Build a professional website advertising your essay editing services. Include an "About Me" page where you detail any published writing you have done, stints as an English teacher, newspaper or magazine editor, or any other professional editing experience you have. List your services (types of papers you will edit, turn around times, for example) and prices as well. State whether you get paid per word or per page you edit.
Include ways to get paid on your website. For example, you might set up a PayPal account, or enable your website to accept credit cards as payment. State your payment procedures on your site.
Advertise your services at your local college. Attend student events and hand out flyers and business cards with your contact information. Include your website on all of your company's materials. Ask the college's writing center if you can post a flyer on its bulletin board. Develop a relationship with the English as a Second Language students on campus. They often are more in need of an editor than native English--speaking students.
Advertise online. Submit your site to search engines. Create and build a social networking page. Contribute to industry forums and discussion boards. Offer free essay editing services to attract future customers. Advertise your services on pages English as a Second Language students frequent, such as ESLTeachersBoard or Dave's ESL Cafe.
Edit essays via email, offering students corrections in another color in the essay file they send you. Provide explanations of changes you make, and take care to offer positive feedback on their writing where appropriate.