Despite being a talented copywriter, Crystal Hoffman struggled in her career.

She was constantly consumed by her work. Every moment was either spent working for a client or desperately seeking a new gig.

When she talked to potential clients, she never knew what to say. She would agree to whatever the client asked and often got stuck doing more work than she could handle.

Crystal felt like she was just “winging it” in her career. And this wasn’t working. She wanted to feel like a real professional and have more time with her kids. As she says:

“I felt like I was struggling as a mom and not giving enough time to my kids…and that’s the point of working from home…

I didn’t have any structure in my business. I didn’t have any structure as a mom. I felt like I was all over the place and that I was failing at all of it.”

Crystal thought her problem was “time management.”

She figured if she managed her time better, she could be with her kids more. So she bought planners and listened to podcasts on how to be more productive.

But this only made things worse. Because Crystal would create a beautiful plan for how her day would go, but then she had to abandon it anytime her kids needed her. So all that planning did was make her feel guilty that she couldn’t manage her time.

Then, Crystal saw an online training with Abbey Woodcock. Abbey walked her through the Freelancer’s Workflow — the process all freelancers go through when taking on a client. It covered everything from finding clients to finishing the job and getting referrals.

Seeing this opened Crystal’s eyes. She realized she didn’t have a time management problem, she had a system problem. If she could systemize her work, she’d be able to get more done and have more time with her kids.

As an added benefit, systemizing her business would help her look and feel more professional.

She wouldn’t get stuck doing a million things trying to impress her clients. Instead, she could walk her clients through her own process and let them know how things would go. It would put her in the driver’s seat and show clients she knew what she was doing.

“I saw [Abbey’s] breakdown and thought, ‘This is everything I’ve been looking for… It’s going to change the trajectory of my business.”

Abbey’s “MAKER™ Workflow”

Crystal began to go through the trainings inside The Freelance Co-Op.

Right away, they helped her free up her time and be more professional.

For example, Crystal never knew what to say to potential clients. She would get excited and agree with whatever they said. It made her look unprofessional, and it often led to her taking on bad clients and low-paying jobs.

But The Freelance Co-Op Trainings changed all that. Crystal learned how to talk to potential clients and break down what they needed. Clients would see the value in hiring her over other copywriters, and it helped her avoid projects that weren’t a good fit.

It even helped her with her current clients. Crystal had one client who often asked her to do work that had nothing to do with copywriting. Using what she learned in The Freelance Co-Op, Crystal helped him outsource that work elsewhere.

This gave Crystal more time to focus on copy. As a result, she was able to do better work. She nearly doubled both the open and click-through rates of her client’s emails, which blew her client away.

“My client mentioned that he’s seen me grow as we’ve been working together, and I have to attribute that to The Freelance Co-op.

As we’ve been working together, I’ve been going through the [Freelance Co-Op] trainings and…I’m like, ‘Hey, I learned this new thing, and I think it will help you in your business, too.’

He’s found so much value in working with me because I’ve helped him manage his systems, too.”

Crystal was now able to avoid doing work she didn’t want to do.

But she still struggled to balance having a job with being a mom.

So she used the trainings in The Freelance Co-Op to systemize her workflow. She learned how to break down everything into simple, repeatable steps.

Now, she no longer spent her days doing a million things yet feeling like she accomplished nothing. Instead, she sits down and knows exactly what to do and how to do it. And she can get work done in little spurts while her kids play or watch TV.

For example, one of the most helpful trainings for Crystal was The Dosier training. This taught Crystal how to research potential clients, so by the time she got on the call with them, she would already have ideas on how to help them.

Using this, Crystal realized she could do all the research she needed in the time it took her kids to watch “Paw Patrol.”

“I’m able to break [work] down more… I’m able to see ‘Okay, it’s not just do all the research at once.’ It’s, “Find these particular things and do the one thing.’

I think that’s what I was missing. It was, ‘Don’t do all the things, just do one.’ That helped me focus better.”

Some of the Freelance Co-Op trainings that helped Crystal

Crystal had always felt ashamed to be a freelancer.

She thought that people saw her as unprofessional — and that she would take any job for any amount of money.

But through The Freelance Co-Op, Crystal learned how to show people she was a true pro and that she deserved high fees.

For example, before the Freelance Co-Op, Crystal sent proposals through email or in an ugly Google doc. It didn’t look professional, but Crystal didn’t know any other way.

But through The Freelance Co-Op, Crystal discovered how to turn her proposal into a beautiful presentation. Now, clients immediately see that she is the real deal. It puts her a step above other copywriters because it shows she’s a real professional.

“I finally feel comfortable charging what I do…

When you send a proposal, and it’s branded, and it looks pretty and is easy for them to follow, it adds a whole different element to [clients] wanting to work with you…

I’m starting to feel [my] worth, and it’s The Freelance Co-Op that’s given me that.”

Before The Freelance Co-Op, Crystal felt like a slave to her business. She was constantly glued to the computer and missing out on time with her family.

But now that she has systems in place, she can spend much more time with her kids.

She talks and plays with her young children every morning. She takes breaks during the day to be with them without worrying about work. And she went from having “game nights” twice a month to four times a week, along with regular family movie nights.

“We’ve been able to do family movie nights because now I don’t work all through the night… it’s so nice to have that time that I’m not just slaving over my business. It’s been wonderful.”

Crystal and her daughter

Throughout her journey, Crystal has been able to reach out to The Freelance Co-op Community anytime she needed help.

For example, now that Crystal has more time, she is looking into creating a co-working space for parents with young kids.

Since Abbey opened her own in-person co-working space, Crystal reached out to Abbey with questions. Abbey then got on a call with Crystal to answer them and give her advice.

“You have so much support. If you have a question or a problem, there’s always somewhere you can get the extra help to make sure [the trainings work] for you…

Abbey is so helpful and genuinely wants to help people that any course Abbey puts out I’m going to get it… She puts it in an easy-to-follow way and just wants to help you.“

Before The Freelance Co-Op, Crystal was embarrassed to tell people she was a freelancer.

She felt like she didn’t know what she was doing and was making it up as she went.

But now, Crystal feels like a real professional. She has systems in place that save her time and help clients feel confident in working with her.

She’s no longer scrambling to do whatever clients ask. Now, she has control over the relationship and what work she does. And her clients respect her more as a result.

“Every freelancer should join The Freelance Co-Op…

[With The Freelance Co-Op] you finally have a business plan that takes you through step 1 of finding clients to closing the account and sending them on their way and having it set up so they refer clients to you…

It’s every step from the very beginning to the end. Most freelancers don’t have that, and any course you take other than The Freelance Co-Op doesn’t provide you with that.”

Ready to free up your time and become a real pro?

Using The Freelance Co-Op, Crystal went from working all the time and feeling unprofessional to having more free time and looking like a true pro.

And she made that transformation within her first two months of joining! She hasn’t even used all the trainings yet.

If you want to make that same transformation, The Freelance Co-Op is for you.

It’s loaded with trainings any freelancer can use — whether you’re a writer, graphic designer, photographer, web developer or whatever else.

The Freelance Co-Op will help you systemize your business so you can free up your time and impress your clients.

Click the button below to learn more about The Freelance Co-Op.