by Varun Mayya
I took up a project that I got via a referral. A client I was billing $40 an hour ran a start-up in San Francisco and referred me to his friend in a very big Silicon Valley company. They had a marketing event coming up and needed a landing page to promote the event and collect registrations. This was my first project off a platform and I was a little concerned. There were a couple of questions in my mind, namely:
What if this client doesn’t pay? Most projects on platforms are covered by some kind of guarantee for both sides. They do what they can to make sure neither the client nor the freelancer gets scammed.
Was I really capable of working for a Fortune 500 company? This was a world away from the small business I’d been working with so far. What could someone like me possibly offer them?
To add to my confusion, my college exams were the following week. Everybody around me was in crunch mode, spending late nights huddled over books.
With all these things in mind, I had a sudden moment of clarity. I was going to do this project. I had been presented with an opportunity that I just couldn’t miss. I added the client’s friend on Skype and we had a talk.
After a quick discussion, we decided that I would bill them $100 an hour. We signed a bunch of paperwork, including non-disclosure agreements and work contracts (this was new to me, since Upwork usually handles all of this). They would pay me via PayPal for the hours I’d logged and required me to be “on call” four days a week at a very particular time.
It was new and exciting, but also intimidating. I went ahead and did it anyway.
In two weeks, I had accrued $7,000 working little over five hours a day. I was 20 years old at that time and in my second year of college but I’d managed to figure something out that was hidden in plain sight from me all along.
Impressed with my work, the company’s product head referred me to another client with pay in the same ballpark and then more followed. I worked with clients in their network for the next six months, getting better at my core skill but also the skill of communication. Most of that money went on to fuel Jobspire’s first year of operations before we raised early stage VC money. In the two years since then, the skills I learnt have carried over to every project I’ve worked on.
Chapter 5
The Platform Game
“Waves are the practise of water.”
—Shunryu Suzuki
If you’ve picked one of the Pyjama Categories and completed your first milestone somewhere in the one to three month window, then congratulations! Now, while learning is continuous and you have a long way to go, you’re ready to play the Platform Game.
Where do I land my first project?
Before I talk about the Platform Game, I’d like to give you a tour of the most viable platforms to start freelancing on. Remember, your goal is to one day reach a point where more people want to work with you than you have the time for. That is, purely off referrals from your previous clients. Working on freelance platforms is a means to that end.
There’s a new freelance platform launched every couple of months. We put platforms into one of two categories— horizontal platforms or vertical platforms.
Horizontal Platforms
These are general purpose freelancing platforms with all kinds of clients, posting all kinds of projects, across different industries and skills. No matter which of the Pyjama Categories you end up picking, you will be able to create a profile on these and start bidding for projects that suit you. Some examples of these are Upwork and Freelancer. We would highly recommend Upwork (formed after a merger of Odesk and Elance) as it’s the one we got our start on, and is the biggest platform in the world. They normally charge a percentage of the total project cost as a fee and have protections and limitations in place to ensure both sides have a positive experience.
Vertical Platforms
There are a couple of differential factors between horizontal and vertical platforms. This factor can be the type of projects they work with—a platform for freelance content writing, a platform for graphic design, a platform for marketers etc. The factor could also be the scale of projects, and hence the budget—a platform for solo business owners to find freelancers, a platform for small-and medium-sized business to find freelancers, a platform for the world’s top companies to find the best freelancers. Some examples are TopTal, Gigster, Crew, ContentMart, etc.
The Platform Game
I call it the Platform Game because most freelancers start their freelance careers on platforms like Upwork before either moving completely to off-platform referrals, or finding their balance of platform and off-platform projects. Think of platforms as your training ground for freelancing and also your first source of projects. You’ll have more sources later but to start with, they’re the sole source.
Now, when I call it a game, I’m in no way devaluing the importance of these platforms or the seriousness of work. I’m simply helping you recognize that there are other players and it’s a competitive landscape. You have to work hard, put in the time and do your best to get a favourable outcome for your clients and yourself. You will be rewarded for your efforts in due time, but it can be easy to get disillusioned after sending 50 proposals and not getting a single reply. Everybody goes through that and the key is to keep playing the game without giving up. Be the best player you can to the best of your capacity and eventually the game will recognize it and reward you when the time is right.
Upwork is one of the most popular freelancing platforms right now
Platforms help you find projects, send proposals, track milestones and billing, manage communication and get paid with a guarantee. They even maintain a profile for you which contains samples of your work, testimonials on past projects and hourly rate which helps clients make better decisions. The only caveat is that there’s a lot of competition, with each project receiving 5 to 10 bids at the very least, and 50 to 100 bids at the most.
Platforms are like a training ground where you get paid to get better at your skills.
When you’re confident in your skills and are familiar with the ins and outs of freelancing, you can branch out and get projects outside of platforms. When you reach this level, you have to take care of sourcing, sending proposals, contracts, tracking milestones and so on. This can be hard for someone who’s just starting out with a small portfolio of work, so go this route when you feel like you’re ready.
Your Player Profile
So, you think you’ve learnt enough of one Pyjama Category to take up a project on Upwork and test the waters. You’ve gone ahead and created an Upwork account. You’ve filled it up with your photograph, your skills, a bio that communicates your value, maybe some practice projects in the portfolio section.
Setting up a profile on Upwork
Now comes the time to apply (also called bidding) to projects. You bid on a few, but receive no responses!
To get a job in one of the Pyjama Categories, you absolutely need to have a portfolio of work. This helps clients figure out if you actually have the skills you claim and it can be a differentiator when picking between multiple proposals.
But wait! You haven’t done any projects yet; how are you supposed to have a portfolio?
This is a bit of a catch-22 situation. You need projects to build your portfolio, but you also need a portfolio to get projects.
The best approach to this problem is the one mentioned in chapter two—it was to apply for as many projects as possible, bid super low and somehow manage to get a project in any possible way. This might take some time and you’ll have to apply for as many projects as you can since your profile is new to Upwork and has zero projects. To a client, you’re a risky bet because your profile has no testimonials or work history. Keep at it and you’ll eventually get a project. After all, everyone is in this position at the start of their journey and must overcome it.
Your Superpowers
If you’ve been following our learning plan, you’ve taken your skill from zero to something. You’re now better tha
n the average person when it comes to that skill and that’s something people will pay you for.
Consider this: You’ve picked graphic design and you’re now capable of creating decent looking posters in Photoshop. You’re ready for your first project and making some money from this skill but you don’t know how to proceed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Nate is a movie theater owner in Memphis, Tennessee. He’s looking to increase the number of walk-ins his establishment gets from the shopping district nearby. He has zero skills in designing flyers and could really use some help.
Put yourself in Nate’s shoes for a minute.
His idea is to print one thousand flyers next week with the current movie they’re running and have someone distribute them in the street. Each movie ticket is priced at $7. If he can get his establishment out in front of one thousand people, that’s $7,000 of potential business and that’s just for one week.
To Nate, the value of someone designing really good looking flyers is a couple thousand dollars in revenue.
Bidding and Proposals
There are hundreds of listings like these on Upwork and each of them gets tens of applicants daily. The easier the skill; the greater the number of applicants. But here’s a trick that will make you stand out: Most of these applicants follow what we call the ‘water hose’ strategy of applying to jobs. They know that if they apply to a hundred jobs, most likely a couple of those will convert. So they apply a generic template and spray it everywhere.
This is what Nate receives in his inbox:
Respected Sir/Ma’am, we’re a graphic design, SEO/SMM and digital marketing agency who give our 110% to make sure all our client needs are met. We have a top full-time team who will take care of your every need. We were established in 2007 and since then we have done over 800 projects … (Links to 60 websites)
Not just one, but 20 variations of this same template. If you don’t believe me and want to see this for yourself, put yourself in a client’s position and try posting a project on Upwork for your category. You’ll very quickly see that the responses that stand out to you will be the ones that are highly personalized, have high success rates according to their profiles, and don’t look like spam.
While writing proposals, think about whether you’re talking about yourself or talking about the value your skills can bring. The water hose strategy probably works for some people but personalization and thoughtfulness will make you stand out in the crowd. When you try to understand the client’s perspective and the problem they have, you can position your skills as a solution and talk about how you’re going to deliver on it.
What Nate needs right now is someone who can say:
“Hey Nate, I had read through your job description and it sounds like something I can help you with! I’ve had experience in designing flyers in the past for local restaurants and I’ve received great feedback from them. I am attaching a couple of samples for you to have a look.
I should be able to complete your work within a week. Would love to have a Skype call to discuss further, here are my details!”
You’ve taken the time to read the requirements of the job, you’ve personalized your cover letter to highlight the skills needed and why you’re a perfect fit, and you’ve mentioned a timeline for successful completion of the project. Feel free to get creative in your cover letter but include these basics to make sure you’re making the right impression.
Let’s recap:
Personalize your cover letter.
Highlight your skills.
Mention a timeline for successful completion of your project.
Making a Charismatic Bid
While you have a fair chance of landing a project simply by following the three steps above, let’s go ahead and add some humour and personality to your bid. It’s up to you to find your personal balance of personality and professionalism and find out what works best to convert a lead into a successful project. Here’s a sample:
Hey Nate! I had a read through your job description and it sounds like something I can help you out with! I’ve had experience in designing flyers in the past for local restaurants and I’ve received great feedback from them. I am attaching a couple of samples for you to have a look.
You can check out some of my other work at: www.yourpersonalwebsite.com
Apart from my great photoshop skills, I’m also a stand-up comedian on weekends. Prepare for your Skype calls with me to be a ton of fun!
Ciao.
As you can see, mentioning that you’re a stand-up comedian, or a musician or whatever adds flavour and passion to your cover letter makes it easier for you to stand out. Not just that, it becomes easier to negotiate and justify a higher billing rate because most clients pay a small premium to work with fun people!
Game Rewards
If you play the game honestly, delivering the maximum value to clients and patiently levelling up, you will be rewarded. Not only will the rate for your services skyrocket, but so will social capital like testimonials, five star ratings, repeat projects and referrals.
The prices for services in the Pyjama Categories vary a lot based on the type of client and the scope of the project, among other things. To start, pick a minimum price you’re okay with. Be honest with yourself and don’t spend too much time coming up with this initial number. You can always change this for every project you apply to.
On most horizontal platforms, the proposals for projects vary from $3 an hour, up to the hundreds. So try not to worry about your competition but try to pitch your value clearly in the cover letter and justify the amount you’re charging. With one or two projects under your belt, you’ll have a better idea of what your market rate is.
Communication is Key
One of the biggest problems clients face with freelancers is that of communication. If you’re sitting in Bengaluru with a client in Portland, not only do you have a massive time difference, but also zero visibility. Contrast this with a full-time job in Bengaluru, where all your colleagues show up at 10AM and leave at 7PM, you can easily walk up to anyone and see what they’re working on and you have visibility into what everyone is up to.
You’re working remotely in freelance jobs. “Remote” is a term used to denote that you’re not working in the same office as someone else. You’re getting the benefits of flexibility, improved purchasing power and freedom, but you’ve got to earn it. You have to make the client feel as comfortable working with you as they would with someone working in their office.
Imagine this scenario: You have a Skype call with Nate, and he’s excited to work with you. He awards you the contract and gives you the description of what he wants the first two flyers to be like. You’re ready to get started.
Day 1: You sketch out some ideas for what they could look like.
Day 2: You start designing some early versions in Photoshop.
Day 3: You continue refining the ideas in Photoshop.
Day 4: You’ve reached a stage where the flyers look pretty good.
This is what that looks like to Nate:
Day 1: I’m excited! Hope this turns out well.
Day 2: I wonder how it’s going.
Day 3: What’s happening?
Day 4: Oh god, what if I’ve been scammed.
See what happened here? There are two things to keep in mind: Managing expectations and consistent communication.
After you’ve discussed the terms and what the client wants, set expectations early. What is your process normally like? How long does each part of your process take? When will you have the first update ready? When can you get on a call next?
Being transparent with your style of working and your process keeps clients happy. Let’s say this is what you send:
Hey Nate, excited to get started! The call really helped understand what you need from me.
Here’s what you can expect in terms of how I work and rough timelines: I usually take a day or two to sketch out ideas and get started with the initial concept d
esign. Once I’ve done this, I’ll be sending over an email with some options, so we can pick which direction to go in. Once we’ve established that, I’ll spend about the next three days refining the flyers and getting them ready for print. By the end of the week, we should be ready for a test run!
This establishes what the typical timeline for the project looks like, when the client should expect to hear from you next and what successful completion within deadlines will look like. This removes anxiety on the client’s side and establishes you as a professional who’s not going to get flaky and abandon the project.
This is what it now looks like at Nate’s end:
Day 1: I’m excited!
Day 2: Will wait for an update tomorrow.
Day 3: *receives email from you*
Day 4: Will wait for the next update.
Day 5: *receives final design and asks for an edit*
Day 6: Completed and ready to go!
When do you stop playing?