Holly Johnson once lived the typical 9-to-5 grind—long commutes, limited vacation days, and the constant feeling that there had to be something more. She spent years clocking in and out of a job that left her drained, with little time for the things that truly mattered.
Today, she’s a freelance writer earning $200K per year, working on her own terms, and traveling the world with her family. But her journey wasn’t instant or easy. One client at a time, she transformed her side hustle into a full-time business. Here’s how she made the leap—and how others can follow in her footsteps.
Breaking Point: Why Holly Needed a Change
Holly Johnson had what many would consider a stable career. She and her husband, Greg, were financially comfortable, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was trading her best years for a job she didn’t love.
Each day, she woke up to the same exhausting routine—rushing out the door, sitting through a long commute, and spending the next nine hours at a job that left her mentally drained. By the time she got home, there was little energy left for anything else.
Greg and Holly wanted more travel and family time, but rigid work schedules kept those dreams distant. “I knew there had to be a better way,” Holly recalls. “A way to work from home, be there for my kids, and still make a good living.”
Determined to find an alternative, Holly started exploring ways to make money online. She and Greg started a blog, but like most new blogs, it took time to gain traction. She needed something that could bring in income faster.
That’s when she started noticing people talking about freelance writing. Businesses were constantly looking for content, and she realized that with the right approach, she could turn writing into a serious income stream.
But it wasn’t as simple as picking up a pen and cashing in. Holly had no journalism degree, no industry connections, and no roadmap to follow. What she did have was persistence—and that made all the difference.
Related: 56 Legit Ways to Make Money Online
Starting from Zero: Holly’s First Freelance Writing Gigs
Holly didn’t have a journalism degree, professional connections, or a polished portfolio. What she did have was the drive to make it work—no matter what. If she was going to build a freelance writing career, she had to move fast, find clients, and prove her value before she could be taken seriously.
At first, she had no idea where to start. She turned to freelance job boards like Upwork and ProBlogger, pitching businesses that needed content. The pay was low, sometimes just $25 for a full article, but it gave her something far more valuable—experience and published samples.
She also knew that standing out mattered. To build credibility, she started guest posting on well-known finance blogs. These unpaid articles helped her get her name out in the industry, positioning her as an expert before she even had a full client list. “I knew I had to start somewhere,” Holly says. “Even if that meant writing for free at first to build momentum.”
Her first financial goal was clear: earn $3,000 per month. That number wasn’t random—it was just enough to replace her old paycheck and cover the family’s essentials. If she could hit that, she could quit her job and take the leap into full-time freelancing.
To make that happen, she focused on three key things:
- Pitching relentlessly. She sent cold emails to businesses and editors, proving she could deliver quality content.
- Finding a profitable niche. She focused on personal finance and travel, both of which had strong demand and higher-paying clients.
- Raising her rates. She quickly phased out low-paying gigs, making room for better clients who valued her expertise.
Within a few months, Holly’s income was climbing. The moment she hit $3,000 per month, she knew it was time—she quit her job and became a full-time freelance writer.
Related: Get Paid to Write: 13 Sites That Pay Up to $450 per Article
Scaling to $200K: How Holly Made Freelance Writing Her Career
Quitting her job was just the beginning. Holly knew that making $3,000 per month was enough to escape her 9-to-5, but it wasn’t going to build the lifestyle she wanted. If she wanted to scale to six figures, she had to think bigger.
The first step? Stop treating freelance writing like a gig—and start treating it like a business.
Instead of relying on low-paying job boards, Holly shifted her strategy to landing premium clients—established brands willing to pay well for high-quality content.
She focused on three key strategies:
1. Building Authority in Her Niche
- Holly doubled down on personal finance writing, making herself the go-to expert in the space.
- By consistently pitching finance websites and delivering top-tier content, she built relationships with editors who would later become repeat clients.
2. Landing High-Profile Clients
- She pitched directly to editors at major sites like The Simple Dollar, LendingTree, and Bankrate, using her growing portfolio as proof of her expertise.
- Once she got her foot in the door, she consistently over-delivered—leading to steady, recurring work.
3. Raising Her Rates & Positioning Herself as a Specialist
- With high-profile bylines under her belt, Holly stopped taking low-paying clients and positioned herself as a premium writer in the finance space.
- Instead of charging per word, she began pricing her work per project, allowing her to scale her income without doubling her workload.
By the time she crossed the $100K mark, she realized she had done more than build a freelance career—she had created a highly profitable writing business.
But she didn’t stop there.
Holly knew that freelance writing alone had its limits. To scale even further, she diversified her income streams—launching a blog with her husband and later creating a course that helped other aspiring writers follow in her footsteps.
By 2018, Holly’s freelance writing income alone had grown to over $225,000 per year—far beyond what she ever imagined possible when she first started.
Related: Meet the Journalism Dropout Making Six Figures as a Freelance Writer
Beyond Writing: Expanding Her Income Streams
Freelance writing had given Holly the freedom she wanted, but she quickly realized something: client work had its limits. Even though she was making six figures, her income was still tied to how many articles she could write. If she wanted to scale beyond her time, she needed to build something bigger.
That’s when she and her husband, Greg, decided to double down on their blog, Club Thrifty. While she had initially started freelancing to supplement their blog income, the two quickly realized that the blog itself could become a profitable online business.
Through SEO, affiliate marketing, and strategic partnerships, Club Thrifty started generating significant revenue—adding a second six-figure income stream to their household.
But Holly didn’t stop there.
She also saw an opportunity to help other aspiring freelance writers by teaching what she had learned. That’s when she launched Earn More Writing, a course designed to help new writers break into the industry and scale their income faster than she had.
“I had so many people asking how I built my freelance writing career, so I decided to put everything I learned into one place,” Holly says. “That course went on to earn more than I ever expected.”
Holly Johnson, Club Thrifty
By combining freelance writing, blogging, and digital products, Holly was able to scale past $200K per year—a number that once seemed impossible when she was working a traditional 9-to-5.
Related: 4 Best Freelance Writing Courses (According to Writers)
The Lifestyle Shift: From 9-to-5 to Full Freedom
Holly didn’t just build a profitable business—she built a completely new lifestyle. Gone were the long commutes, rigid schedules, and limited vacation days. Instead of being tied to an office, she could now work from anywhere and travel with her family for months at a time.
“We’ve taken our kids all over Europe and the Caribbean,” Holly says. “Now, we travel 12 to 16 weeks per year. We could never live like this before—there just weren’t enough vacation days.”
Holly Johnson, Club Thrifty
Her workdays looked completely different, too. Instead of waking up to an alarm and rushing to an office, she could set her own hours, working when and where it suited her best. Some weeks, that meant writing in the mornings and spending afternoons with her kids. Other times, it meant taking weeks off entirely—something that would have been unthinkable in her old 9-to-5 life.
And the financial freedom? That changed everything.
With her six-figure freelance income and growing blog revenue, Holly and Greg were able to pay off their home, fund a $100,000 renovation in cash, and invest heavily toward early retirement.
“We’re in a position now where we don’t have to stress about money. That security, that freedom—it’s worth more than anything we gave up when I left my 9-to-5.”
Holly Johnson, Club Thrifty
For Holly, freelancing wasn’t just a way to make a living—it was a way to design a life that felt truly hers.
Is Freelance Writing Worth It?
For Holly, freelance writing was never just about making more money—it was about taking control of her time, her career, and her life.
What started as a side hustle turned into a $200K-per-year business that gave her family financial freedom, the ability to travel, and a level of flexibility she never imagined possible.
But what made the difference? Consistency and persistence.
Holly didn’t have a degree in journalism. She didn’t have insider connections. She built her career one client at a time—pitching, refining her skills, and steadily increasing her rates until writing became a full-time, high-paying career.
“It’s not too difficult to get ongoing work once you have a few clients,” Holly explains. “What’s difficult is getting that first job. You have to find that one person willing to give you a chance.”
For those wondering if freelance writing is worth it, Holly’s story is proof that it can be. Not everyone will hit six figures. Not everyone will want to. But for those looking for a flexible, remote-friendly career with unlimited earning potential, freelance writing offers a real path forward.
And it all starts with that first pitch.
Related:
