Tips I Learned From The Guy Who Writes Email For A Living
As we become a web-centric world, more online opportunities arise and freelancing is becoming one of the most sought careers, especially for the Generation Y. With its flexibility and benefits, even the jobholders are making the switch from full-time to freelancing.
Take John Pagulayan as an example. Before he achieved everything he has, he was once a clown who makes people laugh, and later on became a call center agent who answers people’s call. That’s who he was – the guy who doesn’t sleep for a living. It took years before he gave up his job and decided to start freelancing. At first, he had no idea what email marketing or copywriting is, but he’s confident enough to follow his instincts and take the risks. From being the guy who doesn’t sleep just to make a living, he’s now the founder of The Freelance Movement and currently known as “The Guy Who Writes Email For A Living”. He can sleep anytime he wants or work everywhere he wants.
I can say that I am lucky enough to meet him and heard the story of his journey. Thanks to Obra Digital for coming up with an event called Obra Sessions: Creatives Night. Other than inspiring creatives with true career stories, the event also aims to gather creative freelancers to maximize their value and potential in the digital world. It was held at the Caferista in Kapitolyo, Pasig last April 19. The event was participated by the industry's young creative freelancers, John Pagulayan, the speaker, and was successfully hosted by the Obra Digital team.
I must admit that I am not a fan of attending an event that needs socializing. However, after attending this event, I am now looking forward to attending more events in the future. Organizers were very accommodating, food and drinks were just so good, and everything was intimate.
What made the whole event incredible was the learnings that it left us. The speaker, John Pagulayan truly made sure that we learned something from him before the night ends.
And here are the tips I learned from him that you can also study if you’re planning to go freelance:
1. The Strategy of Preeminence is at the heart of everything you do.
2. You are not selling your time, your efforts, and your work. You are selling the value of the result you deliver.
3. Never let a client do anything that isn't in their best interests.
4. Choosing a market allows you to position your services better.
5. Understand exactly how your service affects your client's business.
Above all these, the most important thing I learned is that freelancing is not an easy path to navigate if you don’t put an effort in it and if you don’t take it seriously.