QUOTES FROM REAL FREELANCERS - Earn1K

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www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com e recently surveyed hundreds of part-time and full-time freelancers who read. I Will Teach You to Be Rich. Here's what they told  ...
QUOTES FROM REAL FREELANCERS

We recently surveyed hundreds of part-time and full-time freelancers who read I Will Teach You to Be Rich. Here’s what they told us.

How much do you make? I supplement my primary income by over $10,000 a year working extra jobs. I make more money per hour in these jobs than in my primary job, and teaching is something I love and am good at. – Rachel T., New York, NY I quit my full-time job where I made $95K but worked 60 hours a week. I’ve turned down two full-time jobs in the past 6 months. Why would I want to make less for working more? Now I make $75/80 an hour, so I bring in $125K working 2530 hours a week! – Tosca, San Francisco, CA I charge 100 dollars for a 1-hour session, so doing the math, that kind of extra money can really make a difference. I decided that 30, 50, or even 80 dollars an hour wasn’t worth my time. Plus, the parents that are willing to pay that much money usually have very motivated kids. – Jason G., Columbus, OH

How did you get started? I started doing cheap and sometimes free work to gather skills and experience during college. I focus on enjoying my work and keeping my clients happy rather than how much money I make. As a result, I’ve never needed to advertise and have gained all my clients via word of mouth. I’ve also positioned myself to have skills that other freelancers need so that I can receive subcontract work. A large chunk of my work fits in the subcontract category. I find designers who can’t program, or web designers who can’t do programming. – David D., Austin, TX I started as a photographer, then worked as a photo retoucher, and had a few full time positions in production work. I kept

quitting my full-time jobs to go travel and everytime I quit it got a little easier to walk away from my cubicle and 9-5. I completely lost the fear that I would not be able to find a job. – Jessica M., Kirkland, WA Helping two friends start a business and built their website for free Taco Bell. Their business grew into something more serious and they have referred me to other small businesses. Zero marketing budget - and I am a marketing guy! – Rob C., San Ramon, CA

What were the keys to your success? There is nothing like good word of mouth from trusted resources. I never cold-called any client, and don’t plan to. Ever. – David G., Los Angeles, CA The most important success factors have been been basics: how to propose, how to sell, how to negotiate, and how to network (mentors). – Alexis, Las Vegas, CA Increasing my rates was key. I was starting out charging way less than I should have, and it only made me scatterbrained with more clients than I wanted/could handle. Plus, the clients who are looking for a bargain are usually my biggest headaches and demand the most of my time. – Rob C., Gainesville, FL The key to any success I’ve had freelancing has been twofold: 1) passionate competence, 2) relentless determination in securing new clients. – Justin C., New York, NY

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What mental barriers did you overcome? I thought that my clients would never pay 50+ Euros per hour. – Torsten, Germany I thought that only incredibly brave and organized people could be self-employed… – Steve F., Atlanta, GA I was afraid to ask for higher rates. Especially since there are so many people out there willing to work for very little. But after being successful with them I realized I would never become wealthy off such small gigs. I started shooting high with my hourly rate, knowing I could negotiate down. Over time I became more confident in sizing/scoping projects and was able to confidently quote a high price based on the true time it would take. – Miro, New York, NY I thought nobody would pay for my artwork… I did a test by doing free artwork. Soon I was overwhelmed with requests and decided to charge a small fee. – Christian S., San Francisco, CA Having recently graduated college, I thought I was too young to be taken seriously as a business owner. As my company developed a loyal client base, I realized I no longer had to prove myself. As a result, I grew more comfortable with charging market rates. And contrary to my expectations, higher rates improved client relationships. – Eva H., Menlo Park, CA

How have you invested in yourself? I paid for coaching with Josh Kaufman (from ‘The Personal MBA’). I didn’t realize it until then, but I had some beliefs that were holding me back. No amount of reading was going to break those beliefs; talking through those issues was the only way they were going to go away. The result is that I started a business and produced my first product that paid for about half of my personal development costs this year, and is in a great position to grow from there. – Evan D., Tucson, AZ

I spent a couple of thousand dollars on trips for potential business. The trips I took ended up in work for me on the side which brought me over $40,000 extra in 2009. – Emilio T., Miami, FL I invested in executive coaching, and your bootcamp! Now I just got an offer for a new position with more than 50% increase compared to my current position. Managed to save USD $1,000 by applying techniques from your bootcamp. – Guillaume, Geneva, Switzerland

What’s your lifestyle like now? Every day is different. There are mixed ‘travel’ days and ‘work’ days. Depending on how mobile we are in a given week, I may miss a day completely or may pop into some random internet cafe for an hour to put out fires. Other more intense days may have me at an internet cafe for 8 hours straight. – Baker, Thailand I work really hard for 6-8 weeks, do a show, then take a few weeks to travel. Clients came to me from previous jobs, word of mouth, all sorts of ways. I did no advertising and am on target to make $95K this year. – Jessica M., Kirkland, WA More hectic, more tired; but mentally more free, because I have options AND experience. – M.E., Cincinatti, OH I used to be a toilet cleaner then I got fired because of my hand disability. I was miserable and depressed. Today my lifestyle is incredible. I wake up with a big smile on my face, I’m making in difference in people’s lives and I have the freedom to create my day. – Brice, Vancouver, Canada

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