How to Start Freelancing – 5 Steps to go from 0 to Rs.50,000 per month

by Shyam Sundar | Jan 1, 2017 | Uncategorized | 82 comments

I think you’ll agree with me when I say:

Earning money online is hard.

You’ll come across fraudsters asking for registration fees & surveys/PTC sites which never pay you.

Sometimes you might feel like you’re wasting your time, earning nothing.

This is why you need to know about freelance jobs.

Freelance is where you solve a client’s problems or needs with your skills and get paid for it.

Here’s the best part:
– You never have to worry about whether you’ll be paid or not.
– You don’t have to pay a single rupee to start earning.
– and you’ll earn money by doing what you’re good at.

This is the basic idea of how freelancing works:

A client posts a task on a freelance site.
You apply for the task telling the client why you’re suitable for the task.
He/she review’s your profile and selects you.
You complete the task.
You get paid.

Freelancing has helped thousands of people make extra income, working from their home.

Many even quit their jobs once they start earning a steady stream of income via freelancing.

After reading this post, you’ll know how to start freelancing in the field you’re skilled in.

Throughout this article I’ll be using a popular freelance site called ‘upwork’. But you can apply the same method to any freelance site.

I recommend upwork for beginners because it’s the most popular site right now. Thousands of new jobs are posted there, every day.

Freelancing is perfect for people who are skilled at something.

But, even if you don’t have any skills right now, you can learn the skills needed for the field you’re interested in.

Follow the step-by-step process to get started:

STEP 1: Choose the field you want to work in

First, go to this page. You will see a list of various fields you can work in.
Take a look at the different categories slowly with patience. I know it’s a long list but if you take time you might find something which you truly love to do.
Select the field in which you are most skilled or experienced in. (or simply select a field which you’re interested.)
Take a look at all the jobs posted in that category.
See if you can complete some of them. If you find that you can do it, proceed to the next step.

If you find that you do not have the skills required to complete the task, try picking a different category from the left sidebar.

The simplest jobs which most people can do are listed under the Writing, Admin Support & Translation section.

If you’re still not able to find anything suitable for you, consider learning the skills required for the jobs you like to do. Know that, everything and anything you want to learn is a Google search away.

STEP 2: Join Upwork & Create your Profile

Found tasks you can complete?

Yes?

Great!

Now you can register and start creating your profile.

Nearly all clients, who are interested in working with you, will check out your profile page to evaluate you.

So you’ll need to make it attractive to land more projects.

Watch the video below to see this process:

To get some ideas & inspiration for building your profile, take a look at other freelancer’s profiles in your field.

To do that, first go to this page, choose your field again and select a freelancer.
Most people are lazy and write only 2 or 3 lines in their description. Such kind of profiles rarely gets hired. So this is your chance to get an easy advantage by not being lazy and win more jobs.

The image below gives a comparison of a good vs a bad profile:

The following are the things that should be in your upwork profile:

Your photo: A high quality smiling headshot of yourself.
A Professional Title
Overview : List your competitive advantages & strengths (i.e. things that make you unique or special). Try to write everything from client’s perspective. For example: Say what the client will get by hiring you, how will you will solve their problem?; etc. Strictly avoid typos and grammatical errors.
Hourly rate : Select your hourly rate based on other freelancers in your field.
Portfolio (very important): Upload some of your work samples you’ve created in the past.

If you don’t have any samples to show, start creating it now. It doesn’t have to be the work that you did for clients. It can be something which you did for practice also.

For example If you’re a writer, you simply can write an article and add it to your portfolio; or if you’re a designer, you can create a logo for an imaginary company and upload the image.

Again, if you need ideas, see the profiles of top freelancers in your field.

Don’t worry about making your profile perfect yet. You can tweak it over time.

Once you’re done, submit your profile and choose the free plan: Freelancer Basic.

After you submit your profile, upwork team will review it to check for quality. It usually takes about 3-5 hours.

While you wait for approval, try taking a few skill tests to make your profile even more attractive.

STEP 3: Bidding on Your First Job

Now comes the exciting part: Bidding on jobs

Once your profile is approved, it’s time to start bidding on jobs posted by clients.

This is done by submitting a proposal.

Since you’ll be competing with other freelancers, your proposal is easily the most important factor in winning the job.

A proposal is where you tell the client why you’re suitable for the job and the price at which you can do it for.

To submit a proposal, first click ‘find jobs’. You’ll see a list of jobs suitable for your skills. Scroll through the list to find jobs you’re interested in.

You’ll find two types of jobs:
1. Fixed price jobs:
In fixed price jobs you get paid a specific amount on completion of the task.

2. Hourly jobs:
Hourly jobs are jobs which pays based on how long you work. For example your hourly rate is $10 and you work on a job for 5 hrs, you will get paid about $50.

Once you find a job you like, click it and read the job description carefully to understand what the client needs.

If you’re interested, click submit a proposal.

Remember: You can bid on about 30 jobs per month as a free member on upwork. So keep these points in mind when you’re bidding:

The newer the job, the better it is. If it’s a old job posted few days ago and the client is already interviewing several other candidates, then it is better to skip that job and apply for another one.
Prefer clients with high hire rate and a good rating.

Don’t bid on every project.

Before you write your proposal, it’s very important to understand the biggest concern on every client’s mind when hiring. It is this:

“Can you deliver?”

In other words:

“Do you have the ability to do what the job requires?”

So it is very important to address the client’s needs in your proposal. Tell the client you can get the results that he is looking for.

Clients are smart enough to know the difference between a proposal written specifically for them, and a proposal that was copy-and-pasted.

Download these Proposal Examples for Free!

Download Winning Proposal Samples for Free!

Most people use a generic copy-pasted robotic cover letters. So stand out from them by personalizing your proposal as much as possible.

Here are some tips & tricks to write a better proposal & win your first project:

Ask questions: Ask good questions if some information is missing from the job description. This lets the client know that you are knowledgeable and can execute the job correctly.
Show you’re a good listener: If the client has asked any question, answer them in your proposal.
Provide similar samples: Add a link to your work sample which is relevant to the job. Share only your best works.
Tell them you’re new & give a discount: Since you’re new, it is actually better to tell the client that this is your first time on upwork even though you have a good experience in the field. Also mention you are willing to give a discount since he/she will be your first client on upwork.
Use speed to your advantage: When you’re trying to get your first job, speed is your weapon. Try to bid on the project as soon as it’s posted and get the conversation started with the employer. The trick is to impress the client before everyone else bids. Keep refreshing your Job Feed page and wait until a project shows up that matches your skills.
Keep it short: Keep your proposal short and to the point. Minimize talking too much about yourself and focus on what the client will get from hiring you. Talk about how you’re going to approach the job.
Show your enthusiasm: Let the person know you want to start the project soon. Example: Tell the client you can start working on the project as soon as he/she picks your bid.
Include time estimation: Tell the client how fast you can complete the job.

Try to do quick jobs that are easy to complete in a short period of time. This will help you get feedback quickly.

How to Choose Your Pricing:

When you’re choosing your price for the job, never give the impression that you’re a cheap freelancer.

Every client wants their project to get the best results. If you bid too low, he/she will think you’re desperate to get the job and won’t provide the same quality as other freelancers.

Bidding low prices will only attract small and petty clients who are better to be avoided.

Therefore when you start, I recommend bidding the average market rate for the job (under the client’s budget). You can also strategically place your bid slightly below the average bid. Also try using the discount trick as stated above.

Do a research on your market and get an idea of the average market rates for the job.

After submitting your proposal:

If a client responds to your proposal, always try to reply as quickly as possible. In general, try to be online as often as you can if you are looking for your first job.

STEP 4: Preparing / Setting expectations

When a potential client is interested in you, some might want to talk/chat with you before they give you the job.

A lot of clients use skype for this purpose, so make sure it’s installed on your computer.

Upwork Payment Protection:

Upwork has a feature called ‘escrow’, which acts as a protection for both you and the client.

An escrow account is essentially a holding tank. Before any work begins, the client should fund the escrow. These funds are held by upwork temporarily until the work is completed.

Once the client funds the escrow, you can start working on the project.

When the job is finished, submit your work and mark the job as ‘completed’. The client will be notified and will verify your work.

If he/she is satisfied, they’ll approve it and the funds will be released to you. You get the payment.

If the client is not satisfied, he/she might request some changes to be made. Do the revisions & submit for approval again.

In case the client refuses to pay for a completed job, they will not get back the money (unless you approve) and you have the ability to file a dispute. Upwork will then start assisting in solving the issue.

Choosing Your Payment Terms

Once you’re hired it’s recommended to clarify your payment terms and the work you’ll be delivering to the client.

Before you start working, make sure the client has funded the escrow. If not tell the client that you can start working only after he/she has funded the escrow.

Also agree on the things you’ll be delivering to the client (these are called ‘deliverables’). For example, a logo, a 500-word article, etc are deliverables.

Specify the limits for the work, such as the number of words in the article.

For large projects: Before any work begins, you and your client should break up the work into small parts (called milestones) and decide how much should be paid for completion of each milestone.

For example, if the job requires you to write 5 articles, make each article as a milestone and ask the client to release funds on completion of each article separately.

For small projects: It’s okay to work without escrow on one condition: The client should have a good rating & feedback from other freelancers. If the client is new, do not agree to work without them funding the escrow first.

Be clear on what the client wants:

Use a google doc and allow the client to list all the features they want. Specify the limits such as the number of words for article.

Clearly identify things which you cannot do and tell the client which features will cost more.

This way if the client is asking for more than agreed, you can clearly show them and request additional payment for extra features they’re asking for.

STEP 5: You’re Hired: Go do an awesome job

Once you start working, communicate with the client & keep them updated.

Your goal should be the client’s satisfaction because that will highly increase your chance of getting more work in the future.

Remember, your online reputation is a major driver in growing your business.

So be sure to go the extra mile to do a great job to get good feedback.

PRO Tip: After you complete the job & the client is satisfied, ask for more projects & referrals. Tell the client about other services you provide.

Download list of Top 5 Freelance Sites

Download PDF list of Top 5 Freelance Sites

How to receive Payments from Upwork

Upwork gives a lot of options to transfer the money to your bank account. The best option for Indians is the Local Fund Transfer option. Watch the video below to set up your payment methods.

Follow the steps below to set up payments to your bank a/c in India:

Click the Settings and click ‘Get Paid’ on the left.
Click setup payment and choose ‘Local Funds Transfer’
Enter your bank’s IFSC code & click go.
Full up the remaining details & click next.
Choose your payment schedule and click next.
Enter your name & click save.

Don’t worry about the minimum payout shown in the schedule options. You can get paid anytime by clicking the ‘Get Paid Now’ button once you’ve earned some money. The funds will arrive in your bank account in 2-4 business days.

Upwork also supports paypal if you need it.

Note that Upwork is a global marketplace. This means that for every job proposal you write, you will have a good amount of competition. So never get disappointed and keep sending proposals even if you don’t get any reply.

That’s all I have for you today! Be sure to download the bonus PDF by entering your email below step 3.

Thanks so much for reading all the way! I hope you enjoyed this post.

If you know someone who has the skills to freelance, share this article with him/her.

Finally I have a quick question for you.

Which job category did you pick in step 1?

Please take a few minutes to share your experience below in the comments.

Happy Freelancing!

Jatin Sharma on October 6, 2015 at 9:30 pm

Hii.. thanks for share your experience with us.. it will be surely helpful to me.. looking forward to your next blogs.
Reply
- S.a.raju on March 5, 2016 at 10:40 pm
  
  OK lam also happy about this
  Reply
Roop on October 8, 2015 at 12:54 pm

Hi thanks for share your experience, i am looking forward to your next blog
Reply
Navneet on October 9, 2015 at 12:26 am

Thanks a bunch for this article. Kindly keep it available and keep on posting articles like this.
Reply
Shashi Kant Shrivastav on October 9, 2015 at 12:29 am

Sounds excellent but t’will take few efforts to line me up. Thanks a lot for marvelous ideas! Waiting next one.

Regards
S. K. Shrivastav
Reply
- Shyam Sundar on October 10, 2015 at 6:40 pm
  
  Thank you.
  Reply
Anita Tanwar on October 9, 2015 at 10:34 am

Thanks for your precious time to explain and help all those interested.
Your article was truly helpful, and I am sure you will be blessed!
Wish you well and Good Luck!
Reply
- Shyam Sundar on October 10, 2015 at 6:39 pm
  
  Thank you. I appreciate the kind words 🙂
  Reply
NITHIN.C on October 9, 2015 at 11:53 am

Nice work dude. Got impressed.
Reply
Kamlendra Kamde on October 9, 2015 at 1:20 pm

Hello Sir,
I like your article How to Start Freelancing.it will be surely helpful to me. I am waiting your next tips.
Thanks!
Reply
- saeed zaman on October 10, 2015 at 9:31 am
  
  Thanks you. Your article is really helpful for my future. I will try my level best.
  Reply
sanjeev kumar on October 9, 2015 at 5:21 pm

I like it very much. Your article was truly helpful.
Reply
VASU on October 9, 2015 at 7:58 pm

Thanks for Your Valuable information and Suggestions.
Reply
Prasanta Ghosh on October 9, 2015 at 10:18 pm

Thanks a lot. This post is absolutely worth full. Let me start this great opportunity.
Reply
S Chakraborty on October 10, 2015 at 10:23 pm

Hello Shyam,

I have gone through your article.

I have already 13 years’ of corporate experience.

I have registered with upwork, elance, truelancer, peopleperhour etc.

But could not get a single job till the date.

Basically looking for a virtual assistant’s job which I’m experienced in.
Reply
- Shyam Sundar on October 11, 2015 at 11:44 am
  
  How long have you been trying and what is your hourly rate?
  
  If you want me to take a look at your profile & send you suggestions email me at shyam(at)fastrupee(dot)com.
  Reply
irigineni pavan kumar on October 11, 2015 at 12:35 pm

excellent work bro…
Reply
Bhumika Singh on October 11, 2015 at 2:00 pm

It’s really helpful.
Thank you!
Reply
Sujatha kl on October 13, 2015 at 11:29 am

I am impressed
Reply
mathialagan on October 13, 2015 at 3:25 pm

I am a newbie.Just i am learning the basics. Your article was the kind i was looking for. Really a very nice and useful post.Thank you very much.
With Regards
Mathialagan
Reply
Kamaldeep Singh on October 15, 2015 at 12:23 am

Thanks a lot Shyam for this guide. I picked writing as job category.
Reply
- Shyam Sundar on October 15, 2015 at 10:45 pm
  
  That’s good. Thanks for sharing.
  Reply
Avinash kumar tiwary on October 18, 2015 at 7:26 am

Really very good method.Thank you
Reply
- Subrata on September 1, 2016 at 1:08 am
  
  Im not sure, it is so easy earning money or not ! Expect Im out of the world ! Good luck…
  Reply
Shubham Baakre on October 20, 2015 at 10:03 pm

Thanks you very much …. and I picked illustration as my job category
Reply
sadan on October 24, 2015 at 5:26 am

Dear sir its very nice to feel & learn the way u just kept introducing your guidance for the new one,that’s why I hope & confident to follow to earn & learn.Its thankful
Reply
praveen kumar on October 29, 2015 at 5:23 pm

Very helpful. Thank you
Reply
Ashish kesarwani on October 30, 2015 at 12:52 pm

Thank you
Reply
Irshad on October 30, 2015 at 5:27 pm

Thank you very much man for sharing your experience. I am eagerly waiting for your next mail..
Reply
shyamal biswas on November 8, 2015 at 4:17 pm

dada take my best regarded. I want to freelancing.. and earn money from online. pls dada help and give me suggetion ………. God bless you………….
Reply
M.A.RAO.M.A on November 8, 2015 at 10:35 pm

Dear comrade your suggested free steps for online earning are really very useful tips to me and also to so many candidates who can understand & follow them rightly
Reply
SuNiL on November 8, 2015 at 11:03 pm

Nice work bro.
Reply
Thangapandian on December 24, 2015 at 9:05 pm

Nice work
Reply
Rushikesh on January 10, 2016 at 1:04 pm

Hi shyam I love your website but can you tell that which theme you are using for fastrupee.com
Reply
- Shyam Sundar on January 11, 2016 at 4:00 pm
  
  Thanks. We’re using the Divi theme.
  Reply
laxman on January 28, 2016 at 12:38 pm

Hi! it is great ideas you are all provides for the people who want to make some extra money.
Reply
Mohit Sethi on February 12, 2016 at 3:19 pm

Hi Shyam,

Thank you for sharing great knowledge with all of us.I appreciate your work. After seeing your efforts I just want to say only one thing #Proud to be an Indian.

Keep going on. All the very best.
Reply
parameswaran on February 20, 2016 at 11:14 pm

Thank you very much shyam for sharing your experience. Iam regular user for your website.
I am eagerly waiting for your next mail.
Nice work boss. Keep going on…
Reply
Sourabh on March 6, 2016 at 8:38 am

Very nicely explained. Freelance jobs are great way to make money. I have started working as a part time freelancer. I have been into website testing and I have been earning from last few years through freelance website. This has been a great experience and learning process. I guess in India very few people are into freelancing jobs. I suggest everyone to give a try if they want to earn some passive income.
Reply
VASANT on April 25, 2016 at 4:14 pm

Sir, I write hand written articles. I do not know computer typing. May I become freelancer?
Reply
NITIN on April 27, 2016 at 6:43 am

Hi,
Your article really inspired me. Hope to get other guidelines from your side in near future as I am a beginner for this field.
Reply
Ashok Kumar Kandi on May 24, 2016 at 10:43 am

Thank you very much for writing a resourceful article. It is really very helpful!
Reply
sanjeeva rao pampana on June 15, 2016 at 9:28 am

As a new entrant without any basic knowledge of COMPUTERS and INTERNET, I AM NOW CONFIDENT to enter the FREELANCING profession by following your easy to understand steps. THANK YOU very much, mr. SHYAM SUNDER
Reply
Tom on June 25, 2016 at 2:12 am

very useful information man.
Thanks lot.
Reply
PATTABIRAMAN R on July 8, 2016 at 8:16 am

Thank you very much for helping us by sharing your knowledge. It is very helpful to us.
Reply
hectar on July 30, 2016 at 11:28 pm

Profitable ideas sir….ji.next one, pls…
Reply
Amlendu on August 1, 2016 at 5:29 pm

Great ideas.
Reply
Nallamothu Ratna Babu on August 1, 2016 at 5:47 pm

you are indeed a good guide and resourceful person
Reply
srinivas sarma on August 2, 2016 at 6:59 am

Good morning, Awesome information.
Reply
legend on September 7, 2016 at 10:15 am

Great
Reply
Ram Asre Chauhan on September 9, 2016 at 8:50 pm

Dear Sir,

Your article is very good. It is really useful for all category of professional persons.

Regards,
Reply
Pranava on September 26, 2016 at 9:35 pm

Hi sir,
Its really good and easy to understand. I will definitely do this.
Reply
balkrishna on October 5, 2016 at 9:47 pm

like this
Reply
sham on January 21, 2017 at 6:58 pm

it was a great help thank you
Reply
imtiakum pongen on January 25, 2017 at 1:46 pm

thats fine with me
Reply
pardeep sharma on January 31, 2017 at 3:05 pm

this post very helpful for me……..THANKS SIR
Reply
Phurmit Lepcha on February 11, 2017 at 7:54 am

I feel awesome reading your article sir,I will apply it in near coming future .Thank you for your tips i will be always gretaful to you.
Reply
Digvijaysinh Vaghela on February 27, 2017 at 2:05 pm

Hi Shyam,
Your article and blog posts are awesome, glad to read it.
I have over 8 Years of professional experience in academics(Computer Engg.) and always seek to do freelance work and for that I have accounts in Upwork as well as in Elance.
I tried some bid proposals in past but never get it, and avoided to make more attempts. but after reading your article I got some faith and confidence.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I will try again and again.
Reply
Vijay on March 5, 2017 at 5:29 pm

Hi Shyam,

I have submitted my profile on upwork couple of times but every time they have rejected my profile.
Kindly suggest how to move forward.
Thanks
Reply
- Subhang on September 1, 2017 at 12:30 am
  
  Contact their support team in this regard.
  Reply
ani on March 20, 2017 at 11:34 am

I was confused with upwork when i registered how to get clients and bid .. but this explanation really worked for me to do the exact process .. thank you for the post .. looking forward to learn new things from you great job
Reply
vetrichelvan on March 29, 2017 at 10:21 am

Shyam your information and blog posts are awesome, glad to read it.
I have always seek to do freelance work!.
I tried some bid proposals in past but never get it, and avoided to make more attempts. but after reading your article I got some faith and confidence.
Thanking you
we are waiting for your next fastrupee way !
yours
vetrichelvan
Reply
Komal Kashyap on April 5, 2017 at 7:18 pm

Good jod sir
ItIt’s very helpful
Thanks you so much
Reply
Sankarshana on April 11, 2017 at 3:40 pm

hello sir. I have completed my 2pu boards and awaiting for results and admissions. i have 3-4 months with me to spare. so how can i make use of these ways of freelancing to earn money..
Reply
- Subhang on September 1, 2017 at 12:15 am
  
  You can work as a freelancer on Fiverr.
  Reply
Silu kumar sahu on April 24, 2017 at 3:44 pm

i really liked it…nd want to join this
Reply
Sheelvant Vikas on May 8, 2017 at 1:06 am

Thank you Shyam Sundar. Very useful post
Reply
Pranit Urankar on May 13, 2017 at 12:41 pm

Hi I want help, Upwork keeps rejecting my Profile, I have given every info and samples of work. But still, it Rejects. Please give me a solution
Reply
- Subhang on September 1, 2017 at 12:42 am
  
  Contact their support team in this regard.
  Reply
- Swagat on September 2, 2017 at 12:13 pm
  
  U better keep trying sending request by editing skills and adding some unique skills…I hope your profile is 100% complete..
  Reply
Srilekha on May 19, 2017 at 2:02 am

The blog is very clear and up to the point without any confusion. Thanks for the article.
Reply
ADITI YADAV on May 24, 2017 at 12:30 pm

THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES… GLAD TO READ IT
Reply
Yash on May 31, 2017 at 8:55 am

wow, great article
Reply
Gaurav Mehta on May 31, 2017 at 11:00 am

Hi Shyam,

Your Article has really helped me in understanding how the freelancers work. I have tried this before but never understood the way to do freelancing. Well I will start doing it right now.Hope this time it works for me.

Looking forward for your next..
Reply
Rajesh on June 20, 2017 at 1:56 pm

This post very helpful for me.
Thanks
Reply
Punit on July 16, 2017 at 6:21 pm

Thank you sir,
Reply
Al Serna on August 5, 2017 at 9:13 am

You are awesome! Thank you again!
Reply
Charmi on August 12, 2017 at 9:42 pm

Very very useful post.
Thanks for helping everyone.
Keep posting.
Reply
pankaj on August 28, 2017 at 10:31 pm

This website really help me.
But i need proper guide to start my journey as a freelance on upwork.
then i found this website ..
pankajsihemar.com
Reply
Edward on September 2, 2017 at 12:11 pm

Hi Shyam,

Thanks much for sharing this article.. I’ll definitely join upwork today and start my Freelancing journey…I’m bookmarking your Blog. I hope to see other outstanding articles from you in future…
Reply
sunandan kapahi on April 7, 2018 at 12:40 am

bro I’m reading ur earning tips daily really u r great person on earth like Drohnacharya
Reply
sharma2000shalini@gmail.com on June 13, 2018 at 11:38 am

Sr you have done so much good work to help the people by online making money.sr god help u always i wish u r happy in own your life
Reply