Katy Davis had been running her freelance writing business for about fifteen years.

For the first ten of those years, the work had mostly landed in her lap with little effort on her part.

With her background in advertising, she had a good network in place. And she got a lot of word-of-mouth referrals.

But eventually, the tide started to change. By 2006, she was starting to experience a steady decline in projects and income. By the end of 2014, she totaled her billings and was shocked to discover that she had her worst year since she started.

She knew she had to do something, but what? “I had no formula in place,” she says. “My current situation just smacked me in the face.”

Even worse, she started to doubt herself and her abilities. “I knew I could do well because I had before. But I started to wonder whether my earlier success was just an accident. Or pure luck.”

“I Need a Group to Push Me” 

When Katy started to look for a solution to her current situation, Ed Gandia’s coaching programs came onto her radar. She had read some of Ed’s articles, and she always appreciated his practical advice.

She learned that Ed offered coaching as part of a group program. For Katy, participating in the program as part of a group would be a benefit. “I work much harder when I’m in a group that provides accountability,” she explains. “That’s why I belong to the local YMCA. I can’t exercise at home with a fitness DVD. I just wouldn’t do it. I need a group to push me. I figured the same principle would apply here.”

Once she enrolled in the 2X Project (now re-named the Elevate program), Katy found the accountability she was looking for. “It’s easy to blow things off,” she says. “You know what to do, but you don’t actually do it. But this arrangement compelled me to do the work and make real changes.”

She ended up working closely with one group member in particular “In addition to the main group, there was one fellow student that I really connected with,” she says. “We made a special effort to hold each other accountable, even though he was located across the country. It worked really well for us both.”

The Courage to Change Her Pricing 

Working as a group also gave Katy insight into what other writers were charging for the services. And it was eye opening! “There were writers in our group that had a lot less experience than me and were charging more than me,” she says. “I’m a fairly competitive person, so I found that very motivating.!”

As a result, Katy upped her pricing and developed the discipline to stick to it. “It would be easy to fall back into my old ways,” she says. “But now I have a pricing sheet that I force myself to consult before I quote anything. It helps me make sure I’m getting paid for the value I deliver to clients.”

A Prospecting System That Works 

Part of Katy’s ability to raise her fees depended on her ability to find good clients.

Fortunately, the program taught her how to put a prospecting system into place. “Now, I’m comfortable reaching to people on LinkedIn or by warm email,” she says. “We learned all about how to do this efficiently and effectively. Just recently, I heard back from a good prospect who works at a large hotel chain. It’s an excellent lead that I can nurture!”

Katy also learned to not let her existing contacts go untapped. “I landed some work for a bank through a personal connection,” she says. “Before, this isn’t something I would have pursued. But it’s turned into something great for the both of us. And I’ve gotten some good referrals from that connection too.”

A “Treasure Trove” of Resources  

Having completed the 2X Project, Katy walked away with an “treasure trove” of resources she didn’t have before.

“I now have a positioning statement,” she says. “I’ve written hundreds of them for my clients, but I’ve never been able to write one for myself. I was too close to it! I needed the perspectives of Ed and my fellow coaching students to put it together.”

In addition to a positioning statement, Katy also has a pricing sheet as well as other useful resources. “The program content is so rich, it goes well beyond the time you’re in the program. There was so much, I couldn’t wasn’t act on everything immediately. But now, I can go back to this treasure trove whenever I want to.”

A Circle of Other Writers 

In addition to the motivation and accountability that working as a group provided, Katy also appreciated the companionship. “A lot of us work alone,” she says. “It’s great to have this network of other writers that I can make referrals to or ask questions of. They’re located all around the country, which is pretty cool.”

She also appreciated Ed’s open and kind approach. “In addition to figuring a lot of this stuff out and applying it to his own business, Ed Gandia is also a heck of a nice guy. Unfortunately, there are a lot of jerks out there, especially in the marketing and advertising world. Ed’s not one of them.”

Nearly Doubling Her Income

As a result of making these changes to her business, Katy ended up very nearly doubling her income from 2014 to 2015!

“I went from one of my worst years ever to getting right back into the swing of things,” she says. “Those results convinced me that I could get back on top again—because I had the tools and knowledge to do it.”

When asked what she would say to a potential coaching student who was on the fence about enrolling, Katy’s response was immediate: “Do it!”