Hey everyone, I hope you’re all doing great.
Today, I want to share a story—my story—about how I turned a $25 paying client on Upwork into a $1,000+ active, recurring customer. And honestly, this experience changed the way I think about freelancing, opportunity, and how we should treat ourselves as freelancers.
The Struggle Phase
Two or three months ago, I was struggling—really struggling—to get clients. I was desperate, I felt bad, and I was lost in this huge mess of trying to find my first real opportunities.
There I was, scrolling endless job posts while sipping my perfect V60 coffee… and suddenly, I saw an ad:
“$25 — Need a Python script.”
I thought, “Okay, maybe I can do that.”
Funny, right? I was applying to everything at that point.
The client was a lady from the UK. She was new on the platform, which I think played a big role in why she picked my proposal—because I had no reviews, no completed jobs, nothing on my profile.
But somehow… she answered.
The First $25 Job
I won’t lie: in the beginning, $25 made me sad. It felt too low. But I always say:
In this life, everything is a chance. Everything is an opportunity.
We talked, and she was incredibly kind. She also had terrible experiences with previous freelancers, which made her appreciate communication and clarity even more.
The job was easily worth more than $25—so I asked her if she could bump it to $30 since my hourly rate was $45 and it would take about 45 minutes. She agreed, and I delivered the job.
That’s where everything changed.
Unexpected Opportunities
After I delivered, she told me she was “so satisfied” and “so surprised” by the quality and speed. She gave me a lot of compliments.
That’s when I realized:
We had great communication.
And great communication is where bigger deals start.
So I offered an additional idea:
“You have this Python script, but I think you also need another script to automate something else.”
She loved it. Literally said she was thinking about asking me anyway.
That became a $100 job.
Then she brought another—$250.
Then another one next week.
And then she asked:
“Do you also understand WordPress stuff?”
Honestly? I was lost. It had been years since I touched WordPress. But I said:
“Okay, maybe it will be good. Let’s do it.”
That turned into about $600.
And more for sure...
In total?
✅ $1,200 from a customer who started as a $25 job.
Why This Matters
People think $25 means “bad client.”
They think you should skip and run to the next job.
But most customers don’t know what they need when they first post a job.
Sometimes they list $25, sometimes $100, sometimes something random.
What matters is opportunity.
And opportunity usually doesn’t come with a big budget… at least not first.
I even had another story: I turned a $100 client into a $500 client, and now we’re negotiating a $3,000 contract.
Everything starts small.
Then grows if you know how to grow it.
Know Your Place in the Market
This is something many freelancers don’t want to hear.
But you need to know your position.
We are basically products in a marketplace.
You’re not famous.
Nobody knows you yet.
You don’t have a marketing budget.
You’re just getting started.
So when my friend from Turkey created his Upwork profile, he had zero jobs, zero reviews, and he put his rate at $65/hr. I checked the market—top rated and vetted pros from the US were charging $70/hr in the same field.
I literally told him:
“What the fuck are you doing?”
It’s not possible.
Not without proof, not without reviews, not without a reputation.
Customers see those numbers instantly when you apply. And they judge you based on them.
Final Thoughts
So yeah… that was my story.
From a small $25 job to a recurring $1,000+ customer.
From desperation to opportunity.
From nothing to a client who trusts me fully.
And I’m happy you're reading this.
I hope these insights help you approach Upwork—and freelancing in general—with a new perspective.
Opportunities don’t always look big.
But big things often start small.
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