I had an aunt who used to say that if people knew what the future held, they’d kill themselves. I’m sure if I knew decades ago that I’d be freelancing someday, I’d have been terrified, if not suicidal.

After all, I’m not entrepreneurial by nature. Never wanted to be head of my own ad agency—even if it only consisted of me.

I always wanted to focus on the work—the concept, the visual, the words [if any]—not the size of my office, my next raise, or whether Jerry and Monica had concepts to show me.

But fate ejected me from the world of staff employment, so I really had to get creative. Turns out I’m a natural networker—a true believer that it pays to advertise!

Started calling everyone I knew in the business (not just the headhunters). Old bosses, creative partners, account execs, clients — even those I thought didn’t like me. Who cared? It wasn’t about friendship, it was about work. I only ruled out one guy whose disingenuousness I simply couldn’t stand, even if it meant a paycheck.

I discovered that people who interview you and spend lots of time with you never call you back.

It’s the cut and dried—even cold—characters that call you in a flash when they have a project. They’re not about politeness, they’re about results.

One particularly hot summer day, when I was still schlepping my book around on foot, I ran into an old art director friend waiting for his wife on a lonely street corner. I’d been trying to locate him for months.

Turned out he was creative director of a small but busy ad agency, and wound up giving me assignments for years. [Until they hired a junior!]

So get out there. And not just on the Internet. Talk to people in elevators. To friends and their friends. Just like when you’re looking for an apartment. It pays off: little by little, work will find you.

I could go on and on, and hopefully I will—in next month’s newsletter. In the meantime, feel free to contact Ira Sitomer if you’ve got a copywriting project!