I HAD NO IDEA WHERE TO START when I re-entered the World of Work almost three years ago after being a stay-at-home mum for 11 years.
Then my chiropractor told me about Upwork. He’d hired a ghostwriter through the platform. He knew I’d written a few books and wanted to explore the freelancing arena.
So, I did some research and read up on the various freelancing platforms. Discovered some blogs run by successful freelance writers and registered on Upwork. Hmmm…they needed a profile photo and a profile. What I had was an old-fashioned CV.
You see, I had not applied for a job in 15 years or more. The publishers I'd worked with usually approached me with a project. The online world was a foreign land to me. I had no cooking clue as to what I was doing. Nevertheless, it was time to step out of my extremely comfortable comfort zone and explore new territories.
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But wait, before I proceed with my story I need to throw in this aside for those of you who are frowning at my use of the term "stay-at-home mum."
Yes, yes, I know the term is a bit outdated, but stay-at-home mum who wrote books when the kids went to bed at night is a bit of a mouthful. And I can't find another word to replace SAHM (only this acronym). Can you?
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From Comfort Zone to Stay-At-Home Mum Freelancer
Now where was I? Oh yes, my chiropractor suggested Upwork. So, I gave it a shot.
I hastily put together a profile for Upwork. My daughter snapped a couple of pics for my profile. Someone in one of those blogs I read mentioned LinkedIn for jobs, so I quickly put together a LinkedIn profile too. I’d registered 100 years ago and promptly forgot about it.
After sending out a few proposals on Upwork, I realized that:
1. The ten books I had co-authored while I was a stay-at-home mum did not matter.
2. My 20 years of experience as a lecturer of Business English, SBM, and Management Communication did not matter.
3. My three years of Educational Management experience did not matter.
4. All the qualifications I had gathered over the years did not matter.
5. The admiration family and friends had for my organizational and multi-tasking skills did not matter.
6. Knowing how to put together killer themed birthday parties for kids did not matter.
It soon became evident to me that Upwork was to be my most humble and leveling playing field. The competition was tough; I had to get off my high horse and jump into the trenches to win. In other words, start from scratch. Stay-at-home mum freelancer (Mumlancer?)
Five-dollar project
Do you know what my first job was on Upwork? Despite all my experience and qualifications, a 5-dollar proofreading job for Instagram posts. Yup. I applied, got the job, and got a great 5-star review. Kept the same client for over two years (the second image).
The first review led to the next excellent review and another returning client. This was for a series of summary workbooks I completed for a publisher based on bestseller non-fiction books.
In my first two months on Upwork, I sent out 48 proposals which resulted in 6 jobs. In the next 12 months, I focused on learning as much as I could. I read every tip I could find online. Watched every YouTube video on writing proposals and winning jobs on Upwork.
Always be learning
I polished up my writing, editing, and proofreading skills. I learned everything there was to learn about SEO (a completely foreign concept to me then.) I didn’t even know what B2B and B2C stood for.
And I worked! Between the learning and the low-paid content writing jobs that demanded an article every day, I worked! From 8 am to 10 pm (later sometimes) and over the weekends, I hunched over my desk. (My chiro started seeing me more often and my gym less often.)
I slogged. There was so much to learn! But the more I wrote, the more I learned, and my SEO article writing improved. My posture didn’t, but let’s worry about one thing at a time. As for my social life – don’t even go there.
My superpowers – I love to read, I absorb information rapidly, and research is my passion.
My other powers – I am stubborn, determined, and never give up.
In those 12 months, I sent out 108 proposals. Yup, 108! Some of those were client invites. I got 15 of those contracts. Yes, that’s right, 15 out of 108. But after the first five, the rest were big projects, good stuff, and by now, I could pick and choose which clients I wanted to work with and the projects I was comfortable doing.
The complicated ones are the best
Last year, I upped my activity on LinkedIn, and by the end of 2022, I started getting clients from LinkedIn too. That same year I sent out 52 Upwork proposals. This year I’ve sent out 29 proposals and received 78 invites which I’ve turned down or passed on to other writers in my network.
Why am I not accepting invites I would have killed to get two years ago, you wonder? The answer is simple - I changed my niche. My focus has changed direction while remaining within the scope of my experience and qualifications. And this is why I started sending out proposals again. But this time, I carefully pick the ones I will accept.
My weakness – I do not like to be bored. So, I look for the most challenging job posts or invites. (A long way from my comfort zone!)
The ones I know are going to be tough. Those are the ones that nobody else in the niche wants to tackle because they appear complicated. But I love those types of jobs. Have you noticed how they often come with great clients?
Love what you do
Which brings me to another point. Bear with me, dear reader, my ramble is almost over. The most important takeaway I have to share from the past 2.5 years is this: care for your clients and let your passion for what you do show.
I love what I do and always develop a wonderful relationship with every client because we are both passionate about their project. And it shows. When you love what you do, the extra mile is not extra. It’s part of who you are.
What are some key takeaways for you from this article?
1. You have to start somewhere, even if you have to start from the bottom again. Start.
2. Never stop learning and improving your game.
3. Client feedback is important, so do your best to get good feedback.
4. Develop a good client relationship and provide honest feedback in return.
5. Trying out a few different niches when you are starting is okay. Establish yourself first, develop a good reputation, and then think about narrowing down your niche.
6. Giving up is a luxury. Don’t even think about quitting.
7. You don’t need to pay for information. It is freely available through multiple channels. You can find everything you need to know through blogs, YouTube videos, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
8. Do what you love. Find a way to make it profitable. And love what you do.
9. Let your passion for what you do show in your work, your client calls, and your posts.
10. Go the extra mile – it pays off.
Need help with your writing?
Let’s chat about how I can help you level up your writing to produce content that:
- captivates
- engages and
- moves your target audience to take action.
I provide writing, editing, and book coaching services.
Shamila Iyer
From learner to lecturer to learning materials designer
to mum to author to ghostwriter to beardless pirate
to writing mentor, editor, and book coach.
PS: Shoutout to my hubby Andy Ogle for being my sounding board and listening to all my frustrations and complaints about how I “can’t do this.” Thank you, I appreciate you. And to my Gen Z kids, Matt and Kenya Ogle, for patiently explaining all the new tech jargon to this Gen X dinosaur. Love you guys.
What a fabulous pic and story of your transition! This was an amazing read.
Thank you sharing your journey. Your story is an inspiration to all who are starting from scratch. Learning never ends.