Post: #176

I was just browsing AngelList, a site for startups, and noticed that there are a lot of jobs available for content writers and marketers. I had a gig with a startup this past year that paid way over my normal rate, because they were probably bloated with equity, and working for a startup seems like a good gig in general.

Seems like a lot of full time gigs to that allow remote work which is certainly desirable. It's quite competitive, but something I may look into as I develop my business, and something that Id recommend to others too.

https://angel.co/jobs

Post: #177

Great thread, love all this advice and input.

I have a question for the board- I'm about to start my first thread on WF offering review copies. I have positive reviews for gigs I did on upwork and fiverr. Is it acceptable on that site to just copy and past feedback from other sites on your thread to boost your credibility?

I'm just starting out there I don't want to come off as a bullshitter since that forum apparently has a lot of them.

Post: #178

Any tips for hiring on UpWork for a complete newbie? Specific questions to ask? Specific things to discuss before the assignment starts? Anything to watch out for?

I am considering hiring a sourcing agent in China who will help me find and vet suppliers/manufacturers for a small business.

On the surface, when you search on UpWork, it seems pretty obvious who is good and who isn't based on project success rate and a total number of hours worked, but I'm sure there's more to it.

Post: #179

(01-31-2016 12:37 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:  Any tips for hiring on UpWork for a complete newbie? Specific questions to ask? Specific things to discuss before the assignment starts? Anything to watch out for?

I am considering hiring a sourcing agent in China who will help me find and vet suppliers/manufacturers for a small business.

On the surface, when you search on UpWork, it seems pretty obvious who is good and who isn't based on project success rate and a total number of hours worked, but I'm sure there's more to it.

Pretty fullproof imo. Post a job, a bunch of people will apply, and you pick the best. Ask them to write a cover letter, answer some questions etc.

Post: #180

UpWork is just unbelievable.

I tried closing my suspended account, and they said my account cannot be closed because it is suspended.

This makes no sense. If I can't use the account, why keep it open?

Unless they want to prevent me from signing up with another email address... at which point they'd cross reference my identity verification documents with the suspended account and ban my new account again.

They should be renamed to GestapoWork.

Post: #181

If I may inquire, what is your guys' tax situation looking like? Although I didn't make much money freelancing, I still payed a lot more in taxes than I expected.

Have you guys incorporated? If so, at what point is it worthwhile to do so?

Post: #182

Haven't been freelancing long enough to clearly outline the tax-related pros and cons of freelancing vs being an exempt salaried employee. I don't think I will be able to give a good answer until I get through 2017 at least, because my tax situation for both 2015 and 2016 are going to be complicated. Very much so that I'm not comfortable handling it myself using turbotax. I'm having my CPA take care of all that.

But I can say that I did incorporate. My company is an LLC, with S-corporation tax treatment with pass-through income where all of that income, minus business expenses, is taxed as personal income. While I plan on expatriating and the first 100k won't be taxed at the federal or state levels, I'm still liable to pay the 15% self-employment tax which go to SS and Medicare.

In a nutshell, it really depends on your personal situation and that's something you should discuss with an accountant.

Post: #183

^^^I hear you. I dread the tax season myself.

Post: #184

Thanks CleanSlate. The way I look at it, I'm not making enough through writing to afford an accountant haha so I'll put it off for a bit.

Post: #185

I was briefly freelancing on and off over the years, made a few bucks. I have since left the marketplaces and gotten my own site up and running. Takes a lot of work to get off the ground but it's worth it.

Post: #186

(02-19-2016 01:02 PM)Nitro Wrote:  I was briefly freelancing on and off over the years, made a few bucks. I have since left the marketplaces and gotten my own site up and running. Takes a lot of work to get off the ground but it's worth it.

How were you able to get clients offsite? Did you market, get referrals, etc?

Post: #187

(02-19-2016 01:02 PM)Nitro Wrote:  I was briefly freelancing on and off over the years, made a few bucks. I have since left the marketplaces and gotten my own site up and running. Takes a lot of work to get off the ground but it's worth it.

What is your area of work? What strategies did you implement to attract clients? Please share more. Thanks.

Post: #188

Thought I'd add another anecdote to the Upwork situation.

Last week Upwork temporarily suspended my account because my PayPal account got locked (for a matter of hours over a relatively large payment I received and had to verify with them). The PayPal situation had nothing to do with any job on Upwork.

Crazy isn't it? I think this shows just show shitty Upwork's attitude is towards freelancers now. By all means source clients from it, but make sure to explore other avenues. This advice no longer just voluntary but a must.

Post: #189

Heads up to the member who PMed me about this thread. I lost your PMs in yesterday's site-wide purge. Please drop me another message. Thanks.

Post: #190

(02-19-2016 02:27 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  

(02-19-2016 01:02 PM)Nitro Wrote:  I was briefly freelancing on and off over the years, made a few bucks. I have since left the marketplaces and gotten my own site up and running. Takes a lot of work to get off the ground but it's worth it.

How were you able to get clients offsite? Did you market, get referrals, etc?

I just recently started this independently two weeks ago. I selling marketing/organizational services to business owners. I'm always upgrading the quality of this service as I'm always learning something new. Marketing, I'm just leveraging the influence I have in my particular niche market. I suggest sticking to where people trust you to initially get started so you can get testimonials to the quality of your work. I personally offered the first few clients free service in exchange for their testimonial. From here, you can expand on your overall customer base.

In fact, I'm setting up an affiliate program as well. I think a sort of referral system will work very well - in fact, this is especially true if your service is high-end, as people will WANT to tell others about your business cause they're getting paid decent coin...

(02-20-2016 01:24 AM)dreambig Wrote:  

(02-19-2016 01:02 PM)Nitro Wrote:  I was briefly freelancing on and off over the years, made a few bucks. I have since left the marketplaces and gotten my own site up and running. Takes a lot of work to get off the ground but it's worth it.

What is your area of work? What strategies did you implement to attract clients? Please share more. Thanks.

Pretty much answered above.

Post: #191

Just started studying copywriting this week. I work from home for an online biz so I have all the time in the world to learn as much as I can in the next few months and transition to a freelancer.

Does anyone here know of any good hands-on copywriting mentors? My budget would be under $1,000.

Post: #192

I know of a "game-aware" site looking for writers--I think it's a ROK-type deal where you have to "prove yourself" over a couple of articles before you get paid, but then it could be some ok, regular cash for writing about gaming chicks.

I think they're also looking for a more full-time editor too if you're looking for something more permanent. PM me about either for more details and I can put you in touch with the guy running it.

Vigo

Post: #193

delete

Post: #194

(03-03-2016 04:13 PM)wallywest Wrote:  Just started studying copywriting this week. I work from home for an online biz so I have all the time in the world to learn as much as I can in the next few months and transition to a freelancer.

Does anyone here know of any good hands-on copywriting mentors? My budget would be under $1,000.

I found Danny Marguiles a while ago but haven't tried him out. He's an Elance/Upwork guy and his prices fluctuate from $197-$497. I get his emails and I like what I've read.

Beyond Borders may also be able to give you recommendations like he did for me.

Post: #195

I've just had my first offer of work on Upwork. It's ongoing blog writing and it will be paid hourly. I was just wondering if there are standard payment terms and contract terms or do I negotiate these directly (ie notice before terminating contract, how often payment is made).

Post: #196

Why haven't we created our own freelance work thread or service? Let's list ideas on how to do it here.

If I was hiring someone, I would much rather hire someone from here and not just because I like to help people I like, but because they would most likely have a good work ethic, social skills, thick skin and a red pill view of the world. All of those qualities are excellent to have for someone you are working with.

Also, I had a look at Upwork and noticed there's some freelance work for music production and composing. Does anyone here have any experience with that type of work? Is this is a good place to start that kind of work?

Post: #197

Fuck Upwork.

They are now taking 20%, as opposed to 10%...

And they have the balls to make it seem as if freelancers are the ones with the upsides.

"After $500, we only charge you *10%*"

As if that weren't the base fee already..

Quote:Upwork will charge a sliding fee based on your lifetime billings with each client (across all hourly and fixed-price contracts you’ve ever had with them on Upwork and Elance). These are the fees you will pay:

20% for the first $500 you bill your client across all contracts
10% for total billings with your client between $500.01 and $10,000
5% for total billings with your client that exceed $10,000
For example, if you begin an hourly or fixed-price contract with a new client for $600, you’ll be billed 20% on the first $500 and 10% on the remaining $100.

Post: #198

Just saw it too. The under $500 clients made up a lot of my base. I've moved away from those over the past year, but this is still absurd.

Funny how they promised everyone that it was all going to be fine when Elance and O-Desk merged. We now see what happens when a cartel controls the market.

Post: #199

This makes me furious.

It's time to either adapt (as in, look at other avenues for freelance work), or die.

Frankly the latter might be a positive, because it might get me started on more profitable ventures.

Post: #200

On the Upwork forum you can see how bitter freelancers (and clients) are about the changes:

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelanc...d-p/188495

As some point out, it's actually even comical how Upwork makes it seem as if we're all gaining because of these changes.