Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelcie Ottoes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Kelcie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
These days, it seems like just about every brand is trying to do something sustainable.
This means that greenwashing is on the rise, and often the brands that are doing the most sustainable work have a hard time standing out in a sea of “we carbon offset” and “we’ll plant a tree for each purchase”.
What these brands, who are new to sustainability are getting wrong, is that sustainability isn’t a way to make more money. (Although sometimes it does!) Rather, it’s the only way to continue doing business on our planet.
To be a brand that cares about sustainability means that eco-friendly business practices cannot be an afterthought or an add-on to what your organization does.
We need organisations to be infusing sustainability throughout their entire model. From how their products are created, to their office practices, to energy sources, to eliminating carbon footprints, receiving noteworthy certifications, and creating take-back programs for their products…
The list goes on and on. There are endless opportunities to infuse sustainability into your business practices. To be a sustainable business now is to look for sustainable opportunities at every turn.
Consumers should consider seeking out those who support sustainable practices throughout their businesses, rather than those claiming to have a sustainable aspect of their business. It’s unfortunate, but it’s become harder and harder to trust businesses that aren’t going the extra mile when it comes to sustainability, and taking the necessary steps to prove their efforts transparently.
I’m sure there are some great organizations just planting trees. But the sustainability opportunities are endless!
Kelcie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I always knew I wanted to be a writer. Ever since I was in 1st grade. I’m also grateful to have parents who have always supported my writing. When other kids’ parents were shaming them for picking an arts degree, when I tried to be a nurse or a politician, my parents said, “We don’t know what you’re doing right now kid. You’re going to be a writer.”
I never learned about copywriting in my English courses in college, so when I graduated I thought I had to write a book or starve if I wanted to be a writer.
Then, the internet saved me.
I got a job as a social media manager for a really cool breakfast joint. They taught me about sustainability and were always looking for ways to take care of their communities. I learned a lot about marketing, and taking care of the planet when I worked there.
After that, I worked at a tech company as a community manager, but I never felt quite fulfilled. A friend of mine said I should try out copywriting, and the rest was history.
This was after two summers of nasty fires that lead to Colorado having some of the worst air quality in the world. When push came to shove and I had to pick a niche, I knew I wanted to do more for the planet.
Today, I’m a long-form content strategist for sustainable B2Bs. I help them go from unknown, to go-to staples in their industry with blogs, case studies, and white papers. Whether they need to increase the leads to their site, or create assets to help close more deals, I can create the content to get the job done.
I’ll consider myself successful when I one day, no longer have a niche because sustainability is a common practice, not an X-factor for a business.
I’m most proud of building a business where I’ve turned oil companies and plastic producers away, despite the pay. At the end of the day, it’s just not worth it.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
When I started my copywriting business, I was working a 9-5 at the same time. This meant a lot of early mornings, late nights, and weekends to get my business up and running.
Plus, I was getting married, so I had to really focus on getting the course I was taking done, my website up, and finding clients to keep my momentum going for when I got back.
I was lucky that I had been doing contract social media management work for a couple of years before, so I knew a little bit about how to find clients and put myself out there. But, growing my side hustle into a full-time endeavour took more work than I was expecting.
At the end of the day, I didn’t quit pitching. I hunted down every lead I could until I had enough money to comfortably step away from my full-time job. I’m glad I launched by slowly building out my client roster rather than taking a big leap. It really helped me jump straight into sustainable work, with some extra financial padding.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I really love “Six Figure Freelancer” by Laura Briggs.
Starting a side hustle is one thing. Creating a business that supports your life is a completely different thing. I had so many mindset issues when I started my business. A great example was having big goals. Despite the fact that I had only made $2,000 a month, I had my heart set on $10,000 months.
Laura’s book broke down why that might be a bad idea. Sure, I could get discouraged if I didn’t hit it. But also, I hadn’t built out the systems needed to support a $10,000 month. And I could easily get burned out if I didn’t have those systems in place.
This helped me realise it was better to continue to build slowly. There’s lots of good advice and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s looking to grow their business in a sustainable way!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kelcieottoescopywriting.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelcie-ottoes-74a5aa77/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KelcieOttoes
Image Credits
PC: One Lady Studio PC: Chelsea Johnston Photography