Zulie Rane embarked on her freelance writing journey on October 10th, 2020. The initial hours of her newfound independence were fraught with anxiety, as she grappled with the fear of having made a grave mistake. Determined to gauge her success, she set a specific benchmark: she would only deem her new career a resounding triumph if she managed to earn $10,000 a month. It was only when she reached this milestone that she would be assured she was on the right trajectory.
Eight months into her freelance lifestyle, Zulie Rane realized her aspiration. In May 2021, she achieved her goal by earning $10,495.33, solidifying her conviction that she was on the path to success.
Here’s how Zulie Rane accomplished this feat and where it all originated:
Let it be known that success doesn’t materialize overnight; it’s a gradual process. In May, Zulie Rane earned $4,999.26 from her blog and YouTube endeavors, but this was no isolated stroke of luck. It was the culmination of two years of dedicated work, involving writing, filming, editing, networking, and continuous learning.
Well before venturing into full-time freelancing, Zulie diligently nurtured her side hustles. The foundation she established during that period provided a strong base upon which to build once she transitioned to full-time freelancing, finally having the capacity to commit more fully. Although her posting frequency decreased on both her blog and YouTube channel, her understanding of her audience’s preferences and her ability to cater to those needs greatly improved.
A critical factor was her existing audience. Without their support, transitioning to full-time freelancing would have been an uphill battle. However, armed with their backing, Zulie not only succeeded but thrived in her new career.
Zulie Rane had a unique experience the previous week: she declined a work offer because her schedule was already packed. Looking back, she realized that this should have been her “You’ve Made It” milestone—a moment when she could afford to turn down paying work. It was a luxury she could scarcely believe.
While a part of her questioned the wisdom of rejecting any paying opportunity, the more rational side recognized this as one of the perks of a flourishing freelancing career: the ability to decline work and preserve precious free time.
In May 2021, Zulie boasted five clients who contributed a total of $4,475.00 to her income. However, what truly mattered was that she was engaged in work she was passionate about, relishing every moment she spent writing for these clients. These opportunities didn’t materialize overnight; rather, they trickled in gradually. Some clients stuck around, some moved on, and others even referred her to additional clients. What brought her solace was that half of her income came from sources she had control over, instead of relying solely on the whims of a fickle platform’s algorithm.
The final portion of Zulie Rane’s significant $10,000 month came from self-promotion and her services, totaling $1,021.07. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment—less than 10% of her remarkable earnings came directly from her own efforts. The majority of her income still relied on external sources or platforms.
At the outset of her journey, Zulie had aspired to evenly distribute her income across three avenues: platforms like YouTube, clients who paid her for her writing skills, and her own products and courses. It was somewhat disheartening to realize that she hadn’t been able to market herself to the extent she initially intended.
Promoting her courses and services proved to be a challenging task, one that resonated with many other writers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs who grappled with similar struggles. For most in these professions, sales didn’t come naturally.
Despite her disappointment in her self-marketing endeavors, Zulie acknowledged this as an area in which she could improve in the months to come. She remained determined to enhance her self-promotion skills.
The true measure of success, as Zulie Rane understood, wasn’t solely the money she earned but also the quality time she reclaimed from work.
Throughout May 2021, her total work hours amounted to 65 hours, 40 minutes, and 39 seconds, meticulously tracked using Clockify. Beyond those hours, she indulged in numerous activities—reading books, playing video games, spending quality moments with her cats, and sharing memorable experiences with her husband, such as attending a Braves game, visiting Six Flags, and taking leisurely walks around their neighborhood.
Zulie cherished her lifestyle not only for the financial freedom it afforded but also for the precious commodity of time it granted her. She had previously expressed her fondness for minimizing her work hours, firmly believing that the true value of the freelance lifestyle lay in the liberated hours it provided. In May, this conviction was reaffirmed as she relished the invaluable freedom it offered.
Zulie Rane reflected on her decision to decline work the previous month and how it impacted her income in June. While she could have chosen to accept more projects and potentially earn a larger income in June, she opted to prioritize her well-being.
June brought unexpected life events that left her feeling stressed, sleep-deprived, anxious, and lacking motivation. Despite a part of her pushing to maintain her high-income momentum after hitting the $10,000 milestone, she made the conscious choice to take a break and recuperate from the pressure.
As a result, her income for June was more modest, falling short of five figures. However, Zulie found solace in allowing herself to ebb and flow with not just the demands of work but also her own mental energy. The overarching lesson she gleaned was that freelancing granted her the freedom to take a month to unwind without dire consequences.
While it might appear that it took 65 hours of work to earn $10,495.33 in May, the truth was that it took nearly three years to reach that milestone. Zulie embarked on her journey in September 2018, earning a meager $3.32 in her first month. Now, two and a half years later, she deemed herself successful by her previous standards. She had a fulfilling job, an abundance of free time, and a comfortable income.
Her success was also predicated on learning invaluable lessons that continued to shape her growth. Zulie had to learn the hard way about pricing her services, with her initial freelance writing client paying a mere $30 for a blog post. Today, she had a much better understanding of her worth and pricing.
She acknowledged that the journey forward required constant effort and improvement, recognizing her income streams were variable. Her current challenge was self-promotion, but she remained committed to identifying and addressing new weaknesses as they arose.
In closing, Zulie shared that she had achieved a monthly income of $10,495.33 through freelance writing, emphasizing that anyone could do the same with dedication and hard work.
Source: entrepreneur.com
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