Article by Wendy McCance

A friend wrote to me asking about the premium version of Linkedin.  She wanted to know if I used it and was it something she should invest in.  It got me thinking about how I put my writing business together and the power of the internet.

I am in no position to spend a lot of money putting together my writing business.  In our family, every cent really does matter and so I have to be conservative about where I choose to spend my money.

I have often had conversations with my husband about what people had to do to build a business before the internet.  Honestly, if you were able to build  a successful business back then, you must have had some extremely sharp marketing skills as well as extraordinary business sense.

One of the best parts of having a writing career is how little it takes to get the business off the ground and keep it going strong.  If the internet wasn’t around, I think I would have been at a loss.  The internet has been incredibly valuable for research, answering any question I might have and most importantly, marketing.

I built my business on less than $60.00.  After I had a WordPress blog for over a year, I switched over to a dot-com.  I spent roughly $49.00 to get self-hosted on iPage and my domain name.  I decided a dot-com was worth it because I could then monetize my site.

I knew I would need business cards, so I used Vistaprints.  I heard about this website from a woman at one of the networking events I attended.  She mentioned that except for shipping which is around $4.00, you can get 250 business cards for free.  The only caveat is that there is a small ad on the back of the card.

I ordered my cards and was pleased with the results.  The paper used is still a good quality, you can choose your design and put whatever you want listed onto the card.  For now, it is a good choice.

Now with a dot-com and business cards, I had to prospect for business.  This is where the internet comes in.  There are a million good social networking sites.  Linkedin, Quora, Twitter etc… have been incredibly valuable for getting new clients.

The only other place that I will be putting my money is in networking groups around town.  Most writing groups have been free.  There is one group that I like that costs $10.00 to attend, but it is worth it.

So, yeah, I spent under $60.00 to get my business up and running.  The costs to maintain my business are all in the yearly fee to keep the dot-com site running, paying a membership for a writing association and any fee that might be attached when going to a networking event.

I should mention that I did already have a limited liability company, so I already have a tax id.  If you are starting your own business, you will want to set up a company for tax purposes.  You can go to your government website and they should have step by step instructions on how to register your business.  I forget just how much it had cost, but I believe it’s around $150.00 to set up.

I hope this information inspires you.  If you are thinking of starting your own writing career, it really isn’t that expensive unlike most businesses.  You can always use a platform like WordPress if you can’t afford the dot com.  The only downside is that you can’t sell anything on your site.  Even so, it’s still a great deal.  You are essentially starting your business for free.

One last thing, I don’t use the premium version of Linkedin.  I have done fine without it.  I’m sure there is value in the premium version, but I’m not sure what that might be.  I haven’t really looked into it because it never interested me personally.

note: if you are interested in checking out the Vistaprint business cards, just hit on the picture below.

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 6 local papers online, including the Oakland Press.The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

Latest posts by Wendy McCance (see all)

• A Week in the Life of a Writer - August 3, 2014
• Give Yourself a Secret Advantage Before Starting Your Own Business - July 30, 2014
• How to Improve Your Presence on Twitter - July 29, 2014

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