Behind-the-scenes of my business model

This is a tell-all

Mindset Mastery is a weekly newsletter about the psychology of self-employment from Jenni Gritters. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while and you receive value from it, I’d encourage you to sign up for a paid membership. By doing so, you’re also helping me make business coaching for self-employed folks more accessible to all.

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🚨I’m hosting a workshop next Monday, the 26th, all about how to build a stable financial floor to support your journalism & creative writing. It’s called The Jump Playbook. Y’all, this is the best curriculum I’ve ever taught. The 90-minute session includes nine practical steps I took to move my business from $4,000/ month to $20,000 month; plus you get a portfolio review from me; a 21-page handbook full of templates, case studies and a marketing plan; and a small-group, mastermind-style brainstorm to help you figure out the most exciting ways to diversify. Join us? Tickets are going fast! 🚨

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If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’ve had many different seasons in my business.

The “I’m starting a business” season

When I started working for myself post-layoff, in 2018, I didn’t have kids. My husband was working the night shift at a hospital in downtown Seattle, so I was really inspired to work. I started out making $4,000/ month as a freelance writer, then eventually scaled to more like $8-10k/ months. The method, however, was pure hustle. I was juggling dozens of projects each month, mostly journalism or content marketing.

Over time, I realized that freelance journalism wasn’t sustainable in and of itself, if I wanted to make ends meet while living in an expensive city. So I added in other offerings: editorial consulting, working as a part-time managing editor, copywriting and assisting with a content migration, and developing internal content (blogs and newsletters) for large corporations. What most people saw, though, was my big byline in the New York Times, or the feature story I wrote about Instagram influencers for The Guardian.

Look at her! So excited to be in business with herself!

The “becoming a parent in a pandemic” season

When my son was born, I entered another season. During the pregnancy, I was very sick with hyperemesis and (in hindsight) clinically depressed. I needed work that was, frankly, boring. I set my sights on content marketing and product reviewing. Then he was born right as the pandemic began and despite me wondering if things were going to get easier after my pregnancy, they didn’t. I lost many of my journalism clients during the pandemic and pieced together content projects — especially writing for universities — instead, to make ends meet.

She’s a lot more tired, now, but still doing it.

The “primary parent while traveling” season

A year later, we packed our life into a storage unit and hit the road, so my husband could work as a traveling nurse. I was co-hosting a podcast at the time and also started offering coaching while I completed my coach training; slowly, my work mix started to look similar to today’s model, which is a combination of coaching and product reviewing.

The “primary earner with 2 kids” season

After I had my daughter, we entered yet another season (are you sensing a theme?). My husband left his job as a nurse and suddenly, I needed to pick up all the financial slack. But the potential was there, and I jumped for it: I offered coaching, content and copy support for large brands, product reviews, and content marketing services. I also pivoted to only taking on work that was paid more than $900, unless it came in a “bundle” of assignments.

These days, work happens while parenting more often than not. It’s a mix I like, even if I am still very tired.

Today, my business generates $20,000+ per month. I work part-time, and my husband also has a hand in running the business. My assistant, Sarah, plays a big role in helping me with research and administration, too.

It’s taken me 6+ years to land on what I call the 3-slice business model:

• Slice 1: Recurring revenue (retainers, rotating stability with recurrent clients, etc)

• Slice 2: One-off projects (articles, etc)

• Slice 3: An expertise-driven offer (for me, coaching and workshops)

At this point, I am able to choose to do journalism — but I don’t rely on it as the base for my business model. I also don’t work on a project-to-project basis, because that means living paycheck-to-paycheck. Instead, I’ve embraced long-term relationships (and I created SUSTAIN, my group coaching program, with a particular design that leads to recurring revenue.)

This model is a game changer. I want to teach you all the steps to implement it in your business, too — because I’ve watched many of my clients start to diversify, look for recurring work and lean into their expertise, and I know it’s revolutionary.

So… I’m teaching you hot to do it. I’m offering a workshop next Monday that is honestly the best thing I’ve ever taught, hands down. The JUMP Playbook is a 90-minute live workshop focused on using your writing skills to build a stable, financially grounded freelance business with space for creative projects (or whatever else you want to use that time for). The reality is that everyone needs copy. Everyone needs to communicate. As a trained writer, you’re well-prepared to offer that service in many different ways.

During the workshop, we’ll talk about how to reframe your expertise for different clients. I’ll pull back the curtain on 9 different keys to scaling your business without hustling, based on my personal experiences. You get a 15-minute breakout session where you can ask for feedback from your peers about possible diversification opportunities.

And — this isn’t just a workshop — you get access to a 21-page handbook full of templates, marketing strategies and case studies. Plus I’m offering a website review for each attendee as part of your registration.

Truly, the value of this is insane. And I’m offering it because I’ve seen the way media is shattering. I’ve seen the panic, the ebbs and flows you have no control over. I’ve felt that same pain.

Frankly, I’m over it. Let’s get you unstuck from an industry — journalism and content creation — that wasn’t build with human care in mind.

It can be so much better.

xo,

Jenni

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Curious about my background? I’m a writer and business coach based in Central Oregon. I have two small children and I work part-time so I can spend a lot of time with them. I’m obsessed with teaching people how to build successful businesses that support their human needs first. Check out my coaching offerings here, and follow me on Twitter & Instagram.