Jovan Cicmil's Blog - Investing

I Have Seven Income Streams: Here’s How They Compare

January 8, 2025

“The beauty of diversification is it's about as close as you can get to a free lunch in investing.” - Barry Ritholtz In most months, my freelancing income makes up most of my total income. Last month, it made up over 95% of my total income. If you only looked at that last month, you would think I’m wasting time and effort on all those other income streams. But when you zoom out, ...

How To Become Financially Independent as a Freelancer

December 11, 2024

Are you a financially independent freelancer? If yes, congrats! You’re in the top 1% of the world’s freelancers. If not, read on to find out how you can master your finances and build a sustainable freelancing business. The importance of financial independence for freelancers Did you know that ...

Is Upwork Premium Worth It?

June 7, 2023

I’ve been on Upwork since 2012. During the first couple of years on the platform, I made over $150,000 and worked for clients from all over the world. In recent years, I’ve naturally migrated away from Upwork - <a href="/blog/90-of-my-freelance-work-comes-from-recurring-clients-and-referrals" target="_blank">recurring work ...

Avoiding Single Points of Failure: The Key to Surviving as a Solopreneur

May 24, 2023

Freelancers were solopreneurs before the word solopreneur existed. As a solopreneur, your life and your business are inseparable. Work-life balance is a concept that doesn’t quite apply here. As a business of one, your business is inseparable from your life. Businesses and investors often use diversification to reduce their risk exposure. As freelancers, we can do the same by becoming ...

A Recession Is the Best Time To Start Freelancing

March 1, 2023

Are we in a recession or aren’t we? I leave the speculation (and arguments about semantics) to economists and TV panels. What I know is that the situation is complicated for the working person: companies are firing people wholesale, inflation is brutal, essential goods are painfully expensive, and debt is a huge burden. For many people, it’s hard to find silver linings. But, it is often ...

My Trip Down the web3 Rabbit Hole: Separating Hype From Substance

January 17, 2022

If you’re anything like me, you hate hype and you despise pump-and-dump schemes. Suffice to say, watching kids sell pixelated monkey avatars to each other isn’t exactly the sort of thing I enjoy. At first glance, this is what the much-hyped web3 is: an unregulated marketplace rife for speculation and fraud. A breeding ground for Ponzi schemes and a graveyard for many get-rich-quick ...

Why MRR Is Misleading To Potential Investors

November 11, 2021

MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) is an excellent metric for operators of subscription products. It’s an easy way to keep track of your company’s recurring revenue, especially if you offer several subscription packages. What it is not, however, is a measure of a company’s value. A concerning trend in the world of indie ...

5 Ways To Transform Your Freelance Work Into a Scalable Business

October 27, 2021

One of the most common questions up-and-coming freelancers ask is: where can I take my career once I’m a successful freelancer ? In the corporate world, career-building is a predictable pursuit. Do great at your job, climb up the ladder, do great at that job, climb further up the ladder, and so on. For freelancers, it’s a ...

How To Invest in Yourself Like a Growth Company

January 21, 2021

Some of the fastest-growing companies in the world are losing money every year, and yet investors have more and more faith in them each year. The bottom line remains negative, and the stock prices are soaring. Why is that? It all comes down to why the bottom line is negative. The fastest-growing companies often lose money for years because they’re reinvesting all their profits into better ...

Money Management Tips for Freelancers

December 21, 2020

I owe a lot to freelancing. As my readers know, it has provided me with reliable income and <a href="/blog/the-evolution-of-my-productivity-as-a-freelancer" target="_blank">ample opportunity for self-improvement</a>. However, freelancing isn’t without its challenges. Being independent also means being self-reliant. There is ...