who they were, even if you didn’t think about their specialness much during the rest of the year.

So, this sale is kind of like my family tradition.  We all run great businesses.  They provide for us, we live them, and some days, they can be kind of a pain.  Sometimes you get so bogged down in the every day routine of business, you forget to remember how much it means to you.  I have this problem too.  My business is incredible, wonderful, and has changed my life. But sometimes, on the days where I have to write 30k words and blog and manage my email, it seems really disheartening.  So this sale is in some ways, for me and you.   This sale allows me to do what I love, and lets you give your business a mini-makeover, at least from a marketing and copywriting perspective.  Let’s all use this holiday to appreciate not just the people in our life, but the businesses we love and appreciate as well.

The Details:

From today until February 14th, all two hour consulting sessions are $99.  It’s normally $149, so this is a really great sale to take advantage of.

If I get too booked up, don’t worry. As long as you reserve your time before Valentine’s Day, you get the deal.

The sessions can cover copy and marketing for a new program, or for a whole website. You can use your two hours however you want.  If you’ve been shoving aside a new project or product, this is a great time to get it going.
That’s it, you guys.  Pure and simple.  Give yourself and your business a present, and let me help you rejuvenate your marketing and your copy!

P.S. Because blogging before coffee is bad, here is the contact info if you don’t know it already.  Get in touch with me at holly [at] cottagecopy.com, or on Twitter if you follow me there. Or, if you want to talk to a human about how I can help you with your project, email me and I’ll happily set up a time to talk via phone or skype.  I can’t wait to see what cool projects come out of this!

It’s been a busy week here.  One of those crazy weeks where you just keep your head down and forget to shower and just write like a crazy person and hope you can get it all done and not go over your deadlines.  There is also lots of coffee.  And pajama pants.  But, I’m making an effort to blog every day this week as well, as a break and to stay in touch.  Truly, I think the most fun part about this job is getting to talk with people about how to market in cool and interesting ways and how we all can make our businesses better.

I’ve gotten to the point where I’m busy enough that I’ve functionally abandoned all the online things that I really enjoyed.  Like doing Havi’s Friday Chicken posts, or reading all the blogs that I enjoy.  I’m trying to build in time to get back to them, but so far, it isn’t working.

Also, on the news front, guest posts. If you would like to write one for this blog, or you might be interested in having me write one for you, let me know.  I love doing them, and they tend to let me stretch my creative legs more than I would otherwise. Also, seriously, I’d love to have some other people guest post here.  It gives me a day off, and I like injecting new perspectives into the site.  So email, talk to me on twitter, but please don’t be shy!

I’m working on a big substantial post for later in the week, so stay tuned!