Welcome to something other than the “Queen’s English”! When I was in the UK, I had no idea what “bangers” or “mashers” were.

I had the opportunity to take a look at some copy written for a UK business, and it was an eye-opener. As copywriters, we need to be careful in keeping with the correct vernacular.

So Tony, what would be a similar term to “Scrappy” in the UK?

After we spoke on the phone the other day and you mentioned that I was “getting scrappy”, it led me to thinking. When I embarked on this copywriting journey, I was a little apprehensive, but I knew that if I put the time in, it could become very successful.

Now that I have sent out my first mailing, there is no looking back–and I wouldn’t want to.

In some ways, since I signed up to learn from Shaune back at the end of September, I have been getting scrappy ever since. Unlike most of his students, I don’t have near as much time to devote to learning the craft. I have been juggling my current job and the responsibilities of it with, what I am working towards, my new career. For those of you who know, my current job is anything but regimented in a routine.

Ad to that my recent marriage and moving half way across the U.S. You get the idea. Not exactly the most ideal lifestyle to learn a whole new career!

However, I must say that I have learned that if you can do it yourself, then you should. Yes, some things are better left to skilled hands, but I found that I was able to design a better postcard and have it printed for a lower price then leaving it to a designer. Yes, I will need a web designer for larger projects, but not for everything.

Lesson learned. But perhaps it was just as well.

Now that I have begun the postcard campaign, and have received a nice response rate, I am proactively pursuing these leads, returning phone calls, send follow up letters (thanks for that one) and e-mails. I will be sending more out to a larger metropolitan area and I will just as eagerly pursue any of those prospective clients who respond.

To me, this is getting scrappy. But I am motivate to do so. I am motivated because I desperately want to be self-employed. I want to make our (Wife and I) lives better. I want to be respected by my peers in this business.

The way Shaune talks about those he respects is the way I want him, and others, to speak of me.

I believe I have come a long way in these last four or so months…a lot further then if I had stuck with the original way I was trying to learn copywriting/marketing.

I owe you a great debt of thanks for deciding to send that e-mail to me way back when. You could have chosen anyone from the forum board. The irony is that I usually don’t post on forum boards because I think that they can be some what of a waste of time. Obviously, that is not the case.

So yes, in my mind I have been getting scrappy, I expect I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.