Being a freelancer makes you an entrepreneur and business owner—whether you like it or not! And every business needs a plan. Without one, you may struggle to find direction, start or build your business, and make essential connections with the clients who need your editing skills. This can be equally frustrating for new editors and longtime ones, especially if you can't figure out why experience alone isn't enough to land the contracts you want.

Using the world-renowned lean canvas model developed by Ash Maurya, this 90-minute webinar will demystify the process of creating a simple, straightforward plan for your new or established freelance business. You'll learn why a lean business plan is a perfect fit for freelancers, and how to address your unique business needs, set prices, and find your ideal clients. You'll also learn how to plan ahead for downturns in business and changes in strategy if some of your tactics don't work as well as you'd hoped. You'll come away from this session with plenty of concrete, actionable information so you can make educated decisions on how to get started, level up, and improve the odds of success.

Shannon Winton (she/her) is a developmental editor with over a decade of professional experience. As a serial volunteer, she co-runs the Houston Science Fiction and Fantasy Meetup Group, the oldest social organization for sci-fi/fantasy writers in Houston; has run the Writers Critique Workshop at Comicpalooza for multiple years; and is the co-coordinator for the EFA Houston chapter. Her background in clinical nursing, including trauma care and human research, has given her a unique insight into the importance of advocacy, meeting a person where they're at, and communicating clearly across client populations. Shannon is the continuity editor for Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing and co-founder of the Tomeworks Editing Collective.

This webinar originally aired on July 11, 2024.