8 things I’ve done for my business this month

I think it’s fair to say I have been working my butt off this past month, so I thought I’d share a few exciting things I’ve done for myself and my business in January. 

Maybe you’ve also been working on your brand or perhaps you need a little inspiration to get your February off to a great start. 

Maybe you just like hearing what other people have been up to. It doesn’t matter much, I’m just glad to have you here. 

So here are eight things I’ve done for my career over the last 31 days: 

1. Completely redesigned my website 

I completely redesigned my professional, freelance writing website. I have hated my old site for years but never found the time to fix it.

But I wanted to go into 2024 feeling excited about my career and growing my business this year, so it needed to be done. 

You can check it out here if you’re interested: https://www.natashialarkin.co.uk/ 

2. Generated case studies for my website 

As part of the big redesign, I put together some more in-depth case studies of my work from the last four to five years. 

I wanted to showcase my work better and the brands I’ve partnered with, as well as how I can help businesses in the future. And this was the best way to do it. 

I just can’t believe it’s taken me this long! 

3. Continued working on this blog 

I have also continued working on this blog. It’s been redesigned, I’ve reviewed content and I’ve added new posts. 

My goal for the next few months is to keep posting regular content and start sharing this across different channels to get those views up. 

So you know what to do guys, read and share as much as you like! 

4. Created a Facebook page

It has only taken me seven years, but I finally created a Facebook page dedicated to my business, where I can share content from this blog and from my work. 

My following is still very low, but I’m hoping to work on that over the next few months as well. 

5. Updated my LinkedIn profile 

I also took the chance to update my LinkedIn biography and work experience. 

I’ve started to post on there more frequently, though I’m aware I need to share more and more updates if I hope to start pulling in work from that platform. 

6. Joined Medium 

I decided to join a writing platform called Medium. You can share content (it looks a little like LinkedIn Pulse), follow other writers and even make a passive income from those articles if people like them enough. 

Now, I don’t really have the time to write for an entirely new platform, but the great thing about Medium is you can import blog posts directly from here. 

These go through a different process and are marked as an imported post to stop them from messing with your SEO. 

I’ve also joined several Facebook groups for Medium writers to help me promote my content. So right now I’m just building up my library so I have plenty to share. 

7. Revisited some freelance platforms 

As I’m looking for new work, I’ve decided to explore every avenue and one of those is freelancing platforms. 

This is where I started my freelance writing career, so I thought it best to revisit my roots. 

I revisited my People Per Hour profile and I signed up for Upwork. 

I’m not suggesting these are going to be the solution to finding great work, but they can be a great way to make some extra money. 

That being said, when I used these platforms six years ago I was prepared to take low-paying jobs with ridiculous word counts just to start building my portfolio and getting some experience behind me. 

I will no longer be doing that!

These content mills can be very damaging to writers, especially when you’re starting out. I genuinely saw a post on Upwork the other day from someone looking for a well-researched, 

2,000 word article. 

They were prepared to pay $12 for that piece… and that was before the Upwork fees were deducted.

Not that I would ever have considered that one! But this time around, I’ll only be applying to real opportunities that I’m excited about and that pay well.

8. Raised my rates 

The final thing I did for myself this month was something I was very nervous about. I decided to slightly increase my rates in order to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of life. 

Seriously, it’s getting out of hand. 

I was worried that it would cost me some of my oldest and most regular clients and I dreaded sending the email. But at the end of the day, my rates are far below the industry average, and a girl’s got to live.

So I crafted a very polite email notifying them of a rate increase in March to give them some time to adjust. 

I received my first reply within seven minutes simply saying ‘Sure, no problem’. 

I was feeling better about the move. 

But as I had feared, the next client emailed me back a day or two later and said that they would not be continuing our now five-year partnership as they had other writers on board that were cheaper. 

And that’s OK, they’ve got to run their business and I’ve got to run mine and after the initial blow, I realised that perhaps it was the right time to say goodbye.

And so we move. 

This year I will be looking for some exciting new clients and partnerships from those who value my years of experience.