In my opinion, Stop Wishing and Start Earning contains the best roadmap for "making the leap" into freelance copywriting ever written. That's because it does something that no other guide to this business has done. It gives you a specific step-by-step action plan to making the transition from wherever you are now — a full-time employee, a busy mom, a retiree, a recent graduate, a mid-life career changer — to where you want to be: a successful freelance copywriter. I wish I had a book like this in my hands when I started as a copywriter fifteen years ago. I would have been a lot more successful a lot sooner!

--Steve Slaunwhite Publisher, www.ForCopywritersOnly.com


You Don't Have to Leave Your Job and
Risk It All to Launch a Successful
Copywriting Business


I'll show you how I went from zero to six figures in 27 months...without sacrificing my steady paycheck or risking my family's financial future.

Dear Aspiring (or Struggling) Freelancer:

Every year, thousands of aspiring freelance copywriters resolve to escape the 9-to-5 rat race. To leave a job they hate. And to finally launch their copywriting business.

But by the end of the year, most are nowhere closer to achieving their goal. They feel discouraged. Beat down. Disillusioned.

So they give up.

Others decide to hang in there. Hoping for their lucky break.

But when that “break” doesn’t come, hope fades. And they go back to their dreaded day job…working for a boss they can’t stand.

Back to dreaming of a way out.

Why Do Most Aspiring Freelance Copywriters Fail?

The interest in freelance copywriting as a career has never been greater. Fortunately, even with this new influx of copywriters, freelance copywriting is still a growing and highly lucrative field.

And the opportunity to earn a six-figure income is very real. And very doable.

So why do so many aspiring freelancers fail to make a go of it? Why can’t more of them earn enough to break free from their jobs…or at least start a profitable part-time business?

Truth is, success in this business has less to do with writing skills than you might imagine.

It has little to do with personality…your ability to sell yourself…or even with the growing pool of competing freelancers.

The reason aspiring freelance writers fail is because most of them don’t have a solid transition plan. And when they do have a plan, it’s often severely flawed.

“Hope” Is Not a Strategy

That’s right. Most aspiring freelancers don’t focus enough on their transition plan. They might have big hopes and dreams. They might spend a lot time and energy learning copywriting skills. They may even work like maniacs to land projects.

But most of them don’t take the time to figure out how to get from where they are today to where they want to be. Instead, they assume that skill, hard work, determination and hope will get them there.

But in this business, “hope” is not enough.

Neither is hard work. To succeed, you also need a solid, well-crafted plan.

And that’s true whether you’re trying to move from a full-time job to a full-time copywriting business. Or whether you’re simply trying to create a part-time sideline to generate extra income.

It’s All About the Plan!

In my new eBook, Stop Wishing and Start Earning: A Low-Risk Plan to Escape 9–5 and Launch a Profitable Copywriting Business, I’ll show you how to assemble a successful plan for freelance success.

An action plan that will quickly take you from where you are today…to becoming a well-paid freelance copywriter.

And I’ll show you how to make that transition without having to leave the security and income of your day job.

Who The Heck Am I?

Let me introduce myself. My name is Ed Gandia. I’m a successful working freelance copywriter.

But unlike so many of the gurus out there, I was in your shoes not long ago. In fact, I’ve only been a working copywriter since 2004. And I didn’t leave my full-time job until 2006.

So, yes. I’m a relative newcomer to the industry. But that’s one reason why I’m also uniquely qualified to give advice on this topic.

You see, the ideas and insight I share with you in my eBook are based on my direct and recentexperience launching my own successful copywriting practice.

Not a bunch of outdated tips that stopped working years ago.

From Zero to Six Figures in 27 Months…Without “Lucky Breaks”

But there’s another reason why I’m qualified to help. In my first full year as a freelance copywriter, I grossed $163,181.

And I got to this level in only 27 months…most of which I did on a part-time basis.

Achieving this income level so quickly wasn’t some sort of fluke. It wasn’t luck. I didn’t have industry contacts when I started. And it didn’t come from having one or two cash-rich clients.

In fact, I don’t even have a traditional writing or marketing background. My background is business-to-business sales. Which is the third reason why my proven approach and strategies can help you.

Street-Level Experience From 11 Years of Building Successful Businesses

You see, my success as a freelancer is mostly the result of years of struggle and effort in launching and building businesses and sales territories.

In every job I held during my sales career, I never got the lucrative, “self-sustaining” sales territories. I never had the luxury of kicking back and having customers call me with their orders. I had to work hard for every customer and for every order.

Basically, I always got the job no one else wanted. And so for many years, I felt cheated. I was paid well, but I worked like a dog.

Yet as the years went by, I realized that having it tough was a good thing after all…

That’s because this roll-up-your-sleeves “training program” prepared me surprisingly well for going out on my own. I learned how to start and grow a business from scratch. And this helped me develop self-confidence and a stronger work ethic—two key ingredients for success as a freelancer.

What Drew Me to This Business

Part of my job as a sales professional and territory builder involved writing copy. Most of the companies I worked for didn’t have much of a marketing department.

So I wrote sales letters and marketing materials to attract potential customers. And it wasn’t long before I realized I enjoyed writing this stuff.

To me, this was “selling on paper.”

I found this idea (and the results I was getting) very attractive. In fact, I started thinking that maybe this is something I could turn into a business.

A Nice Part-Time Business While Keeping My Steady Paycheck

In early 2004 I began pursuing copywriting clients. I wanted to see if this was something I could conceivably do for a living.

But I had to be careful. My sales job paid very well. Also, my wife had left her job to stay home with our then-2-year-old son.

As my family’s sole breadwinner, I couldn’t afford to quit my job. I also couldn’t afford to let my sales performance suffer (commissions were a big portion of my total income).

And I had to be methodical. I wanted to test the waters as a moonlighting freelancer to see what kind of results I could get.

So I put together a plan. And I worked it very much like I worked the sales territories I had built before.

It took a while to get things going. In fact, I came across more obstacles than successes during my first year.

But once the business started coming, it didn’t stop.

I got coaching help. I continued to market myself aggressively. My clients continued to give me more and more work.

And before I knew it, I was working six to seven days a week and most weeknights.

The Sweet Taste of Freedom!

Finally, in June 2006, I left my job to pursue my copywriting business full time. In only 27 months, I had gone from zero to a six-figure business.

And I did it without sacrificing my steady paycheck…and without putting my family’s financial future at risk.

Now THAT felt great!

As you can probably imagine, transitioning from a full-time job to a rewarding, six-figure copywriting career wasn’t easy. I made a ton of mistakes along the way.

But fortunately, I also took lots of notes about what worked…what didn’t…and why.

And that’s precisely what I share with you in this unique eBook.

You’ll Have Inside Access to My Private “Notes”

Stop Wishing and Start Earning is an inside look at the plan I put together and refined during my transitional years.

It contains every secret, insight, strategy and tactic I used to go from zero to six figures in just over 2 years…without sacrificing my job or my income.

In this unique eBook, you’ll discover:

  • 3 benefits of having your own freelance copywriting business—benefits that are often overlooked (pgs. 14 – 16).
  • Eye-opening statistics about the future of freelance copywriting. Three business experts’ take on the forecasted demand for outsourcing (pg. 15).
  • The 4 essential components of a successful plan… and why they’re so important to your success (pg. 22).
  • 5 critical success factors for a profitable copywriting business (pg. 23).
  • Why taking a “chicken” approach is absolutely essential to your success (pg. 23).
  • Besides poor planning and execution, this is one of the biggest reasons so many aspiring freelancers fail. But don’t worry, this mistake is easy to avoid! (pg. 24).
  • How to gain the momentum you need when you’re starting out (pg. 25).
  • A practical 4-step goal-setting plan that actually works! It’s specifically tailored for copywriters and it’s exactly what I used to get to where I am today (pgs. 27 – 39).
  • The importance of a “BHAG” and why it must drive your entire plan (pg. 27).
  • What’s a realistic income range? I’ll show you what you can expect based on my experience (pg. 28).
  • The 6 key milestones you must set for a successful transition…and why so many writers never even reach half of them (pg. 28).
  • Is your situation unique? Here’s what you’ll need to consider when setting your own income goals (pg. 31).
  • How will you know when you’re ready to break free? I’ll show you what specific signs to look for (pgs. 31 – 32).

I’ll also cover a wide range financial considerations and strategies in detail, including:

  • An easy way to determine how much money you should have stashed away before you go solo (pgs. 33 – 34).
  • Critical health insurance considerations…and when you need to start searching for options (pgs. 35 – 36).
  • 3 important considerations most aspiring writers fail to take into account before quitting their jobs (pg. 36).
  • Getting cold feet? Here’s an acid test to determine if this is still the right business for you (pg. 38).
  • The 3 critical components of a successful financial plan (pg. 40).
  • A practical way to assess your current financial picture (pg. 41).
  • What will your financial situation look like once you’re on your own? You’ll find a simple spreadsheet to guide you on pg. 43.
  • Stay-at-home parents: I’ll tell you about some very important childcare considerations to consider (pg. 44).
  • 5 creative ways to cut your personal expenses without sacrificing quality or happiness (pgs. 45 – 46).
  • How much working capital do you need to ensure your young business thrives? I share some ideas on pgs. 47 and 48.
  • The 3 types of insurance policies you should seriously consider as a self-employed professional (pg. 48).
  • Advantages and disadvantages of individual health insurance policies…and how they work (pg. 50).
  • Do you or any of your family members have a pre-existing medical condition? Here’s what you’ll need to consider (pg. 51).
  • Should you go with an insurance broker or contact individual insurance companies? I’ll tell you about my experience (pg. 53).
  • What about bookkeeping and accounting? Should you hire a CPA? Here’s what you should consider (pgs. 55 – 56).

You’ll also get proven advice on promoting your business on a budget…and in less time. For instance:

  • Do this on a consistent basis and you’ll never struggle to land work (pg. 61).
  • When potential clients contact me, most are already about 70% to 80% convinced that they want to hire me. I’ll show you how to get the same results. (Chapter 11)
  • Hate cold calling? Don’t worry! You won’t have to make a single cold call with my 7-part marketing system (chapter 6).
  • Should you develop a specialty? There are serious advantages…and serious disadvantages. I’ll tell you the good, the bad and the ugly…straight from the trenches (pgs. 63 – 69).
  • 6 essential factors to consider if you decide to specialize (pgs. 69 – 71).
  • The businesses you should avoid if you want to enjoy long-term success (pg. 71).
  • What are some of the hottest and most profitable industries for copywriters today? Veteran copywriter Steve Slaunwhite shares his insights (pgs. 68 – 69).
  • What is Your Unique Selling Proposition? You’re probably leaving money on the table if you don’t have one. Copywriter’s coach Chris Marlow weighs in with some practical ideas (pgs. 77 – 78).
  • How unique do you need to be to succeed? I’ll give you a simple approach to creating a powerful USP (unique selling proposition) in chapter 7.
  • Yes, you need a website! But I’ll show you how to keep it simple (pgs. 80 – 82).
  • Don’t have writing samples yet? Here’s a great way to build a samples portfolio in record time (pg. 82 – 83).
  • Leverage the power of direct mail to approach dozens of potential clients in less than a week. I’ll show you how to do it right…and what pitfalls to avoid (chapter 8).
  • But direct mail is no silver bullet. I’ll tell you what’s notworking in direct mail…and why (pg. 86).
  • A proven letter structure to follow…including a copy of the actual letter I used to generate 3% – 7% response (pgs. 93 – 95).
  • Making direct mail work when you hold a full-time job…and staying on top of your business when you work in a cubicle (pg. 97 – 99).
  • Should you follow up with respondents? When should you call? What should you say? I’ll give you valuable ideas and two tried-and-true scripts to improve your success rate (pgs. 100 – 103).
  • How to use articles to effectively promote your business. It’s easier than you think. I’ll show you why on pg. 106.
  • A practical (and powerful!) approach to networking…especially when you’re not a “master networker” (pg. 107).
  • Don’t live in a large metropolitan area? Here are some creative and effective ways to network online (pg. 110).
  • Are e-newsletters still a viable marketing vehicle for freelancers? I’ll share with you my experience…and what you can do to get the most mileage for your efforts (pgs. 112 – 115).
  • Should you blog? What about advertising? Is public speaking an effective marketing tool for freelancers? Insights from 2 successful freelancers on pgs. 115 – 119.
  • How to use your specific goals and time constraints to come up with an optimal marketing mix (pgs. 120 – 123).
  • The top 6 reasons why my self-promotional efforts have been so effective are on pgs. 122 – 126. (These insights are timeless.)
  • There’s a big difference between “marketing” and “selling” your services. Here’s why each is important (pg. 127).
  • Terrified of having to “sell” yourself? Here’s how to do less selling while landing more work at the same time (pgs. 128 – 130).
  • 9 questions most potential clients have about the freelance copywriters they’re considering…and why your website must answer all of them well (pg. 129).
  • The one goal your website must absolutely accomplish (pg. 129).
  • Why you must qualify every potential client…and 9 ways to determine if they’re a good fit for you (pg. 132).
  • 8 questions you should always ask a new prospect before you quote a project (pg. 135).
  • Ever struggle when trying to determine a project fee to quote? After experimenting with half a dozen different approaches over 2 years, I’ll share with you the best and most reliable pricing method I’ve found (pgs. 137 – 141).

I’ll also share with you invaluable tips on running and operating your business…while maximizing you billable time…including:

  • 7 steps to putting together a winning proposal…fast! (pgs. 141 – 144).
  • What do you do when your prospect says that your price is too high? You’ll find some great ideas on pgs. 144 – 145.
  • Should you quote an hourly rate, a flat project fee or both? The answers (with detailed explanations) on pgs. 146 – 149.
  • Most freelance copywriters struggle to stay on top of their schedule. Here’s a foolproof system to ensure you don’t overbook yourself…and never miss a deadline (pg. 150 – 155).
  • What’s the best way to stay on top of your business’ finances? I’ll give you some helpful hits on pgs 155 – 156.
  • What to do when a client is late with payment…or if when it becomes obvious that they don’t plan to pay you (pg. 156 – 157).
  • 5 practical tips to fast-track your success. I attribute most of my success in life to the first item on this list (pgs. 158 – 159).

 

Plus, you’ll get actionable insights from some of the top working copywriters and copywriter coaches in the U.S., including Chris Marlow (TheCopywritersCoach.com), Steve Slaunwhite (ForCopywritersOnly.com) and Dianna Huff (DH Communications).

And you’ll get valuable tax-planning advice from June Walker, author ofSelf-Employed Tax Solutions and one of the most recognized accountants in freelance circles.

And much more.

What They’re Saying About Stop Wishing and Start Earning

In my opinion, Stop Wishing and Start Earning contains the best roadmap for “making the leap” into freelance copywriting ever written. That’s because it does something that no other guide to this business has done. It gives you a specific step-by-step action plan to making the transition from wherever you are now — a full-time employee, a busy mom, a retiree, a recent graduate, a mid-life career changer — to where you want to be: a successful freelance copywriter. I wish I had a book like this in my hands when I started as a copywriter fifteen years ago. I would have been a lot more successful a lot sooner! 
–Steve Slaunwhite, Publisher
www.ForCopywritersOnly.com

Ed Gandia’s new e-book is a valuable contribution to the growing body of literature on how to succeed as a freelance writer, with many original ideas and suggestions not found in other guides on this subject. It is well worth your time to buy and read this book, which you will want to keep handy throughout your copywriting career for reference when you need answers to tricky business problems.
–Bob Bly, author of more than 70 books, including: The Copywriter’s Handbook Secrets of a Freelance Writer

“This is the book I have not had time to write! Thank you Ed, for bringing an honest, action-oriented, proven, step-by-step process to the challenge of transitioning into business for yourself. I was there with you as you made you first steps into freelancing. Your phenomenal success in just three short years should inspire everyone who dreams of making the leap! Just so you know, your ebook has now become required reading for the MARLOW Marketing Method® Full Course for Copywriters!”
–Chris Marlow, the “original copywriters coach,”www.TheCopywritersCoach.com

 

Part-Time? Full-Time? Plenty of Actionable Advice Either Way.

If you’re a full-time employee and are just interested in moonlighting as a freelancer, this book will show you how to successfully launch a part-time business…and how to make it more profitable.

If you’re not currently working and are looking to launch a simple part-time copywriting venture, you’ll find dozens of practical tips and ideas you can put to use right away.

And if you’re looking to leave the corporate world to become a full-time freelancer (even if you’re the sole income-earner for your family) this book will show you how to get there faster…more safely…more profitably…and with less stress.

Regardless of your ambitions, if you’re looking for proven advice on reaching your freelance goals faster and with less risk…then this eBook is for you.

In fact, this is the eBook I wish I would have had when I began my freelancing journey four years ago.

Short-Cut Your Way to Success

From 2004 to 2006, I spent hundreds of hours working and refining my transition plan.

I also spent more than $5,000 on coaching, marketing programs and courses to help me develop a plan that would work well with my busy schedule.

Stop Wishing and Start Earning is the end result of all this hard work, research and experimentation.

In this eBook, I “net it all out” for you. I reveal all the secrets I used to get to where I am today so you won’t have to make the mistakes I made.

And when I say I’ll tell you everything…I mean everything! That’s why this eBook is 158 pages long. It’s all meat. No fluff.

But unlike I did, you won’t pay thousands for this information. Or even $100.

In fact, you can get all my secrets for only $69. That’s a small fraction of what I paid to gather, learn and test this information in the real world.

Best of all, your satisfaction is fully guaranteed.

Use It Risk-Free for 30 Days

That’s right. If after reading my eBook you don’t agree that it can help you launch a highly profitable copywriting business…

I’ll refund your $69 payment in full. No questions asked. Just let me know within 30 days of your purchase date.

Yes, I’m willing to take all the risk here. That’s how confident I am that you will get great value from my eBook.

Don’t put your hopes dreams on hold any longer. Order your copy today. You could be learning my strategies and be on your way to freelance success TODAY.

To order Stop Wishing and Start Earning: A Low-Risk Plan to Escape 9–5 and Launch a Profitable Copywriting Business risk-free, just click below now:

 

Sincerely,
Ed Gandia
Freelance Copywriter

P.S. – Order Stop Wishing and Start Earning today and I’ll give you 3 of the most important files I still use today to run my business, absolutely FREE:

  • Sample fee ranges for 15 common copywriting projects
  • The scheduling spreadsheet I still use to effectively manage my workload
  • A series of 3 collection letters to collect past due invoices from clients

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. These 3 files alone will save you a tremendous amount of time and stress.

P.P.S – If you order today, I’ll also send you a copy of my report, “7 Creative and Affordable Ways to Assemble a Powerful Mailing List in Record Time” (a $19 value) for FREE.

Direct mail is an important component of my marketing approach. I attribute it to helping me attract many of my clients and getting to where I am today.

Trouble is, assembling a target-rich mailing list is extremely time consuming…especially if you currently hold a full-time job.

In this report, I’ll share with you 7 little-known resources and tips for assembling a high-quality mailing list. And I’ll show you how to do it fast and affordably.