Looking around my office space, it’s hard to believe it’s been almost five years since I first started full-time remote working.
From my first client, who took that leap of faith, to a whole host of companies who now vouch for the benefits of having a remote working copywriter on their team. It’s been a joyous ride.
I’m not saying it hasn’t been difficult. After all, there’s still that negative perception about remote working – hit that snooze button six or seven times, watch the breakfast news followed by a little Cash in the Attic, then I suppose I ought to do a spot of work. It’s not like that. It never has been.
Remote working has actually given me more hours in my day to do what I love – write copy. In my past life as an agency-side writer, there were endless distractions. People to catch up with. Pointless meetings to attend. Briefs to sign off. My productivity was low.
Now I have clients I’ve never met face to face. They don’t care. If they had to pick my voice out from a line up they’d know it instantly. If there’s any problems or concerns they call me, otherwise it’s all via email - something that has become even easier since the prevalence of smartphones. Communication has never been easier.
There have been endless survey results regarding the benefits of remote working – the time spent not commuting, optimised work conditions - and the overall result is that remote workers are less stressed. Does that apply to me? Hell yeah. I’m in charge of my schedule. I’m not wasting valuable time and energy commuting to an office. It’s transformed my life in a meaningful way.
What does that mean for my clients? I create more work that I’m passionate about. Copy that answers their brief and most importantly a copy doc that lands in their inbox before the deadline.
Finally, the invoice. I’ve not got a shiny building I need to pay rent on, or a fridge I need to keep full of fizzy drinks, I work from home. So my invoice to my clients is for the work I do. Not the overheads. In my last full-time job in an agency, I was being charged out at twice the rate of my current day rate. And I spent half my day in meetings. That’s not good maths for clients.
Would I change my journey into remote working? Not a chance in hell.
