Joel Smith (Write Awareness)

Joel Smith is a business marketing writer who also writes Christian book summaries on Substack. 

Joel grew up in Caledonia, Michigan, a city he says is much like many other suburbs across the United States. 

“Nothing too exciting happens there [Caledonia]. It’s just like any of the other millions of suburban towns,” remarks Joel, a professional writer who has read countless books over the years while formulating his unique authorial voice. 

As a teenager, in addition to voraciously consuming literature, Joel also played video games and ran track.

After high school, the Caledonia product enrolled at the prestigious University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he majored in industrial engineering.  

“My career didn’t end up going in that direction though,” he mentions. 

Joel admits that despite persevering through the University of Michigan’s rigorous engineering program, a lack of discipline led to less than stellar grades that prevented him from securing a cushy internship, which in theory could have bolstered his post-graduation employment prospects. 

But in many ways, embarking on a career in engineering wasn’t in Joel’s DNA.

In fact, a path devoid of the typical accouterments enjoyed by college grads likely benefited Joel’s long-term outlook, albeit indirectly. 

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been passionate about reading,” Joel says. 

“Over time, I tried my hand at writing, and slowly I got better and refined that skillset.”

Hence the genesis of Write Awareness, as he is known on Instagram, and consequently the development of a portfolio that consists of blogs and freelance work that have shown Joel that writing isn’t just a hobby, but instead a passion, and if he keeps up his quality work, perhaps one day, a career.

“I like to write about anything I’m learning about,” Joel answers when pressed to reveal his preferred subjects and topics. 

At present, Joel routinely creates articles for software companies.

“Typically I’m helping business-to-business software companies with a productivity function,” he notes, but the Wolverine alum has also periodically written articles for quentinsuper.com, highlighting business owners in the Twin Cities who otherwise may not know how to articulate the value they bring to the marketplace in a concise and compelling manner. 

Not that crafting a 1,200-1,500 word feature is easy, even for a pro like Joel.

“It takes time and practice to develop your voice, and truthfully, I don’t feel like I’ve developed a voice that stands out yet,” the humble scribe acknowledges.  

“But I study a lot of self-development, business, sales, and psychology, so I’m able to synthesize all that knowledge into in-depth articles that the average reader can easily consume.”

For the foreseeable future, Joel will continue to cement himself as a capable freelance writer for software companies, and as a competent journalist who is able to limelight entrepreneurs who want to be covered in print. 

Furthermore, Joel is planning to write several books in the future, particularly about faith and the impact it can have on one’s life, when fully embraced. 

“My books will likely be about applying faith that will allow you to move forward with confidence,” Joel says. 

“Life can be hard. Whether you are starting a business, or any type of new venture, a lot of times, you need to have an unwavering belief that things will work out, even when there isn’t an overabundance of evidence that those dreams and aspirations will come to fruition.”

In addition to his literary pursuits, Joel is equally committed to facilitating his son’s maturation process by offering him guidance in a world where good advice can sometimes be in short supply. 

“Being a father to him, and helping him find his way is really important to me,” Joel emphasizes. 

“He’s a big part of what motivates me to work hard and try to create a sustainable career path.”

That sustainability that Joel touches on is key, especially in 2024 as AI-generated content infiltrates company websites, classrooms, and virtually anywhere where human fingers can be swapped out for a faceless writer. 

For his part, Joel isn’t looking to revolutionize the way content is written, but he does want to make a lasting impact. 

“I’d like to continue posting content and get to the point where I have a few thousand subscribers. At that point I’ll have a better chance of making a larger impact on the world,” he explains. 

Of course, there will be some who scoff at Joel’s aspirations, who will claim that in a content landscape dominated by video, the written word is passe, and that those who do strive to keep writing relevant are only fooling themselves. 

Yet again, Joel would disagree.

“Writing makes you better as a person. It helps you understand yourself more and form more cogent ideas,” Joel insists. 

“For example, you can have all these great ideas in your head, but once you try to put them down on paper, they might not read as well as you envisioned in your mind. From there, you start to pick those ideas apart and see the flaws in them, but that’s not a bad thing because it forces you to think more critically, and develop more conviction about your thoughts and ideologies.” QS

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