All right – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adrienne Moch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Adrienne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d be an entrepreneur. No way. I’ve always been single, so totally responsible for supporting myself, and I was very comfortable earning a nice living as a salaried employee. What changed? Why did I decide to take the biggest risk of my life and leave my high-paying job with benefits to go freelance? The foundation was laid when I started doing some freelance work “on the side.” One of my clients said to me one day, “You really should go out on your own. You certainly have the talent, and you also have the personality to be able to sell yourself.” I think I actually laughed at the time—go freelance? I had a mortgage and other bills, and I was definitely not a risk taker. However, as I grew less enchanted with my job, I thought more and more about becoming my own boss. What was most attractive was having the ability to choose my own clients. So, in late August 2004, I approached my boss and floated the idea about moving from being a full-time employee to a contractor. She was all for it (things weren’t the same at PR agencies after 9/11), so I created a proposal that included a monthly retainer, noting I’d prefer to start our new arrangement at the first of the year—to give me some time to plan. What did my boss do? She said everything sounded great—but the start date would be September 1, which was just days away! I was initially thrown for a loop, since I had nothing other than business cards I’d printed to get freelance gigs. I remember saying to a neighbor, “Oh my God, I just quit my job!” Although I faced some hurdles along the way—most significantly not being able to get health insurance for seven years—I’ll celebrate the 18th anniversary of becoming a freelance writer/editor this September 1. I’d say the risk was well worth it!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m one of those lucky people who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up early in life. My goal was to be a writer from a young age, and my path to doing that began with stints on my high school and college papers, and earning a degree in journalism. I worked in the newspaper industry to begin my career, starting off as a copy editor for a chain of papers before becoming a reporter and then the editor of one of those papers. I was just 25 when I became a “boss,” and I liked to tell people I had to overcome three things: being young, being a woman and perhaps worst of all for someone living in Texas, being a Yankee! After leaving journalism, I did stints as a corporate communicator, newsletter writer and PR professional before I went freelance in 2004, putting myself out there as Adrienne Moch Writing & Editing. I think the background I just described is something that sets me apart from others who do what I do. I work quickly, am deadline conscious and have the ability to quickly get up to speed on just about anything (from my journalism days); I understand the realities of the corporate world (from my experience at a multinational company); and I’m marketing and PR savvy (from my time at an integrated marketing communications firm, i.e., advertising and PR). All that, plus the fact that I have excellent writing and editing skills, makes me a valuable resource for clients who understand the importance of having flawless content represent their brand but either lack the time or desire to write it themselves or realize they need a second set of eyes on what they’ve created. I’m most proud of the fact that my clients—organizations and authors alike—know they can count on me to do what it takes to get their projects done in a professional and timely manner, and at an affordable cost. I’m blessed to have many long-term clients who rely on my expertise—and I’m just delighted to be their go-to writer/editor.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

In the early years, my most effective strategy for growing my business was meeting potential clients at networking events. I think networking is an excellent way to get your name/business out there—but you need to do your research to ensure you’re attending events that will be worth your investment of time, and possibly money. Be sure to check out what kind of audience each event attracts before making a decision to attend. Once my business was established and to this very day, my most effective strategy has been simply doing a great job for existing clients so they become referral sources. Even before the pandemic, I hadn’t attended a networking event for many years; my business has grown solely through referrals. Every time I get a referral—regardless of the size of the potential project or if I even end up doing work for the client—I send a Starbucks gift card with a thank you note to the referring party. Showing gratitude is very important to me and a key to success in my mind.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The answer to this one is pretty simple: doing great work. People talk, and if you or your business don’t perform as expected, they may say negative things about their experience—or nothing at all, which isn’t good either. My reputation was also built during the early years of my business, when I was really “out there,” actively networking and participating in the local chamber of commerce. I’d say a one-two punch is required, especially at first: attend as many business-building events as you can and if you earn clients from that activity, make sure to do a great job, perhaps even exceeding their expectations. That’s the best way to generate positive buzz, i.e., build your reputation for being a go-to resource.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://adriennemoch.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdrienneMochWritingEditing/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amochwriter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMWritesEdits