“Work here for 2-3 years and you’ll never worry about finding a job again.”
That’s what Mike Palmer — the legendary financial copywriter and my former Copy Chief — told my class of 7 brand-new junior copywriters on our first day.
It was quite the claim.
But he wasn’t lying.
Because when I decided to leave Agora just 2.5 years later, the simple fact that I worked in-house under his tutelage provided a flood of unsolicited copywriting opportunities.
Doors opened easily for me.
And as Mike promised, I never again struggled to find clients.
Obviously, there was plenty of hard work involved.
I spent long hours at the office (often on the weekends), I got my writing shredded in front of my peers, and I wrote thousands of pages of bad copy that ended up in the digital dust bin.
But by going through it all…
And adding that experience to my track record…
I developed a reputation that continues to pay dividends.
And as a result, I hear from businesses who want to hire me all the time.
Want the same?
Then here’s what I recommend, whether you’re a copywriter, designer, media buyer, or any other skill-based professional:
Worry less about things like cold email templates and job boards.
And instead, identify the most well-respected businesses in your industry.
Work your buttocks off to make an impression and land a job, even if it’s menial (for example, I started in customer service at Agora before finally landing the copywriting job).
Then from there, leverage that experience to build a thriving business.
It’s not the “fast” or “sexy” way to find a client.
But it worked like wizardry for me.
And I bet it’ll work for you too.
Your pen pal,
Matt Rizvi