The gig economy is a real trend and it’s not going away anytime soon. According to the predictions, freelancers will make up 50.9% of the workforce in the USA. That is HUGE!
But when you get into a freelancing platform for the first time, you’re overwhelmed. Where do you start? How do you bid on projects? How much will you earn? It all seems so, so hard! It takes a lot of effort and some time to get noticed, which is why many people give up before seeing the first results.
If you feel like giving up, you could use some freelancer success stories. This is an industry where everyone starts small and has the same chance to grow big. If you have the talent and commitment that it takes, you can make it. We’ll list 7 freelancers with successful stories that motivate beginners!
7 Freelance Success Stories
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Andrea Reggio, Freelance Writer
Andrea has experience working in finance, but she was looking for a more flexible job and a more relaxed lifestyle. When she discovered the idea of freelancing, she knew she was on the right track.
Freelance writers have a few options to start with:
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A freelancing platform, such as Freelancer. This is the easiest way to get into the industry, since there are no special requirements for creating a profile. You just create it and you’re in. From there on, you’re left with opportunities for landing gigs.
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An essay paper writing service, which may offer writing or editing opportunities. An academic paper writing service has higher standards for getting new writers in. The essay writers should have a degree, and they complete complex projects from their area of study.
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Journalists and magazine editors. This is a higher-level type of freelancing.
The best writers usually progress from stage to stage: they start with a freelancing platform, move onto a paperwriting service, and seek for better opportunities in online editorials from there on.
Andrea started on Freelancer, and she managed to turn freelance writing in a full-time job. She learned an important lesson: although the beginnings in the industry are tough, you shouldn’t give up. After the first few gigs, it gets easier.
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Chiara Ferragni, Blogger
If you’re into travel blog, you must know The Blonde Salad. It’s one of the most popular blogs ever to be founded. Chiara started small, but soon grew into an international star. She traveled the world and inspired people with her stories.
With time, The Blonde Salad grew into an online store. Chiara has over 16 million followers on Instagram, who trust her recommendations and are ready to buy from her. In 2018, Chiara was listed as one of the most influential people in the Italian economy, along with Giorgio Armani and Mario Draghi.
Should we keep convincing people that freelancing can lead to great success?
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Dylan Winn-Brown, Web Designer and Front-End Developer
Dylan chose freelancing as a great way to earn money while studying. For people from the UK and other countries with high living standards, it’s hard to make enough money freelancing. They have higher expenses, but offer the same type of work as freelancers from third-world countries. They usually set higher quotes per hour, and they have to justify them with better quality in their work.
Dylan did that. His first job was editing photos for a company that sold baby clothing. He received a ridiculously low pay for that project, but it was the stepping stone.
The main lesson we can learn from Dylan’s example is that quality matters in the freelancing industry. If you want payments that are higher than average, you have to prove you deserve them. There are clients willing to pay more. But you’ll complete with freelancers at the very top for those gigs.
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AbdulGaniy Shehu, Freelance Writer
In a popular post for Entrepreneur, AbdulGaniy Shehu shared his experience in the freelancing industry. He started right after completing his final exams at the university. He considered the option of searching for a traditional job or starting his own business. It didn’t take him long to start writing for popular publications.
There’s a valuable lesson to learn from AbdulGaniy: only professionalism will make you stand out. Most beginners assume that freelancing is more flexible than it really is. Yes; you’ll be able to manage your own time. But if you want to achieve success in the industry and live off your salary as a writer, you’ll have to work. Many hours per day. Some freelancers work more than they would at a traditional job.
If we take essay services as an example, it becomes clear how important deadlines are. At My-Assignment Help, the writers should be able to deliver orders within 3 hours. If the freelancer is not committed enough, there’s not a chance for them to get into the best essay writing agency.
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Brandon Cowan, App Developer
When Brandon started Crazy Dog Apps, he was a 19-year old Aussie guy with big dreams. This is a different type of freelance success story: the one we can view from an entrepreneur’s point of view. Brandon needed to build a great team of app developers, and managed to put it together thanks to the freelancing industry.
This example teaches us an important lesson: freelancing is a driving force for digital businesses. New business owners don’t bother hiring locally when they have access to an incredible pool of talent without borders.
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Kelly Vaughn, Web Developer
Before becoming a freelance web developer, Kelly had a government job. You know; the safe type of job that’s challenging, but also very boring… and safe. It took a lot of courage for Kelly to quit the life as she knew it and get the freedom to travel the world.
The lesson?
Everyone dreams about traveling, but jobs are jobs. They keep us rooted and give us only a few weeks for a vacation per year. That kind of system doesn’t work and the adventurous at heart has to put an end to it.
It’s possible. Grab the opportunity to set yourself free!
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Nicolas Cole, Freelance Writer
2016 was the turning point in the life of Nicolas. He had a good job in advertising, but he decided to leave it. He saw the true potential in freelancing and he decided to give it a chance. He started small and feared he wouldn’t be able to pay the bills. Then he doubled his price, and he kept increasing it a few times since then.
When successful freelancers start making money and get an increased demand of orders, they should know the next move. This is a basic rule in economics: when the demand increases and there’s no chance for you to boost the supply, the price increases, too. Since you can’t work more hours in a day and clients are competing for you, you should elevate the price.
Sure; you’ve been working with a client for a certain price and now you feel bad to say that your services got more expensive. But it’s how any business works, and you have to be financially smart if you want to make it. Nicolas is a great example of that rule!
Freelancing Holds an Enormous Potential
Do you like the idea of great freedom, an ability to choose your tasks and earn money without being tied down to an office? Yes?
Then you were born to be a freelancer.
Try it!
