How to Start Freelance Writing With a Full-Time Job (+ 3 Quick Tips)

If you want to start freelance writing with your full-time job, this article is here to support you. 

The quick answer is, yes, I fully believe full-time jobs work well with freelancing, and I fully believe that they can go together and fit into a schedule that works for you. 

So I want to give you three tips on making freelance writing work for you, no matter what your current position is as a full-time freelancer or as a full-time employee (even though that may be taking up a lot, a lot, a lot of your time).

PS – Do you currently (or want to) sell online courses, services, ebooks, or coaching…while working a full-time job? 

All of the tips and examples listed in this article apply for you, too! 

Feel free to change the word ‘freelancing’ or ‘freelance writing’ to ‘marketing’ or ‘selling’.

Psst…are you more of a podcast girly? I got you ⬇️😉

3 Tips for Freelancing with a Full-Time Job

These tips will help with adding in freelance writing without feeling like you’re piling more onto an overflowing plate.

To start with, freelancing is going to be one more thing to do. It is going to take up your energy depending how quickly you want to make money and how much free time you do (or don’t) have. 

But, either way, you can make this something that fits into your life. 

Because with freelancing, you get to make the rules. 

You’re a freelancer, baby – you are seemingly a one-man show (for now, at least).

And you get to make the rules from the very start to the very end of your business. 

So that’s the basis of turning this into something that works within your schedule. 

If that means right now you only have an hour to put into it each month, okay. You put an hour into it each month.

If it means you have three evenings a week, okay, you have three evenings a week. 

I have found most freelancers start while they have a full-time job!

Because when you’re building a business, even if you trust it, even if it’s your dream, and you trust it so hard, there’s still that percentage of doubt that’s like, “but what if it doesn’t work?”

And when you already have a full-time job, and you have that security!

You have the space to add something else in as slow as it may be, or as fast as it could be.

So that in one year or five years, or 10 years, your life could be different.

At the time of recording this podcast episode, I’m 26.

When I think about the stuff that I’m doing now is going to impact where I’m at when I’m 36…

That 10 years, me being almost 40, puts me in a whole different mark of life than if I do nothing.

If you want to do something (ahem, freelance writing) with the time you have now so your life can look drastically different in one, five, ten years from now…

1. Take Your Freelance Writing Journey Slow

There’s this rush and hustle bustle of ‘everything has to happen so fast’. 

And in reality, it doesn’t. 

Now, I know I come from a place of privilege saying that there’s no rush in making buttloads of money right now. 

And also, in my experience, and in the experience of students that I have worked with, of freelancers who I have worked with, business owners I’ve worked with…

It genuinely does not happen overnight. 

(And trust me when I say that when it does happen overnight…it isn’t sustainable. You don’t want this.)

Even (especially) the multimillionaires that I have worked with, it did not happen overnight. 

They did not decide in one day, “oh, I’m going to do this thing”. And then it worked. 

No, it took time. 

So you’re allowed to sit with this time. Work, yes, but don’t let the slowness intimidate you. Instead, lean into it.

[it’s funny how when I do these podcasts/write these articles, really when I create any content, I’m like, “Oh, I needed to hear that so bad too.”]

When you decide to sit in the slowness, and sit in just the mundane, the routine…

That’s what builds it ALL up. 

So that when you do have that success (which you will if you stick with it), it looks like it was an overnight success. 

It looks like you just always had that bag, you know?

So take it slow – there’s no need to go all in at once. 

There’s no need to pick your skill, build your portfolio, cold pitch clients, create a Fiverr account and an Upwork account, and a contract account, and start using Instagram and Tiktok and LinkedIn, and all the things overnight. 

How to Slowly Start Your Freelance Writing Journey Today

Maybe you choose to pick your skill this month. 

Then next month, you decide to sit down, and in all the free time that you have, work on your portfolio. 

Then the following month, you decide, “Okay, I know my skill, I have my portfolio, I’m going to start thinking about the dream clients that I want to reach out to. And I want to start curating stuff to make sure that I’m ready for them to work with me.”

And then maybe in the next month, you say, “Okay, now that I know what I want to be doing, I have my portfolio, I know the kind of clients I want to be working with, I’m gonna create one freelancing platform.” And you work on making this platform as freaking irresistible as you need it to be for the clients who want to work with you.

Then the following month, you start a social media account. And maybe you only start repurposing your portfolio, your testimonials, and stuff from your freelancing platform. 

^ That was a long-winded way to say: you can break this journey up and you do not have to do everything at once. 

➡️Shameless plug: If you do want to go all in this week so you can coast over the next few months or years with more ease and slowness, click here to get my 5-Day Freelance Writing Kickstart e-book for less than a cup of coffee. <3

Examples of Putting In the Reps

You can take 30 minutes out of your week and work on one of these things. 

Putting in the reps and doing the longevity is what wins every single freakin time.

Anybody successful – they put in reps.

You look at sports players. 

[I don’t like talking about sports. I have very strong opinions that they should not be getting paid that much money to play with balls all day. Let me not make that joke. Regardless.]

LeBron James, right? He put in reps to get where he is. 

Mike Tyson, he put in reps to get where he is. 

What other sports names do I know? Hmmmm…

Tim Tebow. He put in reps.

Look at successful course creators, right? 

Rebel Nutrition (Aimee), put in reps to get where she is a millionaire course seller. (Go back and look at her earlier stuff. She started selling in a tiny hut.)

Cake Money Consulting (Taylor Quinn) put in reps for years. She started as a teacher, but her business with a full-time job. 

Million Dollar Email (Kirsten Roldan) put in reps with email marketing for years before creating a million-dollar course that gets incredible results.

These people put in reps and now they’re frickin successful as mess because they actually put in the time without throwing in the towel when it felt slow.

And who cares if it pays off this month?

You’re only working on it in your free time.

Put in slow reps now so it pays off in a year, in 10 years. Right.

Prioritize your full-time job, prioritize your family, prioritize your self-care, and then let freelancing fit in when and where it fits. 

2. Don’t Start with $5 Offers

People talk about starting with $5 offers, like you gotta start at the bottom of the barrel to make it.

But I say you can charge whatever you want to. 

Now, sure. If you don’t have any work in the service that you’re trying to offer, it may take more reps to end up selling those services in the beginning. 

But you can do that. 

You know why? 

Because you have a full-time job, so you don’t need the money right now. You’re safe.

If it takes you two months to find a client who will pay you $100 per blog article, but that’s what is worth it for you to work on that blog article, who cares how many months it takes to reach that?

It’s not like you were slaving over being a freelancer burning all those months – 

You didn’t have any clients! You weren’t having to write articles!

In those months, it took four months, five months, six months of you having a full-time job making a steady paycheck, not worried about bills, not worried about food, not worried about self-care.

And now you’re getting an extra $100 bucks for two hours of your time? 

Even though it took six months, who cares? It happened! Who cares? 

Once you’ve picked your skill, built your portfolio, chosen your dream clients, and done your freelancing homework…

Determine a price that is worth it to you to do the service you want to offer.

Then, offer it for that price without a stipulation on getting a paying client right now.

I do think it’s easier to increase your prices, once you have testimonials and reviews flowing in.

Should You Decrease Your Prices?

If you’re not getting offers at $50, that doesn’t mean going up to $100.

Maybe it means:

• Offer a different service for a period of time

• Create a  package with more deliverables for a higher price point

• Update or edit your offer in a new, fresh way

But it’s not the best idea to increase your the price of your primary offer with absolutely no reviews, no testimonials, nobody saying that it’s working. 

Likewise, this doesn’t mean you should decrease your prices – don’t do that. 

Remember: put in the reps for the long haul.

Do not go from $50 to $20 because it’s ‘not working’. 

We don’t shrink just because nobody’s buying right now. 

That’s like pulling from your future self. Telling her she isn’t worth the reps (she is).

What To Consider When Setting Your Price

The fun thing about starting your freelance writing journey is that you’re going to be the only one who actually knows what number you want to make for whatever your service, skill, or offer is. 

When setting your freelance writing price, consider:

• What you need to make freelancing ‘worth it’ for you
• How much time it takes you to do your service
• What your client will have to do around your service

Come to a price that feels good for you, for one or two offers that you want to have. 

(Do not start offering more than two offers when you start freelancing. I recommend starting with one. Getting really stinking good at it. Then upgrading or widening your offer suite.)

Then stick to your price.

Again, who cares if it doesn’t happen overnight?

You have time you have a full-time job, paying you a full-time check. 

You don’t need to leave tomorrow. 

You’re just seeing if it works, you’re just playing the freaking game, you’re just having fun. 

So, you don’t have to start with $5 offers.

You can start with whatever price you want. 

And give space for it to take time to get a client. 

It is okay for people to tell you that your prices are too high.

Wait for someone who is a soulmate client – who eats your services up and is dying to pay you. 

You have the luxury of waiting for your soulmate clients to show up. Y

ou have the luxury to only reach out to your soulmate clients who are willing to pay your price. 

You have the luxury to just sit on your decisions and let them come through on their own. 

Wait efficiently by working towards the long haul without putting pressure on the timeline.

3. Do It For Your End Goal

This is like ‘do it for your plot’. 

But that, in my opinion, is a little harmful or harm-inducing. 

Do it for your end goal is positive; do it for your end goal is saying take action today.

But not because you want results tomorrow.

Take action today because of the life that you want to be living in six months, in one year, in 10 years, in 50 years, and on.

Take action today for your end goal. 

If you have extra time in your day, extra time in your week, extra time in your mind –

Take that time and use it towards your end goal, dude!

And congrats on already doing it for your end goal right now: you’re here, reading an article about freelancing instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram.

Prompts For Determining Your Right-Now End Goal

• In 10 years, what do I want my life to look like? 

• How will I get there? 

• In six months, what do I want my life to look like to be on track with my 10-year vision? 

• What do I want my day-to-day life to look and feel like to be on track with my 10-year vision? 

• How do I want to feel when I’m 65? 95? 105???

• What do I need to do daily to feel this way?

Freelancing, specifically freelance writing, is a way for you to create the life you truly want to be living. 

(And I feel that same way about courses and coaches, selling and marketing.)

Turning Your End Goal Into Today’s Reality

Freelancing gives you the extra money to make your end goal a reality today.

Because you have a full-time job, your bills are already accounted for, your food is accounted for, your typical monthly care is accounted for…

You get to use your freelancing income to make enough extra money, just to go get your nails done without stress or guilt. 

Because you’re just making extra money.

Your freelancing freedom gets to be whatever you want it to be without having to compromise your necessities. 

And having a full-time job is one of the safest times to start freelancing.

Because what do you have to lose? 

You’re just making extra with your extra time.

Put some of your extra time into your end goal, and you’ll soon realize you’re waking up inside your end goal every day.

How to Freelance With a Full-Time Job Concluded

Tip one is to take it slow.

Tip two is to not start with $5 offers. 

Tip three is to do it for your end goal. 

I’m glad you enjoyed this article and can’t wait to see what you choose to implement today!

Now, if you’re concluding this article and thinking:

“I want to start freelance writing, but I just don’t know where to start. I’m good with taking it slow and I’m familiar with my end goal…but how do I actually start freelance writing? Like picking my skill? Or creating a portfolio before getting clients? Or choosing a freelance platform? I don’t know where to put my energy!”

👉Check out Freelancing for Freedom (click here), my self-paced freelance writing course for novice beginners that teaches you how to start and succeed in your freelance writing career.

I created this course to guide you on kickstarting your freelance writing career, confidently pitching your dream clients, and start making money within your first few months as a freelance writer. ❤️‍🔥

Freelancing for Freedom is your secret to:

• Making $1,000/month as a freelancer within 90 days of integration and implementation (this is over DOUBLE the price of this course)

• Cold Pitching with confidence because you KNOW what you bring to the table and are ready to help brands and businesses you love (and learn how to make sure you’re reaching out to the best contact)

• Crafting a killer skill that WILL bring you money (WHENEVER you need extra dollars so you can kiss your financial worries GOOD-FRIGGIN-BYE)

• Learning how to work from anywhere in the world so you can FINALLY live your most authentic dreams (maybe that’s from your couch, or maybe it’s from a small apartment in Europe. Hello, Mrs. Emily in Paris)

You’ll learn how to:

• Starting your freelance business (starting with choosing the best account for YOU + creating your portfolio before signing a client)

• Cold pitch the right people (so you can work with DREAM clients rather than dreading every single project that pops up on your screen)

• Client management (to alleviate meeting anxiety or unanswered emails and having CONFIDENCE when jumping on prospect calls and onboarding meetings)

Click here to learn more about Freelancing for Freedom to know if it’s right for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Freelancing With a Full-Time Job:

Q: Can you freelance with a full-time job?

A: Absolutely! This article gives you a great blueprint for starting your freelance writing career with a full-time job.

Q: Can I make extra money this month with freelance writing?

A: While new freelancers make a lot of extra money in their first month of freelance writing, this should not be your goal. Instead, think of your end goal. Is your end goal to have extra money coming in? Is your end goal to have a more laid-back calendar? Is your end goal to work remotely? Yes, you can make money in your first month of freelancing. But not everyone does. Put in the reps so you’re making extra money in the months to come.

Q: What should I charge as a beginner freelance writer?

A: What you need to make freelancing worth it, how much time it takes you to complete services, and the industry you are writing for all go into setting your freelance writing prices. Read the pricing section in the article above for more information about setting your prices.

Q: Where can I learn more about starting my journey as a freelance writer?

A: Here are two options:

1. Click here to snag my 5-day kickstart ebook for less than a cup of coffee.

(It walks you through setting the foundation for your freelance writing career.)

2. Click here to get inside Freelancing for Freedom with sliding scale payment options.

(It delivers in-depth live trainings, extra bonuses, and exclusive calls + resources to help you pick your skill, build your portfolio, find (and pitch) your dream clients, set up freelance accounts, and land your first client.)

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