Hey, Lounger. I have very important news and need your help.

I'm always thinking of how to make this newsletter accessible to a lot of people and still earn for the work I do. The course of things will change in January and I'll be needing your help with word of mouth promotions (for the most part). If you're a newbie, please read what I have to say. Right now, I don't make so much from this newsletter. Especially for the stress. I just keep telling myself it'll pay off in the long run. Lost some paid subscribers but I already braced for it anyway :⁠-⁠)

I'd be looking at making Crealo a brand (and seeking volunteers) with subrands: a design community, a developer community, and a content community. I'd be needing some help from people who are passionate about making gigs accessible to Africans. I've stopped the hand-holding session for now, and these volunteers are the only people I'll be private coaching for free (we're going to have our own private group so it'll be easier for us) - you don't have to pay 2500, you just need to help out a bit for a few months. Plus, I'll show you how I access allll the gigs I find. It's also going to be a big plus for your resume. When we have things set, I'll hire some of you even if I'm not making enough from the brand yet. Ready to personally fund it. You can just email me at iwuchidinma9@gmail.com to learn more. Also, if you want to be a partner (co-owner) and put sweat and blood into this with me, please email me let's make magic.

We're going to have more than one Slack and we're going to compile gigs for FREE also. Yes, for free. All the resources I come across, you'll get it. The downside is that these gigs would be completely beginner friendly (around $30-150 worth/project). You get 50+ once a week or 25+ twice a week so you can apply when they're fresh. I've realised that some Loungers are mostly not a fit for the $500-$2k+ plus gigs and it makes no sense that I demand payment for what you can't access. What I'm looking to get out of this is a community of people you can interact with. There'll be older and more experienced people to ask questions and learn from.

Soo, how do I intend to make money? The paid memberships for ONLY experienced folks unless you insist that as a newbie, you want to have access to them and can pay. I don't want new folks to pay for gigs they can't access, so, the big gigs for people who are experienced, will be in the membership tier. Gigs from $200-$2k+ will be featured here, we'll collect your information and send to hiring managers. We'll scale your chances of getting a gig in the foreign market by 70%. It'll be 2500. We're looking to build a network of freelancers where hiring managers coke to hire from, and people who are members will be the folks listed in our database for hire.

I'm speaking to a lot of people on LinkedIn, so believe me when I say there's good stuff forthcoming.

There may not be a lot of people who'll be in the membership for now, but I know in due time.

Sooooo, if you're new, you don't have to pay 1200 anymore, you'll get the gigs for free but they'll be within a certain range. If you're experienced, there'll be enough juice in the membership!

And if you're looking to volunteer for now, please email me! Thanks.

Gigs you'll love

1. Responsify is hiring freelance mental health writers: https://www.responsify.com/writer-application/

2. Edge Technologies: We are looking to hire the following positions.

   - Social Media Marketer

   - SEO Specialist

   - Creative Content Writer.

   Email to career@edge-technologies.org

3. Content Grow is hiring business and tech writers in Nigeria! https://forms.gle/vtYwmFrQ3ZAQ8iQYA

4. The Smarketers: We are looking for suitable candidates, for full-time, in the following positions: (hr@thesmarketers.com)

   Content Writer (B2B)

   Creative Graphic Designer

   SEO Manager

   Marketing Manager (ABM)

5. Seize The Press Magazine: Reminder that we're open to non-fiction pitches! We're looking for fresh and unique left wing analyses of sci-fi, fantasy and horror media and interesting articles on wider genre fiction and pop culture. Pay is £50 GBP. Send your pitches to Karlo at karlo@seizethepress.com

6. The Lemming Magazine: (please check their sites for what they publish). One week left to send us your musings. Send us a pitch for a chance to feature in issue No.7! DEADLINE IS 18/12/22 - TWO DAYS. thelemming.co.uk/submissions

7. Molly: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS We’re looking for artists and writers for the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of @petitmortmag ! We want to see your poetry, fiction, essays, illustrations and photography. Email me today and spread the word! All paid opportunities. molly@petitmortmag.com

8. AfroLazer is looking for writers. Pay starts at N100k/month but he's willing to do more. https://tinyurl.com/mry8hn8j

9. Order of the good death: Still seeking pitches on this subject! Check out our pitch guide and reach out to us here: orderofthegooddeath.com/pitch-guide

10. Protean Mag is looking for Submissions! They pay $150 – $200. https://proteanmag.com/submissions/

I hope you have a great time submitting! Tell all your design and developer friends, we're coming!

This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.

To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app, now available for both iOS and Android. Chats are sent via the app, not email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens.

How to get started

1. Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.

Get app

2. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

3. That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

Join chat

If you want to make some money before this year runs out, then I have some gigs plus some very personal thoughts.

In the days that I used to try being influential on Facebook, I liked to ask this question every year. I could not give people what they wanted; I wasn't God and I didn't have money. But I liked to see people dream and wish for the 'magic' or 'miracles' of Christmas.

My mutuals would flood my comments section— prayers and tears and wishes— and I'd read and pray that they got what they wanted. I also had a habit of listing what I wanted first, letting myself and them feel the vulnerability of asking about your deepest wants in the face of the public.

My mother has always been a firm believer of the 11th-hour miracle and it's not far-fetched that I think that it exists seeing the influence she had on us. I and thousands of other people believe it — that when you've given hope, God answers. Ironically, that's even when we have more hope so let's just leave the definition at when it has seemingly become late. I think that's better suited.

I’m asking for fulfilment this year, not because I won't appreciate money and other material things (nb: send me money o), but I don't feel like I did enough even when I know I DID. I DID, bruh. I've been trying to share my wins more — gave testimony in church, shared them with my friends — but I don't still feel accomplished and as much as I want this feeling to go away, I know why.

Tracking my expenses and my invoices have been nearly impossible. I've spent a lot on my family and foodstuff alone this year, gosh. It's one of my biggest problems. The cost of living is so bad that as I make money, it leaves through one channel or another.

My current savings can't honestly meet up with how I've worked and what I worked on this year, and even though I'm still owed huge sums that I'm not sure will be renumerated, I don't feel like I did enough. I know and have heard that I inspire people, but I don't inspire myself so much.

So I'm asking for the gift of feeling fulfilled, happy with myself, with my current path and what the future holds. I've done so much, gotten some nearly impossible wins, but I want to feel it. I want my soul to reminisce in my amazingness because commonnn, I'm amazing, for real.

What do you want for Christmas? I might be able to help, I might not.

20 of the latest paying opportunities

1. Roboten is hiring a senior content writer.

2. Varo Bank is hiring a senior Copywriter.

3. Corgee is looking for content creators.

4. Neptune is hiring a technical writer

5. Hiring freelance academic editors and writers with some years of experience.

6. @blix_gg is hiring people for 2023

• Freelance basis. CS:GO and SEO writers (across multiple titles). Writer / journalist to cover women's esports scene across multiple titles on a regular basis - interviews, coverage, news, opinion pieces etc. s.britvin@blix.gg

7. WebMD is looking for health writers to amp up their coverage. $50-180 for articles.

8. The Work Crowd: An electric vehicle charging company is looking for a 360 marketing consultant to help build and execute their marketing strategy and help with social media.

Intersted? Contact emily@theworkcrowd.com or olivia@theworkcrowd.com

9. Tesla Mag is hiring for writers who love EV. They pay $5-$70 (weird range, but don't bargain anything below $50.

10. Amanda Svachula: Looking for writers to take on a series of health-related SEO assignments for Zocdoc - I have a bunch to assign out! Email me with clips at amanda.svachula@zocdoc.com if you're interested.

11. We are looking for a Technical Content Writer who has good understanding of emerging technologies and different industry segments and can contribute to writing contents.

    Mail your resume at - info@omnibotlearn.com

12. If you want to write about the Nigerian entertainment industry for Guap Mag, use this form.

In the spirit of Christmas, I've decided to start sharing 20 out of the 100 latest well-paying opportunities. In fact, we're changing the trajectory of our newsletter to something that you long for. You'd get 20 – 30 of this every week. I send 100+ to the paying subscribers plus helpful tips on applying, building a portfolio, and getting your work out there. If you can pay for 100+ where you have more options, I advise you to.

Let’s start with what you need to hear:

If you're starting out, please, try not to apply to gigs for which you do not have enough experience. Even if you CAN do it. Believe me, I don't doubt that you can. I promise I know you're hardworking and resilient and will go any length to see that the article comes out perfect. I know, but if you can't prove that you've done a similar job before, you’ll just be wasting your time and theirs.

For Copywriters, how good is your storytelling? You may have written copies that didn't convert and frankly, I don't think a lot of companies would gauge your abilities by that as a newbie – but how fluid are you with convincing and flow? Do you have testimonials of any sort? These things matter. Work smart and not hard.

If you need a resource for unpaid blogs to write for when you easily want to build a portfolio, email me at iwuchidinma9@gmail.com and pleaseee, follow Crealo on Twitter.

Now to the paying opportunities:

Tongal: Already making memes and GIFs that keep your group chat laughing? Then apply to become a member of Tongal's Social Crew. We're looking for funny, creative content makers/writers to develop posts for our Instagram channel. Earn $1,200. Pitch by 12/2!

New Horizons: We are looking for a freelance writer. Experience in technical, copy and general content writing is required. Articles, and "how-to-guides" that focus on disability issues are needed for our website, SMAs, etc. Email or Dm us for more info.

Poets and Writers: Want to write for Poets & Writers Magazine? Our editors are looking to broaden the pool of paid contributors to the News & Trends section. To be considered, please fill out this survey: We look forward to hearing from you!

Akash: Looking for content writers and graphic designers with B2B SaaS exp to join the marketing team at @elevate_so. If that’s you or you know someone, shoot me an email to akash@elevate.so

Chris Powell: We're hiring more writers over at @megavisionsmag! If you're passionate about video games and covering the games industry, definitely consider applying!

Stream Bee: We're looking for a Streaming Content Writer for StreamBee 🐝

Write 1000+ words articles

Topics: Content Creation, Twitch, StreamBee...

Freelance, paid per article

🌎 Anywhere in the world

Lisa McErlane: I pay $100/article - anyone can pitch me for themidlife.com ! Dm her!

Claris Michael: Looking for a freelancer #contentwriter for website and social media at a software consulting startup…

Kindly reach out on clarismichael@gmail.com

Scrimba is looking for freelance writers who write about Software: the pay is $330 - 430

Hannah: Hello friends! I am looking to bring on a few more freelance writers for an ADHD blog. Rates are $250/ 1000 ish words. Email me at rileyhannahg@gmail.com if interested

Aaron Rupar @atrupar: Are you a freelance or independent journalist covering politics/media? I'm soliciting pitches for my newsletter, Public Notice! I pay competitive rates & it's a great opportunity to get your work in front of tens of thousands of readers. atrupar@gmail.com

Ploughshares: We're Hiring: The Ploughshares Blog is looking for writers! Apply to be a regular contributor before December 7, 2022: Regular Contributors [one essay per month. $35/essay of 1,300-1,999 words]

HipHop FM: ATTENTION FREELANCE WRITERS. FMHipHop is looking for contributing writers(NON-PAID) to cover HIP HOP, R&B, SPORTS, FASHION, TV/FILM, TECH, POLITICS for fmhiphop.com. please DM your writing portfolio

Black Women Wellness Agency: We’re looking for contributing blog writers for our monthly blog. Black women are not monolithic and we are in every facet of wellness. Are you a Black Women’s Wellness Provider that wants to share your expertise? If so, email us at contact@thebwwa.com.

Bundle Africa: We're looking for an entry-level social media intern

Greg Johnson: FREELANCE WORK @OperationSports are looking for writers to cover major sports games (NBA 2K, Madden, FIFA etc) with news, SEO and features. DM me if interested with samples of relevant work, details on what sports games you play and why you enjoy them. It’s based on word counts/article types which should work out at $32-60 per hour USD. This doesn’t have to be shift work either. People can dip into this work in a way that fits their schedules, especially for features and SEO.

Annabel Herrick: I'm looking for football writers to commission some upcoming football content @StarlingBank Please email me annabel.herrick@starlingbank.com with a few examples of profiles/interviews – women's sport angle ideally!

Hope clark: From now through Dec 3, we're paying $100 for accepted 600-650-word features for FundsforWriters newsletter. See the guidelines for what we seek in pitches at Submissions

Working Classicists @WorkClassicists: If anyone would like to write for the Zine, drop us an email at workingclassicist@gmail.com We pay our writers (modestly) and are always looking for red-hot, luke-warm and ice-cold takes on all topics ancient. If you're an academic, an undergrad, a school pupil or an enthusiast, we want your voice out there. Working Classicists is a community project, and we want to hear from everyone. [workingclassicists.com/zine]

@StarryMag is looking for #writers! If you are into writing & tweeting about #TV, #videogames, #music & more send an email: StarryMag@me.com

That'll be all for today! Will you share my newsletter? I'd love if you did.

All my love,

Dinma

I'm currently working on a piece for ozy.com, an article centering Black/African women who quit school to pursue a business or businesses, and, Lord, finding sources have been like looking for a needle in a haystack.

And no, it's not because there are not a lot of women who dropped out and now own businesses, but because there are not a lot who intentionally quit. Taking a risk like that at this time and as a person of colour is crazy, but some women dream big and like to do crazy.

I mean, I am crazy, but I can't picture myself making a decision like that. I’ll just tell myself if I perish, I perish. MFJPM. But these women, absolutely phenomenal women, have taken this route and are doing excellently. Let's sha leave it at “their grace is not mine”.

I had a little chitchat with one of them today, and she explained how in the past 8 years, she has been able to set up 5 different income streams which are all her passions. She's an actress, a spa owner, a skincare products maker, a model, a writer, and a Human Resources manager at a white-collar job. Even without any degrees, she has held various managerial positions with different too beauty companies. Think Estee Lauder and the likes.

I've never met anyone so passionate and resourceful and consistent. Okay, I've met me, but with 6 income streams? Man!

When we started the interview, I was mainly focused on her spa business and journey as an actress, but I was shocked to find out that there were more and she just kept unpacking them one at a time. Every time, my mouth hung open.

There were no strong business policies; just passion, determination, and hard work. Intense hard work even in the face of racism, sexual assault, and devaluation of her work. She kept at it and basically just went with the flow.

8 years no be beans. The consistency is a remarkable trait that I respect tremendously, especially with how I've developed my career as a Content and Marketing folk. The thing with this phenomenal woman is that she took her time with each path she trod. In her words, it was and still is kind of a slow burn — she may not be making as much money in all of these paths, but building upon something she loves is more important. But trust me, with three of them, she earns well. And it took time

Very funnily, today also, I tried to check on one of the writers in the newsletter a newbie, but they were already thinking of quitting. Now, I made a resource for 30+ unpaid blogs that newbies could easily use to build up their portfolios, establish their feet, and find solid ground before applying to the big guns, but this person said they couldn't do it because they had bills to pay. I mean, common nau. You're just starting o.

I always tell people that I spent months before placing my first unpaid work. I celebrated that piece on Facebook and Twitter like crazy! I was overjoyed because I finally felt noticed, and it was a well-needed push.

But this person, who is just starting and whom I've taken time to advise that their current portfolio is not enough to land a credible gig, said they couldn't try out unpaid gigs.

There's no black and white with success. Nobody told me where and how to search for these sites when I was starting — nobody held my hand, but I made a whole resource (asides the 100+ gigs I share weekly) and I was blatantly turned down.

Ouch.

Do you need this resource? I'd love to share with more people who can't subscribe to the paid newsletter now but want to set up a portfolio. Send me a message at iwuchidinma9@gmail.com

Also, the course of this newsletter is going to change soon. We’re looking to start weekly series for both Wednesdays and Thursdays. I'm speaking with some people already. Excited, honestly! We just need to ramp our numbers now.

Please, share this newsletter. We’re almost at our 250 goal. Proud of us!

Dinma

I’m sorry that I couldn't send my newsletter out yesterday – well it was my birthday and I couldn't risk it. Sorry! The timing was just too bad.:⁠-⁠) So here's me making it up today with some interesting and embarrassing insights about me that could help you in some way ace interviews.

I’ve done more than 40 interviews since my career started and I've been through literally every up and down that exists in the course of interviews. I've read numerous interview preparatory guides and still flopped, I've done breathing techniques and even got over-prepared one time, but missed it still.

I wouldn't say there's a perfect interview preparatory handbook. In the fervency of my job search, I patronised a handful and still met some obstacles. Like I said, there's no handbook, but when you read these experiences, don't do what I did or do what I did. You would actually feel second-hand embarrassment for me if you were present in some of these situations. I've taken all in good faith and here are three of my most recent:

•Two months ago, I called the interviewer by a name that belonged to another interviewer who I was supposed to speak with the following hour and didn't even realize till she asked me to repeat what I called her and I said “Margaret? 👀” She smiled the widest smile and clarified that it wasn't her name while promising to get back to me soonest. It was actually a bad day for me, still, that was a flop.

If you're ever having a horrible week or day, inform the company ahead of time, I promise if they're great, they'll understand.

•Tuesday this week, I had a pretty great interview for a column idea I pitched but I forgot a fundamental part of it (the fact that the column would focus on the audio industry) and even when they tried to help me chip it in, I was still lost. This is a topic I had been meaning to write about, a topic that just sat comfortably at a corner in my brain — but I forgot that they were who I pitched it to! I knew what the broad idea was but I didn't include that specific information that would nail my point — even though I did some great explanations, there was a bit of a disconnect.

I did something wrong - not copying my pitch and pasting in my notes (because it was developed at that moment from research I had made in the past and my knowledge of the subject. It was not pre-written). I failed at doing that and as the online forms company didn't give an option for people to choose whether they wanted a copy of their response, all my information was lost! Don't be like me.

•Today, in the middle of one of my interviewers telling me she's Nigerian and from Anambra, Nepa took the light. The way she went, “Did Nepa just take the light?” (It felt like there was more than one question marks to that question) I could not be more embarrassed. My yes was so loud and stretched, bruh! Her white colleague was so confused and the look on her face worsened my embarrassment. But I quickly rendered an apology, walked to my window and pulled the curtains while maintaining a calm smile.

Today's was beyond my control, but I made sure that I didn't let it affect my response and composure. I didn't try to quickly cover it up but turning off my camera, I just eased myself into the situation and acted normally while chewing up the embarrassment.

I haven't seen the results of my steller performance yet, but I know it was good. I've had some embarrassing moments with stuttering and answering questions weirdly, but with the response rate, I don't think HR looks at those so much even though it is consequential to be clear and concise.

I'm sending 50 plus opportunities to the paying subscribers today as always, please follow us on Twitter.

The past week has been draining: working on a piece with TIME, sorting out job opportunities and speaking with hiring managers (mostly begging them to share their rates!), and helping some of the writers I coach (including revising pieces and making edits). I know it sounds too tiring already – it has honestly been a terror.

And my brain is failing to keep up. Wait, did I mention sending numerous emails and doing a lot of back and forth? I also didn't say that I've been pitching and sending my own applications too, right? I think I felt like I would faint this morning. But I didn't, thank God.

This brain is showing signs of extreme fatigue and exhaustion and I'm not missing them, I don't just know how to avoid them yet. I'm trying, but there's not much I can do when there's still so so much to meet up to. I have deadlines coming up and sometimes when I think about rejecting these pieces in the first place, I immediately remember the bills to pay.

So yeah, I'm helping my brain to eat itself and I can't help it.

Wanted to use that as my headline but opted for the one that you now see. If you haven't heard or read, lack of sleep causes your brain to start eating itself, and it's called phagocytosis. Research says that the experiment was only carried out on mice, but the increase in Alzheimer's deaths in the past 50 years couldn't just be a coincidence.

If and when you start to make it big, please, don't deprive yourself of sleep. Sleep, rest, sleep, take naps, sleep.

Gigs:

1. Gabber needs some great content writers! Reach him at Aiman@gingermonkey.in

2. Aliza Licht: I’m #HIRING Know anyone? I’m in search of some junior freelancers for multiple projects. 1. TikTok small creators: Must be immersed in the platform. 2. Social media strategist. 3. Social media copywriter. 4. Ghostwriter for longer-form copy. Email her at askaliza@alizalicht.com

3. Jo Wade: looking for an ideas-led team (Copywriter and Art Director) with a minimum of 1-year of industry experience, ideally gained together within a similar creative agency. jo@jowade.co.uk

4. PLMR is hiring for a website designer. Fully remote. Apply here!

I honestly hope you have a great weekend. And please, share us, talk about us, and recommend us to the people you love. We're almost at our 250 goal.

All my loveee,

Chidinma

I actually am a very passionate person who is madly in love with a lot of topics but the editor who I told that I could take on a health piece in 2020 as I was passionate about women's health and was always reading up on the topic (even when my samples were mostly komedi pieces) didn't believe me. I promise I tried to convince her that I was a multipotentialite who would succeed on this part in the future but she didn't budge.

Of course, because how do you prove that you're really great at executing a task when there's nothing to show asides your narrations of how you're in love with the topics affiliated with that task? Every time I think of it, I feel like a small goat (if I say kid would you understand the shame well enough? No).

It is actually a fact that your passion is unserious if you've never thought of putting in any work to show how much you love it, not to talk of putting in work to tell employers that you should be hired because of that passion. Would you believe that someone is “passionate about women's health” when they won't even write about it on their social media? That’s like the barest minimum o. It doesn't matter how much of a newbie you are, there must be something you have done to show that you intend to achieve a goal through your passion.

I'm sure that editor wondered how I never thought to write a piece about something I was so passionate about and was fine with not doing anything about my passion. I couldn't show a tweet, a Facebook post, a contribution to a project, and definitely not an article — as proof that I really dislike women's health.

I was stupid enough to continue applying to jobs, being my most sincere self, and telling them I was very passionate about the topics and subjects that were to be covered — I got rejected every time. Nobody wanted my passion and it was devastating because I really did like those subjects. Urgh.

Of course, it's not like you can't really love stuff, but how do you intend to sell that fact to an employer; the CEO of your dream company? Everything cannot be vibes nau.

Ponder on these words, beloved, make e no choke you. And quickly, start planning on a resourceful line of action because people want you to show and not tell. Does this sound cliche? I’m sorry, the game is the game and because I’ve gone through hell myself, I can promise that the game is not changing anytime soon.

I’m starting a Friday series where I speak with your favourite tech influencers who you’ve been trying to reach (I am a journalist and I know how to reach them) and ask some questions. I’ll be doing all that myself and I plan to make it exceptionally hilarious because I’ve got that humour dawg in me and its not dying anytime soon.

Do send your suggestions in the comments and include what questions you'd want me to ask them. If you don't reply, I may just reserve it for the paying subscribers.🙂

Nah, I wont, I'm kidding. Please, reply so I get to speak with our favourite tech big shots. Okay?

As usual, I'll be sending 50+ opportunities today to the paying subscribers. Wish me luck!

And follow our Twitter, pretty please.

Also, there are some job gigs in this newsletter and I've fixed them randomly (lmao, don't mind me, they're at the bottom), so read through keenly and you’ll find them. I also said I wouldn't be sharing this with you, but I'd like to do this for early subscribers. Also, I am not very impressed with their rates, but if you're starting, you should check them out.

Where were we with my theory?

Ahem. Loving what you do and going hard for it is a different ballgame from doing what you love because there's some cash at the end of the table. I play so much by the latter and this is why I went into writing and gave it my all. If it didn't pay, I wouldn't be doing it so much, but I'd still love it.

Money is a fine motivation — employers would say I'm reaching, but I'm not. I don't think the gratification for going full-on at what you love is enough reward. Yes, you may be insanely in love with how much you’re able to do with your words, designs, and photography; but I believe it is more filling, like a bite of velvet cake, when you earn from it. The pay rejuvenates that passion every day and pushes you. For me, I don't run out of ideas, my comprehension of new concepts is incredible, and I don't hold back. Going hard is not the same as going with the flow: money as a reward helps you go hard.

Quick one: Have you FOLLOWED US ON TWITTER? Why not? If you look at our page, you'll see we followed everyone back. We'll follow you too!

Back to biz:

Is my theory flawed? I won't tell you what to think as flawed, but I know this may not sit well with you if you've not been broke for a long time. People actually think it's an erroneous way of thinking but I believe it's legit as much as it keeps you afloat. I also know there are a whole lot of people that think like me— I've heard them say it, but being money-driven is not particularly a decorated trait so people just shut up most times.

Why though? There are bills to pay and the cost of living is horrible. As long as it is your career and you're qualified enough, you should be as rugged as you can with raising rates and setting a wage.

Someone hired me simply because I chose a rate that was above their offer. Some employers actually think that you have to be worth it to charge something above average so they clinch with strong arms when you put up that front and set a good rate as you should.

Remote gigs, get in.

Sly Joy: Hi y'all, I'm looking for finance writers who can write about cryptocurrency, e.g. coin price prediction, wallet reviews, etc. Let me know your rate and also I'd appreciate it if you could include your portfolio as well! Email him: slyejoyserrano@contenthacker.co

Asketic: Asketic is looking for a designer passionate for working with brand design. Whether you've been doing this for years or someone looking to start out, send your portfolio to work@asketic.com by November 18.

Omohuwa: Looking to hire freelance writers to create content for a beauty and wellness blog. Content would be shared on a weekly basis for 3 months. Knowledge of web content management systems and HTML is a plus. Send samples or a link to your portfolio to: o.anavheokhai@gmail.com

Pigsback: For writers of fiction & non-fiction, @ThePigsBack1 are looking for submissions of 2000-5000 words. Free to submit, and published writers receive a flat fee of €300. Deadline: 15 Nov.

Well, I said I wasn't too impressed with their rates, but I thought you'd loved that last one. Don't you? Well, I just change my mind and do stuff.

Anyways, I'll be sending about 50 of these opportunities that pay better to today's newsletter (for my paying subscribers) later today. You'd love it. Trust me. And of course, you can still pay! Send a dm to Crealo Africa on Twitter and we can get you set up.

All my love,

Chidinma.

As I’ve said, I’m presently rolling in befuddlement and this is why I’m here today.

Firstly, I am strongly drawn to the term, loungers, as it strikes me interestingly, but I don't know if it's suitable to address you with — heck, I haven't even looked it up because I'm scared of what it may mean. Because what if it's used to define drunkards or people who like to sleep? So I’d have been calling you drunkards and sleepyheads? Daz just preposterous.

Thing is, the word is smooth against the lips and just rolls out perfectly so I thought it'd be great. Honestly. I'm wondering if I should drop it or keep using it; this is the first chapter of my befuddlement and I'd appreciate any feedback. Of course, the comments section is open.

(Okay I just looked the word up and it’s a kind of chair?)

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I have a feeling you'll like to give me some great feedback in the comments so I'm going to fire on.

The second phase of my predicament is championed by anxiety and enthusiasm and imposter syndrome. These three are a very bad mix and can leave you very perplexed. There’s no other way to put it. They claw at the last strings of your preparedness and rave against your intellect.

See, I’m always speaking to them like, “girls, chill. Y'all will always have a place in my life somewhere but not with Crealo.” Yup, that’s my simple helpful tip for overcoming them. No, of course, it's not. It's not. Every day, I have to wake up and re-motivate myself. Tell myself I’m THAT good and relish in how much I love my process.

You should too if you’re currently at a similar place and thinking you don't deserve the good that has come for you. You won’t get over it till you actually do that stuff the first time. I promise.

So, I have 3 requests that may ease off my doubts and confusion and help us work together, so here goes nothing:

1. The Crealo Africa page on Twitter means so much to me and I would appreciate if it got some follows. And we’re following back, of course! We want to be able to interact with the community here.

2. This substack is the free version so if you’ve paid for the opportunities or hand-holding tier, can you send me an email of your payment screenshot again with the subject line Crealo Africa subscription: (your name)? The big bad newsletter is coming to your emails by 6:pm today and I’ve packed so so much for it so I want to do a recheck and ensure that your email is actually in my contact list.

3. Please, tell someone about Crealo. Tell a friend to tell their siblings to tell their friends. What I’m building here is not ordinary. It is unique - dynamic.

We’re way past 100 free subscribers and an impressive number are paying. I think we’re doing pretty much great, but I want us to do 250 by the end of November and it is definitely achievable. I’m working on a Slack but I'll give you more updates later.

Now that we've unpacked all that—

I officially welcome you in the name of everything you strongly believe in and I’m so so happy that you’re here. Yeah, there’s no way that I would not welcome you.

So, I’m afraid that there's not enough time for this welcome. I can’t sing and dance and clap and play the tambourine as I should but I guess there’ll be another day. I have to say goodbye now.

Also, follow me on Twitter! I have become so nice on there.🤭

On Friday, though, you’ll be hearing from me again (well, by 6 pm actually if you’re a paying subscriber). In the next substack, I’ll be sharing some of the most hilarious and defining moments of my career. You may experience secondhand embarrassment while reading through, but it won’t take long till you’re grinning from ear to ear. I promise nobody asked, but I’ll be answering some important questions you should know about HR when you’re called for an interview.

Till then, Adios.

All my love,

Chidinma.

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