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Hi Nichole and welcome!
HUGE apology for my late response here, but I wanted to ask if you’d looked into focusing on the library space? I actually just met someone who used to do work just for library software companies and it was really interesting.
Megan
@BlackFreelance Thanks for the welcome! I haven’t thought about focusing on libraries, but that is actually something that I am leaning toward now. Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi All,
My name is Desmon Hickson and I just wanted to introduce myself. I graduated from Temple in 2014 with my degree in Computer Engineering and minored in Japanese. I’ve been going to Japan on and off since I was 13 (I’m 27 now) and speak, read, and write Japanese fluently. I worked for a Japanese run tech-based company as a Sales Engineer and translator. I also have my Japanese N2 certification–I may try to get N1 at the end of the year.
I have experience translating for sites like dmm eikaiwa, and have just become a part-time translator for gengo.com I also have a youtube channel called dezzydsdojo where I shoot, translate, and edit my own videos about studying Japanese.
A friend of mine and have been talking about doing full-time freelance for the last few months, and after being underpaid and finding that traditional office life isn’t for me, have decided that I want to freelance translating Japanese to English full-time. I’ve downloaded the workbook and starting working through it, but think I really just need some help getting things up and running. I’m looking to translate technical material because it seems that where the opportunity is to make the most money comes from.
Hopefully, this intro isn’t too long, but I just wanted to introduce myself and I look forward to hearing your success stories and learning from you all!
Peace and love,
Desmon
Hey, everyone!
My name’s Ashe and I signed up with the Academy a few days ago. I’m long, long overdue reaching out to a freelance network — I’ve been doing a lot of this on my own these past three to four years with…varying results. Tl;dr version: I could use some help.
Long version: I didn’t transition into freelancing so much as…got thrown in sink-or-swim style. After several part-time customer service jobs that progressively got worse (and being ‘let go’ by white managers that regularly allowed my white co-workers to get away with everything), I knew the traditional nine-to-five wasn’t for me anymore. I’d been doing freelance on the side beforehand — usually small articles/blog posts for gaming and feminist websites — but after my last part-time job gave me a mental breakdown I had to find a more steady form of work and quick. I got part-time remote work doing SEO (the McDonald’s of contract writing, I know) and have attempted to move from there ever since. I don’t have a college degree. I don’t have kids, I’m single and I plan on keeping it that way.
Right now I feel like I’m at the crossroads of improvement. I have some things in place — updating my LinkedIn, a more polished portfolio to my name, newsletters I read regularly — but I’m also struggling with other areas. Namely marketing and scheduling. I know if I could just get a little more consistency into my workweek I could be making more money and reducing my stress.
No more videogame or social justice writing for me. My niche is coffee and tea — building on my years of experience as a barista and a freelance writer — and I’ve considered adding beer to the list somewhere down the road, if only because I’m pretty knowledgeable there, too. No more than that, though! I want to save myself work, not do more than needed. I also make a little income doing freelance illustration. I’m interested in adding copywriting to my skillset this year. My biggest goal, overall, is to make 70%-80% of my income doing freelance writing, 20%-30% doing illustration. This alone was a very big decision for me, as I originally had planned it the other way around. This will allow me to offer challenging rates for my commercial art and will give me the freedom to publish my own work on my own time.
I’ve filled out my Blackfreelance workbook (months before I signed up here, actually) and I’ve been subscribed to the newsletter for a while now. I’ve been working hard to undo a lot of toxic mentalities relating to my value and general self-promotion, but I still need a kick in the butt to put all this knowledge to practical use. I’ve submitted my Upwork profile, but had it sent back to me…so I’m going to re-submit it and continue pushing forward so I can thrive, not survive.
I hope to get to know some of you better and maybe even help out myself!
Welcome, Ashe! I feel you on the “sink-or-swim” aspect. I’ve always had a “main” 9-to-5 and freelance work on the side — not necessarily because I ever imagined freelancing full time, but because I wanted to gain experience in the types of work that I genuinely enjoy doing and that nobody wanted to actually provide me with a salary and benefits for. Now I’ve become completely disillusioned with corporate life and want to make 100% of my income from freelancing alone. My pie in the sky figure is $75K a year, which according to the other freelancers around here is perfectly doable if I remain consistent and focus on high-value projects and clients. Right now I make about 20K per year freelancing.
Right now I feel like I’m at the crossroads of improvement. I have some things in place — updating my LinkedIn, a more polished portfolio to my name, newsletters I read regularly — but I’m also struggling with other areas. Namely marketing and scheduling. I know if I could just get a little more consistency into my workweek I could be making more money and reducing my stress.
Saaaaaame. It’s especially hard when you already have a full-time gig that pays the majority of your bills…the last thing I want to do when I get home or otherwise have free time is work some more on what’s currently a side hustle. I have a lot of long-term relationships with companies as a freelancer that means marketing isn’t as big a deal for me as far as sustaining my current income, but building it is a whole different issue. I follow a lot of accounts on Twitter that share freelance opportunities, so that’s the most consistent way I pitch new clients. I don’t know if that’s the best way to go about it, though, waiting for someone to advertise their openings rather than pitch blind. There’s A LOT of competition for remote work that probably wouldn’t exist if I did research on particular companies and sent out proposals. It’s definitely a work in progress over here, but at least my bills are getting paid.
I follow a lot of accounts on Twitter that share freelance opportunities, so that’s the most consistent way I pitch new clients. I don’t know if that’s the best way to go about it, though, waiting for someone to advertise their openings rather than pitch blind. There’s A LOT of competition for remote work that probably wouldn’t exist if I did research on particular companies and sent out proposals.
This is one of my biggest barriers. I’m having such a time trying to unlearn the myth that I have no value to offer businesses and I’m annoying them by pitching. I’ll do all the research — what the business does, who they market toward, what they need to keep thriving — but I’ll clam up when it comes to putting together that cold contact.
Hello everyone!
I’m Austin and I have been playing around with the idea of freelance writing since 2017.I’ve read a lot on digital marketing and I intend to write for blogs and agencies in this niche.
I’m jumping in to freelance writing fully and I’ll see how things evolve from there.
Hey folks!
I’ve peaked in and out of this page for a while. After navigating some unpleasant experiences in the non-profit/advocacy sector, I’m committed to seeing what I can create for myself. I’ve dabbled in writing and editor for almost a decade, using it when times got rough. Now I want to lean in completely.
Excited to learn and build with everyone!
I’m Ayanna. I have a regular 9 to 5. I’m the office manager for an accounting firm. In the evenings and on weekends I run my own travel consulting business from my home. I’m all over the place when it comes to freelance. I’m a voiceover artist, I have 2 podcasts, co-founder of a digital magazine, I create fashion sketches and I write. I have yet to find my ‘in’ where I can make money with my passions except my travel business.
While I enjoy my 9 to 5, I am over waking up in the morning to go into an office that is not mine. I have a degree in Fashion Design & Merchandising and am currently in the process of completing my BA in Journalism and Communication Studies.
I want to live and work in my passions. I’m ready to seriously pursue the freelance lifestyle so that I am working for myself by the end of 2021.
I’m excited to be apart of this community and I look forward to learning all I can from everyone here!
Hi guys
I’m excited to join the academy and jump-start my freelance life. I’m a copywriter and virtual assistant. I didn’t even think this could be a viable career until I got sick and during my 2 months off I just had this idea come to me while in a coffee shop- I want to work like this every day. I’m excited to learn everything I can and become a FREELANCER!
Hello Blackfreelance family!
I am Lindsay and i am delighted to be here. I am a guy by the way, not a lady (lol). I am from Nigeria, and writing is what i love doing. Journeying into the world of freelancing is what i already am enjoying.I have a B.Tech in Project Management Technology from F.U.T.O, Nigeria.
I have always loved writing, but just never new how good i was until i joined LinkedIn in July, 2018. I discovered how potent my writing was at not just grabbing attention, but also at generating leads, and driving sales. I work remotely from Nigeria for two brands in Chicago, and one in South Carolina as a result of my writing style.
My writing style is diverse; Technical writing and content writing are my forte. I write contents that grips the attention of the reader till the last sentence. I have never worked in the corporate world since i graduated in 2015, and thanks to freelancing, i don’t think i am going to be working in one anytime soon. I am looking forward to polishing my writing in this amazing community with my black family from around the world.
Welcome Lindsay! It sounds like you’ve found a great corner of freelancing!
Hi everyone! My name is Courtney and I’m excited to join the Black Freelance community. I freelanced for a while after being laid off in 2017, but didn’t have a strong foundation and went back to the workforce. I miss the freedom and peace of making my own schedule (among other things) and am excited to build a better foundation + community this time around. My focus will be on digital + brand strategy. Can’t wait to learn from everyone here!
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