Jovan Cicmil's Blog - Money
How Long Does It Take To Make Money on Upwork?
December 18, 2024
When I started freelancing back in 2011, it only took me one month to find my first paying client after I started learning web development.
Is that still doable? If you’re already experienced, then I’d say you can certainly find work within a month. If you’re a total beginner like I ...
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 ...
How To Handle Clients Asking You To Lower Your Rates
May 17, 2023
Of all the things clients do to freelancers, asking you to lower your rates mid-project might be the most treacherous. It might be worse than being ghosted. When a client disappears, you know where you stand. Being asked to lower your rates after you’ve started work feels demeaning.
But, it’s not always an act of malice. Sometimes, it’s a justified business move.
It’s happened to me ...
How To Avoid Getting Cheated by Freelance Clients
March 8, 2023
One of the most common questions I get asked is: how do I avoid scams?
Beginner freelancers are deathly afraid of being cheated by clients. This fear is often valid.
There are malicious clients out there scheming for ways to wrangle free work out of you. Some disappear when you send an invoice. Some try to ...
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 ...
The Time a Guy Spent $600 in 5 Minutes on My Freemium App
November 17, 2022
I used to run a fantasy football (soccer for Americans) game that I built myself.
I learned many different things from that experience, from bootstrapping a company to negotiating an exit.
This morning, I remembered an interesting tidbit that I’ve never written about — the time a guy logged in and proceeded to spend $600 on upgrades for their fantasy team.
Context
About 97% of my ...
How I Reduced My Earnings by 14% With a Single Email
June 24, 2022
Tired of stories about how people got crazy returns from a single brilliant move? They’re everywhere these days. There were probably a couple on the page where you clicked on this article.
Not to worry — I’ve got you covered. Here’s an (arguably more instructive) story about how I cheated myself out of thousands of dollars with a single wiseguy move.
On being far-sighted…
In ...
A Guide to Creating and Capitalizing on Viral Tweets
April 21, 2022
On March 22, I wrote this tweet and it went viral.
On the morning of March 23, I had over 1000 notifications. The tweet had over 10,000 likes and over a million people had seen it. I had some good fun with the responses, but I also profited in more concrete ways.
Here’s what happens when your tweet ...
Pricing Freelance Projects: Everything You Need To Know
April 11, 2021
Building a freelance career is unique in that each year can require new skills and new adaptations. One thing that remains constant is the necessity of good pricing.
During almost a decade of freelance work, I have encountered every kind of project — from shifting a website menu item slightly to the left to ...
How I Used Outsourcing To Increase My Freelance Income
February 27, 2021
When you begin working as a freelancer, you can find yourself increasing your earnings steadily every month. However, growth inevitably slows down after some time and, eventually, earnings plateau.
How can a freelancer keep increasing their earnings after they’ve filled up their entire schedule and raised their hourly rate as far as it will go? There are several possibilities, including ...
Should Freelancers Charge Fixed-Price or Hourly?
February 24, 2021
Have you ever undercharged a client? Have you ever had a client complain that you’re overcharging them?
These sorts of disputes are common in the freelance world. Many come down to one simple mistake: charging a fixed price when you should be charging an hourly rate, or vice-versa. The choice should be made for each individual project and based on several variables.
With this in mind, I ...
The 4 Most Important Lessons I Learned Growing My Business in 2020
December 31, 2020
This was an eventful year for the world, to say the least. For me, it was an echo of the immortal words of Charles Dickens: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the year I started creating content in addition to my regular freelancing work. I wrote close to 40 articles and published my first course on Udemy.
It was also the year of lockdowns, Covid-19, and frustrating ...
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 ...
How I Negotiated the Sale of My Bootstrapped Business
December 2, 2020
There are probably more articles out there about starting a business and running a business than you can read in a lifetime. But, what about selling a business? If your business is successful, you will eventually want to cash out. For major successes, this can take the form of going public by listing the business in the stock market. For minor ones, you will usually be acquired by a larger ...
How To Upsell to Clients as a Freelancer
April 30, 2020
If I have learned something in ten years of freelancing, it is that the best kind of client is a repeat client. The overhead of searching for new projects, applying, interviewing, vetting clients and acquainting yourself with the project is immense. This is why it’s very important to regularly search for opportunities to extend your relationship with your existing clients. The trick is doing it ...
How I Made Over $150k on Upwork
February 4, 2020
Just so we’re all clear that I’m not making this up, you can visit my Upwork profile here. Once there, you will find out two things:
I am not making anything up.
I did not make that money by writing.
Most of the earnings came from software development projects, with a bit of consulting here and there. But, I do invite writers and marketers to go through the points below — most of ...
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