I recently did something scary– way out of my comfort zone.

I hosted an Upwork Expert Talk live webinar about turning your side hustle into a lucrative career, with thousands in attendance.

I’m most comfortable behind my screen where I can lose myself in the everyday tasks of running my freelancing career. But as we’ve all been told, I knew that getting out of my comfort zone, no matter how scary it would feel, was something I needed to do in order to grow as a professional. 

Starting a freelancing career is one of those monumental changes in your life that can feel a bit scary as well. I’ve been there. I’ve been that mom who felt the frustration of being stuck in a mediocre job, knowing the whole time that I needed to make a change in order to provide the life that I wanted and my family deserved.

So I took the plunge.

And less than 2 years later, I’ve earned over $500,000 as a freelancer. All because I trusted the platform and process used on Upwork.

Launching a freelancing career can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to figuring out how you’re going to get clients. The old saying of If you build it, they will come doesn’t really apply here. After spending countless hours perfecting my profile and submitting proposals, I came to the realization that I should share what I’ve learned with others so that they could have the same success as me.

In my Upwork Expert Talk, I covered everything from the importance of setting up your processes to how to know when a client is right for you. But the most important tip I shared was that using Upwork to launch my career was the smartest decision I ever made.

Upwork has gotten a bad rap lately due to a few scammers on the site. But in my talk, I explain how I filter through clients to guarantee an authentic exchange every time. Once you learn how to navigate through the process on Upwork, you’ll be faced with an unlimited opportunity to earn extra income. There’s no need to launch your own website or pay for marketing. Everything is right there, ready for you to get started. 

Plus, you’ll never have to worry about getting paid. Once you set up your payment details, Upwork takes care of invoicing and collecting payment from your clients. All you have to do is wait for the deposit to drop!

If you’re scared to jump out of your comfort zone and launch your new career as a freelancer, I have two words of advice for you.

Do it!

Just a quick sidenote: Upwork isn’t compensating me for this. I share this freely because I want you to find success. Upwork can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have some time, I suggest you catch the replay for my talk here. And if you have specific questions about how to get started on Upwork, I’d love for you to drop a note in the comments. Click here to watch the replay.