Hailing from the city of Croswell, Michigan, Mariah Krist has emerged as a prominent figure in the world of copywriting. For the past four years, she has passionately honed her craft as the founder of Spill the Tea Copy. Keep reading to learn all about Mariah’s inspiring journey.
What does your dream life look like? Are you currently living your dream or still working on it?
I consider myself to always be a work in progress. I don’t want to ever stop growing. Ever!
But, my dream life definitely consists of a flexible schedule so I can always make time for my friends, family, and spiritual goals. I want to get paid to do what I absolutely love — writing for women entrepreneurs — on a time that fits best for me so I can grow where it counts most.
I’m always growing one step closer to that ideal life. But, I’m definitely a lot closer today than years ago. I’m proud of that!
Tell me more about what you do and who you help.
I’m the copywriter behind Spill the Tea Copy. I help women entrepreneurs score dream clients with tailor-made copy. I help women of all sorts; finance, B2B, tech, lead generation, digital marketing, business consulting, coaching, etc.
I noticed I attract general woman entrepreneurs as opposed to one specific audience. Honestly, I love the variety. It lets me grow as a copywriter since I’ve learned to adapt to any industry.
What inspired you to start this business?
I was unable to go to college after high school. Life tends to throw obstacles your way and that was one of them.
At 23, I had been working in housekeeping for years and HATED it. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciated the money. But, it wasn’t wanted to do with my life.
One day, I became fueled to make a change. I Googled “jobs you can do without a degree” and fell down the Google rabbit hole. I fell on proofreading and copywriting.
At the risk of sounding cheesy, writing was something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. But I never pursued it because when I was 18 and graduating high school, I was told writing wasn’t a “real” job and to do something “realistic.” Stupid, naive, 18-year-old me let her dreams get crushed.
Not anymore! I was going to do what I wanted to do. I started off with proofreading before switching to copywriting when told by clients I had a flair for writing. 4 years later — here I am!
What are your top requests as a copywriter with your clients?
My goal is to always write your dream copy to magnetize your dream clients! But, my top requests are emails, blogs, and sales copy. If you want to see my current copy packages, check out my recently revamped Copy Shop.
What’s a challenge you’ve faced along your entrepreneurial journey?
Oh, boy! My severe social anxiety is one, for sure. I have severe anxiety when talking to people — any people, really — and mild OCD. I don’t think I’ll ever truly overcome them, in my personal opinion.
But, I can learn to control them so they don’t affect me as badly as they possibly can. And my business!
For example, I attend networking events to practice talking to others “face to face” so during a client Zoom call, I’m more prepared for a conversation. I also “practice” conversations in my head so I know how to respond to questions and not be “taken by surprise” so to speak.
I also have my own little ritual before a Zoom call; I like to have my cup of “stress-free” tea (that’s the literal name of it) and turn on my essential oil diffuser with lots of lavender. Also, I tend to keep my window open so I feel a nice cool breeze that helps me stay calm.
Has being an introvert affected your business?
I’ve had anxiety episodes during Zoom calls with clients. Just talking to people gets my brain worked up and I overthink literally every word coming out of my mouth. Then come the sweats, dizziness, and one time, I came close to actually throwing up after ending the call.
Yes, just talking to people causes this. I know it sounds dramatic to some — it does to me, too — but this is the reality of my anxiety.
I’ve lost potential clients because they got turned off by my “weirdness” and inability to answer simple questions. Why? My brain starts overworking and I start babbling. I have the words in my head, but not in my mouth. There’s a disconnect.
It’s why I decided to start being open about my disorder. I wanted potential clients to be aware so that when they hopped on a call — they’d know what was going on!
But, I also wanted to connect with others who have dealt with similar struggles. And I have! I’ve met a number of women who also know what it’s like and it’s opened the door of opportunities for me in many ways.
What methods do you use to bring in new clients?
Social media. Specifically, Facebook and Instagram. But, primarily Facebook.
Is attending networking events a part of your marketing strategy?
Yes, absolutely!
For me, networking is the major key to business success. You build your “empire” through who you meet. You get referrals, you build connections with people who connect you to new connections. And those people are a big deal!
Even just one connection can make a huge difference. Literally, just one.
How do you define success for yourself and your business?
For me, success is defined by happiness. Corny, yes. True, also yes!
I was raised with Bible and Christian values. And that means I don’t need a lot of money to be happy. I want to live simply. Living simply means finding happiness in what I’m doing, who I’m allowing in my life, and the means I’m doing to achieve it. A balance that lets me emotionally and spiritually thrive.
What advice would you give to other introverted women just starting their businesses?
Please stop worrying about what other people think. Don’t let the haters and naysayers derail your dreams like I did. I wasted 4-5 years of my life doing jobs I hated when I could have spent that time working closer to my copywriting dreams. And living the life I really wanted!
Never let the negative erase the positive. Ever!
Thank you for taking the time to share your story.
If you want to learn more about Mariah Krist, you can find her online via these platforms:
https://www.spilltheteacopy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/okrist/
https://www.instagram.com/mariahkr.ist/
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