Jason Voorhees
Say cheese
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- May 15, 2020
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I always get asked how I was able to make money freelancing. I could go into exactly what I did but my playbook wouldn't be very useful now as the landscape has changed considerably after LLMs so instead of that let's talk about what I think you need to stand out and make money online in 2025. I just realized after making this thread that the thread is very long pardon me for the length of this thread. I know it is long and meandering and more like a brain dump than a sharp advice or guide thread. The thing is I already answered all this in the dozen of DMs so I didnt feel like typing it all out seperately and just stitched together this thread from those but I'm sure you will gain something if you read till the the end. I've added picture to make it interesting.
Here's some points to keep in mind. I've learned from my 2+ years freelancing in the trenches
First and foremost. Gone are the days when you can make money as a standard run of the mill dev. Forget being a basic React dev. Even pre LLMs, back when I started competition was brutal and Now with Al builders like Wix, Framer, and no code tools exploding, vanilla front end gigs are drying up fast. Clients want magic not manual coding..
looksmax.org
Remember in this roadmap thread at the end I told you to build niche expertise on computer vision and broaden to full ML pipelines knowledge with data prep, training, deployment. This is exactly what separates pros from hobbyists.
See in freelancing you need to be brutally efficient and deliver outsized value Freelancing isn't about hours it's leverage. One standard way is undercutting on price but it is a terrible idea because there plenty of Indian, Filipino, Estonian, and Chinese kids that will bid $5/hr and burn you out. Instead this is how I suggest you build leverage . This is basic economics. So let me touch on the first thing first
How to build leverage and market yourself
Skill stacking. This is what I took an advantage of. I combined dev + DevOps. I used build the app, deploy it securely and scale it. Clients loved the idea of a one stop shops. This can be anything. Web dev + SEO/data analytics. Maybe a video editor who can also do After Effects and VFX work. Social media manager + Community building. All these build leverage
Another leverage you can build Niche mastery in high demand Al-resistant areas. Correct me if I'm wrong in the replies but from what I've been following in the tech world. Edge Al like those in loT devices blockchain and ML with decentralized are in good demand these days.
Either way pick your underserved vertical and Dominate it. Another huge leverage you can build is speed and flexibility. Take short notice projects others bail on. I used to do this often. It will be stressful and frustrating but clients pay premiums for "now" delivery.
One more thing to keep in mind is simplicity and knowledge gaps. Many of the clients you will find on Upwork and other platforms wont be technical guys. Many of them don't even know what they want exactly or if and when they have a problem and this is where you come . Translate tech jargon to business wins and explain to your clients about what you bring this is how long term trust is built
Also always over deliver. Many people will tell you to have boundaries, be strict commissions . Yada yada but I disagree with that. One mindset that you always have to carry is that you are your brand. You are building a brand you are building a business so think like a business man not some petty merchant selling trinkets fighting for scraps. Throw in extras bonus features, faster delivery, free optimizations even refund if it's justified.
Remember the landlord in NYC who never raised rent so tenants stayed happy and referred others? Same principle.That's how you build a real business. Think like a businessman Happy clients become repeat clients, give testimonials send referrals, and pay premium rates later. Those quick $500 upsells mean nothing compared to the thousands you will gain from retainer from trust. Building the relationship is important that is how I get gifts and free stuff. You take care of the clients and they take care of you
looksmax.org
Also let me give you a quick word on Client acquisition. Imo a Upwork/ Fiverr are way too saturated maybe good to get started for some low paying gigs. Toptal is still decent. I found some top tier clients there too but they have a brutal exam. What I suggest instead is Build your brand on X, LinkedIn, Reddit. Have your own website and market from there. Here are some famous examples
www.shanekinkennon.com
Remember that buisness man and brand anology I referred to earlier. The same way how a business spends a lot of time advertising itself even you have to do that too. It's a lot of work and I'd say half of your time is going to go towards sales, cold emailing and DMing people. Getting clients is very difficult it might be months before you get your first client which is why I strongly suggest building a good client profile and network. Dont neglect anyone recurring clients are gold and customer satisfaction is everything. That 5 star rating is a must.
So that is how you get started. It's also a good idea to spend 10-20% of time learning next stuff mix freelancing with SaaS side projects or consulting. Recessions hit gigs extra hard so if you want to switch to it completely. Id suggest having multiple streams keep you safe. Another thing to touch on would taxes and platform commissions as they will eat up a lot of your income once you reach scale but this information should be enough to get started
Overall my take. Is that freelancing isn't for everyone. Imo a job is better. It's generally more stable pays well above average and is way less stressful. 90% your time while doing Freelancing is finding clients and marketing not actually doing the work that gets commissioned.
Here's some points to keep in mind. I've learned from my 2+ years freelancing in the trenches
First and foremost. Gone are the days when you can make money as a standard run of the mill dev. Forget being a basic React dev. Even pre LLMs, back when I started competition was brutal and Now with Al builders like Wix, Framer, and no code tools exploding, vanilla front end gigs are drying up fast. Clients want magic not manual coding..
Roadmap to follow to become AI-Powered developer
This is a small roadmap that I made from my own experiences and learning about this stuff. I'm not some tech guru or but I know what is not and is not in demand atleast from an US Tech perspective and this is what I'd recommend. This is a very intense 12-month plan. For someone starting...
looksmax.org
Remember in this roadmap thread at the end I told you to build niche expertise on computer vision and broaden to full ML pipelines knowledge with data prep, training, deployment. This is exactly what separates pros from hobbyists.
See in freelancing you need to be brutally efficient and deliver outsized value Freelancing isn't about hours it's leverage. One standard way is undercutting on price but it is a terrible idea because there plenty of Indian, Filipino, Estonian, and Chinese kids that will bid $5/hr and burn you out. Instead this is how I suggest you build leverage . This is basic economics. So let me touch on the first thing first
How to build leverage and market yourself
Skill stacking. This is what I took an advantage of. I combined dev + DevOps. I used build the app, deploy it securely and scale it. Clients loved the idea of a one stop shops. This can be anything. Web dev + SEO/data analytics. Maybe a video editor who can also do After Effects and VFX work. Social media manager + Community building. All these build leverage
Another leverage you can build Niche mastery in high demand Al-resistant areas. Correct me if I'm wrong in the replies but from what I've been following in the tech world. Edge Al like those in loT devices blockchain and ML with decentralized are in good demand these days.
Either way pick your underserved vertical and Dominate it. Another huge leverage you can build is speed and flexibility. Take short notice projects others bail on. I used to do this often. It will be stressful and frustrating but clients pay premiums for "now" delivery.
One more thing to keep in mind is simplicity and knowledge gaps. Many of the clients you will find on Upwork and other platforms wont be technical guys. Many of them don't even know what they want exactly or if and when they have a problem and this is where you come . Translate tech jargon to business wins and explain to your clients about what you bring this is how long term trust is built
Also always over deliver. Many people will tell you to have boundaries, be strict commissions . Yada yada but I disagree with that. One mindset that you always have to carry is that you are your brand. You are building a brand you are building a business so think like a business man not some petty merchant selling trinkets fighting for scraps. Throw in extras bonus features, faster delivery, free optimizations even refund if it's justified.
Remember the landlord in NYC who never raised rent so tenants stayed happy and referred others? Same principle.That's how you build a real business. Think like a businessman Happy clients become repeat clients, give testimonials send referrals, and pay premium rates later. Those quick $500 upsells mean nothing compared to the thousands you will gain from retainer from trust. Building the relationship is important that is how I get gifts and free stuff. You take care of the clients and they take care of you
Client gifted me a box and a gold ring
This client that I worked for personally gifted me and sent this to me in the mail. It has dry fruits, assorted chocolates from Switzerland and candies and a ring with good weight around 5-6 grams if I had to guess, 99% pure gold ring . He also personally called me and he first apologized for...
looksmax.org
Also let me give you a quick word on Client acquisition. Imo a Upwork/ Fiverr are way too saturated maybe good to get started for some low paying gigs. Toptal is still decent. I found some top tier clients there too but they have a brutal exam. What I suggest instead is Build your brand on X, LinkedIn, Reddit. Have your own website and market from there. Here are some famous examples
About | Shane Kinkennon
www.shanekinkennon.com
Remember that buisness man and brand anology I referred to earlier. The same way how a business spends a lot of time advertising itself even you have to do that too. It's a lot of work and I'd say half of your time is going to go towards sales, cold emailing and DMing people. Getting clients is very difficult it might be months before you get your first client which is why I strongly suggest building a good client profile and network. Dont neglect anyone recurring clients are gold and customer satisfaction is everything. That 5 star rating is a must.
So that is how you get started. It's also a good idea to spend 10-20% of time learning next stuff mix freelancing with SaaS side projects or consulting. Recessions hit gigs extra hard so if you want to switch to it completely. Id suggest having multiple streams keep you safe. Another thing to touch on would taxes and platform commissions as they will eat up a lot of your income once you reach scale but this information should be enough to get started
Overall my take. Is that freelancing isn't for everyone. Imo a job is better. It's generally more stable pays well above average and is way less stressful. 90% your time while doing Freelancing is finding clients and marketing not actually doing the work that gets commissioned.
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