Aha! This is it!

This is the last post in a series of articles about “My Global Online Experiment” as a freelance independent consultant working in the Gig Economy.

What next for me?

After my experiment of working on several of the leading online freelancing platforms for the past years, you may be wondering what the next step for me is…

YES, I will continue experimenting with these online project/task platforms, as the majority of clients are amazing people to work with. And the great thing is that they come from all over the world - which really matches well with my global people background. It is also good to keep up-to-date with new ways of working in these changing times - so, all about new experiences.

We are gradually coming to the end of this series and I will briefly summarize all the posts so far.

At the beginning of this series, I introduced you to some terms such as “gig economy,” “freelancing,” and “contingent worker”.

We looked at what these terms meant and what it means to work as a freelance consultant in the gig economy. In that post, I described what it felt like to start working on these online platforms, back in 2013. (JIKKES!)

In my second post, I discussed about my first stint in the world of freelancing; some mistakes I made, as well as how most of the freelancing platforms – then had severe technical issues.

For my third post, I shared information with you on job platforms with lots of part-time and fulltime job positions for telecommuting and remote / home-based work.

Next in the series was a post on my experience with “working on PeoplePerHour”. I introduced the PeoplePerHour freelancing platform; what it takes to be a seller (freelancer) or a buyer (client). In the post, I talked about how the platform was a hourly-based one with tasks being done and paid on an hourly-basis. I mentioned some good points about the platform, as well as the disadvantages.

Post number 5 was about “working on Freelancer“, based on my personal experience. The Freelancer platform is one of the most popular when it comes to online freelance platforms, and so I decided to take my experiment there also. The post introduced the Freelancer platform, the services they offer, how freelancers can get work – by placing bids on jobs; and so on. I concluded the post with the fact that Freelancer.com was not meant for everyone (definitely not me).

For my sixth post, I shared my experience about  “working with Upwork,” a popular freelancing platform offering various freelancing services including, marketing, HR, content writing, graphic and web design, etc.  I talked about some of features of Upwork, how it works, how freelancers can earn, and how the platform gains from it. I concluded the post with some of the downsides I faced whilst working on Upwork; including the great number of proposals you need to write as a freelance to get hired for a job, as well as how some fraudsters can pose as buyers, with the sole purpose of getting your contact information.

My last two posts went on to talk about my experiment on Fiverr, and another post about the new professional corporate online outsourcing platforms by large companies, like PwC’s Talent Exchange platform, among others.

I know I have not shared all of the names of the online platforms that are currently popular, there are just too many to work on and mention [I still have my day job ;)]. But do check out some of these platforms that I have come across lately and really like –  Hired, CloudPeeps, Work Market, goLance. This site is also pretty good, sharing over 85+ freelance platforms.

If you want to go through these previous posts, I have included the links below.

Read the full series of “My Experiment Of Working In The Gig Economy” here:

A few tips to remember…

If you are new to freelancing, there are a few things that I think you ought to know.

• Be careful, do not share any private information!
• Know how to quote prices.
• Make sure you understand the client’s needs before starting work.
• Build your reputation and credibility.
• Work with good individuals and companies. [If you can, verify who you are working with!]
• Keep at it, and good luck!

Disclaimer: 

As mentioned before, I do NOT rely on these platforms for my bread and butter! I have other business interests, direct clients (companies I support) and a number of project referrals each month.

PLEASE DO NOT RESIGN FROM YOUR JOB...to work in the Gig Economy! Not UNTIL you have build up your gig biz (hobby) to a normal (more than bread and butter) income.

Although there are still some online freelance platforms, which just are just not improving. Some of which are pretty bad for new freelancers (terrible customer experience, both from seller and buyer sides); others like Upwork and Fiverr, have continued to evolve, offering a wide range of services (including HR) and making it easier and simpler to work as a freelancer/gigger.

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