The Profitable Power of Publishing: Kristin Clark’s Path to Impact

After trading the grind of underpaid academia for the thrill of entrepreneurship, Kristin Clark found her calling by helping others share their stories. As the founder of Elite Content Creation, a boutique ghostwriting and hybrid publishing agency, Kristin helps high-level professionals amplify their voices through expertly crafted content and books. Her journey—from adjunct professor to respected industry storyteller—reflects the essence of transformation we celebrate in the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight series. With a people-first mindset and a love for meaningful storytelling, Kristin built a business rooted in integrity, impact, and visibility.

Hi, Kristin Clark! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

I founded and own a boutique ghostwriting and hybrid publishing company called Elite Content Creation. We specialize in helping industry leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, founders, and interesting people articulate their expertise through compelling written content. Based in Tryon, North Carolina, our range of services help our clients amplify both their personal and professional brands, boost their visibility, bolster their credibility, and increase their influence.

Our services include article writing, book development and writing, content strategy, and end-to-end hybrid publishing through our Cheval Press imprint. The agency primarily serves CEOs, consultants, and high-level professionals seeking to boost their visibility, credibility, and influence.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

I love this question! I think the moment I felt like I went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur was when I got my first unsolicited referral from a really happy client. That was the moment when I felt truly legit, because someone who was my ideal client saw so much value in my work that he took the time to suggest to someone he was close to that they should work with me. It was a really special moment. And by the way, that person ended up working with us and went on to refer more people to me!

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

I was working as an adjunct professor at a university. Technically, I was considered part-time, but I was teaching 3 or 4 classes per quarter so it was a full load. I was working incredibly hard and making $14,000/year. Obviously, that just wasn't sustainable, so I started looking around for something else to do that would pay the bills. I've always loved writing and learning from other people, so when a friend suggested I try my hand at ghostwriting, I leapt at the chance.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

It's probably going to sound pretty basic, but the full Google suite is crucial for my business. Being able to organize everything in Drive, keep track of things in Google Sheets, and use Google Docs to draft content is so helpful. The tools have great sharing capabilities, they're intuitive so clients and freelancers feel comfortable using them, and they save automatically so I never have to worry about losing work.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

A huge pivot point came when a client I respect immensely asked me if I could ghostwrite a book for him. Prior to that, I mostly focused on writing articles for top-tier media. But after I realized how fun ghostwriting books is—and how many people have a book in them but don't have the time and/or expertise to write one themselves—I pivoted to make books a central focus of our offerings. We still offer articles, but being able to help people bring their dream of becoming a published author to life is hugely rewarding.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

This is a tough question, because everything that I've done that's significantly impacted my business made sense to me. But maybe the biggest thing I've done to help my business is to make it a point to focus on people more than anything else. Of course, that includes my clients—it's vitally important to me that they feel seen, respected, and taken care of—but it also includes all the freelancers and colleagues I interact with. I've been in the position of working for companies where I felt taken for granted and where leadership lacked integrity. I made the decision from day one that I wanted to run this business with the utmost integrity, generosity, respect, and appreciation for everyone I work with. It makes this job way more rewarding and way more fun.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

Don't be afraid to ask for help. I had this mentality that I had to figure things out for myself, but as soon as I started investing in coaching and making myself open to learning about being an entrepreneur from everyone I met, things really changed. That said, though, the other piece of advice I have is to offer something of value to whoever you're asking for help from. They might not take you up on it, but showing that you value their time and hard-earned wisdom can go a long way towards making sure people are happy to help you out.

Want to dive deeper into (guest name) work? Check out the links below!

• Visit Elite Content Creation's website: elitecontentcreation.net
• Connect with Kristin Clark on LinkedIn: Kristin Clark
• Grab a time to chat with Kristin.