Member Moment — Steph Underhill
Steph is a content strategist and copywriter based on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, and works with clients under her Got This Copy brand. She loves writing content that’s clear and enjoyable to read and has a special interest in areas like motherhood, mental health, diabetes, gender equality and diversity. In this interview, we chat to Steph about how she decided to quit the corporate world, the now disappointing lack of office cake, and the essential qualities every freelancer needs to succeed.
To kick things off, tell us a bit about your background and how you ended up working for yourself?
I've always been a writer. I used to write little stories and poems for my teachers at school and gift it to them for Christmas. (Weird in hindsight.) I wrote my first 'novel' at around age 10 – all written by hand in a notebook.
So I always knew I'd be a writer, but I didn't know copywriting was a thing until I was already doing it! I fell into a marketing role after uni, and the work I loved most was writing brand stories. From there I worked in a university writing student comms, and then at a content agency where I learned about SEO, UX and accessibility for the web.
Over the years I never cut ties with people I worked with, I always like to stay in touch. So I found lots of these people reaching out asking if I could help them write content for them. It made a lot of sense to go out on my own so I could support people better, focus more on writing and less on work politics, and EARN MORE MONEY bahaha.
Was there a defining moment when you knew it was time to make the leap and do your own thing?
There was a bit of a gross period for my mental health around 2019. I was trying to conceive, I'd been moved into a leadership role at work, and I was working with some people I didn't get along with too well. There was one project where I did NOT like the client and he didn't really like my work, but I was being forced to keep writing and rewriting articles for him. It was like, 'WHY?!'. When you work for someone else you have to do so much stuff that just doesn't sit right with you. Plus, you waste so much time.
I felt I could give my clients a better experience, do work that excited me more, and just enjoy life better if I started my own business. Sure enough, I found out I was pregnant the week after I quit. It all just fell into place and was meant to be. Being miserable in your work affects your personal life in so many ways.
What was your biggest fear before you started working for yourself?
That I wouldn't make enough money, or that I'd just get tied up in really awkward situations and have to have terrible client confrontations that I couldn't handle – like if they didn't like my work.
“Being forced to rely on yourself is incredibly empowering and you learn how capable you are.”
What advice would you give to others to help them overcome fear and make the leap to self employment?
The best way to learn how is to just throw yourself into it. Yes, you will make mistakes along the way, but if you see it all as a learning experience and be kind to yourself (lay off beating yourself up!), it's awesome. Being forced to rely on yourself is incredibly empowering and you learn how capable you are.
What is the best and worst part of working for yourself?
Best: Getting lovely feedback about the way you operate business, and the THRILL of winning new work and getting shit done. Worst: It can be lonely, and no one brings you cake on your birthday 😂
Let's talk morning routines, what do you do to set your day up for success?
I'm not the best person to ask about this because I have young kids and it's a sh*tshow in my house... I guess I like to pad out my day with time in the morning to just waste a bit of time and scroll on social channels to ease myself into things. I'm a BIG lover of to-do lists, and love my Amelia Lane Paper Life Designer / diary.
Name three qualities you need to succeed as a freelancer.
1. People skills / networking – Maybe you don't NEED this, but I've found connections to be the best way to get a consistent pipeline of work coming through. Even making connections on LinkedIn and being an active member on there is a great way to stay top of mind.
2. Ability to give less f*cks – (Is this the right term? Maybe 'resilience' is what I'm looking for.) You need to be able to separate the emotion from the work. When not-so-great feedback comes through you simply can't spend days stuck up on it. Know it's not a reflection of YOU as a person, and try to nut out how to fix the problem. Sometimes it's that the right questions weren't asked during the briefing stage, sometimes the client just can't articulate themselves, and sometimes you just genuinely weren't on your game that day! That's okay.
3. A good sense of realism – You. Can't. Do. Everything. You have to say no sometimes. There are times you have to turn down great work because you just can't fit it in at that time. Trying to do it all will burn you out, but also reduce the quality of your work. Keep it real. Time-block your calendar so you can actually visualise how much time you have. Oh, and for the love of god, remember to take holidays.
What habit(s) or tools help you to be your most focused self?
My Amelia Lane Paper Life Designer (hehehe not sponsored I swear).
Time-blocking: I just use my Google Calendar and I block out time to work on tasks, and for lunch and meetings and stuff.
Pomodoro Technique: On days I really can't stay focused I love to use this one. At least I can do short burst of on-task work.
Cool Wow Collective: The gang is a lifesaver. I love feeling less alone, discussing work problems together, and being held accountable for what I say I'm going to do.
What role has community played in your success as a freelancer?
Yeah, heaps! It's amazing sharing experiences with people in the same situation. I so appreciate getting advice from other freelancers, and just having them validate my experiences too. It was a lifesaver during Melbourne 2020/21 lockdowns.
Do you have any stand out books, podcasts or spaces that are inspiring you in business right now?
Someone from Cool Wow told me to read the Burnout book by Emily and Amelia Nagoski – that one's great. Also I just love to trawl LinkedIn for good advice and inspiration. There's a lot of trash on there, don't get me wrong, but there's a strong community of female freelancers which I love.
Finally, tell us a little about your business and where people can find you?
Oh, my lil copywriting business! It's called Got This Copy (because I've 'got this' and my clients have 'got this' too) – and you can see what I'm about at www.gotthiscopy.com.au. I'm also active on LinkedIn and I have a business Insta account – but I publish on there embarrassingly infrequently. Basically, I'm a writer with knowledge of SEO, UX, strategy, accessibility and digital marketing. I help businesses achieve their business goals through clear, great messaging.
—
View Steph’s profile on Cool Wow Collective here >
Visit www.gotthiscopy.com.au to explore Steph’s (very good) work.