by Charles Hutchinson | Oct 30, 2018 | Freelancing
How to be a successful freelancer on Upwork
Over the past few days, I’ve had a couple of Upwork freelancers reach out and ask if I had any tips for being a successful freelancer on the Upwork platform. Actually, I do. And I’m happy to share them.
I’ll get right to the point. There are only a few things you need to do to be successful:
- Get started.
- Don’t Quit.
The most important tasks in completing anything of significance are; getting started and not quitting. There is one other important thing that must be identified if you’re serious about working as a freelancer. And that’s…
The why
Quitting seems to be the default response when something we start turns out to be harder than we thought it would be or, if it takes us out of our comfort zone. One way to assure yourself that you won’t quit is to identify why you are doing the “thing”, in this case, freelancing. What’s the reason you’re investing your potentially free time into a side hustle. Yes, it’s a side hustle, at least till it’s not. Many freelancers become full-time, work from home, watch the kids, and totally rule over their own schedule. And, they are perfectly happy being a part of this new and work-life style.
Side Hustle
Don’t let your brother-in-law or some other well-meaning friend or relative tell you that trying to make money “on the side” won’t work. If you listen to them, you’ll have what he has. Maybe that’s good, likely it’s not. Many Americans are turning to side jobs to supplement their 9-5, day job incomes. Good for them! Whatever it takes to keep the lights on, food on the table, or that new Porsche in the driveway.
Get Started
Getting started is not difficult, no matter what your skills. All it takes is an account. Upwork makes this simple. Click this link to get started. You’ll be required to provide some proof of residence and a quick phone call. All of it very basic. Much easier than applying for a second job delivering pizzas for Dominos.
Are your skills a fit?
Yes, your skills are a perfect fit. In fact, there are so many businesses looking for help that you likely have multiple skills and work experience you can use to get started. The link below highlights some of the freelancer categories that your skills may be a fit for. I promise, there is something here for everyone; from answering calls and forwarding messages to building the next cool internet “wizbang” thingy! https://www.upwork.com/i/freelancer-categories-all/
Final thoughts
Getting started is easy, but you’ll need a plan to work from and some written down goals to work towards.
HEY! Are you already on Upwork? I’d like to connect with you. Leave a comment below or hit me on Twitter or Facebook.
by Charles Hutchinson | Oct 15, 2018 | Freelancing
Freelancers should keep it simple
My first rule is to keep it simple. I use the fewest tools and services possible. I do this for two reasons.
- Expense – This is just good business. We are in business for profit. The difference between what we spend every month and what we make is called profit. Spending less equates to more profit.
- Productivity – While having many choices may be a great at the dinner table, it’s a distraction when trying to get a job quoted, working and completed. Pick your tools carefully and plan to use them in your workflow.
My freelancing work toolbox
In no real order: (NO affiliate links included)
MacBook Pro 13” Retina – 2015 model – 16GB, 128GB SSD
iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Notability – It’s where my handwritten notes from client calls go. The notes sync to Google Drive.
G Suite Business – Flexible Plan – 1 User $10/mth.
Ulysses Writing App $40/yr. – Used for blogging and writing in Markdown. Not to be confused with Google Docs
Google Docs (part of G Suite for Business) – Proposals, project documentation. I have two templates that I reuse for everything.
Google Chrome for most browsing and web work.
Safari and Firefox for testing and troubleshooting. I’m always amazed by how many times something JUST won’t work right in Chrome but does in FF or Safari.
Spare Windows PC – To remote into for testing and the very odd and occasional time that I need Windows.
2 28” Monitors – Maybe overkill but I’ve been using them for years.
Grammarly – The free version. Helps with your grammar when writing. Just began support Google Docs.
LastPass – The free version. Secure your password with easy access. – Cross-platform and mobile versions.
Skitch – Free (for Evernote – Free version) – I don’t use Evernote except for Skitch.
Cloud App (screen and video capture) – I have the pro version, purchased via an App Sumo deal. I use this constantly to create explainer videos. A priceless timesaver.
Pilvia – I put dev sites here for free and point clients to them. Simple. I use templates for this so turning up a ready-made WP site takes minutes.
Cloudways – My goto hosting provider for VPS. Can’t beat the performance, stability or the price.
Upwork – I have the Upwork app open on my Mac and my phone.
MailChimp – Mostly for client campaigns
Notion.so – $5/mth. This is my go-to note-taking and all in one app for my custom CRM, Client notes, databases, todos, etc. Cross-platform. Free version available but limited by the number of Blocks (data) you can store.
Pixelmator – Image Editing – I don’t use the Adobe Cloud. When I was spending $54/mth for Adobe (because that’s what you HAD to have), I could NOT wait for the subscription to end. They actually hold you captive or you have to pay to get out of your contract. Adobe is great software but expensive an not really required to get started. Pixelmator is for Mac and has a trial version
ImageOptim – Free image compression app – very quick and configurable. If there was a paid or pro version, I’d buy it. (Mac and Linux only).
I also use the standard suite of apps and web tools for speed testing, load testing, Analytics, Search Console, etc.
To wrap up
That is my list. You can see it’s focused mainly on free tools and utilities but, when the added productivity justifies the expense, I’m quick to whip out the debit card and get the app.
Please, share your apps in the comment section. I’d like to know of any gems I’m missing out on. Especially productivity or time-saving apps.
