Dawn Bielawski is a scientist by nature, having completed her PhD in Biological Psychology at Wayne State University and working there for decades as a researcher and ethics reviewer. But she is also an accomplished editor, having honed her skills doing favors for friends  by editing their scientific thesis papers for publication and by taking courses to foster this skill. According to Bielawski, her specialty is “polishing the writing of scientists and clinician researchers so that their important work can be published.”

She started the business years ago, but wasn’t doing much with it while focused on her full-time work. She found herself having to turn clients down. When the part-time hustle started consuming almost all of her free time, Bielawski decided to seriously consider leaving her full-time position and going full-time freelance. She  started researching what resources might be available to help her get her business, The Editing & Writing Alchemist LLC, to the point that it could fully support her and provide more flexibility in her schedule. That’s when she reached out to the Michigan Small Business Development Center and met business consultant Wendy Richardson.

“Wendy met with me to go over a business plan template that was very helpful, and provided constructive feedback,” said Bielawski. “She helped me identify things that were important to me as a sole proprietor, such as health insurance options and realistic expectations for ramping up the business income. In addition, I hadn’t used Linkedin in a long time, and Wendy pointed out that it could be a great way to market my business. I now have over 700 connections, and believe that it has helped my business grow.”

And how it has grown. The Editing & Writing Alchemist’s roster now includes clients such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Journals, the Americas Health Foundation, medRxiv and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Bielawski has assisted faculty members at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, University of Detroit Mercy, Western Michigan University, and higher education institutions in Germany and Switzerland.

Learn more about The Editing & Writing Alchemist here.