It’s officially official. I’ve taken the plunge. Gone all in. Called it quits…from office-bound work, that is. If you can’t tell from my title and (drawn out) intro, I decided to quit my eCommerce copywriting job at Dillard’s and set off on a freelancing adventure. This, my friend, is your official invitation to come along. Hold on to your butts.
Even before baby boy, freelancing was always something I’ve always wanted to try. Why?
A) I have a freakish devotion to checking things off lists, thus I rarely (if ever) miss a deadline (even with a Netflix full of tempting reality TV)
B) I’ve always wondered what people who can go to Target at 2pm on a Tuesday do for a living…this may be it!
C) I will miss my wonderful co-workers, but I also don’t mind the solitary life of the freelancer. No one to judge when I crunch my apples or play my music out loud. True freedom, y’all!
Quick sidenote: I’m very thankful for my time at Dillard’s. Before my job there I had no hard and fast writing experience. Just good faith assurances to offer potential employers — “Hey! I KNOW I can do a good job, you just have to take a chance on me…PLEASE!” And thankfully they did. Two and a half years later I leave with bonafide copywriting and blogging experience under my belt — and the confidence that comes with it. Confidence that I can finally channel into pitching for new clients.
And now the other half of my dream: I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and I’ve always wanted to spend at least the first years of my kiddos’ lives at home with them. It’s hard to really express how thankful I am that my mom was always (and continues to be) there for me when I need her. With her wonderful example, I’ve always hoped to be able to do the same for my family.
When I was pregnant, I decided to test the freelancing waters to see if this dream was feasible. I started working on my portfolio and Elance profile to see what business I could drum up. The response was literally overwhelming. Want to be crazy tired? Just try working full-time, coming home and then working on freelance projects until midnight (when you’re a million weeks pregnant). Yes, I dug myself into a scary too-much-work hole, but there was a silver lining: there was work to be had!
One of my first gigs I scored was Social Media manager for Express Writers, an online copywriting agency. They were easy to work with, encouraging, great with communication and they even let me take a maternity break. When I decided to take my Social responsibilities back after the New Year, I asked if I could take on any more roles.
Next thing I knew, I was signing a contract as their newest part time web content and press release writer. Woo hoo! As promised, they are keeping me busy. I’ve already written 3 press releases, a web page and a blog. I’m well on my way to building our savings that we can put toward retirement, college, cars and other grown-up stuff.
And the final shout out of the day: I’m very thankful for Ike. Not only did he work to find a new job that would cover all of our day-to-day expenses, but he has always been very supportive of my dream to stay home.
Even when I doubted if we could afford it or when I worried feminists would judge me, he gently reminded me that this is really what I’ve always wanted. He’s the best and I literally could not have made this major transition without him.
That’s quite enough for the announcement post, right? I’ll be back with more tantalizing day-in-the-life details for the work-from-home mom. Stay tuned!