I understand UpWork isn’t for everyone, but I’ve had a lot of success on the platform, both as a freelancer and as a hirer. I feel like most people don’t properly understand it and don’t invest the time required to actually test it (although it depends on your niche). So I figured I’d break it down here for anyone who’s interested. Context: I work in the space of AI / Automation / Software. Freelancing When I first joined the platform, it definitely felt like a “race to the bottom,” but I stayed persistent and followed the advice of people who had already found success. Below is my experience and what I’d recommend. 1. You need to get a job under your belt to show on your UpWork profile. You need to prove you’re real and have some level of client success. That may mean taking on smaller jobs at the start just to build credibility. 2. You also need to properly optimise your profile: your profile picture, title, description, and portfolio. If you’re comfortable doing a short intro video, I highly recommend it. Don’t use AI to write your profile. It’s obvious when someone does. 3. You need to be clear on what you’re trying to achieve from the platform to avoid the common pitfalls of UpWork. There are people hiring who want the cheapest option, who are really just looking for employees, and who don’t care about the time involved on your end. You need to learn how to identify and avoid these. If you’re just trying to freelance - great. But if you’re looking for high ticket clients and long term relationships, you need to be smart and know when to say no, quickly. 4. There are plenty of quality clients on UpWork looking for skilled professionals and they often don’t know where else to go. Many start by hiring VAs or graphic designers etc., and then move into more “expensive” services once they’ve had good experiences. These are the clients you want to position yourself for. 5. It’s a volume game, like any lead generation channel. If you’re not submitting at least five proposals a day to initially build your profile, I don’t want to hear that “UpWork sucks” or that it’s a scam. You have to put in the time, just like you would anywhere else. 6. At this point, I’ve built my UpWork profile up enough that hirers now find my profile and message me directly. In the last two months, I’ve secured two quality clients this way, both already over $10k in project fees and both likely to reach $50k each by mid 2026. Having a platform where clients come to you is seriously underrated. I’m not overly talented and I’m not special in any sense but I do know how to position myself to clients (better than most), and it’s starting to pay off.

Hi everyone, I’m in the startup phase of building my business and am currently focused on putting solid systems and structures in place, with the goal of ramping things up over the next 2 to 3 months and moving toward more consistent, retainer style work. My biggest challenge, and something I’ve been putting off for far too long, is productizing what I do so I can scale properly, as all my work currently is custom solutions for clients. I’m hoping this community can help me connect with like minded people who want to productively talk through the ups, downs, sleepless nights, and long days that come with building something from the ground up. Kind regards, Bella

@Nick Bandy Ideas? Hundreds. In reality… none I’ve committed to yet. I’m in the AI / IT / Automation space, so for me it’s really about choosing one (or more) product(s), validating it properly, and then pushing hard on it.