7 Clients in 12 Weeks: How Annie Left a 20-Year Teaching Career and Launched Her Editing Business

You've been doing everything right—teaching, advising, serving on committees, even organizing a union—and still hitting a wall.Annie Brubaker did all of that for 20 years, watched her salary get frozen for 12 of them, went on a 29-day strike, and finally decided she was done waiting for an institution to value her.Then she landed 7 editing clients in her first 12 weeks as a professional editor.In this episode of the Leaving Academia podcast, Annie talks about what actually moves the needle when you're starting a freelance editing or coaching business from scratch—including the mindset shift that helped a self-described perfectionist get her website out the door before it was "ready," and why networking felt way more natural than she expected.What we cover:🌟 How Annie went from non-tenure-track faculty to 7 paying clients inside a single 12-week BAE cohort🌟 The minimum-viable-product mindset that helped her stop overthinking and start landing clients🌟 Her specific outreach strategies: informational interviews, cold emails, local nonprofit connections, and more🌟 Why she chose to name her business after herself—and what that decision meant to her sense of ownership and identity🌟 How LinkedIn stopped feeling like self-promotion and started feeling like finally getting to say what she thinks🌟 Why Annie credits the BAE community with getting her clients years faster than going it aloneConnect with Annie:Annie Brubaker Writing Consulting — abwritingconsulting.comLinkedIn:   / anniebrubaker  Resources Mentioned:Atomic Habits by James ClearBecoming an Academic Editor or Coach (BAE) program: AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditorThe Academic Entrepreneurs Studio: AcadiaEditing.com/studio3:15 - Why Academic Faculty Should Unionize7:20 - How To Overcome Institutional Burnout11:45 - Building A Successful Editing Business15:10 - How To Find Your First Clients18:55 - Mastering The Art Of Self Promotion22:30 - Future Goals And Final Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.