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

Valentine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Ten years ago, I left my secure, good-paying, full-time job as Senior Marketing Writer for Robert Morris University to take a stab at freelance writing. My kids were in the 1st and 3rd grades at the time, and I wanted to be able to spend more time with them. It was a big risk. Although I’d built up a large list of contacts, there was no guarantee that I’d be able to find enough work. But I was fed up with the rat race, and I wanted to at least take a shot at working for myself. Luckily, my wife’s company was doing well, and she fully supported me in my decision. Ten years later, I’m still freelancing, and we didn’t lose our house, which is nice. It’s still an ongoing struggle finding new work, and at times I’ve thought about getting a “real” job again. But every time I do, it seems another job comes out of nowhere, and I can keep going a little longer. I’m so glad I took this chance. It enabled me to spend so much time with my kids and take them on multi-week, cross-country road trips. One of the best things about freelancing is you can always bring your work with you. Hopefully, I can keep it going for another ten years or more.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been writing my entire life. After graduating college, I had to take whatever type of job I could find until a writing opportunity presented itself. My first full-time writing job was working as a copywriter for a local radio station, writing on-air spots for the four stations they owned. Eventually, I found a job writing for the marketing department of Robert Morris University, where I stayed for 7.5 years before going out on my own. Most of my freelance work relates to marketing needs: website copy, press releases, etc. I also work with other authors and help them make their book dream a reality, whether that’s through book coaching or ghostwriting. I am most proud of my own books (10 in all). I’ve always wanted to be an author, and it’s great knowing I’ve accomplished that dream. People have told me what sets my writing apart from others is my conversational style. I try to write like I (or my clients) talk, which I think makes the writing more readable.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

If you want to be successful in freelancing, you have to be an indispensable asset to your clients. You have to do your absolute best to deliver for them time and time again. When you do this, you will be their go-to person when they’re looking for writing help. Once you’ve developed a good relationship with a client, it’s definitely appropriate to ask them to pass your name along if they hear of anyone else who could use your services. I’ve found that word-of-mouth recommendations are the best way to keep the work coming. You also have to be a shameless marketer of yourself. I make sure everyone I meet knows that I’m a writer. Even if you’re just starting out, tell everyone that you’re a writer and that you’re open for business. Of course, you also have to leverage the power of social media to get the word out.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My creative journey is driven by one immutable fact: I am 100-percent unemployable. I have worked as everything from a chain restaurant busboy (think “flair”) to an inside sales rep for a fireproof brick company. Since graduating from college 27 years ago, I’ve had 17 different jobs. Some lasted years, others only a few days. Through these experiences, I learned that working full-time for someone else just doesn’t match my independent personality. I like to work when I want to, where I want to, and as much or as little as I want to. The fear of ever having to go back into a corporate workplace is what drives me to work hard every day so that I can remain a freelancer forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://valthewriter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valentinebrkich/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinebrkich/
• Other: https://valthewriter.substack.com/

Image Credits

The B&W photo of me was taken by Richard Kelly (https://www.richardkelly.com/).