How did you start your business?

How’d You Start Your Business, Blog, Or Freelance Career?

We’re chatting about our beginnings, so this should be interesting.  I’ve shared this before, I began writing when I was stuck in a job I absolutely hated and knew if I didn’t do something to change my path, I’d always be working for jerks and a$$holes.  Before you roll your eyes, I’ve worked for some great people over time, but this law office I was working in was the absolute worst.  Nasty people, back biting, trouble makers, you name the disfunction, it was there.  

I should back up just a bit and say that I’d always wanted to write. Since I was young I dreamed of it, I just didn’t know how I could possibly achieve it.  It seemed like the most unreachable goal.  So back to the bad job, it had been a particularly horrible day and I came home and told my husband I was going to write a story.  I had the plot sort of organized in my head, character names, descriptions and location.  He told me to go for it.  So, I sat and tapped away on the computer and wrote and deleted and wrote again. It took a few months for that first book but I managed to finish it.  Found an editor and a publisher and then…crickets.

So, I started doing a bit more research, found some nice author folks on Facebook and Twitter and began asking questions.  One author told me I should ask for my rights back, since the publisher wasn’t doing anything for me.  Lucky for me I worked in a law office.  I wrote a letter and emailed it off.  Lucky for me, they were agreeable to handing over all of my rights.  I re-covered, re-titled, re-edited and started over.  We are now into year one and it was looking kind of bleak.  Designing Samantha’s Love was born – again.

More research, more questions and a fellow author told me I needed to keep writing.  One book wasn’t going to be enough and readers prefer an author who has demonstrated that they will continue to write.  Book number 2 came out, Moving to Love and shortly thereafter book number 3, Moving to Hope.  I am half way through year four as I write this and I now am preparing to release book number ten!  That’s right, TEN and I’m super excited about it.

I’m still working part time in a different law office, but my writing is improving, my sales are growing (though slowly) and I’ve learned so much about this business.  Most importantly, I LOVE writing and I have story ideas for the next several years.

So, for me, I sat down and started writing.  What about you?  How did you start your business?  Let me know then let’s hop on over and see how some of my fellow bloggers started their businesses. 


5 thoughts on “How did you start your business?”

  1. Butt in the seat, hands on the keys … that is the essence of writing. How many books have you published now?

  2. I started creating teasers for a contest for a Street Team that I am a member of. I found out that I had a knack for it and it escalated from there. I’m very happy with my new career.

    • It’s amazing how things we enjoy doing turn into our careers, but then again, that’s the best case scenario. And, from personal experience, I can say, you’re very good at what you do.

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