Every day, thousands of new accounts are being created in
many freelancing marketplaces such as Upwork, Guru, and Behance. This trend is
expected to grow as more people continue to discover the benefits of working
offsite. Even economic experts agree that freelancers are the movers of the
labor market, which changes the future of doing business.
As freelancing becomes the new trend, its growth becomes both
a blessing and a curse to many newbie freelancers. It is a blessing in the
sense that they can expect more jobs with better pay, and a curse because they
will enter a world with heavy competition. The challenges are real as every
freelancer is upgrading his skill to become indispensable, which makes it even harder
for newbies to get noticed.
There are accomplished freelancers today who didn’t surrender
to those challenges. They weathered every difficulty and kept on chasing their
dreams until they reach the pinnacle of success. Today, they serve as a role
model to other freelancers, doing their best to inspire others to keep moving.
If you feel down because it seems like your career got stuck
in quicksand, don’t give up just yet. You can learn valuable insights from
these three must-read freelancer success stories:
Tom Morkes
Tom Morkes is the founder of Insurgent Publishing, the consultancy firm that helps authors and startup companies launch strategic book
marketing campaigns. He also specializes in creating comprehensive sales funnel
development and effective strategies for outreach and promotions.
Just like other freelancers, creating his own business never
crossed Tom’s mind. He had a short stint in the US Army, and he initially
thought of becoming a lawyer while in college. Since becoming a lawyer is a big
commitment, he decided to take a break and travel the world.
Travelling made him realize that he could use a lot of his
time exploring other countries and embracing new cultures. He came back,
finished his studies, and much as he loved traveling, he had to stop because of
his ballooning debts. Then, he discovered that he could write, and he used this
talent toself-publish his books while he travels. That made him so dedicated to
becoming a full-time freelancer and traveler at the same time. He established a
creative agency that performs exceptionally well up to this day.
Just like other freelancers, Tom was clouded by doubts
because nobody knew him in the industry. There were days when he wanted to quit
because he was not sure if his book would sell. But he took the risk, and it
paid off. Today, Tom is a sought-after consultant for many publishing companies
and freelancers who want to self-publish their works.
Louis Grenier
Louis Grenier helps businesses convert their page visitors
into satisfied customers. He took the brave leap of leaving his full-time job recently
to launch his own company. His business didn’t do well initially, but after making
a few tweaks, it managed to start gaining momentum.
When Louis decided to leave his job, all he wanted was to
work at home doing automated marketing campaigns for online retailers. He made a
lot of mistakes along the way, mainly because he didn’t ask for help from the
experts. He wanted to do everything by himself, and it cost him a lot. Louis
didn’t consider partnering with someone more knowledgeable than him because of
his ego. For him, everything could be learned, and asking help from others was
a sign of weakness.
Then it hit him hard. He wasn’t satisfied being a freelancer
because he didn’t know what he was doing in the first place. It turned out that
converting online guests to prospects wasn’t his strongest skill. He accepted
the fact that he needed to upskill his talent, so he searched for companies to
help him refocus his strategies.
Through his friend working as an SEO expert in Dublin, he
learned how to do the conversions the right way. Instead of targeting online
retailers, he focused on businesses that rely heavily on their websites to
generate sales or leads. From a struggling freelancer who only wanted to make a
decent living, Louis is now running his successful firm that helps various
companies with SEO tasks.
Mike Volkin
If you are going to search popular freelancers on Google,
Mike Volkin will more than likely show up. Mike is known as the King of
Freelancing because of his unparalleled expertise in marketing and being an entrepreneur. This makes him a magnet for many companies. His sterling career is highlighted by many
accolades he has received, which includes becoming a member of Forbes Coaches
Council and being featured on the homepage of Upwork.com.
Aside from providing consultancy services, Mike is also a
talented public speaker and writer. As an entrepreneur coach, he serves as a mentor
and speaker for many events. Last year, he was chosen by Upwork as its model of
success where they used images of him for their national marketing campaigns.
Mike’s success didn’t come overnight. He served in the Army for
8 years, an experience that helped him a lot during his early career as an
entrepreneur. He started freelancing over a decade ago and learned how to get
his first client. He didn’t have a goal or a sense of direction regarding his career, but he knew that he had the desire to take his career to a higher level.
He needed a guide or mentor, and they were hard to find.
Mike’s initial projects failed. He took note of what went
wrong and through countless trial and error experiments, he developed better
strategies to rectify his mistakes.
Today, Mike developed a course dedicated to freelancers. His Freelancer Masterclass course is a compilation of the best practices that
he used to become a sought-after freelancer. He banked on his professional knowledge
and experiences to come up with a valuable step-by-step guide to help
freelancers of all levels become successful as well.