186: Six Figure Writing and Virtual Assistant Secrets: How to Start and Scale Your Freelancing Income to Create the Lifestyle You Want with Laura Pennington

Laura Pennington is a former inner-city teacher who transitioned into a successful career as a freelance writer, virtual assistant, and project manager. She is the owner of Six Figure Writing Secrets and Your Way to VA, where she helps others build sustainable freelance businesses from home. Laura is also an author and course creator, offering resources and training for aspiring writers and virtual assistants.

Laura Pennington left her job as a 7th grade teacher to become a freelance writer and virtual assistant. She has advice about getting initial clients, scaling your business, and filling your schedule with nothing but your ideal clients.

1. evaluate your own experiences: you don’t need to have been good in the past (office skills, data entry, phone calls)
2. work samples (logos, write a white paper, write blog posts)
3. marketing plan (job boards, contracts)
4. long-term marketing (cold calls, chamber of commerce meetings, trade shows conferences)

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“The days of working at the same company for 30 years and retiring with a pension are gone. At this point, we don’t even know if Social Security and Medicare will be there when we retire.” – Laura Pennington

“The way you build your business and the clients you choose to work with play a crucial role in shaping your lifestyle.” – Laura Pennington

“Once someone finds a good freelancer, they have no reason to look elsewhere. Not only will they continue to order from you, but they’ll also refer to their friends.” – Laura Pennington

Takeaways:

04:42 Freelancing can start as a side job and grow into a full-time career if you want it to.

07:26 Picking the right clients and saying no to bad fits helps avoid burnout and low pay.

12:35 Focusing on repeat clients and steady work makes freelancing more stable.

15:07 Choosing a specialty or niche lets you charge more and stand out from other freelancers.

28:28 Raising your rates over time is important so you don’t get stuck working for too little.

Resources

1. Your Way to VA (Website)
2. Six Figure Writing Secrets (Website)
3. Laura Pennington’s Courses on Teachable (Courses)

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Filed in: Archive 1: 2012-2016 • Interview • Podcast • Writing