More Red Hot Tips From LA's Big Seminar (What Freelancers Can Learn From Entrepreneurs)

By Beth Ann Erickson

If you remember, I recently spent some time in LA at Armand Moran's Big Seminar for entrepreneurs.

As I mentioned before, I believe we all could use a bit of entrepreneurial blood flowing through our veins.

That’s because every successful writer I know... the writers who earn a fantastic wage... the writers who achieve name recognition... writers who recognize hot markets and act on that knowledge... every one of them weave a thick thread of entrepreneurship into their writing career.

Writers can learn a lot from entrepreneurs. So here’s the remainder of my short list (you can read part one of this article in the Writing Etc. archives):

7. Entrepreneurs overcome any and all shyness

Ask and you may receive.

Have you ever wanted to work with a famous writer? E-mail and ask if they have any odd jobs for you to do.

Is there a marketer you've always dreamed of learning from? Compose a polite letter and offer to write for them.

You never know what you'll receive when you ask. Sometimes you'll get what you want. Sometimes you won't. But sometimes you'll receive far more than you bargained for.

8. Entrepreneurs take chances

Create a “mad money” fund and use it to test new ideas. Step way beyond your comfort zone and see what happens.

Entrepreneurs take risks. Writers should, too.

Stretch your imagination and write that novel. Maybe even self publish it. Flex your mental muscles and craft an article that makes you squirm a little.

Forget comfort zone. Comfort zones are for wimps.

You're an entrepreneur. You just have to act like one.

9. Entrepreneurs treat failure as “just another step towards their goal.”

You've read 'em. “Mark Twain received a gazillion (insert exact number here) rejections before he finally found a publisher for 'Tom Sawyer.” Stephen King nearly gave up on his writing career before he hit it big with “Carrie.” (In fact, his wife actually pulled the manuscript out of the trash and refused to let him throw it away.) The list goes on and on.

Face it, you're going to receive rejections. Period.

You can get depressed about it or you can look upon each one as a step towards your ultimate goal of becoming a published writer.

You can whine about the small checks you're receiving now or you can view them as a steppingstone towards your ultimate goal of receiving three, four, and eventually five figure checks. (Heck, why stop there? Let’s shoot for the six figure ones.)

It's all in how you view the world.

Life can be a static down hill ride towards more of the same or you can transform it into a wild roller coaster ride.

Choice is yours.

10. Entrepreneurs network big

Writing is a solitary profession. I figure I’m alone at least 95 percent of my work day.

And that’s as it should be.

Writers tend to possess incredibly rich inner lives. We have to. How else could we create fantasy worlds where we breathe life into invisible beings and transfer all that glory onto a blank, white page?

How else can we climb into the mind of our readers so we can touch them on every level imaginable?

It’s only through solitude that we can allow our creative juices to flow uninhibited. Imagine a world with no editors, no readers, no interruptions… just you and your muse. This place, my friend, is what you call “writing in the zone.” The world of fun you create in this sacred place is something non-writers can only imagine.

However, you need a strong circle of supporters… family, friends, other writers, clients… people who’ll rattle your cage a bit. Challenge your notions. Make your mind stretch.

Every now and then, I grab a shoe horn and pry myself out of my comfort zone and trot off to a far-away seminar, connect with someone in my inner circle, run off to another country.

I hate packing. Telephones are often a waste of time. I don’t like flying. Sometimes I’m annoyed at the seminar. But I’m always glad I made a new friend, a new contact, expanded my world.

Writers with small worlds create small writing.

11. Entrepreneurs outsource.

It took me a long time to realize I can’t (and shouldn’t) do everything at Filbert Publishing. It was through much pain that I discovered I wasn’t Wonder Woman.

Today my life is far less complicated now that I’ve found a great team of pros to help with queries, answering e-mails, list management, book formatting, etc.

You’re a writer. Remember that and stick to it.

12. Entrepreneurs realize they need to spend money to make money

You’re a writer. This means you need a diverse and deep education.

Nope. That doesn’t mean you need to hold a college degree. Many of the best writers I know barely made it through high school.

What this means is that you need a flexible mind filled with new (and sometimes conflicting) ideas.

And the only way to fill your mind with this kind of information is to purchase books. Pop a few self-help tapes into your recorder. Listen to a new musical artist (someone you’re totally unfamiliar with) and dig for nuggets of gold in those lyrics.

Travel. And not just first class. Take an up close and personal look at how the vast majority of this world’s population lives.

Stretch your mind. View life through another person’s eyes.

This isn’t necessarily an expensive endeavor. But it’s invaluable.

13. Truly successful entrepreneurs focus on fun… not money

I know. We need money to live.

But I don’t know about you, but I can tell when I read something by someone whose only thought is to make money pushing words onto the computer screen.

Then again, when I read something by someone who absolutely positively loves weaving words together, I can sense it. I feel the power. Magic flows from the page.

And I love magic.

Don’t get me wrong. Writers are pros and should be paid as such.

But when you focus on money, you’ll create hollow, sad, unauthentic writing.

Focus on creating an incredible image, focus on becoming the best writer/marketer you’re capable of being and the money will naturally flow towards you.

14. Successful entrepreneurs focus on their own path and avoid falling into another writer’s dream.

This one’s hard for me. Especially as I’ve widened my circle of friends to include fellow writers.

Now it seems perfectly obvious that a fellow writer would make a great friend, right?

That’s true… kinda.

The danger lies in the fact that I tend to fall into another person’s dream pretty easily.

One day I’m happily creating my latest novel, tinkering with a sales letter, e-mailing fellow writers, petting my dog. The next I’m hanging for hours on the telephone hatching “joint venture” deals, refining the details at all hours of the day and night until they itch my mind.

When you find your writing dream wandering from your intended goal, it’s time for some serious soul searching. Be careful not to lose your voice. Don’t neglect your true calling. Don’t turn into someone you aren’t.

Yes. It’s fine to work with other writers.

But become very wary when the vision for your life gets lost somewhere along the way. Take a step back when your concerns are swept aside and you find yourself reflecting their goals more than your own. Come to a complete halt when you realize you’re living some else’s dream and neglecting your own.

The time will come when you’ll leave some very lucrative deals on the table because they have the potential to permanently alter the career you’ve developed.

You’ll spend years, probably your entire life developing your lifestyle, the rhythm of your writing, contacts, mailing lists… and a ton of other resources.

Don’t let anyone else, no matter how good-intentioned they are, turn your dream, your lifestyle, your writing life, to suit them.

The road of life is long and full of twists and turns. Without your ultimate dream acting as your guiding star, you will become side tracked.

This is your life. Your writing career. Your dream.

It’s sacred. Treat it as such. And surround yourself with people who treat it as such.

15. It truly is possible to become wealthy doing the oddest things....

OK. Enough seriousness.

I met a ton of toooo coooool people at the Big Seminar.

Many, very wealthy.

And you wouldn’t believe how these people created their wealth.

One young man (he’s a mere 26 years old!) became a millionaire selling houses on E-bay. Oh, and did I mention he supposedly has a raging case of ADD?

A beautiful woman sells doggie clothing.

I met someone else dabbling in the futures markets.

Another guy designs web pages.

Every one of them held true to their dream. All of them invested in their career. Their eyes lit up as they described their businesses and how those same businesses enhanced their lives to no end.

Fascinating people.

They made me realize the power that rests within each of us, if we’ll only tap into it and start living our dreams instead of passively imagining them, discussing them, or waiting for the “right” time to arrive.

So that’s it. Right off the top of my head, why we writers could use a touch of entrepreneurism into our psyche.

Got pretty deep today.

I’ll write lighter next time. Promise.

~~~