I know what you're going through.

My wife was a nurse for 15 years and now is an administrator...
She still works those same long hours though.

To top it off she going to school to finish her MBA...

Guess who cooks and takes care of the kids?

You guessed it... Mr Mom!

Great stuff, guys! I'm sure this thread will be helpful to many people. Thanks!


Dale King

Blimey!

Absolutely true.

Thousands of people go to college and get degrees. Not everyone gets to a 6, 7 or 8 figure careers. Does it mean that the college degree is the reason? It can't be, because *some* going through the same program, from the same school reach the pinnacle of success while others struggle to put food on the table.

Wether it's AWAI, a college degree or any education - it's just a set of essential tools. Tools don't make money. What you do with the tools that matter.

I wouldn't become Ansel Adams if I bought *pro* cameras and bought a 4 figure home-study course (I know, coz I did it)

AWAI can most certainly lead you to a very lucrative career, the same way as other method of training could.

I gotta stop. I write a lot when I'm tipsy, and it's Friday evening....

Nadin

That article about the AWAI hype is true. But parts of it is also ridiculous.

Especially the expenses part. I mean if you work from home your expenses are probably $200 or less a month. And you get all the tax write offs too.

Another thing is he makes it sound so incredibly hard--and discouraging. If a new copywriter read it, most will think it's impossible for them to make any decent money and throw in the towel before even getting started. Which is false, look at Harlan (he's an example that it IS indeed possible to make huge money writing copy).

And he says you have to be an excellent writer-again, that depends. Personally I don't think I'm a great writer compared to all the super talented people on this board. Some of my sales letters suck and miss horribly and the conversion is bad. But last month I did manage to write a sales letter that converts 6-7% and earned me a whopping $7300 for that one letter. I have 2 other letters to write this month, we'll see how that goes. So it's do-able, and those lurking and thinking about being a copywriter should know that nothing is impossible and it can be done.

And the reason this guy Alan Sharpe is not making more money after 15 years is because he sounds kind of negative and seems like he's a small thinker. I think Jason Moffatt is right that you make whatever you want to make. Just because Mr.Sharpe hasn't made the big money while working only a few hours a day doesn't give him the right to dash other people's dreams and hopes.

I agree that the AWAI course is basic. That's why I try to read 1-2 books a month on copywriting when I get a chance.

Kathy

The one good thing I can say about the AWAI course is that it ignited the fire in my belly again.

I've wanted to make a living as a writer since I was in grade school. Although I've earned some freelance pennies, I got caught up in my steady paycheck in my day job and the day-to-day routine of work, family, etc. A decade ago, I bought Jeff Paul's course because I wanted to market my writing products from home. I made some novice mistakes--some very expensive ones--took down my shingle and went to grad school. Then, I started teaching.

Once I saw the AWAI course, it reminded me that I needed to pursue my lifelong goals. Yes, every now and then I'd start an article, try to write a novel, etc., but then I'd get busy with life again and stop for awhile. If I believed everything I read, this article would scare the heck out of me. Fortunately, I don't believe everything I read. Although I know I'll incur a few more expenses as I expand, advertise, etc., I think this article is a bit scary to someone who hasn't made the leap from wanting to be a copywriter to actually doing it.

I'm new and have so much to learn--I know--but if anyone is still just thinking about it, take action. I've already decided I'll do well at this--even though I'm just a babe in the field. That's not arrogance; I've just decided I want it badly enough that I'm willing to learn everything I need to know to be excellent. I don't have the money to invest in expensive programs, so I have to circumvent that issue and find ways to get the information I need without spending a lot of money. I buy a lot of used books from Amazon.com. I listen to teleconferences when I can. (I won over $200 the other night on one call!) Some nights, I just don't get enough sleep. I'm just doing whatever it takes.

I don't call myself a newbie any longer; I'm just a copywriter learning from the masters. The one downside I've heard about AWAI is that they keep you dependent. If you read posts on this board, there are a lot of copywriters who never finished the course. They didn't have to. Just like any career, everyone has their unique experiences. Make yours one you can be proud of.

Okay, I've been lurking for a while, but now I think I should chime in...

Some of you already know this story, but on On January 27th of this year, I quit my job as an in-house copywriter and launched a full time freelance career. Today is September 2nd, and I'm on course to crack six figures this year.

This is how I did it...

1) First, I cut my teeth the hard way..through actually DOING it. For 10 years, I wrote radio commercials, catalog copy, TV commercials, billboards, brochures, magalogs, web pages, print ads, on hold scripts, you name it. But I always did it for someone else. I never considered working for myself. I thought copywriters were supposed to be holed up in ad agencys for 60 hours a week, trying to think of a different synonym for "delicious" that they haven't used already.

2) Then something wonderful happened--In the Spring of 2004, got fired! So I began perusing the interent for copywriting jobs and I stumbled on a market I never realized even existed--the online direct response market. But even then I was skeptical. So I did my due dilligence and started researching. Every night for a year I was online, reading through forums like this one, poring over sales letters, trying to see if this online marketing thing was actually legit or just a scam. I was amazed at how much a copywriter's work was valued (this doesn't happen much at in-house gigs) in this marketplace and how much they were making. Finally one day I realized that "Hey...these people are for real and there's a few writers out there making VERY good money." So I made the next step...

3) IN the Fall of 2005, I paid $100 to get on a series of calls with Harlan and Tina about how to start your copywriting career. They were INVALUABLE, and answered many of the questions I had. Harlan and Tina both had shot up through the ranks fast, so I studied their notes to the letter. I even asked Tina if I needed to take the AWAI course with my experience and she steered me away from it (thanks Tina!). But one of the things they were both very high on was attending seminars. So with that in mind...

3) In October of 2005, I paid $500 for a weekend copywriting seminar in Denver with Michel Fortin and Ken Calhoun. It was a pretty large chunk for us to invest at the time, but my wife (God bless her) believed in me. PLus, I raised the money on a Warrior Forum WSO by selling resale rights to a set of ebooks I had written (and failed miserably at) and I even drove the 12-1/2 hours to and from Southwest Missouri to save on airfare. BUT WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! For the first time, I was meeting and chatting with some of the people I had read about online. It was a smaller group--about 30 people--but it was there that I was able to establish friendships with fantastic writers like John Angel and Ray Edwards. Ken was great and of course, Michel and Sylvie were so open and helpful. And when I drove back, I knew I could make a go at this. So I started planning my escape...

4) I targeted the last of January as my transition day and began to gobble up any and all info I could find on getting started, finding clients, etc. Then I found out Harlan and Tina were having a seminar of their own in San Francisco about 2 weeks before I was taking the leap. So I cinched up the belt once more and made arrangments to be there. And this is where things REALLY started to get interesting...

5) It's the morning of the second day of the seminar and I'm in the atrium of a San Francisco hotel getting a danish and juice before the first speaker, Alex Mandossian, begins. I knew of Alex (who doesn't?), but I never had actually met him. So I sit down to eat and I hear a voice that says, "Mind if we join you?" I look up and it's Alex and his son Gabriel. "Uh...YES", I choke as my danish gets stuck in my throat, "PLEASE have a seat". After introductions, I struck up a conversation with Gabriel. Since he was the same age as my little girl, we talked cartoons, Spider Man...you know, important stuff. Then Alex and I began to talk. And when I tell him about my background in catalog writing, he perks up. "I may have something for you", he says, and proceeds to explain the concept behind Reality Teleseminars, a project he and Tellman Knudson were launching in a few months. "Let me have your card and we'll talk next week." I was dumbfounded. Here was a kingpin in the industry and he's interested in hiring me. After he left, I called my wife and said, "Baby, I think I may have landed my first client...and it ain't just ANY client..."

Since this is getting windy, I'll cut to the chase: Alex hired me and was very happy with my work. Since then, I've worked on several other projects for him and he's referred a number of top level clients my way. He's been a catalyst for my career and I could never thank him enough...but I would have never even met him if I hadn't taken that step and invested in a seminar.

I've also taken my catalog writing experience and marketed myself to that sector. On the second day of my freelance career, I sent out 11 emails to leading catalog production houses across the nation. Within 3 hours, I had received 4 replys, 2 that wanted samples immediately. Within a week, I had scored a $4000 gig, which has turned into several other projects as well. I'm currently working on a book that explains more about the catalog copywriting market and how to break into this huge yet vastly underserviced industry...so stay tuned.

Finally, my "money goal" for my first year was to at least make the same amount I was making as an in-house guy. That way we knew the bills would be paid. It wasn't a large goal and I was pretty sure I could hit it, but that little bit of fear was still there.

In 4 months, I blew by it. And I mean BLEEEWWWWW by it. And I've never looked back. Since then I've had work coming out my ears and more on the way. I never dreamed I could do 100k plus in my first year, but it's definitely acheiveable now.

So here's my advice:

--Do your due dilligence. Study, read, write, write some more. Get your chops (and your confidence) to a high level.

--Get to a seminar: This is what changed everything for me. Sure, they're not cheap, but it not only gave me confidence to take the leap, but it also got me a whopper of a client. Plus, they're a total BLAST! I also attended my first Big Seminar last Spring and came away with thousands of dollars worth of business. So I would highly suggest going (see my sig for more info).

--If you can find a niche, corner it: My catalog experience has not only helped propel my career, but it's also prompted Alex to dub me, "The best autoresponder copywriter he's ever seen". <blushing> So pick something, get REALLY good at it, and people will be knocking down your doors.

Anyway, that's my story. My family and I thank God every day for our blessings and we know He's been the guiding hand behind my every move.

Hope this helps. Six figures a year CAN happen--just maybe not the way AWAI puts it. You just gotta work hard and go get it!

Jay, that was a fantastic post. Thanks for being so open and honest. Very inspiring.

Agreed Jay,

Awesome post.

It's great to see these success stories, and I hope yours
inspires a few more people around here to just jump into
the pit.

Rock On jbird.

I just added you to my inspirational heroes hall of fame.

A.

PS if you'r ever up near KC, let me know and we'll hook up.

You like me...you REALLY like me....

No seriously, thanks all for the kind words. My story's a little different than others, but I hope it helps those who are struggling to take a deep breath and, in the words of one Kevin Cronin, "Keep on rollin'..." (dating myself a bit there).

This is an awesome career with loads of opportunity and plenty of room for more. And your six-figure slice of the pie is just sitting there, with a big glop of whip cream on top.

Now, you gonna eat that or should I?