How to Start Freelancing (From a 7-Figure Freelancer)

If you’re starting from zero, or finally taking freelancing seriously, this episode gives you a field-tested roadmap from Jan a 7-figure freelancer. We cover how to choose (and tighten) your offer, find your first clients without Upwork, write outreach that gets replies, price with confidence, and avoid the early mistakes that kill momentum. Think “learn by earning,” not endless planning.

You’ll learn

• Why motion beats branding: pick one skill, sell it, learn by earning. 
• How to find clients now: phone/local outreach, networking events, and volume.
• Portfolio over platforms (and why to avoid race-to-the-bottom marketplaces).
• Confidence tactics for introverts (prep, scripts, and repetition). 
• Admin that saves you later: contracts, invoices, bookkeeping basics. 

Show Notes

• Client-finding resources:

Business directories (e.g., Yellow Pages), LinkedIn Sales Navigator (build targeted lists), local networking events (Meetup).

• Outbound play:

Call local businesses; point out a specific problem (e.g., Google Business Profile), offer a quick win; expect rejection and keep volume high.

• Portfolio > platforms:

Lead with proof of work; consider using platforms only to spot leads, then pitch directly.

• Admin checklist:

Use written contracts, numbered invoices, track income/expenses; set good habits early.

• Starter bank ideas mentioned:

UK: Monzo, Starling; EU/Global: Revolut Pro (for invoicing/tools). Evaluate per country.

• Connect:

Jan invites listeners to DM on LinkedIn for quick help (link in show notes).

Connect with us (via LinkedIn)

Jan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-watermann/

Jonny: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonny-pease

Got a question or topic you want us to cover? Drop us a message at jonny@technicallymoney.com

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:19:00
Unknown
Okay. So most people think freelancing means creating a fancy website. You know, you've got to get your logo or a shiny LinkedIn profile. But in reality, all you need is a phone and a spreadsheet. And that's how Yan started. He's been freelancing for a decade across different countries, different niches, and he's made millions of dollars in the process.

00:00:19:02 - 00:00:47:10
Unknown
So that's why I really wanted to talk to him today, because he's lived this journey of a freelancer, and he's going to walk us through exactly how to get started and only provide real, practical steps. So there's going to be no B.S., no courses to sell or motivational nonsense, just what works in real life. Based on his personal experiences, I'll also try and add some of mine along the way because I am technically a freelancer as well, just not quite as successful.

00:00:47:12 - 00:00:55:08
Unknown
So yeah. Shall we begin with the mistakes? You know, what do people you know? What do people need to avoid when starting as a freelancer?

00:00:55:08 - 00:01:00:04
Unknown
the many mistakes you can make? And honestly, I've personally made all of them. Probably.

00:01:00:04 - 00:01:09:10
Unknown
think the biggest is that people overthink the start of it. So they spend weeks building a website, designing their logo, tweaking their LinkedIn bio,

00:01:09:10 - 00:01:17:01
Unknown
make everything seem perfect without having a single client. And, I think personally, freelancing starts with solving a problem with for someone.

00:01:17:03 - 00:01:38:23
Unknown
That's it. That's the core of it doesn't start with branding. It starts with solving problems. So you don't need to have everything figured out. You need motion. Ideally. Ideally. Go ahead. Pick one skill. Maybe writing, maybe designing. Maybe something social media related. Maybe you're a video editor. Maybe you know how to program. Or maybe you want to learn it.

00:01:38:23 - 00:01:58:01
Unknown
Whatever. Figure something out and find someone who needs it. And, then go ahead and try to send it out right away. And, that's something I call personal learning by earning. So you don't have to be an expert when you want to sell you should you sell it. And then you go ahead and, you learn while delivering it.

00:01:58:01 - 00:02:02:18
Unknown
And, that's a very effective method to become really good in something really fast.

00:02:02:18 - 00:02:12:19
Unknown
If you have already chosen your niche and you want to start selling, is it okay to to to do things for free, to offer your services for free just to score clients?

00:02:12:19 - 00:02:23:08
Unknown
I mean, you can probably, if you, you need to get, if you need to collect some reviews. But I don't think you have to. I think it's all about being very confident

00:02:23:08 - 00:02:27:13
Unknown
just selling, selling the shit out of it. So what you really need is momentum

00:02:29:23 - 00:02:30:21
Unknown
many people.

00:02:30:23 - 00:02:43:23
Unknown
You need to reach out to as many people as possible as many local businesses nearby. Knock doors if you have to. Just go ahead and, present yourself confidently to the right people and you'll get clients. I can guarantee that. And those

00:02:43:23 - 00:02:44:10
Unknown
Yeah,

00:02:44:10 - 00:02:45:15
Unknown
clients. If your offer's right.

00:02:45:15 - 00:02:52:22
Unknown
I think I think you're right. When you said the word motion, it's about putting things in motion. Motion and action. Just go out and do.

00:02:52:22 - 00:03:02:06
Unknown
You don't necessarily have to build testimonials, but you've got to start creating so people can see your work and what you're capable of depending on what your niche is. Build a portfolio. So at least then you can present that.

00:03:02:06 - 00:03:19:01
Unknown
mean, a lot of the times I don't know about you, but when I'm hiring freelancers, I don't necessarily look at their reviews on platforms like Upwork. Five people per hour. I go straight to the portfolio. And if someone can wow me with an impressive portfolio or, you know, impressive designs, let's just say for for thumbnails,

00:03:19:01 - 00:03:19:16
Unknown
that's enough.

00:03:19:16 - 00:03:24:09
Unknown
I'm happy to skip over the reviews. If they don't have any, I'll just try them out.

00:03:24:09 - 00:03:34:11
Unknown
Yeah. Join me when I say freelancing. I'm not necessarily mean using platforms like Upwork and Fiverr or people of Power to get clients. That's probably the opposite to what I mean.

00:03:34:11 - 00:03:40:15
Unknown
when I talk about freelancing, I, I refer to a way to get really high paying

00:03:41:02 - 00:03:41:15
Unknown
Okay.

00:03:41:15 - 00:03:47:05
Unknown
don't have to compete with others, where you are literally positioned as an expert in your specific niche.

00:03:47:06 - 00:03:49:02
Unknown
And, you know, you just you

00:03:49:02 - 00:03:49:16
Unknown
Okay.

00:03:49:16 - 00:04:02:21
Unknown
people through your personality. And I think that's a major thing, because if you go ahead and you use Upwork, Fiverr, all these different platforms to get clients, you'll be competing with people from all over the world. And, to be fair,

00:04:02:21 - 00:04:06:01
Unknown
a lot of technologically related tasks can be solved

00:04:06:01 - 00:04:13:11
Unknown
in India, in Pakistan, on other low paying countries, just as well as they would be would be in the UK.

00:04:13:13 - 00:04:14:01
Unknown
You know what I

00:04:14:18 - 00:04:19:20
Unknown
people go ahead and obviously book these way cheaper freelancers instead of choosing you

00:04:20:18 - 00:04:25:00
Unknown
has to earn a living in, in high, highly developed country.

00:04:25:00 - 00:04:25:11
Unknown
What about

00:04:25:11 - 00:04:36:09
Unknown
choosing the niche that you want to provide. Because I think a lot of people that's really the start for a lot of people. I think that's where a lot of people struggle. So just deciding what should I do.

00:04:36:09 - 00:04:52:13
Unknown
You know, you got to have some direction, of course. Right. So if you want to find some direction outside, just try as much as you can. For me personally, when I, when I, when I looked at freelancing, I literally not sure if you know that about me, but I never had a corporate job or something.

00:04:53:09 - 00:05:11:06
Unknown
went straight out of school, and then looked for ways to make money online because I knew that, I didn't want to live in within Germany anymore. I always love to travel. I love the freedom that it provided to have an online job. So I needed something, that would allow me basically earn money while traveling.

00:05:11:08 - 00:05:18:11
Unknown
And, I'm not a good designer. I figured that out very fast. Back when I was in school, I always felt that arts classes. It was terrible.

00:05:18:11 - 00:05:28:09
Unknown
Yeah, I'm not good at math either. So programing? Not a good way to to make money, for me at least. And writing was probably something that was, you know, it's relatively easy to learn,

00:05:28:09 - 00:05:37:21
Unknown
I'm always I've always been fascinated by psychology. So went ahead and started writing for people. And, I think that was what gave me direction at first.

00:05:37:21 - 00:05:38:06
Unknown
then

00:05:38:06 - 00:05:48:20
Unknown
later on I niche down, you know, instead of just saying, hey, I'm a writer. I position myself as a, as a writer for financial articles, you know, and, that could be a good example for someone.

00:05:48:20 - 00:05:57:17
Unknown
So find a niche. You know, one specific problem that you can solve, one specific problem where you can position yourself as an expert in and then go ahead and acquire

00:05:58:07 - 00:06:11:08
Unknown
Yeah that's really clever. You were introspective initially and were honest with yourself and thought well these are things I'm not very good at. For example art. But you are very good at German and you are capable of learning how to be a good writer.

00:06:11:08 - 00:06:17:14
Unknown
think being honest with yourself and what you're good at, but also that's really smart, like looking at the industries that are available.

00:06:17:15 - 00:06:33:04
Unknown
Finance is very lucrative. We know that a lot of these I don't know, banks, for example, these financial tech companies are very flush with money. They have a lot of VC, a lot of investment funds to spend a big budgets. And that's a really good place to try and target as a freelancer.

00:06:33:04 - 00:06:40:16
Unknown
That's really, really smart. But the question that I think a lot of people are going to be asking is, okay, I've chose my niche.

00:06:40:18 - 00:06:46:20
Unknown
I feel confident that this is something I can do. I've chosen my industry. But then how do you find the clients

00:06:46:20 - 00:06:49:12
Unknown
to actually try to start generating some income?

00:06:49:12 - 00:07:01:19
Unknown
Yeah. Maybe, maybe before we talk about that journey, maybe one one last thing I'd like to mention, regarding Niching down, if you're unsure whether this niche is right for you, don't feel scared. You can always pivot later.

00:07:03:04 - 00:07:06:18
Unknown
in one niche forever. Like it doesn't happen. People forget about you, you know?

00:07:07:00 - 00:07:20:23
Unknown
They understand that that, even if they don't forget about you, they understand that business is is always in motion, right? People change industries. People change. Fields of expertise. So just go ahead, position yourself shortly and then try to,

00:07:20:23 - 00:07:26:02
Unknown
to develop that, you know, find something that feels just right for you and then, you know, become confident.

00:07:26:02 - 00:07:31:11
Unknown
Because I think it all starts with confidence. Finding clients heavily depends on your confidence.

00:07:31:11 - 00:07:49:01
Unknown
That's probably one of the parts that most people hate, you know, especially introverts. And I'm out calling myself an introvert as well. Never really felt comfortable about talking to people about myself, especially. But, finding clients is literally it will make or break your freelance journey.

00:07:49:03 - 00:07:51:00
Unknown
And if you want clients, you have to talk to people.

00:07:51:00 - 00:08:04:08
Unknown
what I would recommend is go ahead, pick up the phone, call local businesses around you. Ask what they're doing for marketing or, you know, whatever else your your niche is, and then tell them how they could improve it. Find mistakes on the website,

00:08:04:08 - 00:08:10:04
Unknown
Just try to make yourself useful and don't be scared of rejection. I think that's a key aspect to you.

00:08:10:04 - 00:08:27:10
Unknown
Yeah. Trying to contact local businesses is, I think, a really good way to start. They aren't necessarily flush with cash, like I mentioned earlier in terms of the finance industry, but these are typically opportunities where they may be thinking desperately about ways that they can generate new business.

00:08:27:10 - 00:08:37:13
Unknown
These like solopreneurs, sole traders, independent companies, it's harder than ever to be within like the sort of small medium enterprise umbrella.

00:08:37:15 - 00:08:55:08
Unknown
And they want to find ways to build their businesses. They're looking for business development opportunities. And if you can present that quickly over the phone, or you can say, I've identified a problem with your Google Business page that I think could really like if you if you fix this, improve, this could have a huge impact on your business.

00:08:55:10 - 00:08:59:05
Unknown
As a business owner, I'd be like, all right, sure, I hear you out.

00:08:59:05 - 00:09:04:14
Unknown
And that's. Yeah, I think that's a really good opportunity. Local businesses. Yeah, that's a great shout.

00:09:04:14 - 00:09:10:13
Unknown
Yeah. Besides that, you could also look at networking events. A lot of people love to connect with like minded professionals nearby.

00:09:10:13 - 00:09:15:07
Unknown
if you're living within a major city, let's say London or you're living in Berlin,

00:09:15:07 - 00:09:20:10
Unknown
I can guarantee you there networking events happening where you can generate, generate clients.

00:09:20:16 - 00:09:21:15
Unknown
Where do you find them?

00:09:22:02 - 00:09:24:06
Unknown
Like other websites that you can go to.

00:09:24:10 - 00:09:38:01
Unknown
Yeah. The websites, you can go to a meetup.com for is is a good one I've used in the past and, a few others. Maybe it's something we can we can also show on the screen if you're watching this. If you're listening to it, we can add it to the to the show notes and a

00:09:38:14 - 00:09:40:02
Unknown
podcast app, I believe.

00:09:40:02 - 00:10:01:17
Unknown
But, yeah, look, look at these platforms. And it's not about one specific platform. It's about volume again. Right? So, if you don't have any kind just, you know, immerse yourself in, in networking events, just go ahead and try to take part in as many as you can and present yourself as a as a capable person and as someone who's who's specialized in your specific niche.

00:10:01:17 - 00:10:19:13
Unknown
I can already see people listening to this thinking, God, I'm not confident enough. I don't have the swagger or the competence to turn up an event and try and sell my services. Like, how do you overcome the fear that will come with things like being new to an industry?

00:10:19:13 - 00:10:37:20
Unknown
I don't think you'll ever overcome this if it's, you know, attached to your personality. As I said, I'm an introvert, so I always, always hate, to speak in front of people. But I understood very early that this is something I have to do if I want it to be successful. And if I wanted to continue living the lifestyle I've lived for the past ten years.

00:10:37:23 - 00:10:52:17
Unknown
Yeah.

00:10:52:19 - 00:10:58:08
Unknown
It's true. Yeah.

00:10:58:10 - 00:11:18:14
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah I think competence also breeds confidence. So just if you are going to a network event, if you do have the opportunity to present yourself or if you're going to call businesses, just be super competent, understand what you're going to talk about. Know the subject, rehearse it, script it, speak out loud to yourself in front of the mirror.

00:11:18:14 - 00:11:20:04
Unknown
I do that all the time.

00:11:20:04 - 00:11:26:03
Unknown
That will help build your confidence. Knowing what it is you're going to be talking about or pitching.

00:11:26:06 - 00:11:27:06
Unknown
100%.

00:11:27:06 - 00:11:47:08
Unknown
we've briefly, briefly, discussed Upwork and other freelance platforms. Maybe we should we should talk about why I personally believe they are trap, and they're not a good way of finding business. You know, I've I've mentioned it, in the beginning, but I think especially if you're thinking long term, you want to stay away from these platforms.

00:11:47:10 - 00:12:00:18
Unknown
They they might sound like an easy start. You know, they make it seem that it's super easy to sign up. They're good clients. But I think especially starting out is terrible. It's going to be really difficult because you have to understand the price of services.

00:12:00:18 - 00:12:12:06
Unknown
And then it's kind of a race to the bottom. So you'll be always, always competing, with the prices of people living in countries where the cost of living is way cheaper than,

00:12:14:01 - 00:12:17:11
Unknown
within, within a developed country, within the developed world.

00:12:17:13 - 00:12:21:03
Unknown
And, that's just not not a good base to start with.

00:12:21:03 - 00:12:49:15
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah. I mean as someone who uses those platforms, this is no this is meant as no disrespect to any of these countries, all these people that live that, but the predominant nationalities of these platforms tends to be less developed world countries with cheaper cost of living. So they can, like young, keep saying, price their products a lot less or a lot more competitively versus someone who's okay, someone who's living in Pakistan or India has a yes.

00:12:49:17 - 00:12:59:00
Unknown
It's obvious, isn't it, as a far cheaper cost of living than the UK. So it's going to be quite hard. It is interesting. Yeah, because when I use these platforms, I don't often see that many people from

00:12:59:00 - 00:13:07:05
Unknown
the UK or the US, they are there and you could filter for them, but there's definitely an abundance of people living in less developed places.

00:13:07:05 - 00:13:23:23
Unknown
Absolutely. Yeah. And, me personally, I look at this as a, as a commodity, you know, and I don't mean this with any, any disrespect. But if I, if I have to solve a problem, a technical problem, something I'm not an expert in, you know, we had a had an example where we had to, you know, what was that?

00:13:24:04 - 00:13:47:10
Unknown
Develop email alerts for the, the positive outcome. And we looked at we looked at these platforms. Obviously we looked for someone who seemed competent, but also was was offering the service affordably. You know, that was really important to us. So we literally just cared about someone who would go ahead and fix this problem. We'd not want the consultant to come on, who was trying to upset us with certain

00:13:49:03 - 00:13:50:14
Unknown
us through through the expertise.

00:13:50:14 - 00:13:57:14
Unknown
just wanted this thing to be solved as quickly as possible, and, Yeah, it's just there's just a wrong starting point, in my opinion.

00:13:57:14 - 00:13:59:20
Unknown
So what is the right starting point.

00:13:59:20 - 00:14:22:19
Unknown
out from the crowd. So in freelancing, you're the product. That means your your communication, your response time, but also reliability and other factors, make you stand out. If you are, if you're an expert in whatever you're doing or at least good enough, let's say you're 80% of an expert, you feel confident enough to to sell your services.

00:14:22:20 - 00:14:32:07
Unknown
You reply fast. You deliver on time. You show enthusiasm about whoever you're working with. Then yeah, congratulations. You've probably already in the top 10%

00:14:32:07 - 00:14:44:11
Unknown
and then literally going in front of people as much as you can. And, don't be scared of rejection. Just try to talk to as many people as you possibly can throughout the whole week.

00:14:44:13 - 00:15:00:17
Unknown
And I don't mean I don't mean reaching out to, let's say, ten local businesses a day. That's just not enough. Talking 100 to 100, possibly. Right. The day is long, eight hours. If you if you literally sit down one day and you call a local businesses within your area

00:15:00:17 - 00:15:04:09
Unknown
for eight hours straight, you'll probably be able to talk to hundreds of businesses.

00:15:04:09 - 00:15:09:08
Unknown
To embark on something like that. You're going to have to go out and start scraping the internet for contact details.

00:15:09:08 - 00:15:15:03
Unknown
Having a spreadsheet, for example, collecting all these details, these businesses that you want to contact,

00:15:15:03 - 00:15:20:14
Unknown
I think that stems from just having a plan. I know it sounds so silly, doesn't it, to say, but you need a plan.

00:15:20:16 - 00:15:22:02
Unknown
Everyone needs a plan.

00:15:22:02 - 00:15:40:13
Unknown
Yeah, definitely need a plan. And, then there are many resources where you can get contact data from. So, Yellow Pages is a good example. Besides that, you probably have a LinkedIn account. You can you can subscribe to Sales Navigator and find exactly the kinds of businesses you'd like to, you'd like to approach. Right. And then even build a strategic list or something.

00:15:40:13 - 00:15:48:05
Unknown
could we provide some resources in the show notes for these things? Would this be, like, just like a, contact resources? What would you call these that we can share?

00:15:48:05 - 00:15:50:12
Unknown
know, how do you call them business directories?

00:15:50:12 - 00:15:51:12
Unknown
Business directories.

00:15:51:12 - 00:15:55:04
Unknown
I'll, I'll, I'll say that's how you call them. It's it's that simple. And,

00:15:55:04 - 00:16:04:06
Unknown
Why not going around your neighborhood if you're living close by to an industrial area or something and just start knocking doors, you know, if that's where you find potential customers of yours, go ahead

00:16:04:23 - 00:16:19:14
Unknown
Do you know what sometimes happens to me when I put out a post on these these platforms, these freelance platforms that you don't like. And I completely understand why from a freelancers perspective. But yeah, I get contacted privately via my email

00:16:19:14 - 00:16:29:23
Unknown
and via LinkedIn in some cases so people can see my name. They can sometimes see the company that I might represent, because I might put it in the description and they they go out of their way to, to, to find me, to seek me out.

00:16:29:23 - 00:16:54:22
Unknown
And it it doesn't really bother me, to be honest. I received a cold email today from someone that had seen a a thumbnail design like opportunity that I put on people per hour, and this guy was, I think, had a really compelling email with his portfolio. And I responded and I, I liked his tenacity.

00:16:54:22 - 00:16:59:14
Unknown
He seeked me out and gone for a personal approach because you do get lost.

00:16:59:19 - 00:17:15:20
Unknown
Freelancers get lost amongst the abundance. There's so many of them as a suddenly seeking one out. It's like going into a supermarket that has 50,000 items available versus a thousand. You end up buying more when you go into supermarkets with less than more.

00:17:15:20 - 00:17:20:06
Unknown
just want to share that. That could be for a freelancer, quite a tactical means of finding new business.

00:17:20:09 - 00:17:22:17
Unknown
Sign up for those platforms that you dislikes,

00:17:22:17 - 00:17:26:19
Unknown
but just use it to seek opportunities that are available. And then privately,

00:17:26:19 - 00:17:28:16
Unknown
privately message those people.

00:17:42:11 - 00:17:44:19
Unknown
So what about the things that people don't discuss?

00:17:44:23 - 00:17:55:07
Unknown
What are the things, you know, the mistakes because you do see a lot around freelancing this really positive, optimistic, the glorious side of it, you know, working from home, being financially independent.

00:17:56:19 - 00:17:57:21
Unknown
But what do people mess up?

00:17:57:21 - 00:18:00:02
Unknown
Yeah. I think administration

00:18:01:02 - 00:18:02:18
Unknown
The worst part?

00:18:02:18 - 00:18:16:09
Unknown
when you start freelancing, you don't want to treat it as a hobby. You want to be, you know, you want to treat it as a, as a professional business, whether you like it or not, that's what it needs. So you need to adjust that, probably properly.

00:18:16:11 - 00:18:28:05
Unknown
You need to learn how to send invoices. You need to use contracts. And you need to track income and expenses. And if it's needed in your country of of residence, you might have to also do bookkeeping.

00:18:28:05 - 00:18:39:05
Unknown
Yeah. That's just what it takes. And I think that's what a lot of people get wrong. And, if they get that wrong, then, you know, they might be surprised by a big by a big textbook that arrives in the second year.

00:18:39:07 - 00:18:53:04
Unknown
That could bankrupt it. So you've got to be prepared, at least to some extent. You don't have to be overprepared, but you need to know what you're doing nowadays. That's a good thing. With ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence

00:18:53:14 - 00:18:54:23
Unknown
Agreed.

00:18:54:23 - 00:18:56:23
Unknown
It's easy to figure these things out.

00:18:56:23 - 00:19:02:13
Unknown
you don't really have to read any books. You don't have to read, long blog articles, just,

00:19:02:13 - 00:19:08:15
Unknown
write to write prompts and maybe fact check the thing, the the things that I it helps you, but, you'll figure it out in no time.

00:19:08:15 - 00:19:26:15
Unknown
Yeah. Put your best foot forward. You know when it comes to sending a client an invoice, don't just ask for the money with a figure say you know could I have your, you've already got the remotest that contact details. So send it directly to them. The invoice itself as a pdf have it really well structured, really well organized.

00:19:26:15 - 00:19:27:17
Unknown
Your logo on the top

00:19:27:17 - 00:19:38:07
Unknown
invoice numbers are important as well. Just for like reconciliation. In terms of accountancy, it's important to have invoice numbers so you can identify payments or you know, your bookkeeping. They'll help you bookkeeping. It all ties in together.

00:19:38:07 - 00:19:52:02
Unknown
Put your best foot forward when it comes to these things right from the beginning as well, because you want to set up good practices early, the more, the more your business gets busier and busier, the harder it is to implement these practices.

00:19:59:21 - 00:20:07:07
Unknown
Oh yeah. Absolutely. I mean look some of the best, some of the best business bank accounts are like the ones that are run by digital banks.

00:20:07:07 - 00:20:15:14
Unknown
Banks like Monzo, Starling Bank, they offer really good products. I think Monzo are more popular at the moment or more favored choice because their onboarding is a lot faster.

00:20:15:14 - 00:20:17:01
Unknown
So I would suggest looking at Monzo.

00:20:17:01 - 00:20:27:11
Unknown
They have a fantastic free account. Same as Starling as well, are they? Their onboarding can be a bit slow. What about the European Union? I suppose wise, even though they're not a licensed bank?

00:20:27:11 - 00:20:29:15
Unknown
I guess it really depends on where you're based,

00:20:30:06 - 00:20:32:01
Unknown
the banking options vary by

00:20:32:16 - 00:20:36:05
Unknown
Of course, Revolut Pro, I think is a good option for most

00:20:36:05 - 00:20:37:00
Unknown
Yes.

00:20:37:00 - 00:20:45:09
Unknown
due to, due to the cashback that you get with the metal plan. It could actually, you know, make the the metal plan be worth it, depending on how high your expenditures are.

00:20:45:11 - 00:20:48:02
Unknown
But Revolut Pro is a decent option option for most people.

00:20:48:02 - 00:20:51:00
Unknown
Agreed. They've got some fantastic in-built invoicing system software.

00:20:51:00 - 00:20:53:22
Unknown
They've got obviously the Revolut Terminal for accepting payments

00:20:53:22 - 00:21:01:22
Unknown
and they've got very competitive fees on those payment term terminal fees as well. So I yeah briefly I can't believe I didn't think of that. Yeah. Very good. Very good suggestion.

00:21:01:22 - 00:21:02:12
Unknown
there are a few other

00:21:04:04 - 00:21:26:03
Unknown
The first year would probably be messy, no matter what. You can make mistakes. I can guarantee that you'll understand. You'll lose clients, and you might, end up end of a the point where you question your whole hold decisions that you made, within the last year. But if you keep showing up, keep calling people, keep learning, and, most importantly, keep improving.

00:21:26:04 - 00:21:45:17
Unknown
I can guarantee it will get easier. Clients will come back. You will start receiving referrals as well. Your confidence will grow. Your rates will go up, and suddenly, you'll realize you've you've built a sustainable business. And, for me, freelancing became the foundation for everything else. As I mentioned, I love to travel.

00:21:45:17 - 00:21:51:04
Unknown
That's the way, I make this this whole lifestyle possible, essentially.

00:21:51:04 - 00:21:54:19
Unknown
Right. That's how I, I was able to travel to over 50 countries in the last ten years.

00:21:54:19 - 00:22:07:18
Unknown
remember that freelancing isn't about escaping work. It's about, creating a life where you where the work you do actually matters. And, helps you achieve whatever goal you have. You know what? Whatever personal goal

00:22:08:22 - 00:22:09:12
Unknown
And that is.

00:22:09:12 - 00:22:10:01
Unknown
makes sense.

00:22:10:02 - 00:22:13:00
Unknown
Might sound a little abstract right now, but, that's just something I wanted

00:22:13:00 - 00:22:30:07
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah. No I don't I it makes total sense. I mean you're, you're going to derive I think greater fulfillment as well for working for yourself than for enriching someone else. Initially. It's going to be scary. You're going to have zeros in your bank balance potentially unless you have savings or you're going to have zero income.

00:22:30:07 - 00:22:43:01
Unknown
with anything in life, if you persist, if you implement kaizen, the Japanese term for continuous improvement, to try to get better, work hard at it, you will start to see revenues increase.

00:22:43:01 - 00:23:08:19
Unknown
You start to see your action turn to results. I promise you that you and I are both freelancers. His goals are separate to mine. His goals are to enable a lifestyle that allows him to travel. For me, freelancing enables a lifestyle where I am financially independent. I get to work from home. I can therefore spend more time with my child, my wife, and that gives me so much fulfillment in the fact that I can achieve.

00:23:08:21 - 00:23:26:03
Unknown
I can achieve that lifestyle through freelancing and that fulfillment helps drive me on, keeps me motivated, makes me work harder. And I, you know, my total. It goes down, I'm back in front of my computer, I'm working, and I feel that burning flame inside me is motivation, of energy, of desire. Because I'm freelancing and I think that is the glory of it.

00:23:26:05 - 00:23:43:12
Unknown
It gives you a different drive than working for someone else. And I know working for someone else can look like the easy way out because it's, you know, an initial immediate income. And it will be it will probably be zeros to begin with. But, you know, implement some of the

00:23:43:12 - 00:23:45:01
Unknown
stuff Jan's talked about today,

00:23:45:01 - 00:23:48:23
Unknown
consistent, keep with it, stick with it and results will come.

00:23:49:18 - 00:23:50:14
Unknown
It's guaranteed.

00:23:50:14 - 00:23:52:20
Unknown
And, if you've been thinking about starting,

00:23:52:20 - 00:24:13:09
Unknown
stop thinking. Ideally. Go ahead. Take one small step today. Go ahead. Message a few few local businesses nearby. Pick up your phone. Call them. Or apply to a networking event. Do something in order to progress. That's super important. Action beats planning every time. And, even if you don't have it all figured out.

00:24:13:13 - 00:24:20:01
Unknown
Go ahead and move quickly. That's how I started. And, I think if you stick with that, that's how you'll

00:24:21:03 - 00:24:26:15
Unknown
Yeah. Agreed. That's how I started as well. I just pressed record on the camera and then press publish.

00:24:26:15 - 00:24:29:13
Unknown
we'll put some resources from today's video in the description box.

00:24:29:13 - 00:24:31:23
Unknown
there anything else that we want to include down there? Is there any where

00:24:31:23 - 00:24:35:09
Unknown
people can go to find out some further information about what we've discussed?

00:24:35:12 - 00:24:53:15
Unknown
Yeah. We'll add a few resources. Besides that, I'd like to. I'd like to ask everyone, if you're already freelancing. Please go ahead. Share some thoughts in the comments. Maybe explain your journey. What made you as a user yourself successful? And if you have any other tips for for maybe other listeners? Feel free to share them as well.

00:24:53:18 - 00:24:55:20
Unknown
And if you're unsure how to start,

00:24:55:20 - 00:25:09:03
Unknown
I invite everyone to reach out to me personally on LinkedIn. My LinkedIn profile is, is also mentioned in the in the show notes, I believe. And just just go ahead, write me a message. And I'm happy to to look at your problem and help you a little bit.

00:25:09:07 - 00:25:12:18
Unknown
Yeah, absolutely. No, there's no course

00:25:12:18 - 00:25:24:17
Unknown
nothing for sale. And you know, if you have any questions regarding things like what bank accounts are open for your business, let us know in the comments. These are the things that Jan and I super experienced with. We're obviously be here to help with any questions you may have.

00:25:24:17 - 00:25:25:22
Unknown
As always, thank you very much.

00:25:25:22 - 00:25:35:19
Unknown
If you're watching us on YouTube, thank you. Please do consider subscribing to the channel and if you enjoyed the video, if you found it useful, please do give it a like. And if you're listening to us, Jan, what should they do?

00:25:39:09 - 00:25:41:17
Unknown
That'd be nice. Thank you.