We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Carvalho. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.

Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

I always joke that I’ve had approximately a million different careers in my short(ish) life because I’ve always bounced from job to job. I was always searching for what I wanted to ‘be when I grew up” and each job I took just didn’t seem to be it. So whenever that same gut feeling came around (usually about a year into a new position), I felt that it was yet another failure under my belt. And that feeling of failure just kept compounding every time.

I started to think that I was the problem — that I didn’t have what it takes to be successful no matter which industry, job title, or salary I chose. It wasn’t until Covid when I hit my mental health limit that I decided to jump into freelancing for myself. With no experience, no less!

I was able to see over the course of slowly building my business, getting work published, and landing new clients that all these careers I’ve had in my past has actually set me up for success this entire time. I have a unique perspective when it comes to writing content: I’ve been a digital sales planner and a post-sales account manager. I’ve created my own marketing and sales collateral material while also selling print and digital ads. I’ve worked on film and TV sets and written scripts. I’ve worked on photo shoots, written grants, edited videos, planned events, and worked in the non-profit health sector. All of these jobs have actually not been failures — they’ve given me experience and insights. Basically I learned that even when something didn’t become my full career, it’s helped guide me to the one I have now — which I love!

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?

Hi! I’m Sarah and I’m a freelance content writer based in the NYC area. I also teach hot yoga part-time in Brooklyn!

I graduated from Boston University with a degree in Communications and started my career in Film and Television before moving into Publishing, Sales, Advertising, and SaaS. I later received my Masters in English Literature from the University of Westminster in London. Having lived and worked in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, London, and everywhere in between, it’s safe to say that I’ve had lots of experience across different industries!

I specialize in enhancing a company’s SEO and content strategy across long-form content. In other words, I write the blog posts, eBooks, case studies, webpage copy, and sales collateral that are typically on the marketing department’s to-do list, but never seem to get done. Another way I like to put it: It’s like hiring movers when you’re moving apartments. You know you could maybe do it yourself, but it’s worth the price to get the specialists to do it for you!

I have a unique perspective when it comes to writing long-form content and other marketing materials. For one, I used to be a sales rep as well as a post-sales account manager, meaning I have seen the full sales cycle from beginning to end, I know what sales reps need when they are selling their products and I know what account managers and customer success teams need when they are trying to maintain that business. I also created my own marketing materials when I was a sales rep, so I know the importance of playbooks, one-sheeters, and battlecards! When I write content for my clients, I come at it from all angles — understanding how one piece of content can be used in a multitude of ways. This makes my work valuable across different teams, all in one company.

I also work strategically with clients to enhance parts of their website that may have been forgotten. For example, I recently worked with a client to build up their library of case studies. This included being on interview calls with their clients, creating stories out of these conversations, and helping them create an entire landing page for these case studies to live. We also broke down each case study to bite-sized pieces for social media and into one-pagers for sales reps to use in the field.

I’ve worked with many different types of teams in my previous careers — everyone from film and TV production teams to design, engineering, marketing, customer success, sales, and product teams. So when it came time for me to begin my freelance business, working with clients is easily my favorite aspect of the job. I love collaborating across teams and being a part of a company’s strategic success.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I definitely had to unlearn the “hustle culture” mentality. As a millennial (not to generalize an entire generation, but…), I have always had a problem with setting boundaries when it comes to work. I’ve been on call 24/7, I’ve taken every single job that was offered to me for pennies, I’ve done four unpaid internships — you name it! So when it came time for me to start my freelancing business, I knew I needed to be clearer when it came to my boundaries. Specifically, my work hours and the projects I chose to take on. I wanted to build a business where I would only be working with clients that align with my overall goals.

I think Covid helped everyone understand how important (the often-mythical sounding) work/life balance can be, but I knew I needed to be the one to set that balance in place. No one else can do it for you! It’s still something I need to coach myself on, but “hustling” is not a phrase I use anymore. Instead, I rest when I need to rest so I can be sure not to burn out. This always leads to me doing better work.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

THE FREEDOM! Flexibility in my schedule and the freedom to live my life the way I want to is so underrated when it comes to being a creative. I find with more freedom in my schedule (and life overall), that I can actually be more creative and improve my writing. I can earn certifications that upskill my SEO strategy. I can read more. I can spend more time outside in nature. All of these things help my business grow and flourish.

Having the flexibility in my schedule means I can write when I want — something I believe is absolutely imperative for writers! I have deadlines, of course, but sometimes my writing spurts hit me first thing in the morning or sometimes 10pm at night. When my schedule is truly my own, I can follow those moments of inspiration without being tied down to specific office work schedules.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarahcarvalho.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecontentcourier/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-carvalhosc/
• Other: https://contra.com/sarah_carvalho