We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marc Guberti a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marc, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

I had been writing about digital marketing and finance for several years before I started to create content for freelance clients. After getting initial clients through Upwork and content agencies, I wanted to scale up.

The quickest way to scale most businesses is to do more outreach. I sent 20-50 pitches per day when I was getting started with my ramp up. I used contact forms on several websites that were working with finance writers. This strategy resulted in several clients, but I have had the most success with contacting editors on LinkedIn.

It’s challenging to get writing opportunities when you think of publications as large entities. However, if you find the right editor and see if they need a writer, it’s possible to land more clients who will pay more for your services.

I prioritized my finance writing for three years and am scaling up the digital marketing content to cover more ground. It’s good for freelancers to specialize, but it’s even better to operate in 2-3 niches instead of only one.

Outreach does wonders, but you also have to show the results. I have written for many reputable publications which allows me to show better writing samples and demonstrate that I am a reliable long-term writer.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a freelance writer who started blogging as a 13 year old. I wrote books, launched the Breakthrough Success Podcast, and organized several virtual summits. I also read many business books to sharpen my knowledge. I highly recommend The Compound Effect.

However, the workload became difficult to manage. At one point, I was publishing daily YouTube videos while publishing multiple podcast episodes each week. I was also active on multiple social networks and doing other things for my personal brand. I did a little bit of everything which eventually led to burnout.

I started to offer freelance writing services shortly after graduating college. I graduated a semester early and had my last class in December 2019. I made it out just before the pandemic.

I wasn’t a stranger to sending 20-50 pitches on some days since I had a podcast and organized virtual summits, so I quickly went to work after learning more about freelance writing. If you want to be successful in this field, you must be comfortable with sending a lot of pitches and sharpening your writing. I had also written more than a dozen books and thousands of blog posts by the time I became a freelance writer. You don’t have to produce that level of output before you reach out to clients. I happened to pursue freelance writer later than I should have, but I am happy with how it turned out.

Each of my freelance writing clients has strengthened my writing skills. I write for publications like US News & World Report, Investor Place, USA Today, and others. Luckily, I don’t have to send 20-50 pitches per day anymore since I have a good roster of clients. However, I am always pitching and seeing if opportunities are good fits. Some clients find me through LinkedIn and inquire about my writing services. I am always eager to have conversations with prospects and see if we would like to move forward.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have read over 100 business books. I interviewed many authors on my podcast and regularly re-read my favorites. My favorite book is The Compound Effect. The book demonstrates how small actions have a big impact when you look out 5-10 years from now.

Your business won’t change if you send 20 pitches in one day or send five pitches per day for a week. It’s easy to have a good week. Anyone can do that. The most successful people turn good weeks into good years. Their motivation doesn’t fizzle after one good week. They send five pitches per day and continue with that habit for at least a year. If you do that, you’ve sent out 1,825 pitches.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

LinkedIn and cold outreach work the best. I reach out to editors and see if they are looking for additional writers. I have my LinkedIn profile set up where editors can see where I have contributed. Some editors find me on LinkedIn because of the keywords I use in my profile.