How I made $100,000 by spending 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing
By Christine OKelly | September 20, 2007
Hi, it seems you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed, this way, you'll stay up to date. Thanks for visiting!
If I were to come across this title, I would be thinking “yeah right.” But I assure you that this is true and the way it was done was not revolutionary or difficult in the least.
What got me thinking about this post was a comment by Mark (Wizzer) from 6M Profit Method on my last post titled My BS Revealed: Time Management Tricks for The Overachiever. Wizzer says:
I think the BIGGEST mistake far too many people make is not seeing things through to the conclusion. I’ve done it myself this week - created a site, found the content, amended a header etc but something real important stopped my from ftping it and promoting. That real important thing was I didn’t like some of my copy. As you say Bullsh** - it needs to go up NOW and the changes made later. Thanks for the kick up the ****.
The reason this comment got me thinking was because there was one very critical thing that I did to promote my copywriting business that I procrastinated about due to of some sort of fear that I was harboring. But once I pulled the trigger, I instantly generated a steady stream of income for 1.5 years. That thing cost me 15 minutes of time and a grand total of $0.
When I first went into business for myself as a freelance writer, I did not have the confidence that I have today. Like Mark, because I didn’t feel like I was “ready” I was hesitant to promote myself and was limiting my own potential.
The old way
Before I had this epiphany, I would scour Craigslist every day, responding to companies that needed copywriting and having them not write back to me 99.9% of the time. After a while, I just became accustomed to this and also grew accustomed to not making any money. This is dangerous thinking. Now that I know it doesn’t have to be like that, I wouldn’t put up with that for one second.
The epiphany
One day while driving home from dropping my daughter off at kindergarten, I thought about something that my one single solitary client told me when they called me. They said, “We hired an SEO company and they told us to find a freelance writer to write 10 pages of new content for our site.”
As glad as I was that the SEO company had instructed them to do this, I also couldn’t help but think that the SEO company was missing out by not finding the freelancer themselves. Surly they could earn additional profit by hiring their own freelance writer and marking up the fee to the end client.
Then it hit me… if this SEO company didn’t have a freelance writer on hand, maybe there were others just like it!
The formula
Identify a resource that already has the business you need
+ Allow them to expand their service offering by rebranding yours
+ Make the partnership profitable and stress-free for them
= Free marketing and money
The stall
Though I knew this was a great idea, I STILL went back to my desk and continued to look on Craigslist. I did this for several days. Why? The answer probably lies deep in the crevices of our subconscious mind – somewhere in the “fear” section. The excuses that I was telling myself were:
- I need a website first
- I need to get some kind of email marketing software
- I need to come up with some sort of sales pitch
- I need more in my portfolio
- No one will really want this
- I’m not good enough
The execution
All of these things, I figured would take several months to complete. The last 2 lies in the list allowed me to procrastinate indefinitely. About a week later, I had not received any leads from Craigslist, realized that I was more broke than ever before, and decided that I just needed to pull the trigger.
That day, I wrote on my “to do” list “contact 5 SEO companies.” Of course, I put this off until late afternoon. About a half hour before I had to pick up my daughter from kindergarten, I bit the bullet and sent a very simple text email to 5 SEO companies that I found on Google. The email ONLY covered the basics,
- This is my name
- This is what I do
- These are my rates
- Feel free to mark my rates up to your customer
- If you need me here is my contact info
No sales pitch. No flashy graphics, no html template, no links to a website. Just the FACTS. This took a grand total of 15 minutes.
The results
Within 10 minutes I already had a call from someone who desperately needed what I had to offer. While on the phone, I mimed to my (then) husband to go pick up our daughter from school – I was busy revolutionizing my life. That one contact paid all of my bills for almost a year, allowed me to build a huge portfolio, and I am still working with them today.
At one point, they decided to change their strategy and offer their clients less copy which meant a significant decrease in work. I didn’t freak out one bit. I just sent the email out again to another 5 potential contacts (10 minutes) and that same day connected with another person who happened to be actively searching for a copywriter online at the moment my email came in.
That was the last time I ever advertised. These 2 contacts plus the people that they’ve referred to me have kept me so busy that I can’t even handle any additional clients.
In Short…
Pull the Trigger
My first word of advice is PULL THE TRIGGER, if you’re making excuses to yourself about why you’re “not ready” to move forward. You are.
Work Smarter at Marketing, Not Harder
My second word of advice is WORK SMARTER AT MARKETING, NOT HARDER. I am very accustomed to paying $0 for advertising and I refuse to spend a lot of money on it. In my last post, I mentioned that I had tried PPC for the first time. This was a little experiment in which I spend $25 over 2 days. My ad resulted in one lead but then the lead wrote back to say that he found out they already had a service like this.
Don’t Spend Tons of Money Generating Leads, Reduce Your Rates and Rev Share with Those That Are ALREADY Generating Leads
I will not spend one more cent on PPC. Not because I don’t think PPC is effective, but because I know there is a better way. Instead, I’m going to allow companies that already have traffic and allow them to ‘re-brand’ what I have to offer and earn a cut. This will allow them to bulk up their service offering, do nothing, and earn money.
Be Humble
If you are going to allow someone to rebrand your product or service, who cares if the end user knows they are getting your product from you. I’m not worried about building a brand. I don’t have the desire or the resources to build a powerful brand – that takes a lot of time and money. I just want to continue living in Palm Springs and earning a comfortable income. I don’t mind one bit if someone else takes the credit for what I’ve done.
This is how I’ve built a successful freelance business. But I’m not saying it’s the smartest way to bulid a business. At one point, all I wanted was to be a freelancer with a full plate.
But now that I’ve got it, I realize - as I have before with other goals I thought I wanted and then achieved - that there is a much better way to build a business. Applying these same techniques to a business that is designed more for AUTOMATION - where you can take yourself out of the picture and will still produce - is much more logical. My next goal is to replace my freelancing income with passive income by July of 2008.
Topics: Business Development, Freelancer Tips |
Wow, I stopped by just to catch up as my final “reading” of the week and was TOTALLY captivated by this post. Christine, I can honestly say this is one of THE BEST blog posts I’ve ever read. Really motivational - I read every word - I normally skim read due to time constraints. Now since you don’t mind who takes credit for your work…
You’ve done a brilliant job on this blog in such a short time - anything I can do to help just let me know
[…] How I made $100,000 by spending 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing by Jeff Christman How I made $100,000 by spending 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing | Self Made Chick […]
Wizzer - thank you so much - Your comment made my day!
[…] How I Made $100,000 By Spending 25 Minutes and $0 On Marketing […]
From one entrepreneur to another….you have some mad stuff brewing here! Keep up the good work, you have a very inspiring story.
Thank you Bunk! I just left you a huge comment on your last post - very thought provoking! I know I’m suffering from HWS (Habitual Work Syndrome)… I’m going to have to fix that right away…
Thanks again!
Christine
Good advice. Love it.
You may have just changed my whole life.
You think for years about some things, but actually doing is another…
Great post. It’s really a great reminder that putting things off doesn’t do a thing for our business success. Get out of that comfort zone and act!
[…] was having a little fun Stumbling around when I came across a post called How I Made $100,000 by Spending 25 Minutes and $0 on Marketing on the Self Made Chick blog. It’s worth a read. She’s not joking, and it’s a […]
Your blog commentary came up on a “stumble” which I do from time to time when the meaning of life evades me or I’m simply bored (or both,in this case). I have never thought of doing anything like the work you describe but am completely (for the moment) intrigued. Please tell me more if you care to about what it is you actually are doing here. In between the lines of your writing I felt a slight tremor of realization that stumbling upon your words wasn’t an accident at all~
Awesome. Thanks for the kick in the behind! Any ideas for the passive income?
WOW! not sure how I ended up here, but your an excellent copyrighter, as you caught my attention with the title, and the content was great.
Hi Cokelly
I am a Senior Account Manager for an SEO firm, Compass Internet Systems, based out of California. We have around 900 Real Estate related clients and I personally oversee 86 at the present moment. We are currently in need of copywriters that can deliver. If you could email or preferably call me at 904-647-6455 to discuss what services you offer that would be great.
Talk to you soon
Matt
Laiet, Tinu, Stephanie, James, Scott, Jay, and Matt - thank you for the wonderful comments.
@Tinu - You may have just changed my whole life by saying that. I am the same way and would even “think about it” over the most minuscule action. Pulling the trigger was a LEARNED behavior for me that surfaced out of necessity. All it is, is a behavior, not a personality trait. You are awesome and I hope you take action on one of your ideas.
@ Stephanie - Thanks for the comment and link - you are so right. After about a year of being “comfortable” (and bored) I have just recently started stepping out of my comfort zone again. And while I’m excited in some sense, I’m feeling the symptoms of fear too (persistent thoughts of self defeat, back ache, sleeplessness). It’s uncomfortable and draining to step out of your comfort zone - but if you expect these symptoms and meet them head on, it can be a greater place on the other side.
@ James - Thank you! You can see more about my copywriting business at http://www.seocontentsolutions.com. However, I think it’s less about what I’m doing and more about altering what you are doing (or want to do) to create a steady stream of interest and therefore income. What is it that you do or want to do? Email me if you’d like! christine [at] selfmadechick[dot]com.
Scott - Thanks! I do have some ideas for passive income. In fact, that is what I am working on today and will update you with some more info on EXACTLY how I’m approaching it very soon.
Jay - thank you so much! Much of the client work I do just goes out into the abyss of the internet and I never know if or how it is directly impacting people. I appreciate it!
Matt - Sure thing! I’ll give you a call this week.
Christine
[…] How I made $100,000 by spending 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing […]
Hi, This really is a great post! You took my mind to a place I might never have gone before. I’ve been working as a freelancers for over a year and racking my brains to think up a way to contact clients that pay a higher wage so I don’t keep killing my wrists with typing! Yet, the idea of simply sending an email directly to the SEO companies never would have occured without this post. I *hope* you don’t mind me taking a page from your book.
Sorry about the typo, I’m up too late on my side of the country.
That’s great to hear Hope! Get in touch with me any time if you want to share ideas!
Christine
[…] Made Chick - How I Made $100,000 By Spending 25 Minutes and $0 On Marketing Christine writes about how she created a successful copywriting business working smarter, not […]
This is awesome. I’m going to see how I can apply this methodology to my own goals.
Thanks for posting your story!
Hi Christine, every now and again you come across a post or comment that acts as the old “2 by 4″ of realisation and this one was it. While I’ve cold-called people before on the telephone, it didn’t occur to do it via email direct to companies and cutting out any “middle-men”. I came online tonight thinking I would upgrade my blog with my own domain name and found you as well.
Many thanks for a great blog
TrishA
Christine.. Lovely article.
If you need someone to bounce ideas off please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Sam
Christine - I found your blog via lifehack.org - and am just about to subscribe. This post was very inspirational, I’m just thinking about setting up a small hobby business and your advertising tip could work well for me too.
And I know that what you’re doing is working as you got some more business by writing this post!
Christine,
Thanks for a great read. I couldn’t agree more with your strategy to let other people do your marketing for you — I had success with that in my former educational business when I found that pairing with athletic organizations was a great way to get SAT prep exposure and business for our tutoring services.
Good luck with the passive income goal; that’s where my husband and I are right now after each owning our own businesses and deciding that we didn’t intend to buy ourselves jobs by going into business for ourselves! I look forward to reading more about your steps towards that goal. We made some pretty radical changes in our life to set ourselves up for living off of passive income, including moving to the middle of no where where houses cost less than minivans. (Double bonus — your cost of living is low, and you can afford to buy multiple homes and rent them out for passive income.)
Since I’ve moved, I’ve given up my bricks and mortar business and am now considering what I can do in the internet realm, so I’ll be reading your blog with interest!
Cheers,
Sarah
www.WeLiveHereNow.net
Very simple and inspiring idea. I had a similar situation happen years ago, but in another type of business. One contact can definitely change things.
As far as your statement about ppc advertising goes, I would have to say that is definitely relative to the type of business and your return on investment. I started experimenting a few years ago with ppc for a construction business that I own. The results were amazing right off the bat. Granted, the roi is huge in this business, so I could justify spending a few hundred bucks a month for leads generated from ppc campaigns.
[…] How I Made $100,000 By Spending 25 Minutes And $0 on Marketing […]
Christine, this is really an inspiring post! I found you through Terry Dean’s site. I love your blog and have subscribed. Thanks for the inspiration!!
My figers got tired scrolling down past all these comments.
I just wanted to say great post. I have been waiting for that same epiphany, but it hasn’t come yet.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Hello Christine, I just want to say thanks for a great post, I was wondering if you could help me do the same, although we’re from differet fields yours copywriter mine jewellery designer, I have a website setup, but it doesn’t reach my potential clents. can you help? Thanks again for a great post. kstyle
[…] amazed me with this reality bending post on how she cashed out on an opportunity and put her mind to work, making 100K in 25 […]
That is one of the big mistakes that we all make when we get into routines. We forget to challenge our assumptions and try new and different things, but constantly tweaking and looking for a better way is an important trait to encourage within yourself. An excellent post pointing this out.
Great article! I love it. And a great blog too. I’ve seen your picture on MyBlogLog widget… how did I miss your blog? Anyway, you’re now in my feed reader.
I know I’m guilty of trying to build up my portfolio, and I like to think I’m not a very good salesperson.
Any advice for a freelance web developer?
Great work Christine.Your energy is awesome and your awareness inspiring. I’m a “just do it” kind of person who has begun creating residual(passive) income with a company who has global patents on vital cellular components that are now missing from our diets.
I have been an R.N. for 26 years and did not do much with computers or the web until very recently ,mainly to move my business into a global market with the best tools available. Would you consider giving me a call or e-mail so I can bounce off of you some of what I’m attempting to accomplish.With limited experience and mentors around me I find myself looking for some real expert advice at the fork in the road where I find myself.Thanks in advance if you have some minutes extra to chat.Thank you for empowering us all. Anita
This has truly been the story of my life! Thank you Christine! You have inspired me soo much! I am going to stop holding myself back today. I am not a blogger, but I will be now. Please e-mail me because I am interested in the travel and domain name biz.
[…] by Derek at DerekBeau.com 9- Adwords PPC For Beginners by Kirsty at AffiliateStuff.co.uk 10-How I made $100,000 by spending 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing by Christine at SelfMadeChick.com 11-The Future Of eBay - Bright Or Cloudy? by Gary at […]
I enjoyed reading your story. I just got started blogging, and I am going to work hard and not look back. I have some plans in mind and I’m going to work hard to achieve them. Congrats on your success.
That is awesome. I’m glad copywriting has worked out so well for you! I guess I’m inspired to get back to work!
Great, great post. And you are absolutely right. This post really hit home for me … too often I have been stuck in a rut on a project, allowing it to stagnate because I would rather let 80 percent of the work go to waste then release something out into the world that was not “perfect.” And as a result I have missed out on a number of great personal moments and professional opportunities in the past.
Recently I have been trying to adopt more of a “just do it” attitude, and nothing but good has come out of it so far. Much of the credit for that goes to Naomi at IttyBiz … she gave me the courage to work in some policy posts on my packaging blog, something I had been thinking about for way too long and seemed scary at the time but - like many things that relate to your post - was a “no brainer” in hindsight. The results were better than I could ever have imagined, and better yet I found myself having fun blogging again. Which inspired me to rethink some real life opportunities, which led to personal developments, which has me looking forward to the holidays for the first time this decade.
It’s like dominoes, the effects of many of the things you write about on this blog. I love it. Thanks for the great reads today, and the much-needed inspiration.
[…] amazed me with this reality bending post on how she cashed out on an opportunity and put her mind to work, making 100K in 25 […]
[…] what freelancer Chistine O’Kelly did when she sent her $100,000 email. Check out what she did and see why her strategy is so infinitely do-able for your […]
I like your post and your idea. But I’m wondering if you were ever concerned about the quality of the organizations you work with? I think it is easy to say you don’t mind if someone else gets the credit. But I’m worried that working with the wrong people will damage my reputation. I’ve had the experience of working for a consulting company where ultimately the customers liked me but not my employer. That’s why I’ve been wary of putting myself in that position. Also, I hate to see organizations taking a large cut for services when they aren’t adding any value to the process. That’s part of why I started freelancing - so that I didn’t have to watch the customer’s money flowing to a middleman who wasn’t really adding anything to the process.
Still, I do think what you are saying as value, and since I’m trying to build up my business it is definitely something I want to consider seriously.
That is an excellent point Avonelle! I do think it is important to be choosy about who you work with. Though I don’t mind if a value added reseller takes credit for me being part of their team, I do choose those resellers carefully. I think it’s essential to work only with those that are providing true, overall value to their clients.
As far as a markup - my rule of thumb is that if they are paying for the lead generation, then they can mark it up. I usually work with people that are providing an entire suite of SEO services with my writing being one of the essential pieces.
Thanks so much for bringing up these important points!
Christine
Christine - thanks for the response. I was thinking about this some more, and I think for me I want to find someone who is providing complementary services to mine. I’m a freelance programmer, and I’ve been trying to avoid subcontracting through other consulting firms because they seem to add a lot of overhead to the process without adding any value. (Around here, we joke about these organizations as being “pimps”.) I suppose it is unfair to think about them so negatively because, as you correctly noted, they are providing lead generation. Still, I think I’ll feel more positive about it if that is not the core manner in which they generate revenue. Thanks again!
Being in that industry, I fully understand your concern! That is one industry that seems to be full of bloat. I know several people who were earning $50 per hour whose company was billing them out at $150-$200 per hour and really providing no value other than too many project managers “overseeing” (complicating) the process. I love the reference to pimps!
For people in our industries, working with people that offer complimentary services is probably the very best way to get business. I just wrote about some ways to be profitable by building those types of relationships here:
http://selfmadechick.com/2007/11/13/how-to-generate-more-clients-and-more-sales-than-you-can-handle/
Yes, exactly! I have seen that project manager trick too many times. Ick!
Thanks for the other post, too. (I’m new to your site…time to subscribe to your feed!)
Hey Christine,
I enjoyed your post, it has some valuable tips. I feel that the title missed the mark though. To me it implied that you made $100,000 in 25 minutes and spent 0 dollars on marketing. It sounds more like a get rich scheme and hides all the work that went into that 100 grand. I would have preferred something like “How I got 100,000 dollars worth of work with only 15 minutes of marketing” although that title probably wouldn’t have generated the big hit volume, huh?
Anyway, good stuff.
Steve
Thanks Steve ~
Titles are definitely important! The title does read that I spent 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing which is the case. If I ever find a way to make $100,000 with 25 minutes of work - I will certainly blog about it!
How did you determine your rates? What is an appropriate rate to charge for what you did?
Great article. Thanks!
That’s a great question… and one I would like to answer fully in another post. To set my rates I determined about how much time it would take me on average to complete various tasks and set a fixed rate for them based on what wanted to earn per hour. The thing with rates is that they are so subjective… it depends so much on the added value you provide along with the core service… more about that in another post…
Let someone else do the marketing for you: great advice. I just wish I could use it.
I’m in Web Design and Development. And sadly, I’m at the head of the train here.
But I will take on the “just do it” advice. I guess it’s back to cold calling.
In you industry you could probably benefit greatly from building these types of relationships! There are plenty of things to which web design and development is complementary - in other words, there are plenty of people who NEED what you have before they can complete their own work - just off the top of my head: SEOs, web copywriters, website/blog/business coaches, back end developers, other developers with too much work, etc.
There are all kinds of opportunities!
Well, I’ve taken your advice and I’ve got my fingers crossed.
Wow. I found this site from www.adversityuniversityblog.com and I realize that the one thing that’s holding me back from becoming a full-time writer is fear.
This post was inspiring for me!
Great to meet you Karen! Fear can certainly be immobilizing… and though a very powerful one, it is only an emotion. The great thing is that if we can learn to accept fear as an emotion only and still move forward with our dreams, the competition becomes less and less because fewer people are willing to take that risk!
I am still learning to chip away at different levels of fear and risk. Your comment serves as a great reminder that I too am holding back on moving forward in some areas out of fear and need to move on despite it.
Wow… what a great post. I stayed so long in the stall that I ended up taking a job somewhere else, which, while ok, is /not/ what I want(ed) to be doing.
Time to get onto it.
THANKS!
You seem like such a creative person Benjamin - I can see why you would rather forge your own path vs. follow someone else’s. I noticed that you started out on viola - I did too! I played for 7 years… I wish I would have continued following my music passion like you have.
1) This was a very inspirational post - just when I needed to hear it most! Thank you!
and
2) Consider yourself CPP’d!
This is an excellent advice for getting clients and orders for freelancers. Thanks for giving me the idea. I am doing freelancing work along with my friend besides blogging and affiliate marketing. I think yours is a cool idea to land long term projects.
[…] For You Christine O’Kelly puts it best on one of my all-time favorite blog posts, “How I made $100,000 by spending 25 minutes and $0 on Marketing.” This isn’t paraphrasing (because you have to read the post), but it hinges on finding […]
I used the advice you dispensed in this post when I started to market for SEO clients (especially the advice about pulling the trigger). I picked up a client within a week of starting to market and have gone on to make upwards of $300/day pretty consistently.
I even referred to this post in the ebook I wrote on how to start making money as an SEO writer.
Your advice is rock solid! Thanks for the inspiration.
Sincerely,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
http://www.InkwellEditorial.com
http://www.InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
http://www.SEO-Article-Writer.com
http://www.SEO-Articles-for-Sale.com
http://www.money-making-videos.blogspot.com
P.S.: Make $250/day+ as an SEO writer. Details at http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/e11-excerpt.htm
I came across your blog yesterday and have since read a few of your posts and found them truly inspirational.
I’m a UK web designer/developer with a specialty in seo. I’ve been key in the development of my current employers internet product offering (from scratch) but have recently felt undervalued and fear I’m getting stuck in the proverbial rut.
As my current employer isn’t seeing the potential that could be had in seo, I’m toying with the idea of pulling the trigger, biting the bullet and going for it alone.
I intend to spend 2008 formulating my thoughts, ideas, business plan before making the decision to go for it. The fear factor is ever present but I’m finding your posts a massive help and inspiration. Thanks!!
Caravan - you could most DEFINITELY make a great living for yourself doing SEO… this is a HOT market right now… let me know if I can help you in any way - and best of luck to you!
Great Blog…Thanks for inspiring me!
God Bless!
Visit ComedyXML.com HERE
Congrats on getting into that niche so successfully. I will check out your copy writing site and perhaps send you some business down the road as it’s not something I specialize in and I have made a commitment to partner out more tasks that I do not specialize in, in an effort to provide the best level of service to my clients.
Or you could of advertised on www.bizzflip.com for free!
[…] concluded that I would probably start a content creation service. Christine managed to do this and secured amazing contracts worth a whole load of money. In all honesty, you don’t even need a website to start this form […]
Although this is a little late, great post. I’m actually surprised the companies got back in touch as I normally just flag things as spam, guess I should give more ‘random emails’ a chance in future.
Cheers
Hi Christine,
Thanks so much for writing this brilliant and inspirational blog post! I’ve been planning on becoming a freelance copywriter for a while now, but I keep finding myself stuck on trying to plan the whole thing out. Reading your entry definitely woke me up and got me thinking!
Also, I have to ask: did you start with having a portfolio of writing samples when you contacted those 5 SEO companies? Since I’m starting out, I don’t really have a portfolio, except for my blog. As I’m planning to be a web copywriter, how important would it be for me to show a portfolio for companies I contact?
I look forward to reading your future entries!
Best,
Bianca