Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Hopper.
Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi there, I’m Emily! I’m the owner and creator of Sunshine Copywriting and I write for creative entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact on the world… and I absolutely love what I do.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer… and traveler. After working in the marketing field for a few years, I realized that the nine to five life just wasn’t for me. And so when the pandemic hit and I lost my job, I used it as an opportunity to really go after my dream of being a writer and living a life full of travel. By divine circumstance, the CEO of the company I was previously at sent me to a StoryBrand five day intensive workshop, where I learned how to become a freelance copywriter from one of the best in the business, Donald Miller. This gave me all the tools and resources I needed to start a career on my own doing something I love… writing.
Within two months, I moved out of my place in Boulder, Colorado and into a RV in the mountains for half the rent and began the grueling and rewarding journey to become my own boss… all for the love of freedom.
With this transition, I was finally able to travel in the way I wanted. I sold everything I owned, packed all my remaining stuff into one backpack and set out to live a life defined by me. I went on a nomadic, soul-searching journey where I ended up backpacking the entire coast of California, from San Diego to San Francisco, chasing the sunshine and soaking in the freedom.
It was through my experiences in California that Sunshine Copywriting was born. I knew I wanted to become a full copywriting business that not only empowered my clients but also empowered my employees to live the life they dreamed of too.
With determination, drive, and a strong willingness to live the life I desired, I built my company one small, aligned action at a time.
At the conclusion of my travels, I decided to move to Austin to really focus on building my business in the city of creatives. Sunshine Copywriting has grown so much since I’ve been here and Austin has given me such amazing opportunities (like this one) to share my story and inspire other entrepreneurs who are carving their own path of freedom. I still travel quite a bit, rarely ever having the same Zoom background twice because to me, prioritizing freedom is why I am in business.
My soon-to-be copywriters will have this same opportunity, too, to travel and live a free, sustainable, and abundant life they love.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Keeping a consistent cash flow has been a big lesson to learn. Sometimes I say that building a business is like building an airplane while flying it. It takes a lot to get it in the air, and it takes a lot to get it to stay there. And it all has to happen at the same time! As I went from being a freelancer to growing a business, I had to move away from one-time projects and really understand how to create consistent cash flow.
I also didn’t have initial investors. I provided the startup cash myself and I did this mostly through animal sitting. My love of animals is nearly equal (maybe more) to my love of travel so I decided to utilize this passion and began offering animal care services through Rover and to my own clients, friends and family. It wasn’t easy and even though the animals were always worth it, it included a lot of time spent in transition, going from one sit to the next. I would even save money by staying with friends and family rent-free. At times, I was definitely building a business while homeless!
It’s also a struggle to stay sane while being a solo-preneur. Growing a business alone can be incredibly hard and intimidating. It’s also incredibly rewarding. There were times I felt really really isolated, lost, confused, and unknowledgeable, but these roller coaster days don’t compare to the joy and freedom that comes with creating your own life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Writing isn’t for everyone. And I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by everything you need to do to keep your business running, create content that matters, work in your zone of genius AND keep the creative juices flowing.
That’s why I help creative entrepreneurs write clear words, create consistent content, and share their authentic message so that their business can grow and they can continue making a positive impact in the world.
My special talent is being able to nail someone’s “voice” quickly and easily, allowing them to get back to whatever they love doing most, and leave the writing to me.
I write copy for websites, social media, blogs, emails, lead generators, video scripts, and am looking for my first manuscript project as a ghostwriter.
The clients I work with mean a lot to me because I enjoy working with them, I enjoy the content I’m writing, and I believe what we create together has the ability to change the world.
What sets Sunshine Copywriting apart is that when you work with me and my team, you are getting talented experts that are just as invested in your dreams as they are their own. I genuinely want to see every single one of my client’s businesses grow and thrive and I will work with you closely until it gets there.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My brother passed away recently at only twenty-nine. While this is still incredibly heavy on my heart, it has only fueled my desire to grow my business and live my life even more. My brother was an adventurous, goal-achieving, epic human that encouraged others to make their biggest dreams a reality, and to stop living a life for other people. In honor of my brother, I have courageously decided that I’m not giving up on my business or my dreams and will continue taking consistent, aligned action to keep reaching my goals. Being a part of this interview at Voyage Austin is a total testament to that.
Pricing:
- Blog – $200
- Newsletter – $155
- Lead Generator – $455
- Website Copy Only – $1500
Contact Info:
- Email: emily@sunshine-
copywriting.com - Website: https://www.sunshine-
copywriting.com/ - Instagram: sunshinecopywriting
- Twitter: copythatshines
Image Credits
Alex Burton at Burton Creative
