I worked on the options desk of a prestigious New York-based trading firm until the Global Financial Crisis of 1998 quashed investor appetite for risky investments and derivative-related strategies. My focus was on developing a European client base and, as markets unraveled in dramatic fashion, the interest in my offerings completely evaporated over the course of just a few months. I blame the Thai baht!

While searching for a new line of work in the aftermath, I took on a few freelance writing jobs that paid practically nothing. I did it mostly to build up a portfolio of writing samples, which eventually helped to land a substantial contract with an investment education firm. Their marketing department continued to feed me work until their business model collapsed in the wake of the dot com crash of 2000.  I blame Easy Alan Greenspan!

Since then, I have worked with dozens of different publishing and investment companies to produce a variety of different types of content, including:

While I started my career on “The Street” because of a fascination with financial markets, I’ve always had a passion for creating. Whether it was sketching, writing short stories, cooking, building a website, or even tying flies as a fly fishing hobbyist, there has been a drive within, pushing me to create something. And I know this is true for many of you as well.

A truly wonderful thing is that there has never been a better time to be a creator. The demand for content is growing exponentially and the trend will continue. That’s partly because forms of advertising like banner ads or television commercials are not achieving the same results as in years past. Consumers are inundated with messages and, as a result, are understandably skeptical. Brands really need to build trust in order to succeed.

Most companies now understand the importance of generating value-added content in this fast-changing landscape. That, in turn, provides freelance opportunities to the people like you and me that love to create. So I’m here to share my experiences and, hopefully, help you find resources to help you succeed in the exciting, and often challenging, world of freelancing.  We are all on this journey together.