How personal finance journalist Taylor built his career

Diana Kelly Levey: Chris, you’ve been freelancing for over 20 years. How would you say the landscape has changed?

Chris Taylor: It’s rough out there for a variety of reasons. There does not seem to be a lot of big budgets. A lot of publications have closed down over the time that I’ve been in the business, including newspapers and magazines.

It’s not easy, you’ve got to be creative. You’ve got to keep putting yourself out there, even when you’re not getting responses. Freelancing is a tough business, but if you can make it work, I find the lifestyle is a good fit for me. I raised my two boys being at home and was there for their entire childhood, and that was nice. I’m glad I was there.

Diana Kelly Levey: You’ve got a great following on LinkedIn. How did you grow there and get aligned with big brands and names people know?

Chris Taylor: I’m 52 and I’ve been on LinkedIn a long time. So if you are there, you know, putting in some time, being consistent about posting, being open about connecting with people and …if you’re there long enough, you’re going to end up with tens of thousands of contacts.