Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Giada Nizzoli, owner of Crafty Copy, located in Chester, UK.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I’m a copywriter for female entrepreneurs. I specialise in website copy and blogging strategies that turn my clients into THE go-to solution in their dream audience’s eyes. Basically, I help them attract their target market organically (especially through SEO-friendly words), turn it into subscribers and buyers, and position themselves as thought-leading experts in their field.

Tell us about yourself

I’ve pretty much always been into creative writing, and I’m actually a bit of an author on the side (so far, I’ve written a poetry book and a short story collection). So, I was looking for a way of making a living out of my passion for words.

After graduating in Creative & Media Writing, I started a digital marketing apprenticeship, thinking I would have LOVED working in social media. Well, I absolutely hated it! BUT that’s when I discovered the world of copywriting.

So, I started freelancing on the side. Despite having a one-year contract, both the other apprentice and I had always been told we would have been offered a job at the end of it, so I had plenty of time… or so I thought, at least!

Only a month before that, we received an impersonal email (from the office literally next-door to ours) telling us there was just ONE position and we would have had to interview for it. I most definitely did NOT feel ready to dedicate myself to my freelance business full time, but I took it as a sign and didn’t apply. I was then offered more money to stay. Still, I’m so glad I left despite it being a scary decision: my entire department got shut down (and most people made redundant) only a month later!

Anyway, after writing for different types of businesses to figure out what I enjoyed the most, I’ve recently niched down to work with female entrepreneurs. On average, only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs identifies as female, and studies have proven that the image of “the entrepreneur” is still mostly male. So, I now get to amplify the voices of more women in business.

I work with the kind of founders or solopreneurs who KNOW they have an excellent concept but struggle to explain it in a way that speaks to their dream audience (and that’s where my copywriting services come into play!).

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Swapping free discovery calls and proposals for paid consultations with blueprints! As a copywriter, the former tends to be the industry standard. Unfortunately, many clients book these calls with a bunch of writers without really looking at their website and pricing starting points. They then expect you to create a free proposal and a quote. This entire process can take HOURS. And, while some of them do turn into clients, a lot of them just… ghost you. POOF! Gone. Without even telling you they went with another (cheaper) copywriter. As an introvert, I find video calls extremely draining. This entire process was also too time-consuming because it takes me quite a while to concentrate again after interrupting my work flow.

So, earlier this year, I made what felt like the scariest step for my business: replacing the industry standard with a different approach. Now, after asking my prospects some questions and reviewing their answers, I offer an initial paid consultation to understand what’s holding them back from a copywriting point of view (so, it’s no longer a generic virtual cuppa to "see if we’re a good fit"). After this in-depth consultation, I create a blueprint showing them what they need to do to solve it.

This is theirs to use however they please. However, if they choose to use it to work with me, I then knock the initial consultation cost form the custom quote included in it.

I think it’s my biggest accomplishment (so far, at least) because it’s NOT the industry standard. I kept seeing other copywriters complain about being ghosted after spending hours on a prospect and thought “that’s just the way things are.” Instead, I eventually decided to change it, but I was genuinely terrified at first. I thought nobody would have wanted to pay for it and work with me!

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Trying to stay on top of… EVERYTHING! Because there's so much that needs doing besides providing my actual services. Before starting my copywriting journey, I would have never thought of myself as a business owner or an entrepreneur. There’s so much stuff that I just had to learn... as I was already doing it, pretty much. And, of course, this comes with doubts and insecurities. I second-guess myself a lot, so working on our mindset is especially important as business owners.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. If starting your own business is your dream, do it! Even if it feels scary. Just keep my “origin” story in mind, if you’d like: had I stayed with the “safe job”, I would have been made redundant.
  2. Connect with your competitors. Yes, I’m serious! I think of fellow copywriters as virtual colleagues, rather than competitors. We often refer each other and pass on work when we’re fully booked (in fact, it’s thanks to one of them that I got featured in this interview). So, connect with them on LinkedIn and other social media: you’ll feel less alone. Pinky promise.
  3. Use your words wisely to connect with your audience.
    - Have some website copy (SEO-friendly, if possible) that really speaks to your target market instead of making it all about yourself. Please, don’t EVER bore your prospects with sentences along the lines of “I’m passionate about” or “I’m delighted to announce”, no matter how excited you are about your new business. Instead, tell them what’s in it for them!
    - Blog on your website regularly. Your website copy will mostly speak to bottom-of-the-funnel prospects, but your blog can allow you to target the top and middle (which is actually the BIGGEST chunk!). Once again, don’t make it about yourself or company updates: answer your audience’s questions and educate them on your industry. Have a strategy to retain some of your visits (for example, by encouraging them to subscribe to your newsletter to receive more tips), and optimise your articles for SEO so that your audience has higher chances of finding them organically when they type those queries on Google
    - Always create content with your audience in mind. Inbound marketing takes time, but it’ll be oh-so-worth-it!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://craftycopy.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giadanizzoli/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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