EDITOR’S NOTE:

Tommy Walker is the former Editor-in-Chief at Shopify Plus and Conversion XL. 

Today, he’s working on WalkerBots Content Studios, a marketing consultancy for growth-stage B2B startups and enterprises. 

But at one point in his freelance writing career, he was nearly homeless.

Tommy shares his story in the 451-word Micro-Interview below. He also shares:  

• How to ensure you’ve hit or beat a project’s original goals…

• A simple exercise for cultivating your routine… 

• Why — and how — to document your work…

And more…

Enjoy!

Thank you, Tommy.

Let’s get started: 

1) “What’s your work routine?”

At the time I'm writing this, my consultancy is only 13 weeks old, so I must admit this is being refined.

I record a video every Monday, however, documenting the progress of building the consultancy from week to week. I started this from the outset, because:

1) I needed a routine from the beginning, and
2) details can get so easily lost over time. 

I also put together a daily "what's on my radar" status update for LinkedIn and Twitter to stay fresh. Other than that, I commit 2-3 hours every morning to deep work and take client calls throughout the afternoon.  

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

Documentation is everything. 

Nobody knows what's in your head, and people need something tangible to understand your thought process. PowerPoint presentations, as time-consuming as they are, are necessary to communicating your thoughts, not just to others, but to your future self. 

Projects can deviate pretty far from the original plan, so having that plan and vision documented will ground you and see if you've hit or beat your original goals. 

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

Don't panic. 

It's usually not as bad as you're making it out to be. 

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

Trying not to be homeless.

About four years into my freelance career, circumstances dictated I had to pivot from consulting to writing. Financially, it was not an ideal move, but it needed to be done. 

My situation became dire, and since I was newer to the "blogging for dollars" game, I priced myself relatively low. I make no exaggeration when I say my soon-to-be family of four was on the brink of homelessness. My view was less "become a popular blogger" and more "3 articles to pay this bill, 4 articles pay for that." It was truly a matter of survival.

My editors had very high standards, and because the timing was critical, I couldn't spend a ton of time on revisions, so my first-drafts had to become impeccable. 

The byproduct of needing to put food on my table was to create a sizable volume of work in a short period of time. Fortunately, that body of work also gave me credibility and eventually led to some amazing opportunities. But yeah, making sure my family didn't end up on the streets was certainly the biggest factor in being a better writer. 

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

The Flinch by Julien Smith.

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

Decide what you believe in and live like you mean it.