Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in writing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Savarone Ammann, owner of Savvy Content LLC, located in Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I run a one-man digital writing shop called Savvy Content that helps brands, creative agencies, and publications write copy that's pretty, effective, and above all, true to who they are. What does the word "copy" entail? What doesn't it entail?! Copy includes all the language and messaging a brand puts, usually intended to engage, inform, or persuade someone to do something. Websites, articles, emails, product descriptions, ads, stories, and even billboards suspended over the highway down the street from you are all considered forms of "copy."
Tell us about yourself
I launched my writing business because, at the time, I felt underpaid, fed up with current job listings, and confident that I could pick up a pen and put down better words than most people. I found a few writers online to learn from, paid a friend to help me build a website, took a few courses on the craft, and started cold emailing whoever the hell I could. Years later, I had to turn down business because I couldn't manage any more clients, and at the start of 2023, I accepted a full-time role as a senior copywriter at an agency I was freelancing for. As I step into this new full-time role, I still plan to run Savvy Content in my spare time. If it weren't for my freelance business and the ranging opportunities it brought me, I never could have landed the new role that I did.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Today, I've written content for huge brands like Google, Android, Every Man Jack, Onnit, Soylent, and TRX. I've ghostwritten Forbes articles for hot-shot CEOs and written the marketing materials for cannabis mints that are in dispensaries as far and wide as who even knows! But my biggest accomplishment was proving to myself that I could generate a full-time income on my own as a freelance writer. Starting a business is daunting, and so many fail before they even get moving. I believe starting and operating any small business from scratch is a marvelous feat.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Needing to fulfill multiple roles at once. On paper (no pun intended), I'm a writer, but to successfully run my business, I also have to act as a planner, salesperson, negotiator, accountant, and administrator. This includes tasks like negotiating new projects, chasing down invoices, and tracking and managing expenses to write off during tax time.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be confident in the skill you're building your business around. Am I the greatest, most gripping writer to ever grace the earth? Nope. But I believe I'm a great writer, and I'm willing to keep practicing the craft and learning as I go.
- I recommend getting a business email for $6 per month from Google, a Quickbooks Self-Employed account for invoicing, expense tracking, and payments, a simple website or landing page where you can host your soon-to-be growing portfolio of work, and organizational tools like Notion and Google Calendar. No one in all my years of freelancing asked me for my resume. They wanted to know if I could deliver the work they needed at a high level and how much it was going to cost. That's it.
- It's a slow burn. Don't get disparaged if you don't have a glittering book of clients in 3 months. Get comfortable sending cold emails and even making cold phone calls if you're passionate about working with someone. Tell your friends, family, and network about your business. Someone they know might need your services. It's going to be hard for a while. Get accustomed to that and be patient, knowing that the work you put in will eventually come back out and reward you.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://savvycontent.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savarone_/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savarone-ammann/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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