How I Made The Switch to Freelance Remote Work

There are many obstacles to overcome when it comes to major career changes. You will encounter clients who will not give you a chance, financial instability, fear of failure, battles with your self-doubt, and the older you get, the harder it seems to be. Paying dues is difficult in a world that has so much constant stimulation and changes you can't seem to keep up with. But, it is not all bad. You find out a lot about yourself in the process of a career change. Through the mental breakdowns and scraping the bottom of the barrel to pay the bills, you push yourself to limits you could never imagine. It takes one person to say yes, and give you a chance for all those fears to diminish.

I started this journey only a year ago. I moved to Mexico after getting laid off from a tech sales job with the intention of staying a month. My goal was to find my path and embrace my future. Essentially follow every cheesy empowerment ritual I heard on social media. During that month, Mexico brought me the peace I needed and realized I didn’t want to leave as soon as I'd thought. So, I dove headfirst into the world of freelancing.

I have been a writer most of my life, but never had the confidence to think I would ever make a career around it. I had nothing to lose and could not find the strength to leave such an amazing way of life behind. I lived in Mexico for 8 months when I started this journey and now currently in Portugal, living fully on my freelance income while I travel. I am going to share with you my driving force, mental process, and outlets I used to find freelance work.

My Driving Force

Respect

Many factors will fall into your decision-making process, and hitting your final breaking point expedites the process. Mine was the corporate world, the lack of respect I encountered along the way, and romanticizing a 10-12 hour workday. I was tired, overwhelmed, and underpaid, a recipe for emotional disaster. Not every corporation falls under this category! I know a lot of remarkable companies people rave about, just none I worked for.

Time

I wanted my time to be valuable and spent the way I desired. It felt like an impossible task in the beginning. The business world doesn’t allow you to have many freedoms. You are stuck in their idea of a daily routine that works for them and not you.

Experiences

With life comes new and exciting experiences. I have always been a curious person, and around every corner is a new grand adventure. I have bounced from working in hospitality, podcast programming, technology sales to freelance copywriting. It is exciting, and terrifying to learn a new skill and test your limits, but once you break through the threshold your dreams start to fall into place.

Why Mexico?

When I got laid off, I didn’t have much money and knew I could run away to Mexico without the stress of paying $15 for a cocktail or $25 for a salad. Money was a big motivation for me. Being in a country my money would last the longest was a huge plus. I also was aware of the serenity within the Mexican community and knew if I was in the right area I wouldn’t have to worry about my safety or wellbeing. Mexico has a very slow-paced lifestyle and I didn’t feel constant pressure to figure my life out right away, I just rode the wave.

Freelancing Resources

When getting started in remote work, you need to first understand what it is that you are looking for. You can fall into many areas of freelance. For instance, design work, audio and music production, social media marketing, accounting & consulting, email marketing automation, content & copywriting, legal contracts, creative writing, data mining, and the list goes on. Ask yourself what you think the best fit would be and maybe consider taking a short online Udemy course to give you a solid rundown of what employers might expect.

There are many online resources to find work nowadays, so don’t fret about the lack of work you’re nervous to have coming in. I have personally found the most success through working with Upwork. Many others can give you options of part-time or full-time work.

Such as,

• Linkedin Jobs

• Fiverr

• Weworkremotely.com

• Remote.co

• Flexjobs.com

These are the most remote-friendly sites. That will provide extensive amounts of work, but remember it will take some time on your end to find the right fit!

Hurdles along the way

As I mentioned before when taking on new ventures things tend to get scary. When you have been comfortable, yet miserable, working in marketing or engineering for the past five years, why would you step out of your comfort zone for something else?

Happiness comes to mind.

Your mental process throughout this time is important. Give yourself the time to learn and fail, maybe even three times over. Freelancing is a competitive market. You will find yourself submitting 20 proposals a week with no response, but don’t give up so soon. Someone, somewhere out there is willing to give you an opportunity. It took a month and almost 30 Upwork proposals to land my first client!

Once you’re in, be aware that a lot of freelancing gigs are inconsistent. Especially in the writer's world. People are hunting for quick content to post, and may or may not have work for you every week.

A quick tip: keep sending in proposals here and there, even when you have secured a gig. A lot of my jobs have fallen through just a couple of weeks in but there are always new opportunities around the corner.

Conclusion

I am a firm believer in trying. Trying new things, trying to work hard for things you want, trying to fix things that are broken. Freelancing is not for everyone but if you value your time, creative mindset, and drive to experience new things, then freelancing is your perfect new route. Who knows, you might even love it so much you create your own copywriting business down the line!