We recently connected with Stephanie Kehr and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
When you start a career as a writer, you are fully aware that you won’t make a decent salary. I have been in the professional writing and publishing industry for over ten years, and everyone has told me the same thing: writing is a sacrificial act. You give up your income in order to do something you love.
I signed up for that. And I was okay with it… until I wasn’t.
At the end of the pandemic, I was completely burned out. Somehow I’d transitioned from a life fully immersed in the book world… to one that barely had the energy to think about writing on the weekends. I was working various communication jobs in order to keep paying bills, but there was never a moment when my income and my time balanced out. I was writing, but not what I wanted to write. And I was hardly getting paid for it.
When I found out about copywriting, I genuinely thought it was a scam. I thought, “If there was a way to make $100/hour just from writing blogs and email content, someone would have told me about it.”
After that, I couldn’t stop thinking about copywriting. I dove headfirst into the study of it. I learned that there are real people out here thriving in the copywriting world. Not only could I have full control over my own business and set my own hours, but I could choose to write for clients that lit me up.
I started my copywriting business during a really tumultuous time. My health was suffering from burnout. I moved halfway across the country three months after my launch. I was ready to give up on a lot of the dreams I’d held onto since my teens.
But copywriting found me. So now I can dream a little longer.
When I think about the mission behind my business, I think a lot about how I was completely unaware that copywriting even existed. I think about the many writers that I know who are struggling to make ends meet. And I think of the people who promised me I’d always be a “starving artist.”
Now, I feel really lucky.
I’ve only just reached the first year of full-time business. But in that year, copywriting has given me the chance to heal physically, emotionally, and mentally. It’s allowed me to travel across the country and the world without a second thought. It’s let me start thinking about writing books again and dreaming about the future.
Writing will always be a sacrifice. There will always be some trade-off of time and energy required in order to do something you love. Especially something creative. But I don’t think that trade-off should mean losing your humanity.
Creativity requires dreaming. And you can’t keep dreaming if you’re burned out.
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 Stephanie.
I own a copywriting agency that offers compelling and creative content for holistic health and wellness brands.
Holistic wellness has made a huge difference in my life, so I get really excited about sharing it with others. It’s awesome to know that my clients are helping sick people get well, and I get to be a small part of that. My work typically includes blogs, emails, landing pages, website copy, and other promo for holistic wellness businesses. I specialize in SEO and increasing conversion rates, but my real passion is finding a client’s voice and attracting his or her ideal customer.
I actually hated writing in early life. But I was re-introduced to it in middle school and never looked back. I signed a book contract with a publisher for my first novel in high school. The publishing company folded before the book came out, but the contract itself gave me a lot of opportunities. I’ve taught creative writing classes, worked in journalism, and also had a career as a literary agent. Some of my work has been featured in various online publications.
I love writing and communication because it appeals to people’s sense of humanity and creativity. You can say things in writing that you can’t say with your voice. And you can invoke feelings, too. When I’m writing, I often feel like I am translating for people. Especially with copywriting. The business owners I write for are incredibly passionate about their work, but they don’t always know how to communicate that to the world. So, I take their ideas and their passions and I make it make sense on paper.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I think consistency really is the key to creating a stellar business model. And I’m speaking from experience because I haven’t always been great about consistency.
When I started my business, I made the commitment to answer emails daily, hit all my deadlines, and be the kind of resource that my clients could lean on. I know that clients love my writing and recommend me because of that, but I also know how much they appreciate their customer experience as a whole.
I haven’t yet met a business owner who isn’t overwhelmed. My mission is to create content that they love while eliminating some of the overwhelm. That mission has helped me stand out in the market. Talent only takes you so far.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I first started my business, I doubled my income almost immediately. But when the holidays came around, some of my contracts ended and people just weren’t interested in hiring a copywriter over Christmas. I really wasn’t sure what would happen with my business and how long I could sustain it.
I stressed.
I pulled every string and resource that I could.
I offered free services to friends in exchange for testimonials and referrals and sent dozens of emails.
Honestly? There wasn’t a big breakthrough moment. Contracts came in slowly. But eventually, they were consistent. Some of my old clients had friends or more work to be done. Someone found me on social media or Google.
Now, I’m sustaining a healthy business on referrals alone. I’m raising prices, hiring other freelancers, and starting a waitlist because I can’t keep up with the workload.
I get easily stressed if I don’t see immediate answers to my problems. But this isn’t a luxury you can allow when you own a business. You just have to let everything happen. I know that work will ebb and flow, and it’s my job to match its rhythm, not to fight against it.
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Image Credits
Kay Maynard Photography