Encouraging Words for the Meek: Hold Fast
By Michael Stelzner
Can I give you a word of exhortation?
I get so many messages from people who are discouraged because they feel they can never tap into the world of writing white papers.
They argue, “I have no formal writing experience,” “I wasn’t a journalism major,” “I’ve never written a white paper…”
Guess what?
I was a speech major. I never had the job title “writer,” or even had writing as a major part of any corporate job.
My message to you is simple: I got here, so can you.
Here’s how I got to where I am today:
- I studied what worked in parallel industries
- I looked at what was behind the words (flow, structure, etc.)
- I experimented, and FAILED
- I stood up and tried again
- I relentlessly strive to always deliver my best
My encouraging word to you is to keep trying. Work hard. Stay determined. Learn from others.
Let’s hear from those who have succeeded, what did you do right and wrong?
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July 23rd, 2007 at 3:29 am
Mike,
Great post. Here is my story:
I started my business the “wrong” way — meaning I decided to go out on my own without any plan whatsoever.
I started without any clients or client list. I had just moved to the east coast so I had no network whatsoever. In short, I started from nothing.
I made a ton of mistakes.
The three things I did and still do which I believe make me successful:
I studied other people’s writing and when people gave me feedback on mine, I listened. Then I worked to make it better.
I kept marketing myself, learning new things, and trying, trying, trying.
I read everything and anything.
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:15 am
Hi Dianna;
How long did it take you to achieve success?
Mike
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:10 am
Michael, It took a bit of time. I started out very slowly because I was also “at home” with my son, who was 12 months old. In the beginning I worked maybe 10 - 15 hours a week. Over time I increased it to 20 (once he hit preschool). I didn’t start working full time until he was five years old. He’s ten now. So I would say it took me six to seven years (I’ve been in business since 1998).
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:31 am
Dianna - Thanks for sharing… Let’s here from some others. Speak up
- Mike
July 24th, 2007 at 2:49 am
Michael, you made some very good points there. I believe too many people give up too early, most likely do to the lack of patience. Without patience, there is no real reason to indulge in any type of activity. You have to be prepared to face hardships and fail at times, just hang in there!
Thank you, I subscribed to this blog yesterday. Hope I will continue to enjoy your posts…
July 24th, 2007 at 6:28 am
I would add one important point:
Unlike so many other business ventures, this business is very “doable.” In other words, it’s realistic to believe that you can make a good living writing white papers within a reasonable amount of time.
I say that because I’ve sold things (I came from a career in sales) such as water filters to homeowners, water-saving systems to hotels, seven-figure professional IT service contracts to F500 companies and underground sewage pipe and fittings to contractors.
Guess what? All of those things were much harder to succeed with than it was for me to succeed in this business.
I say this because if you’re an aspiring writer, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “yeah, yeah. I keep hearing this is a great business opportunity…but is it realistic? Is it “doable?” Or is this another big scam like the real estate infomercials you see if you’re up at 3 AM on a Saturday?
The answer is a resounding “yes!” This is a real business, one that anyone with average talent and good amount of perseverance and discipline can succeed in.
July 24th, 2007 at 6:32 am
Thanks for sharing your encouraging words Ed!
July 24th, 2007 at 8:19 am
GREAT RESPONSES !!!
ONE MAJOR KEY — WRITE ALL THE TIME AND SAVE IT ALL
IN NOTEBOOKS .
IDEAS STRIKE AT NIGHT — NO MATTER HOW TIRED , GET UP AND WRITE IT DOWN .
NEVER BE WITHOUT A PEN — IT ONLY TAKES ONE IDEA
AND THEN KNOCK OUT 300 -500 WORDS AND SELL IT .
MY LAST IDEA MADE ME $ 60,000 OVER 2 YEARS —-
BECAUSE I GOT OUT OF BED AND WROTE IT DOWN !
=== THE PHENOMENA IS THAT A GREAT IDEA HITS AS YOU
ARE ABOUT TO GO TO SLEEP AND YOU REALLY DO NOT WANT TO
ARISE ; OR IT HITS JUST AS YOU ARE ABOUT TO WAKE UP .
SONGS , JOKES , QUOTES AND ONE TO THREE SENTENCES WILL
STRIKE WITH AMAZING CLARITY —BUT , THE OTHER PART OF THE PHENOMENA IS THAT IF YOU DO NOT WRITE IT DOWN — IT EVAPORATES . I HAVE TESTED THIS AND PROVEN THIS OVER 40
YEARS OF RESEARCH . SADLY , I HAVE LOST MANY PAGES BY NOT
GETTING IT DOWN ON PAPER AS SOON AS IT HITS . I HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN AN IDEA EVAPORATING INTO A HAZE AS I AM SECONDS TOO LATE . IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS GONE IN A MINUTE !
HERE IS MY QUOTE FOR ALL : ” A BIG SHOT IS JUST A LITTLE SHOT THAT KEPT ON SHOOT’N !!! ” THANK YOU . LT.COL. DON VALENTINE IN NORTH GEORGIA MTNS.
July 24th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Ed,
Those real estate commercials you see at 3:00 AM have kernels of truth to them. I have a real estate client and interview RE investors every month. So I’ve met quite a few who are *very* successful.
However, like every venture out there, you need disclipine to follow through, patience, hard work, a network, etc. etc. etc.
You can’t just go out and be a successful real estate investor overnight. Ditto for freelance copywriting.
July 26th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Michael: the information you provide in your book Writing White Papers book, and the example provided by your own white paper, were enough to completely change my perspective.
I’ve previously written 38 books, but was never really comfortable with shorter documents until I encountered your resources.
Following your advice and example, I’m now a convert to the “white paper cause” and sending everyone (except my competitors) to check out your site.
July 26th, 2007 at 8:43 am
Roger - That made me smile!!! All my best! - Mike