Agam: Taking Each Step Forward Towards Growth

Agam is a freelance copywriter who left his attempt at C.A. and followed his passion for writing. He is freelancing since September 2019 and says his journey has been like a lifeline, full of ups and downs. The three best words to describe him are – Love, Water, Human. 

As a freelancer, he lays on building genuine connections with people and growing your network to get more leads. He talks about keeping in mind the time period and value of a project while quoting a price. He believes that the freedom & flexibility which freelancing provides is both the pro and con of it. 

His biggest learning in life is ‘To be open for learning, unlearning, and re-learning in all aspects of life’. Being a kind soul, he finds immense joy in contributing to people’s growth and wishes to continue doing so in the future. We wish him luck for the same. 

Read his success story:

1. Introduce yourself to us?

Hi, I am Agam Agrawal, a Copywriter. Or as I like to call myself, a Method Copywriter.

2. Why did you choose the field of writing? How did you get introduced to this field? What fascinates you the most about your career choice?

As cliché as it may sound, I think writing chose me. It was around the end of 2015 and the start of 2016 that I had almost given up on C.A. At that time, the only alternative I saw was creating my own blog. As I decided to finally switch from C.A., the idea of writing a book hit me. So in a field where most people started their journey through small write-ups and articles. I began with a book.

As a Copywriter, the fascinating aspect is the reverse process we follow. More often, a Copywriter will start with an objective and then work its way backward to find what message to deliver and how to deliver it – so that the desired objective can be achieved. During the process, you learn a bunch of things about people, emotions, human behavior, and so on.

3. Why did you choose to freelance? When did you begin to freelance? Were you planning it, or how did it happen?

Actually, I chose full-time freelancing partially out of frustration and partially as a conscious choice. I was frustrated and tired of working in an unhealthy setup. Even after a lot of effort, I wasn’t getting a good opportunity in an organization that has a healthy working culture. I began full-time freelancing in Oct 2020. Though before that, I had been freelancing part-time for over a year.

4. How do you build and use your network effectively to generate more leads?

Building a network has always seemed like a big challenge to me. As it paints the picture of knowing lots of people and talking to lots of people often. I would start feeling overwhelmed by it. So, after some conscious thinking, I chose to play on my strength and looked to build a genuine connection with people. It helped me to open up and get into the right mindset to reach out to potential clients.

5. How to negotiate your deal with clients? What are the important points and techniques to keep in mind?

I am not a big negotiator. If someone negotiates a bit too much, I tend to slide away. The reason being before quoting the price, I assess the work required based on requirements. Then I add more to it based on ‘the value’ my work will bring to the client. Lastly, is the profit aspect. 

One important thing I would suggest to keep in mind is to have a minimum limit beyond which you will not slide. Especially, when you are starting or do not have enough projects in the bag.

6. How do you price your services as a freelancer? Any essential points that a new freelancer should know of?

I price service keeping in mind the time it would take and the value it would bring to the client. The time helps to decide the minimum limit. For example, if a project will take two weeks, then to cover my monthly expenses and earn some profit, I must earn X amount in 2 weeks. 

Now on that X amount, I might or might not add more based on the client’s requirements, relationship with them, and any other important factor that I feel.

7. How do you deal with isolation and loneliness as a freelancer?

Well, it’s tricky for me. On one hand, staying isolated doesn’t matter much as I am not a talkative person. However, on the other hand, a good conversation always fuels you with energy and helps open your mind. Luckily, in the past few months of my activity on LinkedIn, I have managed to create some cherished friendships. So, talking to them helps.

8. What according to you are the most essential skills that anyone interested in this area of work should develop?

I think Self-awareness is the most important thing here. Why are you choosing this field? Will you be able to continue when the going gets tough? Do you have the required skills and capability? Are you willing to constantly upskill yourself in this field? What topics do you want to write about? Will choosing a niche work for you or not? What niche would be right for you? And other questions like these must be answered honestly before making a commitment.

9. As a freelancer, what were the biggest obstacles you overcame? What were your worst mistakes?

The biggest obstacle I faced was reaching out to clients. The process of searching, screening, and then choosing a potential client is challenging. This requires proper time and effort. Later, after all your efforts put in, it can still not work out. 

My worst mistake was at the initial stage when I started full-time. I accepted a project which was below par than my capability. I felt uneasy about it, but because it came from a source with whom I have had worked before for a year, I finally agreed. Only to quit in a month. However, that project delayed my start to get active on LinkedIn and figure out my way of getting clients and building my personal brand.

10. What is the one major pro and/or con of freelancing, according to you?

One major pro is you can set up your work and timeline all by yourself, as it suits you. The major con is also the same. As this aspect requires you to be disciplined, keep a watch on yourself and filter out your excuses.

11. What mission and vision do you have? How do you want history to look at you?

I find immense joy in contributing to someone’s growth. So, my mission is to contribute to the growth of others in whatever way I can. While my vision stems from this mission, to see myself contributing to other people’s growth, whether it’s through my Copywriting or in any other way possible. 

As for history, I am not so sure. I am just one man among billions of people. So how history would look at me is something I would leave it to history itself.

12. What would do you differently if you had to begin your career again? What would you focus on once you restart?

Unless I would know what I know now, it’s difficult to imagine a different start. However, yeah, talking to people who are already in the field in which you are interested is always beneficial. That’s something I completely skipped when I started. As at that time, I had no idea where to find them or how to find them.

Agam can be reached out on Refrens.

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