Today I interview the brilliant Mariella, she is a professional copywriter and content marketer, happy mum of two, creative soul who is crazy about dancing, music and foreign cultures.
1. What gave you the idea to start up your business?
I was at work one day and felt quite bored as the job was not too demanding and rarely busy. My husband had told me before that I have a talent for writing, but I never took it really seriously until then. So, I was researching on Google how to make some extra money and freelancing came up. I read a bit more about it and I ended up on an Australian website called Freelancer.com. I saw that there were quite a lot of projects for content creation and copywriting and since I have a marketing degree already, I thought why not give it a go. My first project was for a British homeware retailer, called Abodent. They asked me to write some product descriptions for their door knobs.
2. What did you do to prepare to start up your business?
For about a year I just kept bidding on Freelancer.com and getting projects from there, but after being scammed a few times by dishonest employers, I thought it’s time to start taking this seriously and build my own business out of it. I started by creating a website on a drag and drop CMS and setting up Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. I also registered as a sole trader with the HMRC
3. Which aspects of your business did you need help with? Where did you get that help?
I needed help with branding (currently working on it). My brother-in-law, is a graphic designer and also featured on my website, he has done many independent projects for international clients and we decided to join efforts to offer more services in one place. He’s currently re-doing my logo and other branding materials.
4. Describe what your business does and who you target it at / your ideal client
I provide copywriting and content creation services for businesses. My services include everything from website copy, blog posts, product descriptions, press releases, social media updates to email correspondence templates, investment proposals and business plans. I also offer social media strategy review and SEO review. Temmie, my brother-in-law, designs visual content (branding).
5. What is the most rewarding thing about having your own business?
The freedom to do what I want, when I want and watch my children grow, without missing important milestones because of work.
6. What has been the biggest challenge?
Persuading myself and my husband that this can be a sustainable business, providing constant income. I think I just needed to sit down and tell myself that I can certainly do this and there’s no better time than now. I believe it worked! Occasionally, I find it challenging to collect my creative thoughts with a screaming baby and a question asking machine in the form of a 4-year-old. Nothing too hard to manage, though.
7. If you could go back and give yourself some advice what would it be?
Don’t worry. It will all fall into place. Just do your best, keep pushing and be patient.
To find out more about Mariella follow her here:
Website: https://www.mariellablagomarketing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mblagoconsultancy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBlagoMarketing
