Freelance Success Stories - Real-Life Journeys to Independence
For many people, leaving their day jobs to become freelancers is a dream they can only hope to one day achieve. But like starting any business, it takes hard work and a strong set of skills to make it happen. Fortunately, there are certain things freelancers can do to prepare themselves to make that jump to self-employment as quickly as possible. These include building a portfolio of high-quality work, setting strategic prices, and winning their first handful of paying clients.
They also need to stay organized with tasks such as sending proposals, creating invoices, and following up with clients. Fortunately, software like Bonsai can help automate all of these tasks and keep freelancers focused on what they do best.
For example, for the past two years, Jessica Vaughn has been building up her clientele while working as a web developer from the comfort of her home in Oakland, California. She started out slow, but she’s learned that freelancing is a viable source of income if you are patient and persistent. Now, Vaughn is able to focus on projects that she believes in, and is growing her agency as an independent contractor.
In this series, we spoke with several freelancers who shared their stories about how they became successful. We found that they all had one thing in common – they refused to give up! No matter how hard the odds were, they didn’t take no for an answer. They kept moving forward and made it their goal to live the freelance lifestyle they’d always wanted.
One freelancer we spoke with, Christina Vanvuren, was a young writer who wanted to break into the industry. She was tired of the rut that was her regular job: waiting for her salary, working long hours, and not being able to pursue her passions.
When she realized that freelance writing could be the solution to her problems, she got to work. She stopped looking at job boards and online classifieds, and focused on one simple marketing task for a week. As a result, she was able to land her first gig and start earning pro rates.
Another freelancer who took a different approach to finding work was Tammy Farrell, who decided that she would only accept gigs that paid her professional rates. She was able to do this by creating an online portfolio of her best work and using social media to share her content. Her strategy proved to be effective and she was able to secure her first gig at $250 an hour.
Although the path to independence isn’t always smooth, each experience helps build resilience and cultivate confidence in your ability to succeed. We’re proud to support the freelancers who have taken this courageous step and created their own unique careers. Their stories inspire us all to strive for our own goals and dreams, no matter how big or small. So if you’re ready to take the leap, we encourage you to follow in these freelancers’ footsteps and start your own freelance journey today!
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Tim Phelan first started in internet marketing about 20 years ago and has since been involved in many aspects of the industry. He also is a YouTuber Channel owner, author, lifelong artist ( studied at San Jose State ), father and grandfather of six and another on the way. In 2018 he started an Amazon store where he used the wholesale model and is now currently launching his first private label brand on Amazon in the eco-friendly niche. He also has some Shopify stores, is a seller of email traffic through solo ads and has a Walmart seller store. His eCommerce business alone will gross six figures in 2023 and is expected to reach seven figures in 2024.
Before getting into internet marketing and eCommerce, Tim had tried a few other small businesses including various home services, network marketing, and then for seven years a soda, snack and coffee vending business. Prior to having a business Tim worked as a teamster for 17 years.
One of Tim's earliest internet businesses was buying/building web sites and then “flipping” them for a profit. In 2007 he wrote one of the first, if not the first, ebooks on how to flip web sites and sold the ebook on his domain FlipWebSites.com. A year later he ironically flipped the web site FlipWebSites.com. It was during this time when Tim first started really understanding the importance of an email list.
While doing web site flipping years ago Tim also became a Domain name buyer and seller. At one time he owned about 1000 domains and also was a Godaddy domain name reseller for a few years. Other types of online marketing Tim is familiar with is affiliate marketing, article marketing, adsense, Facebook advertising, and social media marketing.
Being an artist and marketer, Tim knows building an email list of possible buyers is an important part of being a successful artist these days. He also knows it’s an important marketing tool for all sorts of businesses, whether it’s a brick and mortar biz or an online biz.
Now, Tim has a new interest in helping others in ether getting started with a business or build an existing business by sharing helpful information.
Tim Phelan
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