18 Freelance Writing Business Success Stories [2024]
Freelance writing can be a good career choice if you are looking for a flexible online job.
Working as a freelancer gives you the flexibility to define your work schedule. You can work from home at any time. Freelance writers work across various niches, writing about various topics assigned by the client,
To earn good money as a freelance writer, you need the following personal qualities:
- Strong writing skills
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Stay on the cutting edge
- Be a self-starter
- Be up-to-date with the current writing tools & writing trends
- Proper communication skills
In this list, you'll find real-world freelance writing business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a freelance writing business that makes money.
1. Solar Staff ($6M/year)
solar-staff //s3.amazonaws.com/www.starterstory.com/story_images/images/000/021/326/original/open-uri20221009-25-vx9a2y?1665301493 We used business networking and personal connections to attract and retain customers, along with themed conferences and context advertising. Our promotional budget accounts for 20-25% of our revenues.
How much money it makes: $6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.5M
How many people on the team: 77
Solar Staff is a profitable fintech solution that helps businesses work with cross-border contractors, making interaction with freelancers 5 times faster and optimizing business productivity, with a YOY growth of 92% and plans to expand into the UK, India, Mexico, and Brazil.
2. Platypus Publishing ($3.84M/year)
Matt Rudnitsky, founder of Platypus Publishing, came up with the idea for his business after self-publishing his own book and realizing the potential in helping others do the same. He began by offering editing and coaching services, and eventually expanded to offer a done-for-you book service and an online course. Through organic growth and personalized outreach, Matt has built his business without the need for a formal launch or large budgets.
How much money it makes: $3.84M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 3
Platypus Publishing offers done-for-you and online course options for people looking to self-publish a book, with a focus on validation and quality, and has generated over $15k in profits over five years, with founder Matt Rudnitsky aiming for $100k in profits this year and beyond.
3. Article-Writing Co ($1.5M/year)
David Tile, the founder of Article-Writing.co, originally tried to start a penny auction website after college but failed. He then turned to freelance writing to make some cash, which eventually led to him building a successful content writing service. With $40k - $50k in monthly revenue from clients like Answers.com, Tile's business has grown without any outside funding, emphasizing the importance of taking action and adapting to market forces.
How much money it makes: $1.5M/year
How many people on the team: 25
How David Tile turned a freelance writing gig into an $80k/month business, discussing lessons learned through managing growing demands and maintaining a remote team operation.
4. Publishing Services ($864K/year)
While self-publishing her own books, Laura Mikkelsen realized many independent authors struggled with marketing. This led her to create Publishing Services, initially offering just book descriptions in 2019; now, it nets $72,000 monthly.
How much money it makes: $864K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 41
Publishing Services, a company founded by Laura Mikkelsen, began as a service to create best-selling Amazon book descriptions, and has now grown into a full range of services for publishers with an average monthly revenue of $72,000 and 41 people on the team.
5. Content-Whale Private Limited ($750K/year)
Vaibhav Kishnani, an engineer turned writer, came up with the idea for Content-Whale after noticing the unprofessional conduct in the Indian content market. With just Rs. 2,500 ($35) in capital, he started the content agency which now generates a revenue turnover of Rs. 4 crores ($514,000) and serves clients like Quikr and The Boston Consulting Group.
How much money it makes: $750K/year
How much did it cost to start: $35
How many people on the team: 30
Content-Whale, a content curation agency, has achieved a Rs. 4 crore ($514k/year) turnover 4-5 years after being started with just Rs. 2500 ($35), and has a pool of more than 500 writers, aiming to become a market leader in the global content market.
6. Write of Passage ($300K/year)
After taking Tiago Forte's course, David wanted to help 1,000 people start writing online. He was so excited he even tweeted about it and approached it as a challenge.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
Unlock the growth strategy of Write of Passage, a business making $25K/month and $300K/year in revenue, with founder David Perell's laser focus on shareable content and driving people to his email list.
7. Writing Revolt ($300K/year)
Getting fired was what had finally propelled her into starting her own freelance writing business, and she thought that the urgency of having no backup plan was what had really pushed her to succeed.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How many people on the team: 0
A freelance writer who started from scratch and built a multiple six-figure online business, helping freelance writers learn how to make money online, through online courses in freelance writing and blogging, and focusing on YouTube and email newsletter marketing efforts.
8. Sauce Writing ($150K/year)
He realized the potential of writing when he landed his first job in Marketing. His mission was to learn everything he could about copywriting. In parallel, he created a personal blog and built a decent following. People loved his writing, so he decided to launch a writing school.
How much money it makes: $150K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 0
Sauce Writing's Valentin Decker started an online writing school just before the pandemic, helping over 100 students last year and aiming for up to €150,000 in revenue in 2023 with an emailing list of 5K people.
9. Writing Income Accelerator ($120K/year)
friends who turned out to be a nightmare to work with. They were demanding, changed their minds constantly, and didn't want to pay my fees. But I learned to be firm with my boundaries, set clear expectations, and communicate effectively to avoid any misunderstandings or difficult situations in the future. It's important to remember that not every client is going to be a perfect fit, and it's okay to say no to those who don't align with your values or work style.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How many people on the team: 1
A freelance writing program that teaches intermediate-level writers how to command $1,000 - $3,000 per article, with creator Arlie Peyton generating $10k a month from writing custom long-form articles that get premium results in the eCommerce and SaaS industries and for personal brands.
10. The Wee Writer ($72K/year)
Emma Sloan, founder of The Wee Writer, came up with the idea for her content writing business while she was still in university. She realized that many businesses struggled with crafting compelling marketing content and saw an opportunity to provide done-for-you writing services. With a focus on writing, editing, and social media calendar creation, The Wee Writer has grown its client base by over 40% since 2020 and aims to break $100k in revenue by 2024.
How much money it makes: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 0
The Wee Writer is a successful content writing business with over 100 happy customers, offering writing, editing, and social media calendar creation services, which grew its consistent client base by over 40% since 2020 and expects to break $100k by 2024.
11. 411Writers ($60K/year)
Constantin Coutun, the manager of 411Writers, came up with the idea for the business while working at 411 Locals as a blog writer. After realizing the potential of his writing team was being limited to the company's clients, Coutun decided to create 411Writers to help his department and provide a platform for writers and editors to express their creativity. Through strategic marketing efforts and the launch of new services, such as targeting app developers and offering a Guru content plan, they were able to attract and retain customers.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 65
Content writing company 411Writers started with $13.99 and now generates over $50,000 revenue per month, providing clients with unique website content for both search engines and human readers.
12. Angelella Editorial ($54K/year)
Kate Angelella, the founder of Angelella Editorial, came up with the idea for her freelance editorial business after leaving her job at Simon & Schuster Children's Books. Not knowing what to do for work in a new city, she decided to dip her toe into freelance editing and found success through networking on Twitter and working with clients on projects. With the support of a co-founder and a team of editors, Angelella Editorial now offers various services to authors and has become a thriving business.
How much money it makes: $54K/year
How many people on the team: 1
How a freelance editorial business generating $4.5K per month was transformed from a sole proprietorship to a fully-staffed independent contractor business providing author coaching, manuscript critiques, and book doctoring.
13. Daniel Waldman Writing ($42K/year)
Daniel Waldman, a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience in marketing and PR, started his own writing business after experiencing burnout from running his own agency. With a strong network and referrals from Fiverr's Pro program, Daniel brings in around $3500/month offering a variety of writing and editing services, including blogging, article writing, website copy, and video script writing. He is now exploring producing events in addition to his freelance writing work.
How much money it makes: $42K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Daniel Waldman started his freelance writing business over three years ago and has since earned an average of $3,500 per month, mostly through referrals and Fiverr - offering blogging, article writing, website copywriting and editing services.
14. Freshly Squeezed ($33.6K/year)
Adam Crookes, the founder of Freshly Squeezed, had always dreamed of running his own business and had been developing ideas since his high school days. After leaving a digital marketing agency, he took the opportunity to start a content writing business. In just six months, Freshly Squeezed has become incredibly successful, earning considerably more than Adam's previous job.
How much money it makes: $33.6K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Learn how Adam Crookes started a content writing business, Freshly Squeezed, from scratch, resulting in $3K MRR in just 6 months, and get tips on attracting and retaining customers and building a successful service-based business.
15. Merrative ($24K/year)
Harshala Chavan, the founder of Merrative, came up with the idea for her business after noticing a lack of dedicated spaces for people to discuss literature. After attending a book club meetup, where she had a great discussion with others who had read the same book, she wondered if she could bring this experience online at scale. She validated her concept through participating in BPlans and growing her Instagram page, which eventually led to the launch of Merrative as a community-led marketplace for publishing talent.
How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0
Merrative, a community-driven marketplace for publishing talent, generates an average of $1,500 per month in marketplace transactions from their 5,000+ strong community of readers, writers, journalists, and scholars.
16. Startupily ($18K/year)
Safwan Khan, founder of Startupily, came up with the idea for his blog when he was struggling to find a job and needed to earn an income. Inspired by the trend of blogging for side income, he started interviewing entrepreneurs and publishing their interviews on Startupily. Over time, he expanded the blog by adding business articles, templates, and documents, attracting traffic and positive response from entrepreneurs worldwide.
How much money it makes: $18K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
How many people on the team: 0
Founder Safwan Khan started Startupily, a blog for entrepreneurs seeking business articles and resources, after being inspired by Pat Flynn's podcast and networking app DUST, providing free PR services for small business owners, before expanding into publishing business articles and selling business plan templates and documents, resulting in partnerships with global sites Influencive and Thrive Global.
17. FVA Business Consultancy ($12K/year)
Julmar Grace Locsin, founder of Filipino Virtual Assistance, came up with the idea after experiencing the challenges of transitioning from office jobs to freelancing. Recognizing the potential for freelancing to improve the lives of individuals and families, Locsin and her husband launched FVA to provide training, coaching, and services to empower freelancers. Since its inception, FVA has trained over 25,000 students and aims to become the top online academy in the world.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 14
Filipino Virtual Assistance by FVA Business Consultancy, founded by Julmar Grace Locsin, offers online and offline training to empower marketers, enable businesses, and equip freelancers which has trained 25,000 students from their 31 courses, has 16 coaches assigned from different territories, and fifteen in the FVA team for global digital leadership that will impact the world through digitalization, one life at a time.
18. Tyla's Writing Services ($8.4K/year)
Tyla, the founder of Tyla's Writing Services, combined her passion for writing and IT to create her business. After obtaining her Master's degree in Computer Science in 2018, she decided to fully embrace both aspects of her passion. Through marketing, word of mouth, and personalized customer engagement, Tyla is striving to build her brand and provide affordable and quality services to professionals and small businesses.
How much money it makes: $8.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 1
Tyla's Writing Services, a professional writing agency that provides writing needs for businesses and professionals, shares its experience starting a side business with an income of $1k a month and how it grew through word of mouth.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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