Today’s post is from Jamie Simmerman, whose writing service, Blue Duck Copy, creates outstanding Web content and copy for businesses and individuals. Like many young mothers, Jamie was seeking work-life integration by weaving her creative gifts into a flexible fabric that would allow her to prioritize her family life and meaningful work. Here’s how she walked away from the rat race and into a lifestyle with personal and professional rewards:
Five years ago, I was a Registered Nurse, working nights in ICU, picking up Home Health patients during my days off. I liked my patients. I liked my co-workers. I hated the system I was working for.
Medicine wasn’t about helping people; it was about profit margins and shareholders. It was about power and prestige- and that wasn’t what I signed on for. It was giving me sleepless nights and ulcers, and turning my normally pleasant easy-going personality to cranky, sour, and bitter. I was turning into the stereotypical Nurse Ratched.
So I quit.
How Now Brown Cow?
I took stock of my skill set. I had mad writing skillz from all those college papers and hordes of nursing notes that I cranked out daily. I knew how to chart properly to cover my patient, my company, and myself from a lawsuit. I knew how to “show, not tell”, and I knew how to communicate clearly and effectively in the written form. I knew how leaving out some facts made the narrative better, while leaving out others was deadly. I thought perhaps I could make a go at working as a freelance writer. It was worth a shot.
Going Pro for Peanuts
My first “professional” writing job was cranking out ridiculous SEO copy for peanuts. I read over the painful-to-read copy my co-workers were turning in for the same amount of pay, and knew things needed to change. I set out to find a better way of freelancing.
I networked with other writers. I sent proposals to SEO companies and other writing services. I soaked up every bit of information and advice I could find. I read hundreds of books on business, writing, SEO, and marketing.
I connected with a decent writer who used to work for the same peanuts-for-pay company I just shunned, and we teamed up. We traded hundreds of emails over the next couple of years, sharpening each others’ skills, discussing the books we were reading, and spurring each other on to do better. We shared clients when times were lean and recommended each other when work was plentiful. We mentored each other and grew our businesses.
The Uphill Climb Out of the Maze
I learned to write for the Web. I integrated marketing and SEO into my projects. I nurtured relationships with my clients and they recommended me to their friends. My business grew, and soon I was paying the bills and writing full-time. I was my own boss. I had escaped the rat race!
But times weren’t always rainbows and roses- I had crappy clients, clients who refused to pay, and sometimes the work was really hard. I wasn’t physically lifting and moving patients anymore, but I was exercising my brain exponentially more than I had in nursing- and it was exhausting.
What Freelancing Meant for My Family
I juggled being a stay at home mom with being a work at home mom, while no one seemed to know there was a difference (except me). I learned to set boundaries in love and stick to them in order to meet writing deadlines. It was difficult for some loved ones to adjust to my new lifestyle, but in time they all seemed happier and more content than when I was working away from home.
I had flexibility in my day to pick up a sick child from school, sneak in a lunch with the hubby, or talk to an old friend who was having a bad day. I was spending quality time with those who were important to me.
I wasn’t on call. I could take days off. I didn’t have to leave for work an hour early to drive through six inches of snow. It was easier to compartmentalize my work hours and not let my work tasks interfere with my home life. I wasn’t always second-guessing if I had done everything I needed to that day. I could be present in the moment and give each person my full attention.
Was it Worth It?
My life as a freelancer suits my family’s needs right now, and probably will for the next decade or longer. I now home school my children and write full-time at Blue Duck Copy. It takes a lot of discipline and flexibility, and it’s quite the challenge at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was so worth the effort to make the change to a freelance lifestyle.
If you’re considering quitting the rat race and need some encouragement, advice, or just a shoulder to cry on, drop me a line. I’d love to hear your story and help a fellow rat find the cheese at the end of the maze.
Jamie’s story mirrors that of many who decide to ditch corporate life for self-employment in freelance work. Non-flexible expectations that clash with priorities are the main impetus – location-based employment, Monday to Friday hours, confining systems and policies with bureaucratic and corporate origins. Are there examples you can share from your own sphere where the trend toward freelancing has changed or might affect the traditional service provider/customer experience? Are there any downsides to this shift? Other thoughts?
Check out our Work-Life Integration Resource Page for useful, practical resources that will assist you if you’re considering a similar path.
Related articles
- 5 Steps To A Freelance Writing Career (theworkathomewife.com)
- How I Ditched Cubicle Life & Became a Globe-Trotting Freelancer (johnchow.com)
- FreelanceWriting.com Launches Video Tutorial Series to Help Aspiring Freelance Writers (prweb.com)
- What is the Freelance Life? (howtolivethefreelancelife.wordpress.com)
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Peter and Betsy Wuebker are location-independent professionals who share what they know about travel, simplicity and integrating work with life. 
How I Escaped the Rat Race http://goo.gl/fb/mtbof
How I Escaped the Rat Race | Passing Thru http://bit.ly/q6zYAj
Hi Jamie,
Love this post, perhaps because I have undergone the same ordeal, though was teaching full time before quitting, and switched over to freelance writing. It sure gave me the flexibility to work during my own hours, and look after my kids and family! Nice to see you with your boys as well!
Thanks for sharing your life with all of us!
Harleena Singh has an awesome blog post here: Setting Your Freelance Writing Rates
Rock on Jamie!!!
Lance has an awesome blog post here: The Funeral
Howdy Lance! Nice to see your smiling face here.
Hi Betsy and Pete .. thanks for hosting Jamie .. I hope I’m working my way in that direction .. and Jamie- I’ve subscribed to the blog .. and may well contact you ..
Well done to you .. on working your way through to having a successful business .. where everyone in the family is happy .. that’s great.
Thanks – such an interesting and inspiring read .. cheers Hilary
Hilary has an awesome blog post here: Diamond Congratulations for a sparkling marriage …
Good morning, Everyone – Thank you all for your comments. I’ve been thinking about an aspect of freelancing that Jamie touched on in her post. It tends to get less attention than the more appealing ones when people are evaluating a transition: how long and hard you must work to get established.
I believe the reason most new(er) businesses fail is that the owners just can’t see it through after failing to adequately evaluate – they exhaust their resources, finances and energy. Because entrepreneurial types are optimistic, do they paint things too rosy in their start-up vision? Do they hang onto a non-working concept, chase the wrong prospects, keep not-so-great customers for too long without adapting or revising their strategy?
Love that spirit out there! Great example of finding opportunities while the majority of people are still complaining about their career and economy.
I wonder where freelancers will go from here. How do you scale up? So you can escape with more time to spend with your family do what you like.
Freelancer seems like a labor work to me. If you don’t work, you don’t make a penny. I bet that you will eventually grow to a bigger company and have someone to write for you!
Good story! Keep the good spirit!
Terence Chang has an awesome blog post here: Niche Passive Income Project
Hi Hillary! Thanks. I look forward to hearing from you
Betsy, I realized that I posted an answer to this on Google+, and thought I should post it here, too.
I think many do. I’m all for change. If something isn’t working, I love throwing it into the think tank to revision. It’s one of the things that made me frustrated in a corporate workplace that stifles change (without filling out 80 forms and going through 20 committee meetings for approval first, of course.)
Hi Terrence, I have employed other freelancers in the past, but found that I like writing better than I do managing. Someday that may change. The writer I mentioned teaming up with in the post went on to be very successful. She now makes $10-15k per project (in combination with Web design services). It’s very possible to grow, if that’s the direction you wish to take. I chose another path that placed my family’s needs at the forefront for now. In another 5 years? Who knows.
love that photos, you all seem so happy!
Michael has an awesome blog post here: How to become an animator