Exploring Life & Business with Cassie Paton of Mettle & Tonic

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassie Paton.

Hi Cassie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
You could say my writing career started when I was six years old when I sold a story to the editor of Baltimore magazine for three dollars. (I was offered two but negotiated up.)

Since I was old enough to write, I was told by family members, teachers, editors, and bosses what a good writer I was. I owe a lot of my success to that encouragement. But like many millennials, I mistook that constant reinforcement to mean that I had all I needed to succeed: talent! Check.

And I did have a lot of early successes. Bmore Media was where I got my first real freelance assignment. Urbanite magazine was where I first saw my name in print. I ran my blog for years with a modest but engaged following. I got into USC’s journalism graduate program, which opened doors to interviews with rock stars and criminals. (And I’ll be paying off those loans for a long time.) Between gigs in journalism and marketing, I wrote everything you could imagine: book reviews, blogs, ads, websites, and breaking news.

But after I finished school for good, I floundered for a bit. By then, I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area, and got jobs that were either low-paid, unstable, or both. I hadn’t tapped into any niche or network I loved, so I began buying into the “starving artist” myth. In reality, I hadn’t been nurturing my network very well, and I still wasn’t clear on what I wanted to do. I was talented, but so were a lot of people. I was hardworking but somewhat aimless.

So eventually, I took a well-paid job as an admin in real estate. I learned a ton about growing and managing every aspect of a business. And while I quickly realized I’d rather eat my foot than become a real estate agent, that experience confirmed I needed to pursue entrepreneurship. By that point, I had the practical skills to do it, the clarity on what I wanted to do, and the confidence that I could pull it off.

Enter my copywriting business, Mettle & Tonic. I started it in the spring of 2021 after moving back to Maryland. I’ve since replaced my old salary by writing copy for passionate, talented, and creative small business owners. It’s gratifying.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Clearly not! Yet looking back, the seemingly random path makes sense. The writing gigs I hated taught me what I didn’t want to write. The jobs that bored me taught me that I’d rather be uncomfortable than under-stimulated. Real estate was such a left turn from writing, yet it was exactly what I needed to find some stability, regain my confidence, and develop other skills, including being a leader.

Entrepreneurship has had plenty of challenges of its own. But I think I’m forever ruined on “normal” jobs. It has been one of the best exercises in personal development, which is something any aspiring entrepreneur should be prepared for. (Because, you guessed it, you’re responsible for every success and failure!)

As you know, we’re big fans of Mettle & Tonic. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I write potent copy for gutsy brands. My clients are mostly solopreneurs and small businesses (creatives, consultants, and other service providers). I love working directly with passionate founders. The focus of Mettle & Tonic is the stuff that makes the biggest, immediate impact on your business and revenue. So: websites, launches (campaigns and sales pages), and list-building/nurturing (like lead magnets and welcome email sequences).

The best part of my work is getting to know my clients. Often, they need help capturing their brand’s spirit and compelling their audience to action. There’s some soul-searching involved, and we talk a lot about their values and purpose in the process because attracting their perfect-fit people is what it’s all about. I’m not in the business of working with assholes, and neither are my clients. We have a lot of fun because they have full permission to tap into what makes their brand human.

How do you define success?
Being able to spend my time the way I want, most of the time. Money is a means to that end. Anything extra is a perk.

Pricing:

• Email Elixir: starting at $2700
• Website Copy Tonic: starting at $3500
• Launch Alchemy: starting at $5900
• Custom packages and a la carte options are also available.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mettleandtonic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mettleandtonicco/