How to Build a Profitable Business as a Copywriter

In our new on going segment, My Start-Up Life, I’ll be talking with entrepreneurs and other professionals about building a business, the challenges they face and the benefit of owning their own business.

This week, we are interviewing Adrian Lambert, a sensational multi talented entrepreneur, whose work has been featured in the Independent and Sunday Mirror.

Along with his Co partner Sarah Bloch, you could say these pair is taking the copywriting world by storm. Launched 2 years ago, they have landed themselves some impressive contracts and are well on their way to amassing a wealth of clients. Adrian Lambert is a business and media graduate of the University of Bedfordshire and before forming Lambert and Bloch specialised in writing articles and copy for the music industry. Adrian now enjoys copywriting and creating advertising campaigns for a wide range of businesses, publications and websites. In his spare time Adrian is a keen marketing blogger, squash player and guitarist!

(You could use some screenshots from some of our work published online - the about us page from http://www.mossfraser.com/?q=aboutus and this http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article3101988.ece and this http://www.jobseverywhere.co.uk/browse/c-Accountancy/ )

1) Could you describe what you do and how you earn a living Adrian? I’m a freelance commercial writer, a role more commonly known as a copywriter. My academic background is marketing, and I specialise in direct response writing and search engine optimisation, but I actually cover a much wider spectrum of writing. 2) How long have you been trading and how long did it take before your business was profitable? I’ve been writing freelance for music magazines since college. Lambert and Bloch grew out of this business so I guess it’s been profitable to lesser or greater extent since we formed. Nowadays, a much greater extent. 3) What would you do differently if you had the opportunity to do it all over again? I’d have gone freelance a lot sooner than I did. As soon as I identified my main skills as a freelancer, and how to market them, I made a great deal more money immediately. 4) What has been your most challenging moment in business, and how did you deal with it? Making the transition from working for a larger company to starting my own business. My son was only 3 years old when I launched Lambert and Bloch and the regular pay-check from my job provided security. It’s a gamble many business people and parents take, and in my case it really paid off. 5) Could you share some basic steps that a small business owner should take to market his/her website online? Great copy is essential. One spelling error, or poor grammar, can instantly turn a prospect away from your site. If you’re unsure about your writing ability then hire a good copywriter. Also, developing a good working knowledge of SEO is essential. Again, if you don’t have the time or patience for this, hire an SEO expert. I taught myself about SEO and it’s become one of the most enjoyable parts of my job. 6) What goals or plans do you have for the future of your business? Sarah and I are planning to recruit a small team of promising young copywriters, and have a complete talent pool to provide an ultimate team-based resource for copywriting solutions. 7) What advice would you give to people just starting out as a copywriter or wanting to start as a marketing blogger? If you’re planning on making a living out of copywriting then you should make sure that you have all your skill bases covered. A good knowledge of sales and marketing is essential. I’m assuming that your English is fantastic anyway. 8) If someone wanted to learn a bit more about you, how can they get in touch or build a business relationship with you? I have a profile on Ackces, http://www.ackces.com/adrianlambert, and also on Linkedin. My email is adrian@lambertandbloch.com and my website is www.lambertandbloch.com 9: Have you been featured in any mainstream publication and if so what are they and can you provide any links to your previously published work? Sarah is a journalist for the Press Association and regularly has articles published in The Times, The Independent, etc. She enjoys more publication limelight than I do because I mainly write for businesses - that’s my story anyway and I’m sticking to it. There are links to some of my work on the Lambert and Bloch samples page http://www.lambertandbloch.com/samples.htm 10: What’s the perk to owning your own company and what’s the downside to starting up and how does someone motivate themselves, when times are tough? There are big perks and little perks. I love my schedule being flexible enough that I’m able to drop my son off at school and pick him up if I need to. I like being the person who gives me a hard time when I screw up. The only time that was really tough for me was when I was working for another company and trying to establish Lambert and Bloch at the same time - I was pulling 14 hour days sometimes and I was pretty tired. Sarah says that she enjoys the lie-ins. 11: Finally, what is the most important thing in your life and why? My son, Jay. I love my job because it means I can provide well for him and his future. I really enjoy it too, and nearly always come home in a good mood. Plus I control my timetable and can be there for him when it really counts. http://www.ackces.com/adrianlambert