Our End-of-Year Biz Audit

There's no better time to revisit your business than at the end of the year. Take a moment to think about where you want to go, what you want to accomplish, and what happened during the past year. Which clients did you love working with? Which gigs fit well with your interests, and which relationships didn't serve you?

For the first time, we're pulling back the curtain on our businesses to do a full business audit! We interview each other about how much we make, what services we offer, what percentage of our income comes from journalism versus brand work, what goals we wanted to accomplish in 2020 (and whether or not we met them), and what we plan to do in 2021. Our Writers' Co-op members will also receive two worksheets this week that will allow you to audit your business alongside us.

This week, we also want to recommend the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, which is a great craft-based accompaniment to TWC. CNF Pod is now in its 18th year, and it’s hosted by freelance writer Brendan O’Meara, who talks to writers about the art and craft of telling true stories. He’s interviewed anyone from poets, memoirists, and nonfiction writers. Recently he had on New Yorker writer Patrick Radden Keefe, and he's also talked to Susan Orlean, among many others. He enjoys digging into what writers are working on, and how they work. You can subscribe to wherever you podcast!

(Btw: we have a new offering: If you're just getting started with your freelance business, you'll want to enroll in freelance biz school @ The Writers’ Co-op Academy! We're offering two courses: One that helps you create a business plan (Biz Basics) and one to help you understand media contracts. Check 'em out!)