Just a quick note to let you all know there are some BIG CHANGES coming to this website very soon. Yep – I will be making a comeback, but my services + message will be revamped, revived + packed with WAY more Erica.

So keep me in your bookmarks, kids. (P.S. Is anybody else totally pissed Google Reader is shutting down in July? Ack!)

I’ll be back (said in my most intimidating Terminator voice).

P.S. Did you know the program that made my entire business possible, Hustle Your Business Bootcamp, is now registering for it’s LAST CLASS EVER? And did you also know only four more red hot, super-smokin’ sassy ladies who can get in?!

Please – if you have ANY interest in learning to sell and hustle like a pro (without feeling like a total weirdo), GET ON THIS.

Here’s my affiliate link.

P.P.S. Make sure you put on your big girl panties, ladies. Hustle is NO JOKE.

P.P.S. While I am still not accepting new clients at this time, I HAVE been taking on random projects for special clients for a reduced rate whenever I get a break in my schedule. Should you like to know when I’m running such specials, please sign up for my e-mail list with the cute lil’ link over to your right!

To let everyone know I am officially booked from now until the foreseeable future.

BIG NOTE TO POTENTIAL CLIENTS AND/OR ANYBODY WHO HAS RECENTLY MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ME VIA TIMETRADE: I AM NO LONGER TAKING NEW CLIENTS AS OF JANUARY 2013. SHOULD THIS CHANGE, I WILL MAKE NOTE OF IT VIA THIS SITE. IN THE MEANTIME, YOU CAN SHOOT ME AN E-MAIL OR FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER. THX!

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since being in business for myself?

You HAVE to be responsible – to yourself, to your clients + to your business as a whole, if you ever want to succeed.

Seriously. When you’re trying to make it big (or just make it – as in, not living off of Kraft Mac n’ Cheese or sleeping in your car), you can’t hide. You can’t cower. And you definitely can’t ignore the issues in your business + hope they go away. (Bills do not automagically get paid, ya’ll.)

When you’re your own boss, you’ve got to own your reality LIKE WHOA. You’ve got to get into the saddle + pony up (Daisy Dukes are optional, but encouraged. Oh, but cowboy boots are required. I love me some cowboy boots.)

Honestly, as a shy lil’ gal, I used to REALLY suck at handling my issues, especially if it involved a confrontation. I’ve never been big on tackling my ish head on. However, I am now older + wiser, and as a recovering people-pleaser, I’ve had to let go of a lot of my tried-and-true old survival tactics, and trade them in for new, shiny habits. No more quitting right when the going gets tough. No more disappearing acts when things don’t go the way I initially planned (oh yes. That used to happen, a lot more than I’d like to admit!).

Although it hasn’t been easy facing up to my fears, staring ‘em square in the face, this whole responsibility thing sure has had its perks.

When you start getting COLOSSALLY responsible for YOURSELF + YOUR ACTIONS, you’ll notice it create little ripples + happy after effects in every area of your life. True story.

Just like bad habits breed bad habits, responsibility breeds more responsibility.

Take this story, for example: Before I pulled myself out of the darkness this week, I was being A SLUG. Seriously. There’s really no better word to describe the way I was slowly, painfully dragging myself through life. My scale can prove as testament: I gained 3 lbs. THREE. In three days. (Keep in mind I haven’t gained weight since about 2006 & just broke 100 lbs. for the first time with this weight gain + you’ll understand why this is so monumental!)

I decided it was okay to slack off on the treadmill (I mean, I have been religiously workin’ on my fitness for weeks – we all deserve a break, right?). I also simultaneously decided that I could throw some meat back in my diet AND eat that extra 100% beef frank.

All of these things were done in a vain attempt to make myself feel better about some stupid mistakes I made earlier this month. Instead of trying to either a) accept my mess-ups or b) correct them, I decided that eating copious amounts of food + throwing my workout to the wind in an attempt to coddle myself was the way to go.

Well. Three pounds + four missed workouts later, I could see that this plan of action was just not working.

I decided to own up to my crap + do something different.

(They always say insanity is doing the same thing over + over + expecting different results, amiright?)

So yesterday I decided to get back on the treadmill.
Which led to me having a delicious amount of energy.
Which led to me deciding to go to the store to buy veggies to make a simple salad for dinner.
Which led to zero-to-none post-dinner guilt.
Which has slightly lessened my depression about my mistakes.

And with my decision to take control of my health came something else:
A decision to be more responsible in my business.

Since ditching the couch for the treadmill, I’ve been making more decisions that are mutually beneficial to both my clients + myself. All that eating well + working out + showing up FOR MYSELF has happily spilled over into other areas of my life, without me even having to make a conscious decision.

So, a word to the wise:

If you’re struggling somewhere in your business, take charge of another area of your life first. Any area. In any way. Just for a minute.

Do something that helps you feel a little bit more in control.
A little bit more responsible, for your own well being.

If you’re feeling bad about yourself, depressed about your circumstances or just plain bored, don’t slow down.
Get up. Get active. Get moving.

Reorganize a sock drawer. Take your puppy outside. Water your flowers. Eat an apple. Turn off the TV, without the remote. Walk around the house for 5 minutes (or better yet–run up & down your stairs, if you have them). Decide to cook a meal from start-to-finish. Fold your laundry or put away your clean clothes. Just do something that engages your body. Anything.

I guarantee you’ll feel and perform better – in your life and your business.

When nothing is certain, everything is possible

NOTE: All my love goes out to those along the east coast affected by Hurricane Sandy, or any other type of storm – emotional, verbal, spiritual – in the past few weeks. Stay strong. You got this!

It’s hardest the morning after the storm.

Oh no. Contrary to popular belief, the worst isn’t the ‘during’, when things are smashing + crashing. When things are shifting + shaking. . When things are breaking + quaking. When tension runs high or when stable ground becomes movable. None of that compares to what happens next. Nope.

It’s when the thunder – so loud + boisterous moments before – has been traded in for a special breed of scared, sacred silence that it really hurts the most.

Because in that space, there is an unmistakable fear of the unknown. And there is emptiness.

And it hurts all day, at different times, manifesting itself as sharp little aches that sting you as you go about your daily business, reminding you with every shock of the near-apocalypse the evening before.

It hurts when you realize lightning bolts – whether they spew from tongue or sky – can pulverize beautiful things with far less effort than you thought .

It hurts when you softly blink open your eyes, expecting to see the same view you’ve seen for years, only to find mounds of rubble + debris + a cataclysmic mess created by a terrible cyclone of unanswered prayers, mistakes, regrets + unaired laundry.

And it hurts when you realize you somehow have to shape, mold + meld all this stuff into some new kind of life. (Thank god[des] you have the tools.)

It hurts when you’re quietly, meticulously unloading bags into your tiny new space, mere hours after they were violently slammed into the trunk by that person you used to love, who – through their anger – was still clenching back tears as they chaperoned you out of what was once your home. Our home.

It hurts when the other half of your bed that’s much too large anyway reeks of empty space, wafting a stench that smells of a putrid mix of codependency and lilac dryer sheets. And oh, how you thought you’d gotten that smell off you years ago.

It hurts when you’re driving a different car to work, along a different road, with different radio stations pulsing through your speakers and your mind is turning every silly pop song into a masterpiece complete with unfamiliar melodies and unique chords sprinkled with heart-wrenching lyrics you never even noticed before today.

It hurts when – on that same eeerily quiet morning – you realize the foreignness you feel with your hands gripped around the wheel will dissipate. That, in time, this car, these streets, this life, will become your new normal. 

Even the knowledge that you will move on hurts. It hurts when you realize that, in time, you  probably won’t even remember the storm, or the way life felt before it uprooted the raw earth beneath you.

Humans are resilient, even against our will. Because we have to be.

Let us all not forget in this strange time, when so many of us are waking up after a storm…

For all its foibles, there is also freedom + rebirth in that space after the storm.
When all we love has been stripped away, there’s an unmistakable openness + vulnerability that emerges.

So, whenever anything we cherish is taken from us unexpectedly – be it safety, security, love, shelter – we can’t forget that…

+ destruction leads to rejuvenation
+ some things must die so that other things can live
+ the phoenix has to rise from the ashes
+ even the most breathtakingly beautiful flowers bloom from dirt

Moral of the story?

Think not about what you lost in the battle, but

look instead at the gift it provided: a fresh start.

Be grateful for the storm.

There’s a reason most of them end with rainbows.

P.S. We’ve ALL felt this way!

P.P.S If it’s your copy that’s got you feeling like a total poser, click here to get the guidance to move forward!

There have been so many days I’ve tried to sit down to write +….nothing happens.

Well, nothing but a nagging voice telling me that I have no authority, no right to pump out whatever pearl of wisdom I’m about to pump out – to unveil whatever ache in me that needs to be set free.

A nagging voice that hisses, “You’re not really a writer. Real writers have published novels + Hollywood agents busting down their doors to turn their masterpieces into movies.”

A nagging voice tells me that because I’m not perfect + whole + entirely flawless + don’t know all the answers, I have no right to be creative. Self-expressive. A person worth listening to + learning from.

Yep. Because I’m not perfect.

WTF kind of bs is that?
(Pardon my French. Actually, don’t.)

And while it may sound outlandish, the nagging voice has hand-picked a bushel of ripe reasons why I’m not perfect, too.

I’m not perfect because everyday I usually do 1 thing I know isn’t good for me. (In my defense, sometimes what your soul really needs is a sickeningly fattening [yet succulently sweet] DQ vanilla milkshake or to vent your face off apologetically about your boss. Without guilt.)

I’m not perfect because everyday I ignore at least one red-flag that something in my life needs to change + shrug it off nonchalantly instead. (Sometimes denial is the safest place to be, at the moment.)

I’m not perfect because instead of telling someone – anyone! – I’m keeping about 9 gut-wrenching, heart-stirring, mascara-ruining secrets locked in my (heart-shaped) box. (Had to. I grew up in the 90s, k?)

And because I don’t know and/or use any word that’s more than 2 syllables. Like, ever.

So who the hell am I to share my truth with the world, huh?
[That was the fear talking, BTW/]

But does any of that really make me unworthy of being a writer?

Does any of that really mean I can’t teach you what I do know, the (often times, painful) lessons I learned while collecting those tear-inducing secrets + tucking them away?

Hell to the no.

Whenever we’re about to do something totally amazing, groundbreaking or status-quo-shaking – share that so-personal-only-your-tear-stained journal-knows-it story, release that painting which might as well have been made from brush strokes of your own flesh + blood because it took every ounce of your heart to create – fear (aka that nagging voice in our heads) kicks in.

Okay, fear ransacks the effing place.
It’s her job.

But does fear mean you should stop creating?
That you should give up, throw your hands in the air + say, “Eff it, let’s get appletinis instead!”
No way. (The appletinis will be waiting.)

I’m a staunch believer that you must persevere against fear.

That the only way to get over pain is to go through it, not away from it. I think you should create even when your heart is palpitating. I think you should make the call even when you’re sweating like a pig.

But what I don’t believe is that by diving into your fear, challenging it to a one-on-one, UFC-style smackdown, it’ll go away.

Even if you start creating regularly.

Nope.

Nerves are a part of the artistic process.

And the sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be.

Ah, good ol’ acceptance.

That’s always the answer, isn’t it?

Doing something magnificent – something so outside the norm most people wouldn’t even dream about it, let alone act on it – will never be a piece of cake.
Ever.

[Psst. That's why most people don't!]

So, that’s how I continue to write in the face of my annoying, nagging, totally irrational fear. The knowledge + acceptance that there is absolutely NO WAY to beat fear for good is what gets me to sit cross-legged with the MacBook on my lap and soy frappucinno on my bedside table + just get real with myself, as counter intuitive as that may sound.

But wanna know what really gets me to hit the publish button, setting my fledgling little brain-bird out into the world to flappety-flap away its own?

It’s when I remember that my writing isn’t even about me, my fear, or my ego anymore.

It’s about you.

P.S. Copy woes got you down? Let’s get you pumped about your business! I’m giving away 10 FREE sessions of Copy Talk, a 15-min all-virtual experience guaranteed to get you ten kinds of jolted about the words you use to sell your stuff.

P.P.S. Did I mention I’ll be throwing down a five wad toward your fave Starbucks drink before the call, too? Oh yeah. That’s happening. Click to find out how you can get your (dark, or sugary) drank on, with me, for free.

No man is an island.

Let me start by saying I get it.
I – like you – work for myself for a reason, and that reason is generally because I just can’t stand to be told what to do.

It totally drains my creative juju.
It really cramps my (writing) style.

I get that – if you’re anything like me – you’d prefer to keep your business your business.

Unfortunately, that quote up there is spot on.
Nobody builds a successful business alone.

…Even if they’ve only got 3 clients.
…Even if the name on their birth certificate is also their business name.
…Even if their website has only one face plastered all over it.

Doesn’t matter. I guarantee you that if the business is successful (or has any chance of being successful), there are peeps (probably all jacked up on Starbucks) tinkering away behind the scenes – and sometimes late into the night – to make it all happen.

As much as it might bruise your ego to realize you can’t do it all yourself, it’s smarter to outsource – even if the work isn’t done exactly the way you’d do it – than try to be Superwoman.

Seriously.

Even the lonest wolfiest workers need some cheerleaders on their back-end. (Please get your head out of the gutter.)

It really applies to everything in life. Big shifts are never made alone. That’s why there are support groups and accountability partners. That’s why there are group coaching programs and group therapy sessions.

That’s why people spend $10k+ to affirm to the world they’re going to spend the rest of their life with another human being.

So, what does this have to do with copywriting, you ask?

Well, the great thing about working with a copywriter is that when I write your copy, I’m working with you – not for you.

I like to think of copywriting without the “py” part.
It’s more like…

co-writing.

It all begins with a supersonic brainstorming session between us. We take a break so I can write alone, sure, but before I ever put a word on paper you get to dictate the direction of that writing. And if something doesn’t feel like you? You get to tell me and I’ll change it – no questions (or fees) asked.

And the best part? Any of the words I write and you pay for are yours forever + ever – in their entirety or just in parts. You can use ‘em however you want, in any capacity you want. In e-mail signatures, on future sales pages, in your cute lil Twitter biography.

Heck, even I use copywriters to help me with my copy! I belong to several groups of writers where I post my work + receive feedback. Because it never hurts to have a second pair of eyes, on anything. (Unless it’s a few of my Facebook photos cerca 2007. Eesh. But you know what I mean.)

C’mon, lady.

You don’t have to be ashamed that you’re not proficient in MySQL or forget whether you should use ‘affect’ or ‘effect.’

The more control you give up, the more control you’ll really have over the stuff that matters.

Like, you know, the work you were born to do.

P.S. Speaking of outsourcing, I’m in the process of searching for a virtual or in-person intern for about 10 hours of work per week. More details to come soon, but if you or someone you know might be interested, please send me an e-mail at ericaleexo@gmail.com.

Open up, ladies. It’s time for your first ever virtual chill pill!

If you’re anything like me, you like everything. One month you’re obsessing over a new fitness regime, the next you can’t stop researching the names of everyone in the English Royal family from 1500 on, and other times you’re ALL ABOUT learning the art of the spray tan or perfecting your downward dog. I get it. You’re multi-passionate. High five!

Sadly, as an entrepreneur – who needs clarity + focus to survive – this kind of all-over-the-place thinking makes you question your every move in business. Because what if really, your calling is that other thing you’re not doing, and so you should probably quit whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW and jump the shark before it’s all too late + you end living in a one bedroom apartment knitting quilts + talking to your four pet cats?

Well, first of all, if your brain’s running off like that, please sit down & have a glass of Pinot before we proceed. (I’ve been there. Tried and tested. Meditation works, too.)

Better?

OK.

I had this problem for months while I was building my little fledgling business. Honestly, there’s a huge part of me that wants to be a yoga & meditation teacher (and not just ’cause I’d get to wear yoga pants everyday), another massive part of me that reminds me 5x a day how much “easier” the 9-5 lifestyle is and there’s even a tiny part that whispers seductively in my ear that I could be an actress, even though I’ve never tried and my friends make fun of me because I haven’t seen like, any movie ever, which clearly would make me an awful candidate.

When I put my little foot down and decided I was going to plunge into my freelance copywriting business, I had a little moment of silence for my other passions. It was sad stuff, ladies; like parting ways with a good friend. And not just any friend, but the one who I knew still had my favorite shirt, but who I had to let keep it because how rude would it be to ask someone for your shirt back when all her things are already packed?

Except that’s just ridiculousness, up there. In reality, just because I chose to make writing my work and sole source of income, doesn’t mean I have to go cold turkey on the other things I love. In fact, that would be terrible! Nobody would be starting businesses if that were the case!

I think traditional advice would tell you the simple way to solve this multi-passionate prob is to continue to schedule time for your other passions – like, literally take out your planner/iPhone, grab a highlighter/your finger and schedule that shizz in every week, no questions. (And that’s good advice, don’t get me wrong. So do it.)

But my advice is kinda like that advice’s crafty little sister (you know, the one who always somehow made more money at the lemonade stand, got the last cookie from the cookie jar and scored all the hot dates in high school), and I plan to run my business the little sister way, by seamlessly weaving as many of my other passions into this business as I possibly can…without sounding like a total freak.

Now, I’m not saying I’m going to offer online yoga courses from my services page (although that could be funny…). Or write a 100-page e-book all about how much I love hoop dance, music festivals & green juice (which may or may not be related).

But I will strategically sneak my passions in in other, more subtle, ways.

Like…Using Metaphor in My Blogging!
Oh, how I love metaphor.

It’s the easiest way to turn a dull sentence into something uh-mayz-ing. And a simple way to teach your clients little bits about your other passions, plus make yourself smile.

Exhibit A: I mean, is there really a better way to explain someone’s ignorantly slow descent into madness than by saying he was “downward-dogging into a life of misery and despair”? I think not.

Or how about comparing the beat in your heart when you’re about to kiss a new boy for the first time to the intense whomp whomp whomp noise that’s all over dubstep music? Didn’t think so!

Not only does it sound way cooler than saying, “Johnny’s heart was beating so fast,” but creating fun metaphors is, well, fun! And challenging! And all those other mentally-stimulating things we entrepreneurs love! Win-win, baybay.

But my point isn’t how awesome metaphor is. (But no joke, it’s your friend. Use it, everyday. t’ll make you a better writer, storyteller and overall awesome person. You can quote me on that.)

My point is: You don’t have to give up your other passions and you shouldn’t have to. But you’ve gotta get creative about ways to incorporate your passions into your life and business as it now stands, since most of your time will be devoted to the one passion you chose to focus on.

And as fun as it would be, I don’t recommend releasing freaky-weird-hybrid products of your passions that will totally scare your current customers away. There are definitely better ways to get a good laugh, and lose a few thousand bucks. (Suggestions welcome!)

XO Erica Lee

Over the next few weeks you’ll probably notice a lot of changes happenin’ ’round these parts.

Good changes, but changes nonetheless.

(That said, please excuse whatever mess I create of this website over the next month. Maybe it’s time to add me to subscribe to my RSS feed? Methinks yes! Easy, peazy. )

Besides a brand spankin’ new web design, I’ll also be amping up my service offerings with upgraded prices to match.

(You know what’s annoying? Having a full shopping bag on your fave website, only to find that by the time you’ve got the cash to click “Buy,” every single item is sold. out. But I digress.)

It’s true: Starting in November 2012, all of my rates will go up significantly.

That’s a big deal, ya’ll. For both of us.

If you’ve been on the fence about whether investing in copywriting is right for you (or suffering from the above “Full-Shopping-Cart-but-Too-Scared-to-Press-Buy” syndrome), let me just say:

My prices now are a total steal.

My current asking price is half that of most copywriters with my level of experience. Real talk.

But before you know it, they’ll be almost doubled.

That said, I know copywriting isn’t always everyone’s first priority. (Should it be? OF course. Call me biased. Whatev.)

So, because I truly care about you, I’m going to take the next couple weeks shining a light on all your questions + concerns about copywriting with a series of blog posts brimming with solid, down-to-earth advice that will pick apart your deepest copywriting fears + soothe your nerves like a tall glass of sweet red wine, mixed with a low dose of Xanax – just to take the edge off.

(I’m kidding about that last part. Mostly. I don’t condone mixing prescription drugs + alcohol. But it’ll still make you feel pretty damn good.)

Examples of what you can expect from me in the next few weeks?
How about posts on…
+ Whether hiring a copywriter is right for you (It’s not for everyone – and I’ll tell you why!)
+ Why sexy sales copy is so important when it comes to making money in your fabulous business
+ Tips on how to inject personality + awesomesauce into the copy you already have
+ What pieces of copy you really need to focus on to bring in the money
+ Anything else you want to know about copywriting, marketing, or how I got over my addiction to bad boys (Really. It happened.)

And even better? If you take my quick-n-cute little survey about your creative business, I’ll give you 20% off your order. Any order, any size.

Sound like somethin’ you’re into?

Take the survey here.

You’ll instantly receive your promo code, and then you can head on over to my services page to get the ball rollin’.

Excited to work with you + ease your worries, sans prescription drugs,
XO Erica Lee