What’s inside
- 01 Formation and compliancePlus rights, assignment and confidentiality checklist.
- 02 Financial workbookProject and per-piece pricing converted from your target hourly rate; capacity and break-even.
- 03 Service menuWebsite copy, blog content, email, editing, resumes, with turnaround times.
- 04 Brief intakeClient brief, voice and audience questions, source and fact-check rules.
- 05 Production checklistsResearch, draft, edit, fact-check and final proof.
- 06 ProceduresRevision rounds, plagiarism and originality check, rights transfer on final payment, file delivery.
- 07 Customer documentsWriting agreement outline with rights assignment, kill fee, revision limits, invoice.
- 08 Launch setupGoogle profile, portfolio checklist, inquiry script and follow-ups.
- 09 First hire or subcontract writerClassification, subcontractor rights assignment and confidentiality.
- 10 90-day trackerProjects, words or pieces, revisions and effective hourly rate.
What this business requires
- Who owns the words: a commissioned piece is only a "work made for hire" in limited categories and with a signed agreement; otherwise rights move by written assignment (U.S. Copyright Office).
- Clear revision limits and kill fees in writing, before work starts.
- Media liability insurance for claims like defamation or copyright: Insureon reports about $78 a month on average for writers.
Typical insurance
- General liability$33 (average) a month
- Media liability$78 (average) a month
Median premiums for this profession from Insureon customer data (writers: averages). Yours depend on your state, limits and history.
Built for your area
Business license, home-occupation rules, whether your state taxes any of your services, and workers' comp. Your Groundwork adviser checks these against official sources and sends your State Page the same business day.
The numbers
Startup cost: about $0 for a freelance writer, under $2,000 for copywriting or a resume service (GOBankingRates; Entrepreneur). Priced per project, per piece and monthly content retainers. About 46.3% of new businesses in this sector are still open after five years (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What it doesn’t do
The kit doesn’t judge your specific idea, market or competitors. That is the Groundwork Business Blueprint, and your kit price counts toward a Blueprint ordered within 30 days.
Secure checkout by Stripe. After payment you’ll tell us your city and state, and your Groundwork adviser emails your kit and completed State Page the same business day. General information, not legal, tax or insurance advice; agreements are starting drafts to review with an attorney in your state.
