Force Multipliers

I had an interesting dilemma awhile back - an extreme case of writer's block was standing in the way of getting paid work. Even though my personal consulting website has been up and running since the end of January, the consulting page sat empty. Even if companies or organizations wanted to hire me, they had no idea of knowing what I could do for them. Talk about a disconnect! I have no problem writing articles on the military lifestyle and even wrote a book on the topic, but when it comes to writing about myself and my capabilities, I kept drawing a blank. I don't know how many times I sat in front of that blank computer screen trying to string together enough words to illustrate my abilities. No such luck. It wasn't until five months had passed that I realized I had long passed the ridiculous phase. It was time to find some help. One of the greatest lesson of going out on my own has been the knowledge that for those tasks that are outside of my area of expertise or comfort level, I can reach out and hire contractors. I mean, it makes sense. I'm working with a very talented Air Force veteran to maintain this site, why wouldn't I look for help with other tasks? So, I went back to elance.com where I found my database help and posted a proposal looking for a copywriter. I found a fellow military spouse who has a background in copywriting and PR. We worked together to flesh out my capabilities and I had that page up in no time. Now, the site is finally fully functioning as a business site. Not only was it money well spent on some great content, I was helping another military spouse with her business. Total win/win situation. Lesson learned - don't be afraid to ask for help. Bringing on contractors to perform tasks is actually a lot more reasonble than you'd expect. If anyone is looking for a great copywriter, I used Tiffany Silverberg, a navy spouse. You can find her profile on elance.com. If you want to check out her work, look at my consulting page on www.suehoppin.com.