It’s hard to believe that I’m now celebrating four years of Honeycomb Communications! To be honest, going out on my own was a little (OK, very) scary at first. I really wanted to focus on my core strengths of writing, creative content solutions, and project management. One of my mentors encouraged me and set me on a path to success. I will always remember that lunch and pep talk. I created this website, started outreaching, and went out on my own. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way.
#1: Build Your Writing Muscle: Writing has always been easy for me. But after a few years of corporate roles and a slower pace of writing, I realized that I was getting hung up. I needed to build up my writing muscles. My goal? Amazing copy at a faster pace.
Over the years, I’ve found how to keep a laser focus on the message and the tone of my clients…and not obsess too much. (Perhaps my own personal problem.) And I’ve become faster and faster without losing my complete devotion to high quality. What I’m doing now would have seemed impossible four years ago. But it all came down to writing, writing, writing and making it a natural extension. I always remember back to my first job in PR after I graduated from college. I was so overwhelmed with a product launch and media tour, but my incredible manager at the time told me, “Just keep going. It gets easier the more you do it.” Wise words that still ring true today.
#2: Believe in Yourself: After building some incredibly successful and creative content programs in corporate roles, I wondered if I could ever do it again on a freelance basis. I was lucky from the outset of Honeycomb Communications to have colleagues that were ready for me to contribute. But I’ve had many new clients where I had to prove my mettle. I have to think, “Yes, I can learn this entirely new industry and create the content they crave and need.” Or remember, “You’ve done ghostwriting for major CEOs, VPs, and thought leaders and they loved it!” I get out of my own way and believe in my track record of success. That goes for anyone embarking on any new journey: You can do it.
#3: Roll With the Punches: From the get-go, I knew that every contract job wouldn’t work out. In my first year of Honeycomb, I worked with a start-up and it just didn’t work. And that was OK. You can’t take it personally. There are changes in teams and directions. Or it might not be a fit. The first time this happened I actually surprised myself and didn’t beat myself up too much. You have the choice to stew on it or move on. (Hint: It’s better to move on!) New opportunities will always appear and you can spend the time cultivating what does work. Never neglect your own networking and word-of-mouth recommendations, too.
#4: Remember Your Goals: For me, I love writing and project management. And I love coming up with new ideas. It was a huge goal to be able to do this for clients—and that has happened! But I also love a sense of teamwork with my clients. I work at home so I’m not with my clients day-in and day-out. One of my core goals is to always build relationships with each and every client because, well, I do like to laugh and actually enjoy our work together. I want to have joy in my work, and I always feel that is reflected in the end results. The friendships I’ve built and close collaborations are one of the true measures of success for me.