As some of you may be aware, I’m getting ready for the greatest product launch of my life. A baby. I’m having a baby.

While I’d love nothing more than to take 3months off and not think about work, as a business owner that just ain’t gonna happen. I haven’t spent 3+ years building Copywrite Matters up only to let it languish!

So, being the terribly organised person I am, I’m preparing early. There will be checklists, I can guarantee that. I’m actually using this as a catalyst to systemise my business, cementing my business processes and, in some cases, developing them to begin with.

A business continuity exercise if you will!

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My name is Rebekah and I’m a work-a-holic.

If one more person tells me I work too hard or really need to learn how to relax, I may very well head-butt them.

You see, I usually work 6 days a week and even on the 7th, still check my blog, email and social media. When I am on holidays, I take the laptop and end up writing a blog or 7.

I don’t know how to take big slabs of time and turn them into anything other than writing. I am OK with that.

If you fall into this category of being accused of being a workaholic, here’s why you should be OK with it, too.

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Sometimes working with a new copywriting client is like starting a new friendship. A friendship that could become so much more. When I hand over the first draft of their copywriting, it can feel like I’m handing them my heart.

It’s agony. Delicious, wonderful agony but agony none the less. Will they like it? Have I captured the spirit of their business? Have I taken it a step further and turned that spirit into copy that is some kind of wonderful?

Sometimes, the answer is no. Sometimes, the first version isn’t quite right and it can feel like my heart has been stomped on by a stiletto. Ok, so that’s a bit dramatic. I honestly don’t take feedback personally but I always want to nail it. When I don’t, I’m disappointed…. In myself.

But do you know what? A little rejection is good for the soul.

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As a writer, particularly one who enjoys the many benefits of working from home, there are few things less appealing than having to work in an office every day. However, office life is no longer about working the 9-5 grind in a solitary cubicle. In fact,  working in one of the growing number of co-working spaces could actually benefit a lot of freelancers and other professionals for that matter.

Here’s how.

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Some companies create revolutionary products or services and yet they just can’t seem to break into the market or reach the number of people that they need to. They advertise, they have expensive models showing how product or service X can save time and money, they go to trade shows, have all the social media accounts and still it seems like the idea just doesn’t have traction. Which is strange because those people who understand it, think that it’s the best thing since sliced bread… does anyone remember Betamax?

Here are 5 ways you could be ruining your good idea…

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There is a well-known phrase that goes something like: “Never meet your heros lest they disappoint you.” I mean, who hasn’t met someone they’ve admired only to be crushed when they turned out to be a complete bell-end?

You might think this post will be about a successful dickhead I met – but it’s quite the opposite.

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Being a small business owner does not mean you need to know everything there is about business.

While it is true that you will likely be expected to wear several hats and take on an array of responsibilities, you don’t have to be an expert in each area. As a small business owner, you’re continually learning on the job and developing new skills, knowledge, and talent.

The desire and motivation to learn and become better is found in all successful business owners and for a good reason.

Here are the top seven traits that help owners be a successful boss and business owner.

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There’s a feeling in your waters that there is something else you are meant to be doing with your life but leaving the security of what you have known is just too much to overcome. You might tell yourself “Better the devil you know” or you always have a reason why you couldn’t possibly do something that you’d been dreaming of since your brain stopped growing.

So, if this has made your eyeballs spasm and you had to re-read that first bit, I’ve struck gold!

I am here to tell you not to be too tough on yourself if, every day, you find yourself hating what you are doing. There will be a day when you will say  “Right, I’m not doing this any more!”  When that day turns up, bottle how you feel in the bottom of your gut. That solid feeling of conviction that you are going to change the world. Do whatever you have to, but one thing I will recommend is writing this down:

“I promise to not allow any fear of mine or others sway me from what I know in my heart that I must do.”

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This may sound obvious to some people, but freelancing is just like any other business. If you’re a freelancer then you probably feel like you can work anytime and anywhere. However, at the end of the day you still have to make some profits if you want to eat.

So, since the core goals of a freelancer and a business owner are quite the same, we can safely say that treating freelancing like a business is a must. But how do you do it? Right now, the whole idea sounds a little vague. I hope I can shed some light on this.

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This week’s guest blog is brought to you by Brook McCarthy from Yoga Reach. If you’ve ever wondered whether being a jack of all trades Or a specialist is better for your business, this one is for you.

When you’re passionate about a subject – be it Hinduism, business efficiencies, or interpretive dance – it doesn’t need to be for love or money. Specialising in your subject can create profitable business.

Amid a trove of generalists, specialists dominate. Without a specialty, you are one amid many, hard to define.

Your words may pop and sizzle, your profile picture all high hair and intense expression, your bio may bedazzle. Yet without a specialty in a niche, with ideas and opinions on these, you are comparable. A little more money, a little less money. A little more personality, a little less personality. Available, not available. A short brief for the client to fill out, or a long brief.

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