This Single Mom Quit Her Day Job in 3 Months Thanks to Freelance Writing

by Cheri Read | updated Jul 29, 2018 | 25 Comments | shares Imagine waking up to your own schedule and starting the day off on your own terms. Freelance writing can give you the ability to be your own boss and make a living from your passion. But, as luck would have it, youre stuck at a job that doesnt inspire you and all you want to do is quit your 9-5 job and work from home. Writeto1k course student Cheri never imagined that she would make a living from writing in only three short months of deciding she wanted a new life. Lets find out the steps she took to reach her end goal hella fast! What does your ideal life look like? For me, it’s pretty simple – setting my own hours, working from home, deciding my own income, and taking off on a road trip whenever I feel the urge†¦ And guess what? I’m living it! Hard to believe, right? But a year ago, I was sitting in my office at the nonprofit company I worked for, daydreaming about working from home and making more money. Now, don’t get me wrong – my job wasn’t bad at all. In fact, from my family’s and friends’ view, I was pretty darn lucky. I had a decent paycheck, a 401K, and a pretty flexible schedule. The problem was, I always felt like I was missing something. Maybe I was just a little rebellious, but even as far back as junior high, I knew I never wanted to work for someone else. I always looked for careers I could eventually do on my own, but I never imagined being able to do anything without a degree. So I majored in accounting. I know†¦ick. I thought I would eventually become a CPA and run my own business. But less than a year into working for a local firm, I realized it wasn’t for me. Enter Freelance Writing Since I wanted to be self-employed, I spent a lot of time scouring the internet for things I could do on the side. I tried a lot of them out over the years, like direct sales and online selling. I even made a little cash with some of my ventures. But nothing quite resonated with me like freelance writing. I loved to write and I loved the idea of getting paid to be creative. But, like most, I had no idea where to start. I began by following some freelance writing blogs I found, such as Careful Cents, Freelance Writing ,and Writers in Charge. And I got a lot of really great information. But when I came across Elna’s blog, something about her story and her writing style made me want to stick around. So I took a leap of faith and hired her as a coach, and later enrolled in her Write Your Way to Your First 1K freelance writing course. Setting Big Goals I must admit, I was a little slow to start. Like turtle pace slow. Like one pitch a week slow. But Elna kept nudging me along and encouraging me to set goals and dream big. So I did. At the end of November, I set a big goal to quit my job by January the following year, giving me a little over a year to build up my client list. I made up my mind that as soon as I replaced my income with freelance writing, I would turn in my notice. That same month, Elna hosted a pitching challenge in her private Facebook group. Since I knew that landing gigs was a little bit of a numbers game in the beginning, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get a writing job under my belt. And you know what? I landed four freelance writing jobs! I didn’t win the challenge, but I didn’t care. I had finally scored my first writing assignments and felt like I was on top of the world. That gave me the confidence to keep pitching and keep landing clients. I had a full workload faster than I ever imagined! The Day My Life Changed Forever I often say that finding Elnas blog and her course changed my life, and it did, but the day I knew my life was about to change forever was the day I realized I had actually earned as much from freelance writing as I had from my day job. I can’t remember how I reacted. I may have blacked out a little. Because this day didn’t come as scheduled. It came 9 months early! In only 3 short months I was able to learn the right tools and best practices about freelance writing, pitch my little heart out and land enough work to quite my 9-5 job for good. Because I wanted to make sure I could consistently earn the income I needed, I waited a couple of months to turn in my notice. It was one of the most gratifying days of my life. To Conclude Today, I’ve been a full-time freelance writer for 3 months, and I’m living the life of my dreams. Is it perfect? Heck no! Some days, I think about throwing in the towel and going back to a â€Å"real job† because I work harder and longer than I ever have. But the bottom line is this: There is nothing in this world I would rather do! What I hope you understand is that you CAN do this! Don’t let anyone tell you it’s dumb to leave a â€Å"secure† job to chase your dreams. The money you can make with freelance writing is virtually unlimited, and there is literally never a shortage of demand for your skills. But that’s enough about me. What’s holding you back from chasing your dream of becoming a freelance writer?