This post originally appeared on Anna’s 1st blog, Annamotion.
Introduction
Today’s E.P.I.C. Story is an interview with Laura Pennington. Starting off with one $150 paid writing gig, she grew her business to a six figure freelance business and was featured in places such as Business Insider and Huffington post. Now she helps others to jumpstart their own freelance or virtual assistant business through SixFigure Writing Secrets.
Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you? What should we know about you?
“I’m a former educator and current PhD candidate who left the educational world behind to pursue freelance writing four years ago. I’ve been working for myself full-time as a writer since 2013.”
The Journey of Growth
What are some areas of your life that you feel you have grown the most in?
“Most definitely how I handle other people–there’s a fine line between setting boundaries to ensure everyone is on the same page and cutting people off entirely. Now I reward people on my team who do a great job because I want to keep them around, but I also don’t feel guilt about letting someone go who is not a fit.”
What happened in your life to cause you to take serious action and intentionally pursue growth in this area?
“I worked with a team of 20 content writers over 2015 and learned a lot of lessons about managing people in business but also about people in general. I tightened up all my hiring practices and how I give instructions and help people as a result.”
Overcoming Obstacles
What was one of the biggest obstacles you faced? How did you overcome it?
“Letting go of guilt! It was really hard for me to end relationships that simply were not working for me. I kept them going out of a sense of obligation even when the person was not performing in a needed role or simply no longer fit my business model.”
When were some of the hardest times to keep going? How did you push forward?
“When I saw how little money I personally had made in 2015 due to outsourcing, it was crushing. My business had done well, but I had not. I had to recalibrate everything, let staff go, and fire a number of clients.”
What is one of your biggest motivations today?
“Location independence and freedom. I definitely have hit challenges in my business and I’m sure I’ll continue to, but I love the concept of pushing through those challenges to break into something bigger and better.”
Advice
What advice would you give to someone who wants to grow, but just can’t seem to get going? Or doesn’t know where to start?
“You have to be self-reflective. A lot of people who are negative and appear to be stuck see the problems all around them except within. We have to acknowledge where we can do better–coming up with a couple of key mantras for yourself when you hit a problem or bad mood helps–i.e. “What did I do to cause this to happen?” If you played any part in it, own up to it, fix it, and figure out how to avoid it in the future. There’s also a lot of peace that comes with knowing that sometimes things happen outside of your control and that the only thing you can control is your response.”
The Reward
What have been some of the most rewarding parts of your hard work?
“Definitely coaching other people through some of the most common challenges about freelancing–I love helping other people break through barriers!”
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