From Cleaning Toilets to Making $8K+/Month Through Writing
Interview with Uncopyable Insider
Image courtesy of Ikram Mohamed from Uncopyable Insider
Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ikram M from Uncopyable Insider.
She reached out on LinkedIn and wanted to interview me about my writing business.
Me? Little old me?
Screenshot from my LinkedIn DMs
Imposter Syndrome bit me hard, but I needn’t have worried.
Ikram was a wonderful host.
She asked me questions no one’s ever asked me before, and I opened up about cleaning toilets, feeling lost, and lots of stuff I’ve never written about.
Here’s the interview.
Screenshot from Ikram’s LinkedIn DMs
Scott, how did you get into writing?
I started writing on Medium in late 2020. Like many people, I was doing it as a hobby, but writing became something a bit more serious when I got clients (which was by accident!)
You’re now a full-time writer?
I was a full-time writer for a while, but lately, I work only 2–3 hours a day. The rest of the time, I work out at the gym, meet friends, go for walks, etc.
I try to create a life where I’m not glued to the laptop, which is easy and tempting.
I like to go out and see the world.
So you weren’t looking to make money from writing initially?
Not at all. I found Zulie Rane’s YouTube videos about Medium, and I thought they were cool. But I didn’t have any goals or monetization in mind. It all happened pretty naturally.
How did you then get clients if your writing was just a hobby? Did someone contact you, or did you realize you can make money from it?
My first client was someone I knew from my podcast coaching days back in 2021. She reached out to me on LinkedIn and told me she was looking for a writer.
She was also a subscriber to my newsletter, which she’d been reading for months before she reached out, so she was familiar with my writing.
After that, others reached out via email and LinkedIn. I was also doing outbound reach, so I was getting clients in different ways.
It just kind of snowballed from there!
So, was having a public portfolio the main driver?
Yeah. That helped me get my foot in the door. Then it was a matter of keeping in touch with people and building connections — not just through writing but also through email.
Scott, you mentioned a podcast and newsletter, and you have your clients. And you only spend 2–3 hours a day working. So how do you manage all these things and still work a few hours a day?!
Well, now I work 2–3 hours a day — but this was 3 years in the making.
Before I became a full-time freelance writer 12 months ago, I had a 9–5 job, and I was writing before work and sometimes in the evenings.
I was putting in 10-hour days. Sometimes, I recorded podcast interviews during my lunch breaks too. I had to grind for a while. It didn’t happen overnight.
Only now am I reaping the rewards.
I read that you cleaned toilets and served fish and chips at some point. Was this before or after you joined Medium?
This was before Medium. To make a long story short, my first job after university was working as a prison officer, but it wasn’t for me at all.
I quit after 4 or 5 months.
Once I quit my prison officer job, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I felt lost. My life lacked purpose. To help pay the bills, I did odd jobs like cleaning toilets and working in a fish and chip shop.
Late 2018 — early 2019 was definitely a low point for me.
Where do you see yourself in the next 12 to 18 months?
In terms of work, it will probably look similar (continue with my writing, working with clients, my newsletter, etc.)
I’m at a point where I’m financially as happy as I’ve ever been. I don’t feel the need to earn more, and opportunities are coming to me. I can now cherry-pick and select the kind of clients I want to work with.
I’m extremely grateful.
So it took you 3 years to reach this stage of choosing who to work with?
Absolutely.
There’s this misconception that these things happen overnight, but they don’t. That’s what I try to write about.
It’s not just about trust; it's about building your skills. Even though writing is something everyone can do, the best writers devote significant time to their craft.
I’m curious. Do you want to write primarily for clients, or do you want to focus on your own projects at some point?
I’m happy with the current balance. My client work doesn’t take a huge amount of my time, and I enjoy the topics I write about.
I don’t typically have meetings, and if I do, they’re once a month. The rest of the time, all communication is via email or Slack.
So I don’t feel the need to change the way things are now.
How much do you make a month?
My highest earnings were last month (around $8,800). But as I’ve mentioned, this didn’t happen overnight!
My newsletter is all about being uncopyable. With so much noise out there, how do you differentiate yourself?
It’s not something I really think about. I just write about things I enjoy and that other people may find useful.
I know there’s a lot of advice out there about choosing your niche, but it’s not something I’ve actively thought about.
I’m just trying to be me.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
The big one is very basic: just start!
I recently completed a 30-day writing challenge, and although everyone who joined wanted to be a writer and make money from it, there was a huge drop-off.
So there was a clear disconnect between what they were saying and what their actions showed.
It’s one thing to say “I want to write”, but to do it day in and day out?
That’s something else.
Anything final you’d like to add?
Never get too comfortable. Keep experimenting, keep connecting with people who inspire you, and always be on the lookout for opportunities — even if you’re at full capacity.
As one of my teachers used to say, "If you want something done, ask the busiest person."
It’s not easy making it on your own — despite what those YouTube ads tell you — but it’s hella rewarding. And it does get easier with time.
Go get it!
Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page guide: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)
