From accounting to freelance copywriter: 14 years specialising in SaaS

Executive overview

Monique Poche left a mortgage accounting career during the 2008 financial crisis and spent several years building copywriting as a side income before going full-time in 2012. After 14 years freelancing, she specialises in SaaS and tech copy.

Most copywriting training teaches craft but not business. The gap — how to price, promote, and position yourself — is what separates sustainable freelancers from those who stagnate.

The discipline that makes freelancing work comes from treating client deadlines exactly like a corporate payroll deadline: non-negotiable.

Making the switch and staying disciplined

• Accounting background created deadline discipline that transferred directly to freelancing
• Time-blocks her week: dedicated days for copy, training, and self-promotion separately
• Flexibility is real but requires structure — she adjusts around life rather than abandoning schedule
• Early days: motivation was simple — get the work done to get paid

Building a client base from scratch

• Started on project sites (unconventional but generated referrals organically)
• Referrals became — and remain — the primary client acquisition channel
• Word of mouth and website discovery supplement referrals over time
• Doing good work and building reputation came before any formal marketing strategy

Spotting and filtering bad-fit clients

• Discovery calls reveal red flags: clients who treat freelancers like employees or ask "how long will this take?"
• "This should only take you an hour" signals they're seeking the cheapest option
• Quoting accurately and explaining the process filters out most mismatched prospects
• Charging per word is a red flag question — it signals the client doesn't understand copywriting value
• Early career: takes anything for experience. Later: selectively declines work that isn't a fit

What 10X Freelancer added beyond craft training

• Standard copywriting courses teach writing; they don't teach how to sell yourself
• 10X Freelancer filled the gap: day rates, self-promotion, what clients actually look for, building authority
• Community is valuable; business-side learning was the primary return on investment

Why SaaS became the niche

• A year-long embedded engagement with a SaaS company (working near full-time for six months) revealed how these teams operate
• SaaS clients tend to be informal, flexible, and remote-first — a better cultural fit
• Pattern recognition: looking back, SaaS clients had always been her favourites
• Now rebranding around SaaS via Copy Hackers' certified SaaS training

On imposter syndrome and confidence

• No annual review or manager feedback — testimonials and client feedback replace that validation
• Imposter syndrome is universal but hits harder when self-employed
• Confidence grows by raising prices, explaining value, and turning down poor-fit work
• Undervaluing yourself is a habit, not a fixed state