Writer Spotlight - Anthony Muhye

Originally born in England, Anthony moved to Venezuela at a young age and discovered the true daily struggle of life in the developing world. Amongst facing the financial and political crisis that forced over six million Venezuelans out of the country , he miraculously discovered freelancing – it saved his life. 

Now living in Spain he has successfully turned his lifetime passion of writing into an entire existence. He is not only dedicated to the art of writing powerful copy, emotion-provoking creative content or fascinating technical material, but also to inspire and help others in countries like Nigeria, Pakistan and Venezuela get off their feet and achieve their dreams.

1.  What made you get into freelance writing? Was it your first job, or did you transition from another industry?

I was an English teacher for several years. I was too afraid to write for a living because of my impostor syndrome. My friends and family told me I had great storytelling skills, but I was afraid. It wasn’t until I was at my worst point in life that I accepted that it was time to exploit this talent.

2.  You’ve studied, qualified, and worked as a chemical engineer, freelance writing is the total opposite to this, what made you decide to change direction?

Being a successful and wealthy chemical engineer is little more than a dream in Venezuela, where I graduated. Few make more than $100 monthly, and Venezuela is actually an expensive developing nation, unlike many others. I had no future as a chemical engineer there after my initial internship at the state oil company. That said, while studying, I found a remote freelance job with a U.S. chemical manufacturer and it has allowed me to keep my career relevant and my technical writing skills sharp. I have since used my chemical and engineering skills for multiple applications.

3.  Your current mission is: “Scaling Freelance Careers for a Living”. How many people have you helped so far, and how are you assisting them?

My initial goal has been to create a certainty among beginner, intermediate and advanced freelancers (and why not, maybe some experts, too) that they’ll receive a daily post about the freelancing field from either an expert freelancer or big-spending hiring manager POV. My next goals are a newsletter and direct 1-to-1 consulting, as well as other products.

I have a policy in that I respond to every comment and every DM I receive, even those asking apparently “silly” questions. How many I have assisted? I’m not sure. The number is in the hundreds. I have also reviewed and rewritten entire profiles for seven lucky winners in my latest giveaway, and one friend I met on LinkedIn.

I used to help my friends and family to monetize their skills back in 2018-2019 and got several people into freelancing, as well.

4.  You’ve grown your LinkedIn audience at an impressive rate, what are some of your tactics/strategies that you used to grow this so quickly?

As mentioned above, my policy of responding every comment and DM has created a strong, valuable community of freelancers who feel closely connected with me. I do not present myself as a distant expert, but as a close mentor, without charging them a dime.

I have not used pods; I’ve unfollowed all of the LinkedIn influencers giving “fantastic advice” (which never really worked for me); and I don’t DM people for engagement. Social Saturday has worked for me, though I have made sure to always say that I’m only looking for freelancers and remote workers. I have a strong philosophy of “Follower Relevance > Number of Followers”.

5.  You’ve been travelling quite a lot lately, how do you find a balance between freelance work and managing your logistics? Do you have a fixed residence that you always return to after a trip, or are you living the full digital nomad lifestyle?

I’m not living a digital nomad life, as I still have paperwork to deal with here in Madrid and want to be near my family (I have a few family members here), but I may test the water within the next year(s). I work a lot during the week, but make sure to grab a Saturday and/or Sunday off.

6.  What advice do you have for new freelance writers that are just getting started in the business and want to achieve the same success you’ve had?

Build confidence in all aspects of your career. Not just as a person, but also in the way you present yourself. Your bio should be that of an expert, your proposals should sell you as someone with total control of your skills, and your photo should add to that aura of professionalism.

I have built my success not by being the best writer out there, but by demonstrating that I know what I’m doing and that I can identify the client’s pain points. This is the number one key factor in landing clients, especially high-profile clients. It’s how I have earned repeat gigs with Microsoft.

7.  If you were asked: ‘Should I become a freelance writer?’ - would you respond positively, or advise another direction?

I would absolutely recommend it, but I would suggest writers to quickly find their niche by exploring different fields and defining what they’ll do, and not just applying for jobs desperately. I would also recommend them to avoid ghostwriting and SEO blog writing if they can (both pay too little and the latter will soon be replaced with AI).

8.  Just how profitable is freelance writing? You went from $10 a month in Venezuela to now earning over $100k+, is this realistically achievable for most people getting into freelancing?

Yes, I wholeheartedly suggest freelancing to people across the developing world. It’s the most certain way they will be able to receive contracts with international clients and make U.S. dollars or Euros.

And to those already in high-income nations, it will provide an entirely new dimension to their lives, as they can step out of the office and be free to spend time with their loved ones, travel while earning, dedicate their lives to side gigs and more.

As for making $100k+ or more… Pareto’s 20/80 Principle.  You’re a few big clients away (BIG client, $20k+ projects) from getting there.

9.  Do you think that AI is going to impact the writing industry over the next 5 years? And given that AI is relatively new, have you already started to see impact?

Yes, I have already seen the impact and I feel that it will mostly act as a help for some writer, while getting rid of others entirely. SEO Writing will disappear – AI can easily rank for keywords better than a human being, and research for articles will take an AI seconds, not hours. Pumping out endless blog articles will be easier for an AI-powered team than a team of human beings. 

Copywriting may take a hit, but I think our creativity and ability to adapt will help us overcome the biggest impacts.

10. Are there any tools that you currently use and can recommend to help you write?

Grammarly is a huge helper. It can save your entire online brand, especially if you’re a great writer but also error prone when writing.

Notion is a great tool for multiple uses, but I haven’t fully explored it yet. 

Canva for designing and accompanying any writing with useful images. 

Loom for quick descriptions and avoiding meetings. It’s easier to just record a 5-min video than having a 30-min call.

11. Finally, is there something I should have asked but didn't?

Not that I can think of. Very thorough interview!

Want to catch up with Anthony? You can reach him below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonymuhye/