My love for writing started as far back as first grade. I wrote a story for a young authors' competition about a family of cats and got third place. I continued to write stories all through elementary school and loved every one of them. As I continued through my education, I wrote countless stories, essays, and various other writing projects. They all strengthened not only my skill, but my love for the written word.
When it came time to choose a major in college, I had no idea what to choose. I knew I loved writing, but the journalism and creative writing courses didn’t interest me. I decided to go with my other passion, exercise. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and got my first job as a fitness instructor at a senior living center. While there, I helped the residents stay fit with group classes and personal training.
I loved my job there, but the more a got a peek behind the corporate curtain, the more I knew it wasn’t for me. Sure, the pay and benefits were nice, and the job I held was one of the highest ranking that I could get with my degree. But, In the end, it wasn’t worth the pain, exhaustion, and mental load that it caused me. I knew something had to change.
The part of the job that brought me the most joy (other than the residents of course, I still consider them my grandparents) was my little blog post that I wrote each week for the community newsletter. I would think of a topic that had come up either in a private conversation with a resident or throughout the week in my gym, research it, and write a short article on it. I loved the responses I would get from residents who enjoyed reading my column or wanted to know more about the topic. It felt like my own little community where I could share my knowledge and answer the questions they had or teach them something new.
As quitting my job became more and more inevitable, I began to ponder my next step. Most jobs within the scope of my degree would be a step down in pay and title, and I needed a rest from exercising everyday no matter my energy level. I began to think about what I really wanted in life and how I could get there. I was engaged at the time and thought ahead to my future marriage and my future children. I wanted to be there for my husband and kids while contributing to the money in the household. I also began to think about what things I wanted to learn, to accomplish, and to grow in. Each time I thought about it, my mind went back to writing.
I still was of the understanding that writing consisted of writing novels or journalism, and neither one of those appealed to me. So, I decided to do some research into writing options. That is when I discovered copywriting. I instantly loved that it provided a tangible way to use my skills to help others. Not to mention it paid well and could provide a better financial future for myself and my future family. My very next search was how to take advantage of this opportunity. I discovered the American Writers and Artists Institute, or AWAI, which provided a multitude of trainings to both learn copywriting and to get started as a copywriter. I took their sales writing course and then began the journey of starting my business.
I was nervous to fully rely on copywriting as a source of income in the beginning, so I took a retail job at a specialty shoe store while I continued to work on getting set up. I enjoyed the job at first, but by the time I was taking time off to get married I was burnt out. The demands from customers were becoming too much and I dreaded interacting with them every time they walked through the door. I knew I needed a change (yet again), and copywriting was going to give it to me.
I talked with my husband who was super supportive of me quitting my job so that I could put my full focus into copywriting. It has been a lot of work and brought some stress with it, but I am so excited to be fully launching my copywriting services! I can’t wait to use my writing skills to make a difference in the lives of my clients and their customers.
If you, like me, have a dream that you want to see come true, let me know how I can help! While success and money are important to me as I launch, my deeper dream is to help others reach their goals and see their lives change for the better. Click the button below so that we can make this thing happen together!
Dream big!
Rachelle
