From Confused to Client-Ready!

My honest story of how I started freelance writing with zero clarity but with one bold step.

Heloooo People,

Since weekend is almost here,

Photo by Artem Bryzgalov on Unsplash

I assume everything is noice (oh, that’s how we interact in our Noice Community- a group where I got some amazing people who push each other every day to keep going, and honestly, that’s where I started being active on X.

Okay, so let’s come to the real reason why you’re here reading this newsletter- to know my behind-the-story and find out how I turned from a confused person to a client-ready writer!

Trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks, yeah, I’m saying the truth.

But it is not that difficult if you decide to do so. Now, coming to the point of how I started this journey.

So, a very few of you know that I was doing full-time before this freelance journey. And my last organization, i.e., Jagran New Media, was my dream company- where I always wanted to work (I gave an interview almost 6 times for different roles just to land the job, and when I finally got selected, I realised why god doesn’t give you everything you want.

Now, when I started working there, I already had a bit of an idea and awareness of this freelance thing. But honestly, I was never into it during my full-time. I still remember one of the projects I got when I was working at Jagran to revamp the website.

Ohh god, only I know how I managed to complete that project- because I was already working 11-12 hours a day.

Now, while working at Jagran, I was a bit active on LinkedIn and witnessed how freelancers are doing, working on versatile projects and making their progress.

No, I was not fascinated, nor should you be, because it’s not always how it looks on social media. A few of them share their failure, but most flaunt their success.

What attracted me was the flexibility, exposure, and freedom of working on your own conditions and getting experience in different domains at a time.

Trust me, when I say this- I was not aware of how to interact with a client to land a deal or even how to approach them, I learned everything slowly slowly.

But then I met an Angel, or I should say My GURU- Viraj Sir, came into my life. I was connected with him a long time ago, and that person is an amazing guy to follow on LinkedIn.

(I’ve tagged him here, so you can check and connect with him)

Now, when working as a Senior Content Writer at Jagran, I was literally frustrated, overloaded with work, and my health- don’t even ask about it. After only 2 months, I was diagnosed with Pneumonia, and only I know how I worked during that one month…and then??? I simply put down my papers.

I had no solid plan but was scared, confident, and had some guts to do what others might not due to their personal situations. By the time I was about to quit, Viraj Sir announced his SEO+client acquisition course. I took this course instantly to upskill myself (something very important in guarding your value and the skills you bring)

Thanks to the course of Viraj Sir, who literally taught me in-depth about SEO, client pitching, finding decent gigs, LinkedIn optimisation, networking, and whatnot.

After taking the course, I built my portfolio because, fortunately, I had a good experience and sufficient samples to share. But this was not enough.

I started being active on LinkedIn, networking with people, optimised my profile, and pitched clients. A few days later, I found a freelance opportunity similar to my previous experience and the niche in which I love writing- E-Commerce.

(And yes, I’ve still got that first bold pitch — if you’re curious, drop a DM)

Guess what happened then? Of course, I landed the gig and started within 10 days. It was a D2C website, and I handled all their content, from blog optimization to social media content.

It gave me a different confidence and a boost to keep going and finding new opportunities.

The journey was never easier, nor is it now, but you know the results make it all worth it.

I remember some people saying- full-time job chhodar freelance mai aaye ho, regret hoga bahut jald. And now only those people ask me how to start freelancing- humein bhi kuch tips dedo. Sounds surprising, doesn’t it?

I won’t say that I’m a successful freelancer now! No, that would be a lie, I’m still working on settling my freelance business, hunting and pitching clients, facing rejections, but that’s the beauty of freelancing- it is a mix of all of these, but you learn a lot. Learning how to interact with a client, how to pitch your services effectively, how to negotiate, how to handle different clients and their deadlines, and the most imp- how to say NO- because not every client is for you.

Freelancing is a path that not everyone can pursue. It requires consistency, patience, and continuous efforts to show up daily. Even those with 10+ years of experience are still doing this. But when things start working, I can’t tell you how it feels.

So, that was my story, and I hope you liked it and get some motivation or confidence if you’re also planning to pursue this path. And if you get stuck anywhere in this journey, feel free to DM me, I’d be more than happy to help you as I have been in your place back then, so I know the value of right and reliable guidance.

See you then in the newsletter!

Lots of love,

Divya