Copywriting.org Interviews Christine Lacayo

I had been working with environmental organizations in the communications field for the past 7 years helping to grow their community and brand awareness through social media, blogging, impact partnerships, and email marketing. My goal after graduating with a Master’s in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development was to find an ocean conservation organization I could do this for, but well-paid ocean work is hard to come by, especially for women of color. My best friend and business partner, Suzie, knew I kept up a blog where I would write stories about ocean initiatives and living a more conscious lifestyle. She also knew how much I loved writing and using storytelling to ignite change. One day she told me, “You know you should really look into copywriting and start your own business.” I had never heard of copywriting before and I never really considered myself a business owner, I don’t necessarily like to manage people and I hate staring at spreadsheets and numbers. But frustrated with the lack of ocean opportunities, the thought intrigued me. Working from home, choosing my own clients, doing what I love doing, and no limits on how much revenue I generate. So I decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship with a lot of risk. I’m not advising anyone to do what I did. I quit my full-time job, moved back to the US without really any savings at the time, and no real plan on how I was going to start my business and actually make money. I just knew I needed change in my life and I wanted to get paid to write to help these ocean organizations spread their message of change and hope.