I added a new category to my blog this morning: Celebrate the successes. My intention on this site has always been to document my journey in setting up my own freelance copywriting business, showing the good and the bad and making people laugh along the way.

Of late, I think I’ve made the error of portraying my life — both professional and personal — as lonely, frustrating, nearly destitute and fraught with emotional land mines.

I think I’ve forgotten to say that I’M HAVING A GREAT TIME HERE!

My former company is having a really busy fall. The staff is stressed, frantic, scrambling and tired (but they’re getting it all done). I would be right there in that mess if I hadn’t resigned in early July. I resigned before I had a real plan for anything, but the idea of writing for a living and being my own boss seemed like the best decision I could make.

When I visit with people who knew me when I worked for the other company, they tell me how much less stressed my face looks. I haven’t chewed a hole in the inside of my cheek. I smile a lot more, and I laugh aloud (even when I’m here alone, which is a little weird).

More than 10 companies have signed on with me since I officially opened the doors in late August. I’ve sent out invoices as low as $100 and some into the thousands. My dedicated marketing efforts of late have yielded some very strong results, and many of the gigs I’m going after now involve substantial rethinking of entire marketing campaigns, along with the corresponding writing.

Three of my clients have written me with the kind of emails salespeople love: “Hey, I know you and I have been working on X, but my colleague needs something done for Y. Is that something you can do?”

I’ve got a meeting today with the principal of a nationally known graphic design firm. I’ve got phone conferences next week with three new companies. I’ve got a lead on someone to help me with my taxes. I even contacted a literary agent I know and asked him to help me mull over some ideas I have for some nonfiction books — and he said one of them sounds interesting and he wants to hear more! I’m truly making ends meet on the business I’ve created for myself and the work that comes from my brain. How friggin’ cool is that???

Sure, sometimes things are tough. I still hate the isolation (though I’ve actually been a social butterfly the last couple of weeks). And I do struggle with rejection. But every time a client passes on my services or a bozo ex-boyfriend or former boss doesn’t recognize what I have to offer, I’ve got more to offer to myself and to my business.

And I tell you, it feels great.