Everyone starts somewhere, and it’s never where we want

We’re talking about switching gears, making money and valuing yourself.

When I started coaching writers, I was afraid people wouldn’t buy into my passion or expertise. What if I sucked? What if I didn’t earn enough to support myself?

Sure I was a long-time journalist and editor, but what if I couldn’t teach?

My doubt showed in my pricing. I launched my site and sold one-month packages for a measly $429, including unlimited editing. Of course, it worked. But I barely made enough to eke by. Eventually, I bumped it up to $629.

If you’ve never edited and coached writers, let me just pause right here and tell you: it’s a shit ton of work.

So yeah, I was making money doing something I loved. I had plenty of clients and many more who wanted in. It was great.

The thing that wasn’t great? Working 80 or more hours each week and still scraping change to buy groceries. Talking to clients every Saturday for more than a year straight, and spending every Sunday editing. Staying up late five nights a week to meet deadline.

Here’s the thing:

I started coaching writers because it was what I thought I knew best. And my clients validated my worth. What I didn’t anticipate was how much more qualified I was for other endeavors too.

But the most curious part of it all began when my dream shifted. When one piece of the puzzle didn’t fit anymore.

After seeing my success online, friends and family asked for marketing and social media tips. How can I get there too?

I wanted to tell them. I knew exactly what they could do to reach their potential. But I was so damn busy with writing clients, I didn’t have time.

So I upped my prices again.

Instead of working with so many people that I couldn’t stop to eat dinner with my family, I allowed myself to focus on the people who really wanted and needed my services. And freeing up time during the day meant I could answer questions for busy entrepreneurs, too.

That’s when I started taking courses online, digging further into what it meant to be a truly great coach.

The similarities between coaching writers and entrepreneurs are interesting. It’s hard for everyone to see their own problems because we’re too attached to our skills and programs.

Sometimes, what you’re really paying for in a coach is someone to point you in a direction you’ve been meaning to go anyway. (Tweet that.)

The pull from writing to business became too obvious to ignore: If other people saw my strengths, it was time for me to put on my big kid, no-more-fuckery pants and do this damn thing.

So I did.

My writing clients now pay for intense three-month packages ranging from $2500 to $7500, practically seventeen times what they paid originally. But this isn’t about what I earn. It’s about how investing in yourself – taking yourself seriously – can transform your life.

And it doesn’t happen overnight. When I first launched those writing packages, I earned $212 in the entire month that followed. It takes time to transition, for your audience to see you are serious about what you do and who you want to work with. The following month, I saw my first five-figure profit.

In the end, people pay for a result. And they don’t care if it takes you 100 hours or 10 minutes. It’s something they cannot do on their own.

So now I’ve freed up time to work with entrepreneurs, making both writing and business coaching fresh and interesting.

I hired two new writing coaches and two editors and I have a brilliant team of women who keep me on track. This allows me help YOU get back on track too.

Want to know what happens when you understand your value? The world shows you what you’re worth. (Tweet that, too.)

This is about valuing yourself for what you provide and putting your money where your mouth is.

If you have a dream and the drive to make it happen, you’re going to get there. That doesn’t mean you won’t need help. Trust me, I know.

Still, it’s time you start asking yourself if you’re serious about your dream.

Because I started from the bottom too.

Confessions of a Dirty Blonde :: Forever is a good word

When I’m sitting in front of my laptop and the words won’t come, I try to remember the things my writing coach told me. Funny how we strangle our minds enough that the helpful bits get lost in the chaos of our fear and frustration.

When I was in Write Raw – a rookie in the book writing world – I tried to take notes during the hour-long sessions with Beck. My laptop was covered in Post-It notes, positivity and performance tips scribbled everywhere.

The problem? I take notes like my students did, and they’re hard to comprehend after the fact.

Once I was far enough away from the program, I lost the meaning of all those notes. I progressed through my manuscript trying to recall everything she said and believing a tiny note held answers I needed.

I think this is a problem for writers in general, though I must say part of it stems from my lackluster note-taking.

One of the things we do around here when we aren’t kicking asses and taking names is try to better our programs. Weekly brainstorming sessions and late-night Beckster emails happen on the regs. And for the most part, my husband doesn’t mind (unless, of course, he wants my late nights).

Sometimes through these sessions, we come up with ideas to improve already standing programs. Sometimes inspiration takes us new places. It’s always an exciting day when we can announce a new program. So let’s make new magic happen.

The Write Now Sessions is a new 6-week program at RebeccaTDickson.com. Signup for online access to coaching videos and handouts, AND real time with Beck. The key: Long after your time with Becky is through, you can play and replay those videos whenever and wherever you want. (This is très, très better than banging your head against the keyboard while trying to decipher a long forgotten Post-It.)

When you finish your first book? You’ll still be able to go back through the program. Over and over again. And your sessions never expire. You get access for life. Forever and ever and always. Because forever is a good word. The end.

You’ll have access to some of the same tips and tricks given out to Write Raw and Summer Writing Camp students, and you’ll be able to take them in at your own pace – when you have the time. It kills the “I can’t make my schedule work around coaching sessions” excuse.

But that’s not the best part.

If you pre-order, you’re only paying $297, murdering the “I can’t afford it” excuse.

With nothing left to stop you, will you come up with a new excuse – or signup?

Get your ass in the chair and the words out of your beautiful head. It’s time (and nearly $1,500 less expensive than working privately with Becky).

Don’t wait too long to make the decision though. The price is a perk for jumping on board now. It nearly doubles to $497 soon.

The Write Now Sessions will be released November 1, 2014. On that day, access to all course materials will be emailed to those who have purchased.

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Got writing questions for Capo? Email capo@rebeccatdickson.com. Confessions of a Dirty Blonde goes out every Thursday.