It’s time to answer one of the most common questions I get: Why do I freelance primarily on Upwork and not networking? Why am I so platform-specific?

I started on Upwork from a place of desperation where my mindset was complete and utter garbage. I was at my lowest of lows of life and I needed to figure out what was next for me. I knew two things at the time; 1. I needed to make money, and 2. I needed to get a grip on life. Upwork ended up being that one place I could go where I didn’t have to do any searching. I could look for jobs, apply to them, and it was organized. This helped me because my mind was all over the place. 

I latched onto the Upwork platform in order to make quick changes in my life with quick pivots. I became really good at navigating the platform to use every aspect to leverage it and set myself up for success. 

Fast forward, once I had a consistent client load and was making consistent income, why did I stay? The answer is quite simple, it’s the same things that drew me onto the platform from the beginning. Not worrying about the billing, having the payment protection, having one place to lead generate, having that one place where I built that credibility on my profile. Everything is connected to my Upwork profile so it just made things easy for me. It just became a “why not” to continue freelancing. 

As my business continued to grow, I began joining memberships, joining other networking things, and my name started coming up in topics of conversation from what services I offered. So I niched myself down really well and that’s where I started gaining those word-of-mouth referrals.  Still to this day though, 90% of my business is on the Upwork platform. I may not agree with all of their terms and conditions, but I’m willing to work with them because of all the benefits. So as much as it stinks that they take a percentage of my fees, I know those fees are inevitable. It’s just the cost of doing business and I’m willing to pay for that for all the benefits. 

Over the last 3 years, I’ve learned the ins and outs and how to play by their rules all while keeping my integrity to myself and my clients. If you’re wondering if the Upwork platform is right for you, or if it makes sense for you to stay there, please head over to my Instagram @leahmmeyers and send me a dm. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding working with Upwork.