I keep getting a lot of questions about my freelance work that I do. So I thought, why not write a post about it, and get the information out there.As you know, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and we are a one-income family. So when I had Lil Man we cut back on expenses. But after awhile, I wanted to re-join the gym. So I used my money that I had saved from birthdays etc and re-joined the gym. But after a couple of months, that money of course was gone. So I started looking at trying to make some money from home so that I could pay for my gym membership.
I looked at direct marketing. And don't get me wrong, they are an excellent way to make money. It just wasn't a good fit for me. So I was doing a google search one day, and came across an article with some websites listed as legitimate work from home sites.
I signed up at Elance. It's not as easy as just 'signing up'. Once you sign up, you then have to fill in all of the important information. Filling in all of the details took more time than I anticipated. Once I had my profile complete, the next step was searching and applying for jobs.
Basically you will see a job posting with a description. Then you apply for the job and put in how much you'd be willing to do the work for. Some jobs are per hour. Some jobs are per project. And you are competing against a lot of other people who are also putting in bids. Each job required a cover letter. I would spend at least 2 hours a day applying for jobs to get rejected over and over. I did this for a couple of weeks every day. I kept finding that they wanted someone with previous work experience on the site. Finally, I started reaching out in my cover letter stating that I was new, and that someone had to be first. I couldn't get a work history if someone didn't give me a chance. Within a day, I got my first job. I was so excited. It paid $25. And from there my work history grew.
I signed up for other sites such as Guru, Freelancer and Odesk.
What's the pay? I'll be honest, usually not much. But, you have to keep in mind that I'm not applying for full time positions or jobs that require a lot of hours. I have limited time to do this. And my goal is truly at this point, just to supplement our income. Right after I started doing freelance work, it was suggested by our Speech Therapist that Lil Man start pre-school this fall. So my goal has been to generate enough money to pay for his pre-school and my gym membership.
What kind of work do I do? I've done all sorts of things - from writing blog posts, to internet research, to user specific websites, and the list goes on with other administrative duties. Yesterday, I did work for 4 different people. I'm finding that in my case it's usually feast or famine. I'm either swamped with projects or I'm in between projects. But I'm truly thankful that I found this work. I'm thankful for those who keep me employed.
If you have any questions about making money as a freelancer, let me know. I'm not sure I'll have the answers, but I can tell you what I know from my experience.
I would love at some point to get to a place I could do this myself so thank you
ReplyDeletewww.mommysrambles,blogspot.com
Glad you came across my blog. I just checked yours out also. Nice blog!
DeleteInstead of doing things for other people why not do them for yourself. Looking on Elance you obviously have some internet skills.
ReplyDeleteWhy not set up some membership sites for yourself. You get paid every month by members.
You just have to write some useful information ever month.
If you are mothers,give some information on parenting
You can find some information here www.passivemembershipincome.com
This article is just what I needed. I had signed up on Elance but I am not yet getting any of the projects I have bid on - reading this - lets me know i just need to persevere and try different approaches. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you came across my article. And good luck!
DeleteIt is amazing how it goes--sometimes you are sitting around waiting for a job. Then, you are flooded. Good for you! You will do well!
ReplyDeletebeing a freelancer is the best way to revenue income this is the best Network Marketting http://www.wakeupreview.com/wake-up-now-brazil
ReplyDeleteHi! I thank you for the article, but still think you might want to add another freelance job board to the ones you have already mentioned. Here it is: XPlace. I strongly recommend that you check it out - it has excellent working conditions for freelancers, such as high hourly rates, absence of a commission, and a large number of freelance job opportunities.
ReplyDelete