WHY DID YOU QUIT YOUR JOB?
Because I wanted the leeway to build ideas without being strapped for time in my 9-6.

Now, asides from freelancing, I do social design and have developed some great fintech solutions.
Things that I couldn’t do due to limited time/movement on my 9-6.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT THE FDN WORK -LIFESTYLE?
Taking on different types of projects with clients from different parts of the world. It’s a growing experience.

WOULD YOU SAY THERE ARE MISCONCEPTIONS (MYTHS) ABOUT THE FDN LIFESTYLE BEING CIRCULATED IN THE MEDIA? – WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE TWO MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS?
Thinking that there’s so much freedom. Some days, you work your ass off from 6 am till you crash off to bed at a late hour. It’s not always glamorous, but if it’s something you’re passionate about, it will be worth it.

DO YOU WORK MORE HOURS AS A FREELANCER COMPARED TO YOUR 9-6 JOB?
YES! I definitely do. Most days, I stop working around 7/8 pm. Then again, it’s probably because of my many commitments.

WHERE ARE YOUR TO-GO-TO PLACES TO FIND CLIENTS?
It’s a tie between my website and Upwork. For my site, it’s easier to position myself and market in the way I want and clients coming in are willing to pay a reasonable fee.

For Upwork, there’s access to a good number of clients without having to invest a lot in marketing, but getting reasonable pay doesn’t come often.

DO YOU USE ANY OTHER METHODS AS WELL TO REACH MORE CLIENTS?
I use LinkedIn, especially the search section. I can get potential clients looking for a specific service. A referral is my next top client source, Job boards and Fiverr.

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE INCOME (P/MONTH) AN FDN CAN EXPECT TO EARN IN A SIMILAR FIELD TO YOURS?
A total of $2,200 give-or-take per month, but I know of others who do about $5,500 – eCommerce writing earns $600 p/month, digital marketing up to $1300 p/month, and website development is currently for me about $300 p/month.

WHAT IS THE WORST PLATFORM YOU HAVE EVER WORKED WITH?
Freelancer.com. During the 1st year or two of my freelancing/nomadic entrepreneur move, I tried the platform. However, I came to realize that it wasn’t moderated well enough. There are scammers there. I’ll say 80% of “clients” that reached out ended up being scam jobs.

WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 WAYS TO GETTING NEW CLIENTS AS A FREELANCER?
Reach out to people who post their need for a service through freelancing platforms and social media – You are sure that they need the assistance rather than blind-cold emailing.

Have a website, work on marketing and PPC to build traffic.

Send cold emails to potential clients.
The first two work best for me. I have only gotten 2-3 clients from cold emails. The time spent on drafting the right email and all against the conversion rates is not the best, unlike the higher conversions that I have received from the others.