We started taking a look at exit strategies for freelance writers last time. I can only liken the discussion to poking a nest of giddy hornets.

You see, most freelance writers, when they're just starting out are so amazed to find themselves actually landing a client. It's a shock to the system to find out that your skills are actually valuable - after all, if it's so easy for you to write, isn't it like that for everyone? We tend to think of high-paying careers as requiring a string of advanced degrees trailing after your last name, or some astonishing level of athletic ability, or a talent that's powerful enough to get you noticed in a coffee shop.

Baloney.

There's a tremendous - and always growing - market for writing. Coaching clients I've worked with are often startled to see how within a month or two of hanging their freelance writing shingle they're swamped. It always sounds the same, "You won't believe it, but I'm so busy I've got to turn down this new project!"

The thing is, unless you want to spend your golden years writing articles on the top seven tips for getting rid of dogs' bad breath, five green uses for plastic grocery bags, or press releases announcing the opening of the new car wash in your town, you need to have a plan to get out.

And if you're like me, you don't want to wait until you're old and gray. (OK, a little confession here: my roots are sorely neglected as I write this - I really must carve out a couple of hours next week to get that taken care of before I head to Dallas for my grand prize website makeover weekend with the Nitro Marketing team!)

Over the past week, I've heard from writers all over the place weighing in on their top exit strategy choice. Overwhelmingly, they're choosing what I'm going to refer to as Door #1 or Door #2. (Quick recap - the first involves growing then selling your writing business; the second involves growing then outsourcing your writing business.)

There's always the stunned silence at first, and I can hear the hamsters running on the wheels. "Huh! Never thought of my writing business as an investment not entirely unlike owning a McDonalds franchise." Then comes the dawn of realization: "Oh. My. Goodness. You mean I could build this up for a few years and then step back and let it run (and pay me), without me doing all/any of the writing?"

My next question is always this: So, what would you DO at that point? Some answers so far:

· Write a novel

· Do missions work

· Travel

· Invest in real estate

· Do it again, starting another business using what I learned

· Teach my kids how to do what I did (in principle) so they can build some kind of business of their own as they grow up

· Start a charitable foundation

How about you? (Why not take a second to post your answer on the WWHW blog?)

And yes, I know that's possibly a scary question to answer - especially out loud. We're so conditioned to identifying ourselves by what we do for work, to filling our days with busy-ness, that it can be hard to even imagine liberty.

By the way, this is no "pie in the sky" aerie-fairy exercise. It's a fact. If you build a thriving writing business (even starting from nothing), it will become a reliable, productive asset that enables you to basically design your own life.

The first step is this: Spend some time getting a clear vision for what that might look like.

Next time we'll talk a bit about how to get from here to there as directly as possible.