Kendall Copywriting is two years old!

The last year has been a year of steady progression – full of cool things like:

• contracts – my first taste of long-haul copywriting and a dalliance with user testing
• deals – landing a book deal
• clients – working with a broader mix of clients, big and small

And when I’ve not been writing copy I’ve been busy moving WriteClub forwards with the help of Ayse Kongur (WriteClub’s resident designer) and co-hosts Ellen de Vries and Al Robertson.

What does the future hold?

• expansion of the copywriting agency service at Kendall Copywriting
• fun things under the WriteClub banner
• content strategy, gently folded into our copywriting services

Thank-you to all of the clients I’ve worked with in the past year. Here’s to year 3!

Well, I’m not really doing it for you. I’m cycling 60 miles for Norwood, The Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Bliss, The Down’s Syndrome Association and Heart’s Have a Heart.

The ride starts in Hove, heads towards London but then loops back towards Hove. Luckily, I live in Hove.

So how about it? Small donations are as valued as the massive ones – and thanks to the wonder of the web you can do it all directly:

Sponsor Leif now.

Thanks!

It felt like time for a change of look – partly because some people imagined me to be much older than I am (I’m 31) because of my previous retro-flavoured logo. So here it is…

The new look has been in development for a little while, and I have a few people to thank for their excellent work:

Nick Carter

The Escape Committee

Guy Anderson

Leif on the Radio

Last week I was invited by Julie Stanford (of the Essential Business Guide and the President of Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce) to talk about my experiences as a freelancer on her Radio Reverb show, Business as Usual. Coinciding with my one year anniversary, it was the perfect opportunity for me to reflect on the past year.

This was my first time being interviewed for the radio, and I was quite nervous to begin with. But Julie was a great interviewer and made the whole experience very pleasant.

What follows is Julie Stanford interviewing me, Leif Kendall, about being a freelancer, a copywriter and a small business owner. It seems like the perfect way to wrap up the past year:

The Things I Forgot

After the interview, I remembered all kinds of things that I should have mentioned. Mainly people. People who have helped, guided and supported me during my first full year in business. I really wish I had mentioned the following people and organisations:

Michael Bailey and Premasagar Rose

I met Michael and Prem at a Vine networking event. It was Michael who gave me the advice I mention about pricing, and together they generously helped me create my first website.

Paul Silver, The Farm

I do mention the Farm, but I don’t mention Paul Silver. Paul runs the Farm (a networking group for Brighton freelancers), and I’m very grateful to him for the priceless  resource that this group provides.

Rosie Sherry, The Werks

The Werks is where I work. It’s a special place full of talented, friendly people. Rosie Sherry first invited me there, and made me feel very welcome.

Lots of Other People

Working in Brighton, I’m lucky to be surrounded by creative people who love nothing more than helping others. It’s a great place to work.

• Writing guides – freely distributed, super-short guides to writing. Coming soon!
• Blog posts that justify the use of social media – a post on Twitter is coming soon
• More blog posts that bring you strange signs and odd uses of language
• More of my thoughts on marketing, web design, usability and copywriting

Things I’d like to do (but may not):

• Redesign my website
• Public speaking
• Take on an intern/apprentice/work experience person

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that my website has been renovated. Shaun Morrison, a Brighton Freelance Web Designer, has tidied up my WordPress theme. My site is now more compact, more cohesive and nicer to look at.

I can heartily recommend Shaun’s skills as a freelance web designer – he understands the kind of things that matter to me when it comes to web design – usability, simplicity and SEO.

Thanks Shaun!

We’ll be using this blog to discuss my work, colleagues and business associates and anything interesting I get involved in!

In the meantime, if you need something written, or if you already have something written but it needs attention, please get in touch. I’m always happy to talk about the work we do and to tell you exactly how I can make your copy, treatment or script better.