The day I decided I wanted more freedom in my career was a day I can never forget. I was stuck in a job that felt like a dead end, scrolling endlessly through job boards, wondering how people even got remote work in the first place, let alone made a full-time income freelancing. Additionally, I had no fancy degree, high-powered network, or experience. But what I did have was time, a laptop, and the willingness to try.
Fast forward to today, and freelancing is how I pay my bills, work from wherever I want, and build a career on my terms. If you’re just getting started, especially if you’re trying to pivot into tech or explore online work, I want to walk you through the exact steps I took to go from zero experience to landing my first freelance gigs.
Let’s break it down, step by step.
Start Where You Are: You Don’t Need to Be an Expert
One of the biggest myths I had to unlearn was that you need to be an expert to start freelancing. That’s simply not true. You just need to offer a solution to someone’s problem.
Begin by listing all your current abilities, including basic ones. Does emailing come easily to you? Making Canva graphics? Organizing Google Sheets? Helping friends with their resumes? Those are also freelanceable skills.
During my beginning stages, I took on several projects, including written tasks, product information updates, blog content revision, and email information updates. During that period I never labeled myself as a professional content strategist. I provided clients content that met their demands promptly and convincingly. All clients focus on results no matter how basic the deliverable.
Choose a Freelance Platform and Set Up Your Profile
Begin your freelance journey by using either Fiverr, Upwork, or LinkedIn according to your present experience level. Here’s a quick rundown:
Fiverr: Since you are a beginner in freelancing, you will succeed on Fiverr because they build “gigs” that clients seek out. You don’t need to present your services for business (to start with).
Upwork: When working on Upwork, you will need to submit bids, but you can access many diverse job opportunities.
LinkedIn: Through LinkedIn’s network growth, you gain natural freelance work by publishing content and also building professional contacts.
Pick one freelance marketplace when starting so you do not become overly stressed. Starting on felt simpler compared to other platforms, so I began my journey there. I enjoyed creating my retail outlets because clients found me on their terms.
Show your profile ethic, honesty, and approach buyers in a nice way. Use a real photo. Write a simple bio like:
“Hi, I’m [Your Name], a detail-oriented writer and editor who loves helping businesses communicate clearly. I specialize in writing product descriptions, blog posts, and social media captions that sound human and convert readers.”
Additionally, show employers your dependable skills and ability to learn quickly, plus your communication and strong points.
Gig Ideas for Beginners
Not sure what to offer? Here are some beginner-friendly services that are in demand:
Writing & Editing: My services cover writing blog content, product explanations, website content as well as editing text.
Design: As a beginner, you can take on these job projects, including graphic design for Canva and social media, plus ebook formatting
Admin Tasks: data entry, virtual assistance, calendar management
Tech Tasks: website setup on WordPress, basic troubleshooting, testing apps
Social Media Help: caption writing, scheduling posts, engagement
Resume & LinkedIn Optimization: great if you’ve had to do your job hunting recently
Tip: Browse Fiverr or Upwork for inspiration. Search terms like “virtual assistant” or “blog writer” and see what others are offering.
How to Build Your Portfolio (Even If You Have No Clients Yet)
One of the best decisions I made early on was creating mock samples. I picked a few services I wanted to offer and created example pieces as if I were already hired.
For example:
- Wrote a sample blog post for a fictional wellness brand
- Made Canva graphics for an imaginary clothing store’s Instagram
- Created a spreadsheet tracker for a made-up client’s expense reports
You can host your portfolio on Google Drive, Notion, or use free tools like Carrd or Canva websites to make it look professional. Don’t wait until you get a “real” client. A strong portfolio can be self-made.
Set Your Pricing (Without Undervaluing Yourself)
This part tripped me up at first. I didn’t want to scare clients away, but I also didn’t want to work for pennies. Here’s what I learned:
- Start at a beginner-friendly rate, but not so low that it feels demoralizing. On Fiverr, I priced my first writing gig at $25 for 500 words. On Upwork, I set my hourly rate at $15.
- Once you complete a few jobs and get reviews, you can gradually raise your prices.
- Package your services for clarity. For example: “I will write a 500-word blog post for $30. Includes SEO formatting, one revision, and delivery in 3 days.”
- Pricing isn’t permanent. You can (and should) adjust it as your skills and confidence grow.
Get Your First Clients: Even If You Have No Reviews
Getting those first few clients takes effort, but it’s doable. Here’s what helped me:
- Niche down slightly. Instead of “I write blogs,” I said, “I write SEO-friendly blog posts for wellness brands.”
- Send personalized proposals. On Upwork, I made sure every proposal was specific and kind. Something like:
“Hi [Client’s Name], I saw you’re looking for help with blog content for your wellness site. I recently wrote a mock post on mindful eating and would love to support your team. I’m detail-oriented, responsive, and happy to start with a trial piece.”
- Offer a discount for a testimonial. On Fiverr, I reached out to my network and offered one free or discounted gig in exchange for an honest review.
- Use LinkedIn posts to show your work. I posted samples, shared what I was learning, and wrote about my freelancing journey. This attracted interest even before I had paid gigs.
Deliver Quality and Build a Reputation
Once you land a gig—no matter how small—overdeliver. Communicate clearly, meet deadlines, and always ask if the client needs revisions.
One happy client can turn into:
A repeat customer
A glowing testimonial
A referral to others
That’s how the snowball starts rolling. My very first Fiverr client came back to order ten more blog posts over the next few months. It only took one to get things moving.
Keep Learning as You Go
Freelancing is as much about mindset as it is about skill. I didn’t know everything when I started, I still don’t. But I’ve stayed curious, watched tutorials, joined free webinars, and learned by doing.
Some free tools and resources I love:
- Canva (design)
- Grammarly (writing)
- Notion (portfolio & client organization)
- Trello or ClickUp (project management)
- YouTube for learning anything
Final Thoughts
If I could go back and tell myself one thing when I was hesitating to start, it would be this:
You don’t need permission. You don’t need to feel “ready.” You need to start, imperfectly, quietly, and confidently.
Freelancing won’t always be easy. Some days are slow. Some clients won’t respond. But it will get better. Furthermore, every job, every email, every portfolio tweak is a step closer to your first (or next) win.
So open that Fiverr or Upwork tab. Write your first gig description. Share your first LinkedIn post. You’ve got more to offer than you think, and someone out there is waiting to hire you.
Read Also: Free Remote Job Application Tracker (Stay Organized While Job Hunting) – zeelr.com
