We were lucky to catch up with Melissa Esmeralda recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I like to describe myself as someone who’s 97% introverted. A common misconception is that I’m shy (I used to be) but the reality is that I just don’t do well in groups. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do so I’m usually wherever the snacks are.

I had just quit my job to pursue my business full time and had never been to a “real” networking event before. I was extremely fresh to business–hadn’t even made my first $1k yet–and I knew this event was going to be full of seasoned business owners with way more experience than me. I sat in my car for a while because I didn’t want to go. I had very little experience and a bit of a babyface which didn’t help. I wanted to be taken seriously but how could I if I wasn’t willing to put myself out there?

After my internal monologue was over I forced myself out of my car and into the event. I hadn’t quite learned how to network yet (it’s a learned skill just like a lot of things in life) but it started a chain of events: I got a few projects, figured out what kind of clients I like working with, and eventually got my longest-running retainer client.

It sounds small, but at the time forcing myself to go to that networking event felt like a risk. But it taught me valuable lessons that I needed to learn and I’m grateful for,

Melissa, 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’m a copywriter, marketing strategist, and semi-retired rugby player. I’ve been fortunate enough to play all over the country, represent the U.S. twice in World Cups, and I had the opportunity to represent my parents’ home country El Salvador in Olympic qualifiers. The sport has taught me a lot of lessons, all of which have helped me create my business model.

I got into copywriting because of a quarter-life crisis. I hated my career and everything else going on in my life, despite having everything I “needed.” I’ve loved writing since I was a kid but didn’t know how to make a career out of it, so when I stumbled across a Facebook ad about copywriting I was super intrigued. It was the first step I took to create the life that I want that I’m fortunate to be living today.

I specialize in sales pages, launches, sales copy, website copy, and email marketing. My website says for coaches, course creators, and online service providers but my umbrella is passionate entrepreneur. If you love what you do but don’t love writing, I’m for you.

I write copy that increases your conversions and impact because it’s empathetic and connects with your readers. And by listening to you and talking to your past clients I’m able to create copy that sounds like you and highlights why people love working with you so much.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I take myself seriously and I don’t call myself a freelancer. Freelancers, unfortunately, don’t have the best reputation and are seen as unreliable because freelancing is a side hustle. I’m a business owner and a professional, and I’ve created systems that highlight that. From my website to my proposals to the emails going to my subscribers, the tools I use within my business, how I interact with clients, etc, it’s all made to create a great client experience and allows me to be myself. I do a lot of consulting with clients because I love it and I truly want to help them in any way that I can. It really doesn’t feel like work to me.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Networking! Which is funny because I was so nervous when I went to my first networking event. There are definitely different ways to go about it and it takes time to find the “right” groups for you, but networking is powerful. It starts the domino effect from referrals which automatically starts with trust–and that’s a big step.      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MEOMarketingGroup.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/MEOMarketingGroup
• Facebook: facebook.com/meomarketinggroup
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meomarketinggroup/
• Email: [email protected]