One of the first income streams I build on the internet was
doing freelance writing on Upwork (back then it was called Elance). It was easy to get started, it gave me the flexibility to choose the clients and projects I wanted to work on, and it allowed me to be able to work from anywhere. It was a perfect fit for me and for anyone else who wants to be able to work from anywhere, be there own boss, and build a new stream of income that doesn’t involve getting a J-O-B.
What Is Upwork?
Upwork is a project network that allows businesses, companies, and individuals to tap into the global market and find remote workers that can help then grow their businesses. You can be one of those remote workers who take on clients from anywhere in the world. There are hundreds of jobs posted daily and you have the ability to bid on any project that interests you.
What Kind Of Work Can I Do On Upwork?
You may not believe me when I say that the possibilities are endless…but they really are. I’ve seen people build profitable businesses specializing on writing, web design, creating powerpoint presentations, proofreading, marketing, video production, etc etc. You could manage social media profiles for people, be a virtual assistant, or a remote researcher. My biggest recommendation for you is to click on the “hire” tab on elance.com, type in different keywords, and peek around to see what some of the other freelancers are specializing in.
How Do I Get Started?
Well, the first thing you want to do is decide on a skill to offer. Once you’ve done that, you want to set up a profile. You don’t want to just speak about yourself in your profile. You should be explaining to your future clients what your skills can do for their businesses. How can you help them? Once you’ve set up you profile, now you can bid on the projects that interest you. Don’t get discouraged if you have to bid on several projects before you finally get hired. When you’re new to the site, you haven’t earned any ratings yet so people are going to be hesitant about hiring you. You can combat that by linking to some sample work or a portfolio to let clients see what kind of work you’re capable of doing. Make sure that when you bid on a project you (just like you did when creating your profile) are clearly explaining to potential clients what it is that you can do for them.
So What Are You Waiting For?
If freelancing sounds like a good income source for you. Go ahead and get started. Don’t let the fear of not being good enough stop you from starting. Sometimes “trial by fire” is the best way to learn. The more work you do for clients, the better you’ll get. Getting started early also gives you a chance to test out different specialties to see which one will be the best fit for you. Don’t worry about getting business card and registering yourself as a business at first, just get started. You may not like working on a project network after you get started, so the first thing you want to do is start getting paid clients and building income. You want to give it a good shot to see if it will work for you.
Good luck with your new business and let me know below how it works out for you:)
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