Hey everyone!! I hope everyone is having a great day!
If you’ve been following my posts, you’ll know that I’ve only been posting book content on here. Well, my intention is to do more than just book content. I also want to write posts about my business. Well, my side of the business actually. I figured that I would start with my business story for my first business post. So, if you’re curious to learn about how I started my business years ago, read on.
It all started in 2020. I was unemployed at that time because I left my Barnes & Noble job because of covid. I felt very lost at the time, and had no idea what I wanted to do next. I tried doing a little bit of freelance writing for a company. That worked out temporarily, but didn’t last long. One day, I found an article online that said something about getting paid to read books from home. That really sparked my interest, because obviously I love to read, and it was a dream of mine for years to get paid to read books. I clicked on the article, and then learned about being a proofreader/copy editor from home. It sounded like a great idea. It was a dream of mine to get into the publishing industry for several years prior, but I never knew how to pursue it, because I didn’t have a college degree. The person who wrote that article had a course on learning how to be a proofreader/copy editor. So, I took the course and became an editor. Finding work was kind of difficult in the beginning. I didn’t know where to find clients. I discovered the website “Upwork” and found my first client on there. I ended up really enjoying my freelance job as a proofreader/copy editor, but I wanted to expand my skills and do more. I then discovered developmental editing (which is my favorite type of editing), and then took a course to learn that skill. I actually still take courses for that same website. I’m currently doing her romance editing course. So, after that, I became an official book editor. Finding clients was still a struggle for me, and it still is sometimes. I’m going to do a post on how to find editing clients at some point. Most of my clients back then came from Facebook. So, I did my editing business for three years. Honestly, I was still struggling. I wasn’t making enough money to live, and I had times where I had no clients. My business got especially slow the past two years, which is why I started looking for a job elsewhere. That’s when I got my job working at an independent bookstore last year. It was only temporary though, because the commute was too long. It was an hour drive. Another reason I left that job six months ago, is because I missed working from home. I’m such a homebody, so I love working from home. It’s interesting because when I was working my part-time bookstore job, my passion for the business kind of died. It’s honestly hard growing a business when you have another job. So, several months ago, I was honestly ready to give up and quit my business. I applied to a bunch of actual in-person jobs, and none of those worked out. I think the fact that I couldn’t find another job, made me realize that maybe this is what I’m meant to do. Maybe God wants me to be self-employed. I saw another sign when on our birthday, someone on Instagram sent me a DM saying she needs a beta reader. I then realized that, people do need me and my services. I thought about all of the people I helped previously. Honestly, being a freelance book editor is the best job I’ve ever had. None of my past jobs fulfilled me. Being a book editor/beta reader is so rewarding. I love helping and supporting indie authors. So, I didn’t actually quit my business. Stacey and I have been talking about wanting to do a business together for several years. We didn’t actually pursue that idea until a few months ago. We combined our services and now have our business together. I honestly think that starting a business together, brought back my passion for not only my job, but also being a business owner. My side of the business has picked up a bit since we started this project. We’re still in the beginning stage, but I have a lot of hope for us, so I want to keep going. I hope that 2025 is a better year for the business. I’m putting my all into this, and I refuse to fail.
Thank you so much for reading my business story. I really appreciate it! If you’re a business owner, or you want to be, leave me a comment down below. I would love to chat with you. Christmas is next week, so if you’re reading this, I hope you have a great holiday! God bless you!!
Have a great day and happy reading!!
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