What 20+ Years of Freelancing and Life as a Single Mom Taught This Woman with Meg Stewart
Meg Stewart’s bio
Meg Stewart is a freelance writer, content creator, tech, and business coach for SEO. Additionally, Meg is the founder of Freelance Ladder, a coaching program designed to teach writers and business creatives the basics of SEO, technology, and freelancing.
Meg’s journey into freelancing
Before moving into freelancing, Meg worked in education at a community college for ten years. She later transitioned to social service, and in 2003 she started freelancing part-time.
Meg began freelancing on Upwork, where she stayed for five years. To hear more, go to [01:20].
Moving into business consulting
Since Meg had a passion for business consulting, she took part-time jobs in Virtual Assistant roles to gain experience with supporting others. To hear more about how Meg moved into business consulting, go to [05:43] .
Benefits of freelancing compared to her 9-5 job
At [08:10], Meg shares some of the benefits of freelancing compared to her 9-5 jobs. Meg was able to stay with her father when he was admitted to the hospital because she could freelance from the hospital room.
Additionally, working as a freelancer allowed her to be home, enabling her to be available to her kids.
How she got into tech teaching and workshop teaching at Ninja Writers
In 2020, Meg started teaching a free SEO course for people who were tech challenged. The founder of Ninja Writers hired her to teach the course in her community.
The founder of Ninja Writers then requested Meg to teach in her academy workshop when one of her workers left her teaching job. To listen more, go to [10:31].
Having multiple income streams
Meg advocates having multiple income streams as a freelancer. This could be from having multiple clients or being in different freelance fields. To learn more about having multiple income streams, go to [12:32].
“As a freelancer, there is a lot you can do as far as adding value.”
How she was freelancing as a single mom when her kids were young
When her kids were young, Meg devised a routine that enabled her to have a quiet time while working. She would put her kids to bed at 8 pm and would go to bed too.
She would wake up at midnight and work up to 4 am, then go back to bed until 7 am, after which she would wake up and prepare them to go to school. To hear more, go to [20:43].
The mistakes that many people make who are getting started in freelancing
At [23:39], Meg shares the mistakes many people getting started in freelancing make. Most people freelance but still act as an employee; they want the client to tell them what they will write, how long it will be, and how much they will pay. To hear more, go to [23:39].
The responsibility that comes with having the confidence and freedom of being an entrepreneur
Having the confidence and freedom of being an entrepreneur comes with responsibility. Meg shares that as a content expert, it is her responsibility to stay updated on what is good for SEO and the kind of content that will work for a particular client.
Additionally, one has to keep learning and stay updated so that they can advise the clients on what is best for their business. To learn more, tune in at [27:34].
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