Launching a copywriting business

Early on in California’s Shelter in Place– you know, right after Tom Hanks contracted COVID-19 and many of us finally realized it was a thing we should pay attention to– I had a call with one of my clients about how and if to adjust the content. As a wedding photographer, her industry had already been hit hard and we wanted to make sure that her clients felt heard and understood. So we brainstormed how to both speak to the challenges of postponing and also keeping their minds on the GOOD that will eventually happen. We wanted to give them hope and address their concerns about planning in a pandemic.

This conversation is emblematic of what SO MANY of us are talking about right now. How do we buy enough groceries for our family but not send our systems into panic? How do we care for our neighbor while also practicing social distancing? How do we honor our anxiety while also caring for our young children who demand much of our attention?

Here’s the thing: the answer is not either/or. It’s not if this, then that.

How do we carry two contrasting emotions in a pandemic? It’s both/and. 

Both/and is the practice of holding two emotions with as much importance even though they are contrasted. It’s a recognition that life is always both good and bad, hard and beautiful, at the very same time. 

• I can be both grateful for time with my one year old son and be worried for my parents and in-laws. 

• We can both celebrate birthdays with car parades and be socially distant. 

• We can postpone weddings and daydream about a bachelorette party. 

While these are conversations I’m having with my clients, they’re also conversations I’m having with myself.

I’ve been a writer since I was a kid. The first story I remember writing was about how Steve Young and Barry Bonds were best friends and hung out with me and my family. 

In college I started writing annual emails to my friends capturing our highlights and memories, drawing themes from each stage

I continued doing that until, in 2007, my best friend Sarah said I should start a thing called a blog. I’ve written a blog on various platforms since.

Last year I had a baby and something in me changed– for good.  I decided I wasn’t going to keep writing as a thing I do for fun, as a passion I keep hidden in a drawer that I occasionally take a peek at. 

In a story I will save for later, I turned my maternity leave into a Master’s crash course in copywriting. I took courses, read books, met with generous and smart people in the business, and listened to no less than 452 podcast episodes on business strategy and copywriting. 

Then conversations I had on Marco Polo with friends or in the backyard with Kasey turned into an actual business.

I landed my first client (also another story for later), then my second, third… and here we are.

I am both a teacher and a writer– a copywriter in particular, with Corrie Myers Consulting. (Hey hey!!!)

I know I was made to do this. To write. To use words to communicate the most nuanced of an idea to move a person, a project, a school, a business. My closest people have been telling me this for years, and now I’m finally listening to their advice. 

As a high school English teacher in public schools for the last 15 years, I’ve learned not just how to convince teenagers to read and write, but I’ve honed the craft of being innovative in one of the most boxed-in industries. 

A few years ago I saw how my school district lacked a social presence, so I developed a plan and a strategy for my principal and superintendent, and now when you search #cusdlearns on Twitter or Instagram, you’ll know EXACTLY what kind of experience your child would get in our schools. 

Now that I’m a copywriter, I’m connecting my ideas to YOU. 

If you’re my client, I’m searching for YOUR client’s problems and coming up with ideas and words to solve them while I’m on a walk with my son. Like the free wedding venue guide we created for my clients’ brides (and grew her email list!).

If you’re my client, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader. Want proof? My parents will know about you and your business and your favorite music. 

Life is short to not go after exactly what you want. Whenever anyone asked what I would do if I wasn’t a teacher, my heart wanted to say “writer” so badly, but I was never brave enough to do it.

Yes, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, watching what it looks like when the rug is ripped out underneath us. And I’m launching my business. 

Yes, we’re living what it feels like to have our privilege chopped away, and people still need to find out your business’ message. If that includes updating the copy on your website, I can take that off your plate.

I’m not going to waste another second putting off a dream. And neither should you.