How being coached at the beginning of your freelance career can become the first of many cumulative advantages.
A little while ago I received an email from someone asking if it was worth signing up for my coaching. He was concerned that the value might not be there until he had a little more experience under his belt.
I wrote back to say that I thought that getting some coaching at the very beginning of his freelance writing was probably a very good idea. But I'm not sure I expressed myself very well, or was very convincing.
I knew my recommendation was sound, but couldn't quite put my finger on the reason why.
Then just this morning, I was listening to the audio version of the first chapter of Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers.
In that first chapter he talks about how a disproportionate number of professional hockey players in Canada have their birthdays, in January, February or March.
How come? Because the cut off date for players entering the game as children is January first. As a result, an eligible player of the "same age" born in early January is almost a year older than a player born in December.
That child is larger, better coordinated and more likely to shine. By being better coordinated, he is likely to skate better and score more goals. He'll be noticed by his coach and will get more ice time and attention. He'll then be spotted by talent scouts and so on.
The result is a cumulative series of small advantages that finally lead the child born in January to make it at a national level.
The same is true in soccer or any other sport where the intake of children is filtered by age with a specific cut-off date.
It's also true for education. When children enter Kindergarten at a slightly higher age (born soon after the cut-off date), they tend to do better, simply because they are older and more mature. They are spotted by the teachers and encouraged more. They make the cut for advanced streams in school.
Does this early sequence of small advantages make a difference in the long term? Indeed it does. At the university level there is a disproportionate number of students who have birthdays falling just after the cut-off date for entry into kindergarten.
And what does this have to do with coaching and the success of your freelance writing or copywriting business?
The connection I made had nothing to do with Malcolm Gladwell's observations about age. But I did make a connection when he made the point about the power of small, cumulative advantages.
If you are just starting out as a freelancer copywriter and you have a coach or mentor who can help steer you in the right direction and give you some other good advice, you will have a small advantage over any freelancer who doesn't get the coaching.
That one small advantage could lead to an introduction to someone you would otherwise not have met. Or you'll get a job you wouldn't otherwise have got.
That introduction or project could then lead to something else, and so on.
Once again, small cumulative advantages are layered one on top of the other until you find you have a huge advantage over your competitors.
So Murray, if you are reading this article, this is the answer I should have given you in that email.
(My excuse is that Macolm Gladwell's book wasn't published until yesterday. Be sure to get a copy of Outliers: The Story of Success
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