We recently connected with Alyssa Berthiaume and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, thanks for joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you to move beyond an idea and actually launch?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While these iconic words have been used to begin a very different story, these are also very fitting words to describe the time in my life when my business originated. To paint the picture, in a far more succinct way than Dickens ever did in his novels, it was in November of 2018 when I took one of the biggest leaps of faith I ever had and legally formed my business.

In the year leading up to that moment, I had miscarried my second pregnancy, separated from my husband and filed for a divorce, adjusted to only having my son (who was a toddler at the time) half of the time, returned home to live with my parents, and lost a promised promotion at my day job for reasons I still don’t understand. This prior life of mine was ashes around my feet. It was a devastating time and also a hopeful one. These were hard things to do and get through and I felt like a failure.

However, the wisdom gleaned from those past experiences, enabled me to move forward, knowing this season was temporary, knowing there were things to be learned from this downfall, and knowing anytime I’ve faced adversity, I’ve arrived on the other side stronger, braver, and more of the person I’m truly meant to be. I knew this was a period of transformation and transformation is uncomfortable, challenging, messy, and also beautiful. I had faith that something greater awaited and would come from this period of my life.

During this year, with more time to myself because I was only in “mom mode” half of the week, I used the time I didn’t have my son, to reflect, think, and heal. I went to therapy. I went to a women’s retreat. I reconnected with friends. I thought about what I wanted for my life. I began writing again–my passion and calling–but one I had mostly sidelined in my adulthood after getting two writing degrees and when the promised promotion was stripped away, I started to open my mind to other possibilities.

Perhaps the traditional 9-5 wasn’t for me. I hadn’t been satisfied in any job since I entered the workforce with one exception and that one had ended with an acquisition and layoff. Every job had a honeymoon period for a while until it became stale and my heart yearned to figure out a way to make money from my writing. So, now with that promised promotion gone and the writing on the wall (pun intended) that I would never advance inside that company, I realized this was going to be a loop I’d always be in if I didn’t choose some other path.

The right books, podcasts, and people entered my life. All of them were pointing to going out on my own. But how? Where did I begin? How did I put myself out there? What did I have to offer?

A dear friend of mine told me about a woman she knew who coached women on starting virtual businesses from their homes, specifically offering virtual assistant services. I was willing to entertain the introduction and conversation. One phone call with this woman and everything changed. “You know you can make an entire business around writing services, right?” she asked. My mind was blown. I had gotten an M.F.A. in creative writing and yet no professor at any point had ever suggested we could create a business out of writing for others. For the first time ever, someone was not only permitting me to make my passion for writing my living but they were going to show me the way. That was the turning point.

Using some of the money I got from the sale of my marital home, I invested in her program. I began to learn the basics of setting up a business. I put myself out there on LinkedIn and in Facebook groups and started taking any writing project I could. I listened to lessons at work, I built my business in the evenings when I didn’t have my son, or in the hours after he went to bed. He was only two at the time. I used an Excel sheet and various formulas in a calculator I was provided to determine how many hours I needed to work at a certain hourly rate to put aside two months of living expenses to walk out of my job. The goal was to leave six months from when I formed my business.

I did research to figure out how I would pay for my own health and dental insurance after I left. I shared my plan with my folks to ensure I hadn’t forgotten any details. I set up a business bank account to keep financials separate. I formed my business with the secretary of state’s office to legitimize my business from the get-go. I reworked my LinkedIn profile to start accepting work.

With my plan, my determination, my will, and the support of the program and this woman and the other coaches as mentors, I executed. I walked out of my day job in April 2019, six months after forming my business in November of 2018. My world became brighter immediately.

I felt alive again. I felt like an earlier version of myself had returned. I had more energy. I was finally doing the thing I had always felt called to do–write. And I felt I was stepping into the best version of myself that I could be for my son. There was growth and opportunity at every corner. Clients were lining up, my network was growing, my bank account wasn’t hurting…

That first year was dreamlike. It was surreal to look at my life the year prior compared to the one I was then living. Thinking about who I had been in comparison to who I was becoming. It was like coming out of a fog and into a clearing. There was some kind of homecoming. By feeling like I was finally where I belonged, I realized I had made it. I arrived. I got to the other side. The ‘best of times.’

That’s not to say there weren’t challenges. Or days where I didn’t know what I was doing, or wasn’t sure when the next client might come, or that imposter syndrome wasn’t right there. But knowing where I had been, knowing what I was capable of, knowing how alive and authentic I felt, always outweighed the days of struggle in that first year. Honestly, I think all of those things continue to outweigh the hard days even now.

This November of 2024 I’ll have been in business six years and its one of the best decisions I’ve ever made even on the hardest of days.

Alyssa, 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 was bit by the passion of the pen when I was five years old and was given a black and white composition notebook in kindergarten to practice writing sentences and drawing pictures. From that moment I was hooked on writing stories and started to proclaim I was going to grow up and become a writer.

By middle school, I had filled entire lined journals with novels that I passed around among my friends. I submitted pieces to writing contests at the encouragement of my teachers, and even had at least one piece selected for a publication of youth writing. In high school, I applied to go to the New England Young Writers’ Conference at Bread Loaf which is a prestigious conference for youth across the nation but based in Vermont, my home state. I was selected. This was my first real ‘proof’ that I was a good writer.

When I applied to colleges, one of the requirements was that they had a creative writing program. Even though I planned to major in psychology at that time, I wanted to double major and also get a writing degree. And I did. I graduated with two B.A.s in 2007 from Ashland University.

I went on to study at The University of Akron for my master’s, originally beginning in the Marriage and Family Therapy program. But writing tapped me on the shoulder and I realized I needed to pursue that calling. I switched master’s and went for my M.F.A. graduating in 2010. Along that path, I also got my graduate certificate in women’s studies and English composition.

After grad school, I moved back to Vermont and started looking for a writing community. I joined The League of Vermont Writers where I eventually joined the Board of Directors and then became the president of the organization (still only in my 20s) for several years. During this time, I was fortunate to get a job at one of the only publishing gigs in Vermont that paid full-time with benefits, a European academic publisher that just so happened to have a North American office in Burlington. I worked there for three years first in the marketing department and then in editorial as an assistant. I loved that job and that was the first time I felt my calling to work with writing and books was honored. But it didn’t last. They were acquired and we were all let go.

Writing has been a part of my life always. It’s been something I’ve studied and pursued. It’s been something I’ve taken seriously and continued to work on and develop.

When I first started my business, I offered anything and everything. If it had to do with writing, I said ‘yes.’ It was the best way for me to determine what I liked and didn’t, what I was the strongest in, and most importantly, to build up my portfolio, clientele, and testimonials. I started in the copywriting and content writing space. I organically started pivoting to book coaching, developmental editing, and ghostwriting in 2020 and turned the corner fully in 2021.

And that’s what I now offer–book coaching, developmental editing, and ghostwriting. I predominantly work on nonfiction (professional and personal development) with a niche in memoirs. Memoir is ultimately what I want to be known for and support authors in writing.

While those are the services I provide, and the output or final product my clients get are well-developed manuscripts ready for publication, the way I work goes well beyond knowing my way with words or my way around books. I leverage my background in psychology and my own intuition and natural strengths to care for my clients in deep ways while we work. My clients often call it “light work.” The manuscript they get by the time we are done is really the byproduct. The true outcome is the way they transform and heal through our journey together. My ability to see and hear people, to hold space for them, to be with them as they rewrite their narratives and honor their stories, is my greater gift.

This is partially what sets me apart from others–the way I see my clients as whole people separate just from the words they’re writing. Many in the field are transactional or very good at the writing part but they don’t “hold” their client or connect with them the way I do. My clients turn into friends. They turn into people who stay in touch well after our work is done.

I’m also different in that I approach book writing holistically. No matter what service they come to me for or where they are in the process, I’m going to address the bigger questions: who is the book for, why is this book important, and what goals do they have for this book. I ensure they have thought about the bigger and longer-term picture. I educate and inform them on writing and publishing so they can make more informed decisions about their project and options. Others will approach a project from the stage the manuscr[pt is in and focus solely on the service they are providing, but I look at the entirety of the project and the client, both short-term and long-term. My clients often describe this as my ability to have both a strategic brain and a creative brain. I’m good at both the organizational, project management and goal-oriented angle of the work and have the writing chops to ensure the manuscript is well developed.

Lastly, when the manuscript is ready to move on from me, I do personalized introductions between my clients and publishers I know, like, and trust. Often times this means arranging and facilitating an introductory meeting where I make sure all of my client’s questions are answered or prompt the publisher to provide the info I think my client needs to make the best decision for their book. Even after my client has selected someone to work with, I stay on ‘speed dial’ until publication. While I’m no longer their go-to person at that stage, I’ve built such a trusting partnership with them regarding their book and know intimately what they want to achieve, I remain a safe person they can turn to to vent frustrations, ask clarifying questions about the process and what to expect, or simply to continue to cheer for them on the sidelines. By knowing where they are in the publishing process, it also allows me to look for ways to help promote them and their upcoming book as they approach the finish line.

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

Honestly, I think mostly it’s been about just showing up as myself and always meaning and doing what I say. When I show up to a conversation whether that’s a possible referral partner or a client, I’m there to listen, to engage, and to serve. It’s not about talking more than the other person or pushing my own agenda or trying to sell. I want to connect. I want to learn about who they are. And I show up honestly so they know who I am, too, at my core. If they share, I share. If they cry (which actually happens a lot with possible clients), I give them the space to cry. I acknowledge what the other person is sharing. And I always ask how I can help, serve, or support. These are simple things but they go a long way. They keep me top of mind for my referral partners and it sets me apart from the others that clients talk to who just jump to dollars and cents and timelines. And how I am in those individual calls is also how I am at networking events, podcast interviews, live streams, or written marketing content.

In all of these interactions and activities, I hold to my word. If I say I’ll send a follow-up email, make an introduction, send them a link to a resource, get back to them next week after they’ve had some time to think, share something they’ve posted, or meet a deadline, I do it. If I can’t, I communicate that I can’t or that the timing will be delayed.

The biggest way leads convert to paying clients is by word-of-mouth either by a prior client sending someone my way or a referral partner sending someone my way. The reason those word-of-mouth referrals happen is because of the lasting impression I’ve made with the original person and that lasting impression is about how I show up. I’m caring, I’m genuine, I’m transparent, I’m vulnerable, I’m giving, and I lead with my whole heart.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The first major pivot in my business came during COVID. Right up to March of 2020 my business was almost solely operating from word-of-mouth referrals. As in, I still hadn’t focused on building an email list, creating a lead magnet, running a marketing strategy, or having more than a single scrolling landing page as a website. I was focused on doing exceptional client work and providing great customer service and that kept people coming my way.

But when COVID hit and daycares shut down life changed drastically. My ex-husband and I split the week in half, each of us taking our son for half of the week while the other worked. This meant that half of my week I was in mom mode around the clock and the other half of the week I was working 12 (or more) hour days to fit in a week’s worth of work in half the time.

I could sustain the clients I had but I couldn’t take on anyone else. If a client decided to cancel their contract because of their own COVID-impacted situation, I worried there wouldn’t be anyone in the wings to step in. And because I hadn’t been building an email list or putting myself out there on social, there wasn’t a list of people for me to email to say I had openings, if the case arose.

The pivot was turning the switch on my marketing and trying my hand at offering online workshops. I figured if I offered the occasional online workshop and charged for it, I could make a little money in less time because it was a one-to-many ratio. I had NO CLUE how much effort and energy went into setting up an online paid workshop. And with no real webpage, no email capture form, no lead magnet, and no social media presence, I was starting at ground zero, having to create a ton of content and assets at a very stressful time.

Now as I write this and reflect on that time, I realize I was responding out of fear and uncertainty. I don’t regret finally stepping on the gas of my marketing and coming up with content and a strategy or building an email list. I don’t regret giving the paid online workshops a go. I learned A TON.

However, I can also now say with clarity, that was also when I began feeling like some kind of ‘magic pill’ was in online/digital marketing. That I needed to be in all the places, trying all the things, to make myself known and spark the interest of prospective clients. Every year since 2020, I’ve gotten more frustrated and exhausted by keeping up with marketing, especially social media marketing. I know it’s important but what I also know and have been able to see very clearly in this last year especially is that the people who end up converting to a paying client are not a result of my online marketing activities.

I get people who comment on posts or videos, the occasional person who might sign up for a free 20-minute call, or someone who comes and joins the email list but they rarely become a paying client. My business remains one that is built on high-quality and aligned word-of-mouth referrals.

And I often wonder, if I had stayed true to what was working…if I had continued to focus on the success I was already seeing by providing exceptional customer service and terrific final output, and wasn’t so afraid of losing that business because of the state of the world and the state of what I was going through as a parent raising a toddler during a very scary time, would I have remained more focused and less distracted by all the marketing things I was “supposed” to be doing and that everyone else was saying I should be doing? Would that have actually made me more profitable in the end?

Because in the last few years, I still feel I’m pulling myself out of that place I was in where I was holding so tightly to the reins thinking I needed to do one thousand marketing things to ensure that I would be okay, that I stopped listening to my intuition or my business and spent too much time marketing in ways that may have not been necessary and certainly haven’t felt joyful.

But as we all know, hindsight is 20-20 and the only way we learn is by trying. What I’ve committed to this year is focusing on the online platforms where I get the most traction, doing the types of marketing that bring me the most joy or have the highest return, and finding ways to repurpose content that already exists rather than spending more time creating new. There’s a balance in there somewhere. I won’t just stop digital marketing but I also need to trust that the revenue or client opportunities won’t just disappear or dry up because I’ve decided to post only twice a week instead of five, or because I didn’t create a new lead magnet this year, or I decided to skip doing that live stream. Clients aren’t finding me by what I post. They’re being guided my direction by the beautiful connections I’ve made and that comes easily because it comes naturally. I need to trust that if I don’t change that part about me, the right people will find me and the money will follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thewriteplacerighttime.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewriteplacerighttime
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayberthiaume/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewriteplacerighttime/featured
• Other: My books: Dear Universe, I Get it Now: Letters on the Art and Journey of Being Brave and Being Me Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Universe-Get-Now-Letters-ebook/dp/B08KPKHTQF Do Not Write A Book Until You Read This One! Purchase: https://donotwriteabook.com/

Image Credits

Elisabeth Waller Photography (first photo); Adam Tougas (second photo)