It took me nine months to land my dream job, but it was absolutely worth the wait.
In May of 2023, I started posting in the American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI) 2023 Copywriting Success & Getting Clients Bootcamp Facebook group. (Trying saying that sentence ten times fast…)
They’d just opened that group so members who were registered for their October Bootcamp could get to know each other, and I was ready to take full advantage of that opportunity!
I’d only been a member of AWAI for a few months at that point, but already I knew this company was unlike any other I’d ever seen. Their instructors, their staff, the other students, were all so incredibly kind and helpful, and everyone was dedicated to each other’s success.
Lol, it sounds almost like I’m writing the intro to a “cult survivor” newsletter… or maybe Stephen King’s next novel… but the people who end up in AWAI’s online community really are the kind and helpful type. They either have achieved, or are achieving, a level of success in business where they genuinely just want to help other people, and it shows in everything they do.
It’s an environment where I feel really comfortable opening up, and encouraging other members. And I seem to thrive on encouraging others… so, it’s a perfect fit for me.
(Even more perfect, now that I’m getting paid to engage the very community I love!)
Since I left the Navy in 2003, there's only been one other time in my career that I've been this excited, and that was the day I got my massage license. (And I do miss massage, but that's neither here nor there.)
When I found AWAI last year, I was at a low point - but I was ready to turn things around. Copywriting gave me something to believe in.
AWAI gave me a community to belong to.
The first time I shared a post in their Bootcamp Facebook group, and people liked it... I was hooked.
I was so excited to have found my tribe! Every post thereafter became a chance for me to connect with somebody else, who understood what I was going through and who wanted to see me succeed!
It was like waking up and discovering I'm living inside an 80s movie, and all my hard work and effort was about to make all my dreams come true. (And in the last year, a lot of my dreams have come true.)
I started branching out, posting in their “general purpose” Facebook groups (groups for any student of AWAI, and groups for other copywriters whether they’re an AWAI student, or not).
Last summer - months before I attended Bootcamp - I knew I wanted to turn this into a part-time job.
I knew that nothing would bring me more satisfaction, meaning, and purpose, or validate my skills and my talents, like getting paid to engage other copywriters in AWAI, and give back some of the love, support, and encouragement that's been given me.
I determined I was gonna make this happen. I kept posting every week in various groups, and I thought about how I could pitch this idea in person, at the October Bootcamp.
Meanwhile, any time I had an opportunity to reach out to the president or to the co-founder of the company (which was rare, but it did happen)... I made sure to tell them how appreciative I was of what they’ve built, and how much I enjoy interacting in their various groups.
I made sure we'd exchanged several emails before I ever introduced the idea of working for them. I waited until they told me how they're hearing about the impact I'm having in their groups.
And then, when I felt the moment was right... I pitched the idea... I made my argument (though argument is maybe not the right word... perhaps "presentation" or something like that would sound better?)
And when I was done, I said thank you for hearing me out... I listened to their response... asked follow-up questions... took the action they requested I take...
Then I went home from Bootcamp and kept on posting in the groups, and sent occasional, brief follow-ups, until we all got on the same page, and agreed to give it a go and see what I can do.
All told, it's easily been nine months since I first got the idea in my own head... but I stuck with it, and I moved slowly and intentionally, and consistently put my best face forward... and created a scenario where they could see me already doing the work I want to do.
And I just... held on... and told myself I'm going to get this gig... and behaved as if I already had it (and with complete humility and grace! I can't stress enough how important that is!)
And now, whether this lasts for a week or a year or for the majority of my working life -- I'm just thrilled to have this chance. And I'm going to show up every day, and take it one day at a time, and try to always give more than I receive...
Because (in my short but very intense and eye-opening experience), that is how the long game is played.
With focus, and gratitude, and grace... and with more attention on the needs of the client and the community, than the needs of yourself.
You guys, I've landed my dream client. Me! Who has no professional anything in my background (aside from being a Navy Journalist so many years ago...)
I'm not putting myself down; I'm just showing that it doesn't matter what "credentials" you have - what matters is whether or not you can prove that you deliver what you claim.
If you can do that... and if you're willing to be patient, and wait for the good opportunities... you can succeed at anything. It can be hard, and can take a long time (and a lot a lot of tears)... but you can do it.
And when you do… I hope you’ll take a minute to celebrate your victory — and then, reach back and help somebody else behind you, so they can have their victory, too.
Because the other part of the long game is this: you only succeed when you bring other people with you.
Otherwise, it’s just self-aggrandizement.