How is technology holding you back? Yep, I asked it.
While technology is helping us to advance the ways we do business, you need to ask yourself if it’s keeping you from even getting in the game.
It seems that everywhere we turn, there is a new use for AI, a new software, or a new trend on social media. It can be overwhelming!
What I’ve anecdotally seen is that the use of technology is a potential blocker for those wanting to start their own business. Usually, these folks are worried that they’re not good enough at technology to be able to serve and collaborate with others.
Today we’re going to focus on why technology should not prevent you from following your dream to have a career in writing.
(If a Golden is holding you back from using your technology, I celebrate that! Snuggle away!)
Stick to the basics
If you can type in a Word document, you can start a business as a writer. As both a ghostwriter and a copywriter, the primary technology that I use is Google Documents. As far as technology goes, this is as easy as typing on a page.
Sure, there are cool features you’ll want to leverage to aid in collaboration, but YouTube, LinkedIn Learning, or other courses can teach you how to use these features in a matter of minutes.
Other than that, emails and video calls will help carry you through (which we’ve all learned to be proficient at over the last few years).If you can type in a document, use email, and navigate video calls, you have enough technology skills to start. And if you can’t do these things, you can probably take part of a day to learn it through searching the internet.
Of course, there are other softwares that help make your business more efficient and organized and knowing how to use AI will help your business to evolve as needed, but you have time to learn all that. All you need is the basics to start, and then you can figure out what gaps you want and need to fill in with other technology.
Websites
Building a website is also typically daunting to business owners. While a website is a powerful tool, you don’t need to invest huge amounts of time and money into this to get started.
Start off with a basic template, reasonable website host, and a domain you love, and then use your website to talk about how you serve your clients. For writers, this is also a great place to house your portfolio.
YouTube and LinkedIn Learning as well as recommendations from other authors I followed were great resources for me to help get my website up and running to start posting my blog. Because like some of you, I couldn’t explain to you what a “host” did.
As I’ve started my business, my basic website has served me well; it is a great resource. However, as a service provider (which you are if you’re writing for other people), the conversations are what is going to sell your work.
Then, once you get some traction with clients, it’s great to invest more time and money into your website. As a copywriter, I can attest that websites are incredibly powerful tools that should be leveraged. However, fear of creating a website should not hold you back from starting.
Social media
Social media might be the most technology-related barrier to entry in business. Aspiring business owners fear they need to constantly be hyping their business on social media, keeping up with all the trends, monitoring engagement, and using every platform.
If using social media lights you up, great. But it’s not the only way to go about business development.
Authentic connection is the best way to build your business. This could take the form of direct outreach, partnerships with businesses who may be serving a common audience, or many other forms of connection. And… it could also be the use of social media.
I primarily post on LinkedIn and Instagram (@jamiedykstracreates). I don’t stress myself out about posting daily, building a huge following, or trying to go viral. I originally started by posting once a week and then moved up to twice a week. Now, I post 3 times a week, and I write posts that are authentically based on my experiences and that I feel may serve others, not what will serve the algorithms. And these quick posts have become one of my greatest lead generators.
The key to starting a business is to find what works for you and calibrate from there. But I want you to know that even if you know the very basics of technology, you know enough to start. Trust me… this is coming from a girl who had to have her boss set up her desktop phone for her when she first started her job out of college…
If you’d love to learn more about my journey and how I got started, I’d be happy to share. Go ahead and book a time to chat using the link below!
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.