A few years ago, Cloe was a typical college student – taking tests, writing papers, and chipping away at her diploma. But the arrival of her son changed her life in a big way…
“Once I found out I was pregnant, I knew that I was going to be the one to raise my baby. I decided to stop my studies for a while and instead focused on finding a job to support my new family.”
Jumping into the job market without any experience proved to be tough. But Cloe was determined to find something that would allow her to provide for her growing family.
“I didn’t have a job or a degree, but I didn’t care. I applied to everything I could in a bunch of different fields. But I was getting frustrated because nothing seemed interesting to me — I was having trouble finding a good fit.”
After a long and fruitless search, Cloe started to realize that, in order to find her dream job and raise a family, she might have to take a less traditional approach.
Uncovering a valuable talent
She wasn’t finding any work that interested her or matched her skills, but one day she had a breakthrough…
“I’m fluent in French and English and I realized that I could use that skill to do translation work. But the problem was that I didn’t have any experience with professional translation.”
Even though Cloe didn’t have any formal training in translation services, she decided to give it a try.
“I started translating for a few NGOs and various associations. Since I was totally new to this type of work, I was a little worried about whether or not I’d be successful.”
Despite her initial reservations, Cloe’s first few projects turned out much better than she expected.
“My clients were REALLY happy with my work. But I had been working for free just to get experience. I was happy to get such great feedback, but I needed to find a way to make it more sustainable.”
Turning her skills into a revenue stream
Now that she had a few projects under her belt, Cloe was confident she could provide real value with her translation services and she was finally ready to start charging for her work. But when she started looking for clients, she ran into one small hiccup.
“I wanted to get more clients and start earning money, but I was really shy. I just wasn’t the type of person to call someone up and say, ‘Hey, I offer translation. Do you want to work with me?’ But I didn’t know any other way to find paying clients.”
Luckily, Cloe was becoming a pro at finding ways to hack the system. Her latest idea would let her make a great impression on clients…without ever having to pick up the phone.
“I decided to try online freelance marketplaces. Instead of cold-calling, I could pitch to clients who were already looking for translators…and I could even do all my interviews online.”
After doing some research, Cloe found a freelancing site that seemed like the perfect fit.
“I signed up for Upwork and it worked — I landed my first paying freelance client. Pretty soon I had a handful of jobs and I was finally making a little money.”
Earning premium rates for a natural talent — no degree required
Cloe was ecstatic to be getting paid, but she wanted to ramp things up. After searching for ways to increase her freelancing income, she turned to the web for advice…
“I joined an Upwork group on LinkedIn so I could network with other freelancers and get ideas, and the group led me to Freelance To Win. I checked out the site and it was exactly what I was looking for – proven strategies for making more money on Upwork.”
Inspired by what she read, Cloe was excited to dig in deeper.
“I signed up for Danny’s Top 5 Upwork Hacks right away. His ideas made a lot of sense to me and helped me feel a lot more confident on Upwork.”
Pretty soon the hacks became habit and the clients were rolling in. Cloe had settled into a nice groove but was ready to take her business to the next level.
“Once I saw how well Danny’s free Upwork hacks worked, I decided to join Secrets Of A Six-Figure Upworker. I was a bit hesitant about the price at first, but I was so glad I did. I made back the price of the course with just one job.”
Even though she was already bringing in a little bit of money with her translation projects, the course taught her how to make a living through freelancing.
“I already had a lot of clients on Upwork, but I really needed help with negotiating prices with clients. SSFU had word-for-word scripts for negotiations and lessons that taught me specific steps on how to do that. Pretty soon, I was able to nearly double my rate!”
A full-time career…and a second career on deck
Inspired by her own success in translation, Cloe decided she wanted to tap into a whole new market…
“I was so confident with my translating work that I decided to try my hand at copywriting. I had absolutely no training or experience in copywriting, but now I knew how to get a client’s attention and address their needs.”
True to form, Cloe played to her strengths and quickly started climbing the ladder of a brand new expertise.
“I learned how to send proposals to clients that felt really personal and friendly. For my first copywriting job, I didn’t even attach a sample, and I got hired right away — the client liked my proposal that much!”
Cloe doubled the pool of jobs she could apply to by adding copywriting to her toolbelt. Now she gets the cream of the crop when it comes to clients.
“In the last 90 days, I’ve gotten over 100 job invites without even sending out any applications. It’s crazy to think that I’m getting so many jobs that I have to limit the number of clients I work with to just my favorite ones.”
Reaping the rewards of her perseverance
The private community at SSFU also helped Cloe develop one of her strongest freelancing skills: building relationships. She learned how to show clients that they were her priority — and her clients treat her like gold in return.
“One of my clients offered me a full-time position on-location at his company, but that kind of work wasn’t a good fit for me at the time. So instead, I’m working remotely for him for about 30 hours a week, long-term. It’s perfect for what I need right now.”
Not so long ago, Cloe was afraid of cold calling clients to ask for work. Now, clients are calling her up and making sure she gets what she needs to succeed.
“I let my client know that since this was a new position for me, it would be helpful to have some training. Well, he agreed! He flew me to Miami for an all-expense-paid week of training. I dreamed of visiting the U.S. and the beach for years and now I finally did it!”
And beachside training for a company she loves isn’t the only dream coming true…
“One of my favorite jobs was writing a French conversational guidebook for English-speakers. The client specifically wanted me, even though my quote was higher than the others. She loved my work so much that she gave me a $350 bonus, and on top of that I’m now a published author.”
Becoming the breadwinner while never missing a moment at home
With a solid freelancing career in not one, but TWO lucrative fields, Cloe can provide a comfortable lifestyle for her entire family — even the new addition.
“Our standard of living is so much better now. My husband doesn’t have to work – 100% of our income comes from the translating and copywriting I do on Upwork.”
Cloe’s success on Upwork helped her go from unemployed with no degree to highly-sought-after freelance writer. Now, she’s showing her son that it is possible to do work you love, the way you love to do it — and be well-paid for it, too.
“I usually work around 50 hours a week, by choice. I like having plenty of projects going on at the same time so I don’t ever get bored. I would’ve never had such variety in my work with a typical 9 to 5. And I definitely wouldn’t get to spend as much time with my family.”
And while the job perks and steady income are fantastic, what she really loves is the confidence that freelancing gives her.
“When I was in high school, I used to get bad marks in writing but now I do it for a living. I still can’t believe it! Freelancing has boosted my confidence so much. I’m the best mother I can be because I know I’m doing amazing work and learning new things — all while taking care of my family.”