Meet Olivia Collins | Website copywriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Collins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, what principle do you value most?
Connection is at the center of everything – my personal life, and my business (and that’s the ONLY way I’m able to function as a business owner, by the way!).

In my personal life, I’ve been called “adventurous.” I’m a rock climber, dabbled in the aviation world, and I like to take semi-planned road trips all over remote regions of the US. But what that really is, is the search for connection. To myself, to something greater than myself, and to the people I share experiences with.

My business is in the field of copywriting — writing words that compel action, usually in the form of a purchase. But what compels action? What’s gonna make you want to trust a small business with your money, or let some stranger solve a tricky problem for you? You can rely on scare tactics and FOMO, or you can connect the dots between people who genuinely need something and people who genuinely can help them. Authentic, human, connection-based purchases feel better for everyone. Words are the bridge. And the more robots there are on the Internet, by the way, the more important all this becomes.

What should our readers know about your business?
Starting a business is just about the most humbling challenge you can take on. I’m not just talking about learning how much to pay yourself or how to structure your services — every internal struggle or imbalance that’s hiding inside you WILL rear its head. So it’s a simultaneous act of self-healing while learning how to serve others.

Maybe this isn’t universally true, but it’s DEFINITELY true for small business owners in the modern online space. I have never met so many people who give a serious shit about the work they do and improving the lives of their clients in some small way. I know it might sound kinda tacky, but it’s super inspiring!

That’s why I focus exclusively on writing copy for small businesses — which I define as businesses whose founders are still the public face of their business and in charge of the most important day to day work. It might be easier to be a freelance copywriter for larger businesses, but that doesn’t excite me at all and I don’t think it’s what the world needs. (Side note – copywriting is any piece of writing intentionally strategized to compel action, usually a sale)

Every founder of a small business has an amazing story and set of values that keep them going in the face of the challenges of entrepreneurship. But the task of telling that story on a website (and getting these folks the clients they deserve) is actually MUCH harder than it seems. When that story is told effectively through great copy, it’s easier for these businesses to thrive. And for us to grow a more small-business-centric, small-town-like economy in the online space. That’s why I choose to serve this group, and love it!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I wanna shout out Long Beach, which someone once told me is the “Staten Island of LA,” and as someone raised in the NYC metro area, that is BLASPHEMY. Long Beach is one of the realest places in the LA area, as far as I’m concerned. It’s not LA. It’s not OC. It’s incredibly diverse and you can do whatever, be whoever, and no one will side-eye you. I’d take a guest for a concha at Gusto Bread (I LIVE for pastries) and maybe go SUPing (I once saw a MASSIVE sea turtle in the Los Alamitos Bay marina and basically lost my mind, in a good way.)

If i had an outdoorsy friend visiting, I’d take them for a hike up one of the peaks in the San Gabriels… ideally on a weekday when the crowds are thinned out! Or maybe rock climbing in the Santa Monica mountains. I’m not into the film or art scene, but I’m always seeking nature and adventure, both of which are easy to come by in the LA area!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I was raised in the OPPOSITE of an entrepreneurial family, and I absolutely would not be here without the support and kindness of so many women in the online business space. Particularly:

Sarah Turner, for creating the online course that introduced me to the craft of copywriting (and the fact that starting an online business isn’t quite as unattainable as most of us believe).

Alethea Tyler, my first copywriting mentor, who taught me that writing a great website is an actual ART and gave me so many of the tools and frameworks I use every day in my business.

Website: www.darkskycopy.com

Instagram: @darkskycopy

Image Credits
Kaleb Collins