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.
Related posts: