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Currently unemployed and need money or emoloyed but need extra source of income?
Then this free but very valuable insight on freelancing and working from home will do you a lot of good.
Thread!
Then this free but very valuable insight on freelancing and working from home will do you a lot of good.
Thread!
I'd intended to write this for a while now because I get lots of dms from people who want to go into freelancing and all so I decided to put it all out. It might help a person or two.
Let me start with a brief background of my own journey. I hadn't always been a freelancer, I had a job at a market research firm and the pay wasn't that bad ( not immediately though but after a while, the pay for decent).
But then it wasn't going anywhere and I knew I needed to bounce and I really wanted to do my own thing. So with guidance from my good lawyer friend ...I opened Fiverr and started freelancing, when I saw that it was a bit stable, I then resigned and since then I've been on my own.
Currently making money off both Fiverr and the Upwork platform plus offline contracts and all.
I use both Fiverr and Upwork and but there are many more freelancing platforms like http://Freelancer.com , PeoplePerHour, Guru, Contena, Flexjobs, Solidgigs etc...
I use both Fiverr and Upwork and but there are many more freelancing platforms like http://Freelancer.com , PeoplePerHour, Guru, Contena, Flexjobs, Solidgigs etc...
but here I'll focus on Fiverr and Upwork as they are the ones I use and know about very well.
Now, to go into freelancing, you don't need much. All you need is internet and probably a laptop( not compulsory, a phone would do depending on the service you're rendering).
Now, to go into freelancing, you don't need much. All you need is internet and probably a laptop( not compulsory, a phone would do depending on the service you're rendering).
And then you're good to go.
Talking about services, there are tons of services you can render as a freelancer and they include but not limited to graphics designing,
writing ( article writing, copywriting, academic writing, script-writing, blog post writing...),
Talking about services, there are tons of services you can render as a freelancer and they include but not limited to graphics designing,
writing ( article writing, copywriting, academic writing, script-writing, blog post writing...),
video editing, animation, web designing, social media management, photo editing, book keeping, virtual assisting, influencer marketing, SEO, Voice Over, Music Production, Mixing and Mastery, Book Design...the list is exhaustive.
Now, freelancing is not multi level marketing, it's not Ponzi, it's not Baba Ijebu or Bet9ja, it's pure BUSINESS! You render a service and get paid, fitted with all the nuances of a regular business: you have competition, you have to innovate, you have bad clients,
you have fantastic clients, you have drought days, you have rainy days...all the pros and cons. Basically the platforms are just like shopping malls where you rent a space and sell your product or services. So don't expect it to be a walk in the park, because you will WORK.
Maybe work harder than your contemporary in the US or UK, for the fact that you're from Nigeria. Make no mistake about it.
But honestly, the rewards are quite satisfying: you get to work from home, work on your own terms, work when you want to, have time for other things, earn in a reliable currency, get exposed to intl standards of doing things,acquire client liaison skills & experience etc...
Now, how do you go about it?
I'll start with Fiverr. Opening an account is easy. You open an account with your email & your phone number. You then set up your gigs. Your gigs here mean the separate services you render. You can have a graphics design gig & still have a writing gig
I'll start with Fiverr. Opening an account is easy. You open an account with your email & your phone number. You then set up your gigs. Your gigs here mean the separate services you render. You can have a graphics design gig & still have a writing gig
Make sure to make it CONVINCING. You are advised to add pictures related to your services and a video describing what you do. It sells more. But I've seen gigs with no videos, it just helps is all.
Then you start applying. Now, here is where people die off. They open and account and sit back. Lee-to-the-fucking-mao. So you will open a new business and then sit down and expect client to come and patronise you. Even Google dey advertise for ICM.
After setting up your account, you need to start applying for jobs. Bear in mind that you're a new comer in a niche filled with tested & proven professionals. So yeah, you gotta earn the respect. There is something called "Buyer Request" here is where you get to see job postings.
...related to your niche.
Fiverr opens it at will and then yank off the jobs within a maximum period of 30minutes, once you miss it, that's all, you gotta wait till it's opened again.
Fiverr opens it at will and then yank off the jobs within a maximum period of 30minutes, once you miss it, that's all, you gotta wait till it's opened again.
Now, let me give you the secret.
They open the first batch between 7-9am. You gotta be checking your phone, fam. You're probably addicted to pressing phone so you're good.
The second batch sometimes in the afternoon between 1-4
And then between 8-11 in the night.
They open the first batch between 7-9am. You gotta be checking your phone, fam. You're probably addicted to pressing phone so you're good.
The second batch sometimes in the afternoon between 1-4
And then between 8-11 in the night.
Have a few tips to share more...but I'd be back to continue if my efforts to give these freely are yielding any results and if not...maybe everybody is rich and comfortable and don't need it. 
Anyway...let's go on.
Now this is not set in stone as it sometimes varies on Fridays and Saturdays. So be careful to watch out.
Now, this is very important, I get a lot of "I'm not seeing the buyer requests" every time and I say "No, you're not seeing it because you're always missing it!"
Now, this is very important, I get a lot of "I'm not seeing the buyer requests" every time and I say "No, you're not seeing it because you're always missing it!"
You gotta be checking your phone every 5 mins and I'm not kidding. It's that serious.
So you get your first job. Congratulations. Do it very well, please. You need the 5 star review. It's not about the money at this point. Clients feel more confident when they see that you've been tested and confirmed legit by other clients.
Once you get your first job,it gets easier from there. You'll get to the point where you don't even apply for jobs anymore. Clients will contact you themselves because the better your rating,the higher Fiverr algorithm places you when clients search for freelancers in your niche
Oops. I forgot to mention that Fiverr takes 20% of your earnings ( owo á»má» onile) and you cannot withdraw your money after 14 DAYS of having the job completed. Sucks, right? It does.
That takes me to Upwork. Upwork is the biggest freelancing platforms in the WORLD. Everybody uses Upwork including Microsoft, Google... everybody. Two major freelancing platforms, Elance and Odesk merged to form what's known as Upwork today, so they are a big deal
Now, to have an Upwork account is a bit tough. They are very picky about the freelancers that use their platform. Your application to join is likely to be rejected.( I tried over 20 times and had to use my street sense before my application was accepted.
before my application was accepted.
They closed my first account cos I didn't get a job 
e pain me die but then I tried again and after one million attempts, I got through and now, it's dollar rain.
e pain me die but then I tried again and after one million attempts, I got through and now, it's dollar rain.
The more common your niche is( pardon the antithesis), the more likely you're to be rejected like a kisser with bad breathe.
But once you're in, you're in. Upwork places a better premium on their freelancers than Fiverr does.
But once you're in, you're in. Upwork places a better premium on their freelancers than Fiverr does.
Jobs are posted throughout the day and you can apply at your convenience. However, you apply with connects( that you buy). Well...they just started selling connects sometimes last last year. Poor you. The connects are cheap though and it's a great investment...
considering how much you'd get to make and how reasonably lower the competition is.
However you have to master that art of writing proposals. Here is a good link to learn how to write good Upwork proposals. https://freelancetowin.com/upwork-proposal-tips/
However you have to master that art of writing proposals. Here is a good link to learn how to write good Upwork proposals. https://freelancetowin.com/upwork-proposal-tips/
Upwork too collects 20% Agbero money from you but once you've earned up to $500 from a client, they reduce the charges to $10. Also, you get to collect money within 5 days of project completion and you can get paid directly to your Nigerian bank account. Thank God!
Do your jobs right too and get good reviews. I can't emphasise this enough. But of course, you'll have unfortunate clients that they have cursed from their family once in a while. But those don't come everytime.
Ensure you have excellent communication and respond to enquires within 24 hours. But wtf will you be doing for 24 hours that you won't respond, when you are not dead. You will not die in Jesus' name...so please download the apps and use it on the go.
