If you attended this year’s Virtual Bootcamp, your head is probably still spinning from information overload. I think we can all agree it exceeded expectations. The speakers were phenomenal! Each one looked at different areas of the writing business. Some focused on steps for beginners, others on making existing businesses better, but they ALL brought something to the table. And that table was FULL. Throughout Bootcamp there were a few resonating themes. Over the next few weeks, I want to share the themes that really struck me, how I plan to make them a part of my life, and how you might benefit from them as well. Each week, I hope you’ll share your comments and let me know what you think. Whether or not you attended Bootcamp, do these themes resonate with you too? If so, how will you apply them in your own life and business?
It All Starts with You
The first, and maybe most powerful, theme from Bootcamp was to be authentic. Be yourself. Be true to you. Bring your own style and do things you enjoy. Sounds easy, right? It’s not. And it’s not just people new to writing who struggle with this. It’s hard to be the authentic version of yourself. To be true to you, you have to be vulnerable, and that can be scary. It starts with being authentic to yourself, to your own goals and “gut compass.” That nudge you get from your gut that tells you if something is off. A major lightbulb moment was when Ted Capshaw said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” He’s right. You can pick a road at random, but who knows if you’ll end up somewhere you want to be. That’s not ideal when trying to build the life of your dreams. This whole writer’s life thing is about building your dream life! To build the dream, you need to know what the dream is. You need to get clear on who you are and what you want. Do you want to work for nonprofits? Do you want to work in the financial industry? And don’t make this decision based on the pay. Make the decision based on who you are, what you’ll feel good about doing, and what aligns with your values… that “gut compass.” Be honest with yourself. What would make you happy? Find the place where your passion and making money intersect. It’s okay to want to make money. You’re a writer; you’re providing a service. But make money doing something you enjoy, something you think matters.
Authenticity in Your Business
Authenticity starts there, but it doesn’t stop there. You need to be yourself when meeting with customers too. That’s how you’ll find the best clients. Clients you enjoy working with and who enjoy working with you. “You can’t be everything to everyone,” said Scott Stratton. Not all people will be your people. Not everyone will like you. That’s how you know you’re doing something right. You shouldn’t want to work with everyone. You can’t! By being authentic, you attract people who really like you and what you stand for. If you’re trying to be all things to all people, you’ll water down your message. You won’t resonate with anyone, because you won’t BE anyone. You’ll be a chameleon, trying to change to mesh with everyone. As a result, people won’t really feel like they know you, and you won’t feel like you belong anywhere. This isn’t magic. A beacon of light doesn’t shine down on the authentic writers. Clients won’t flock to your website and beg for your help. But when you do the work and reach out to companies that align with you, they’ll choose you because of who you are. They might also choose you because you feel good to them. You can feel when someone’s being fake. It feels icky. Honesty feels good. People move toward what feels good, and away from what doesn’t.
Authenticity Isn’t a Sales Pitch
Being authentic isn’t a sales strategy. Being authentic is so much more than that. It’s how you’ll find joy in your work. And it also makes you a better writer. If a company hires you, they’re taking a chance on you. They’re risking everything they’ve built by allowing you to be the voice of their company. They won’t take that chance on someone who feels phony baloney. Not to mention, if your personality is watered down, your message will be too. And you know who likes a watered-down message? No one. When you’re trying to be everything to everyone, what comes out is sub-par copy. It won’t resonate with the readers. It won’t move them to feel something. Because you don’t even feel it. Powerful copy inspires emotion within the reader. Pretending doesn’t make for powerful copy.
In Your Own Life
Try a few of these things to be more authentic in your own life:
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Figure out who you are and what you want. Do some soul-searching. Ask yourself what the most important thing to you is. And then build your vision out from there.
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Be honest. Be honest when figuring out who you are and what you want. It’s okay to want money. But look for a way to make money doing something you enjoy.
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Don’t be afraid to polarize. People hire you because of who you are. As Joshua Boswell says, “People do business with people.” They could hire any writer, but businesses want to work with people they like. Be the person you are, so the people who like you can find you.
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Remember to bring your voice and ideas to meetings with clients. That’s why they hired you in the first place. Using travel writing as an example, Jen Stevens says it’s important to “bring an opinion” and “your own lens” to your stories. That’s what their customers like. It’s what they want in a writer.
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Walk away from projects that aren’t a good fit. Walk away from the companies you don’t like and tasks you hate. Russ Henneberry solidified that statement too. He said, “Have real intentions to send the work away if it’s not a good fit.” And you should.
When building your dream life, it’s important to build something that feels good. Maybe that something is working in high-pressure sales with Money Map. Or maybe what feels good to you is working with a company like Passionfruit Inc. There’s no wrong answer. But if your belief systems are firmly rooted in Camp A, you’ll be miserable in Camp B, and vice versa. The whole goal here is to do what you love and make money doing it. Be who you are. Make it easier on yourself and the companies looking for someone just like you by being yourself. “If you are your authentic self, you have no competition.” That quote is also from Scott Stratton You don’t have to compete with anyone when you’re being yourself. And you’re happier. You’re living a life that’s true to who you are and what you want. That’s the dream right there. I’d say Bootcamp 2021 was worth the price of admission for this message alone. Let me know if you agree. And cheers to your future success.
