Is upwork worth it in 2024?

Maybe this makes me a "guru" but I just can't give away everything I know for free, I'm sorry. I want to help people, but trying to help everybody requires a lot more time, effort, and energy than I initially thought. And doing everything for free just took time away from me running my own agency and I wasn't really able to help people because I was just giving 1 sentence answers to very complex and complicated questions.
So, I created The Mogul thinking that it would be better to FULLY help 1 person, than to partially help 100 people. Everything, all in one place to help someone succeed to the best of my ability while getting paid for my work. I'm pretty confident I can bring anyone success as long as they are willing to put in the effort on their end. If you watched my free videos on KZbin, imagine the value I would give you if I was actually getting paid.
Join The Mogul: whop.com/themogul
#upworktips #freelancing #entrepreneur #startanonlinebusiness

[@shivam_7208]

this is truth that no one tells and every freelancers should be ready for this situations because this are common thing to happen with freelancers. we need this type of content litterally not the sugar coated side of upwork which u get after this struggles

[@Ion-CristianStefan]

Respect to you for putting in the hard work. Good riddens of that customer. How unfair, punishing the working guy. Never engage with royalty customers like that one again. He sent his assistant for discussions and then just yelled without knowing all the infos. That is the tyran customer. Avoid that kind of person at all costs. You need to know to select your customers. That is why a video call is very important. You need to make sure the customer is a humble, reasonable person, has all the infos and is engadged. Ask all the questions upfront. If he doesn't have the patience for them, say goodbye.

[@ThomasIm]

Exactly what I do now. Learned a lot from that experience

[@guinness11]

I just recently discovered your channel and have been thinking about starting on Upwork. It's good to get some insight from a real person. Much appreciated and thank you!

[@ThomasIm]

No problem!

[@houseofmotivation2115]

You are man of humanity Thomas ❤❤❤

[@tanjadobroschke]

True im on upwork for years now as well. Once in a while you get so many clients you cant finish all the work, then you have a dry period. One advice, dont do 5 dollar jobs its trash. And try to avoid clients from india not that they are typical bad but with my experience they either dissapear or a unfriendly and dont pay. Just read the feedbacks of past freelancers on their profile and avoid low paying clients. Everything below 20$ is not worth it. Save up money for dry periods.

[@lev1ato]

what is 20$ worth one hour of work? or one day in 3rd world countries? How is 20$ ok I dont get it.

[@tonybp]

I tried the freelance life for a year, put a lot of effort into it but it didn't work out for me. There's a lot of competition and a lot of scammer clients. I went back to a normal job and life is much simpler.

[@shuvra-kumar-das]

What kind of job do you do now?!?

[@michaelalando]

Scammers ruin everywhere they go

[@Crossroads-300]

@@shuvra-kumar-das scamming people lol

[@bakeraus]

In saturated markets, you would still have much more success to find jobs locally. Build those relationships in your own postcode first. I recently had two full time clients which one went broke and the other lost work so they had to cut me out atm. I have tried Upwork for a month and no success yet. Furthermore, I will also try other markets because having various channels work so much better.

[@bimoanggoro9612]

​​@@bakerausI'm studying web development, but for now there seems to be an oversupply. Are there any suggestions for other skills that I should learn more that will be in high demand in the future?

[@sonicmilk]

The example you talked about at the end of the video happens in full time employment as well. It's called ego tripping and you are right the winning move is to try to tell them what they want to hear. Good video.

[@mynameisjeff830]

I want to thank you for making this video. I've watched this 3 times now and if it wasn't for your advice, I wouldn't have been hired for my first freelance job on Upwork. It took me two years to get hired and I start this Saturday. Plus I have another interview for another job. Thanks again

[@DisplayingWays]

“Don’t out shine the master “ that’s what that was lil bro and you motivating me to get back into upwork thank you

[@SM-db6ft]

Finally an honest Guru who admits it's ludicrous to give information away and create more competition if it's making you money

[@silverfox6281]

Those things also happen in a 9 to 5 job, but each has its own ups and downs. The same thing happened to me when I worked at a company as an in-house marketer.

[@vladarodic9683]

Appreciate this but i think better would be to reach out to clients by yourself and pick clients by yourself,just pick a niche and choose a channel. I think most of the clients on platforms they expect for you to know what they need because they don’t know exactly to explain the work that is needed,plus they are cheap and needy and you don’t give them expectations

[@sheabulislam1965]

I agree with you, "let just give what client want"

[@zapy422]

Thanks for the honest opinion

[@nomadgeofencer]

Find a niche. I work in a very narrow space on Upwork where competition is relatively low. Too many freelancers on there trying to be all things to all people creating so much competition for themselves….. Focus focus focus and you will have success with diligence and attention to detail.

[@PGSL-r5n]

Thank you for an honnest and tightnit video on upwork. I've only discovered Upwork in the last week and been running my gardening business for 7/1/2 years. The optimise bit at the beginning was very helpful and applying it is very time consuming and stressful

[@sohfihamid4164]

Thanks for the insight. I have been on Upwork for a while but its just met with dissapointment. One client did not even bother to pay me even when the task completed (though this client was too fussy). DId a lot of upfront prep for each proposals but no reply. It just not easy!

[@MaxCenDev]

I don't know what your profession is, but I started about a couple of months ago, sent over 80 proposals, and got one job for $25. It's worth mentioning that, like you, I spend some time on each proposal. So yea, it's very, very hard.

[@shuvra-kumar-das]

​@@MaxCenDevhow much did you spend on connects?

[@MaxCenDev]

​@@shuvra-kumar-das The cost of proposals varies, but I believe the average is 10 connects, so I spend roughly $80 on that. I was able to get more jobs and even earn a 'Top Rated' badge, but this hasn't changed things much.

[@shuvra-kumar-das]

@@MaxCenDev how much did you earn roughly after spending 80$ on connects?

[@MaxCenDev]

​@@shuvra-kumar-das That is my main issue. I got a $25 job and spent roughly $80. Three months later, I have a little over $1,350 in earnings, and I believe I spent around $200 on connects. If you're thinking about making money on Upwork, consider this: to get the "Top Rated" badge, you need to make over $1,000 in the last 12 months. That will place you within the top 12% of earners on Upwork. To get the "Top Rated Plus" badge, you need to make more than $10,000 in the last 12 months. Only 3% of freelancers have this badge. This means Upwork as a main source of income makes absolutely no sense for people living in the Western world.

[@0o_KASHIII_o0]

Working with people is the hardest part of any job and its especially bad when you're an introvert.....facts, logic and commonsense don't work with extroverts.... There's a soft skill that you're either born with or without but had to develop....

[@pious276]

lol, "common sense doesn't work on extroverts" is one of the funniest shit

[@CalebMaina-lf5po]

​@@pious276100percent true,a lot of words with zero sense

[@Noob-zi2ce]

I once had such a bad client but I didn't let her bring my profile down with a bad review. If you have a bad client, you're going to lose in some way. Sometimes the best thing to do is cancel the contract and lose the time and money, but your reviews section won't be stained.

[@alfonsoroman8964]

Uppers should open a blog where they can also reference clients, it would be very indicative to know if they should take a job from them and at what price...

[@RalphJaysonSantiago]

Thank you for giving us warning and encouragement at the same time. 🔥♥️

[@digital-connectorgmbh3073]

Really thanx from my side for your honest opinion, that great explanation and tips to strategies!

[@meganvanwyk2836]

Love this content!Thank you for keeping it real and honest.

[@TezhibArtisanStudio]

I’ve had similar experience n that was my first and last on upwork

[@ThomasIm]

You gave up?

[@BelArtist]

I couldn’t thank you enough for sharing your experience and insights with us 🥰

[@undergroundvgt]

That 1 star review was a power struggle. That guy was a real jerk but glad u learned from it and didn't quit

[@tomsetberg4746]

I took a look at it and found it almost wholly waste of time. It takes so long to find a job that isn't insane that your time is much much better spent just doing your own projects on KZbin and Patreon. I work in game design and development and most work is someone wanting you to steal your own work and give it to them for minimum pay. Or they want a best selling MMO in 1 month. It's actually ridiculous. Then Upwork doesn't really filter. So you get days where you're flooded with art requests that frequently have nothing to do with your field let alone your specialty. So just focus on your KZbin and Patreon and then leverage those on a professional page like LinkedIn to get an actual stable job (that generally pays more).

[@olivierpire8311]

Exactly the same happened to me on Fiverr, and I can't take it. I stopped to freelance.

[@Sirbikingviking]

You have an amazing channel, thanks for your knowledge and input.

[@minimayzee]

The worse even happen in a full time design job. Got our contract, then the client asks for discount and additional inclusion of deliverables. So yeah, then when they asked for addt'l items, we told them it'll have addt'l cost then they would say we are poor.

[@Aya_Honig_Animation]

Cheap clients always trash you to lower your self esteem to get a discount.

[@martinbel]

One trick I've used with difficult clients is canceling the contract once I see they are unreasonable. Generally the don't know they have 15 days to leave feedback. It's a risk but it worked a few times ;).

[@boahandarrowsproductions4326]

Thank you very much for the video and clarity. Are their Client reviews as well?

[@vietsonnguyen7037]

Thank you for all your sharing

[@ricardoheisinger]

This kind of clients exists not only on Upwork, but in any mort and brick business. Believe me I have been there in person. So you will find that kind of stress in any place. Cheers!

[@abdullahalsaeim4667]

I would like to start my journey on upwork. Instead, I don't wanna use other platform for freelancing. I need to learn everything about upwork and crack the algorithm of it. Where can I learn the basic stuff about upwork?

[@Jaffy712]

Hi Thomas, I appreciate your insight for Upwork platform. I am on another IT Professional platform with 775 projects completed. I usually don't take projects from clients who have less than 4 stars which I can read their reviews given by other IT Pros. Doesn't Upwork have similar system that you can give and read the clients reviews too?

[@ThomasIm]

Yes, but a lot of clients don't have reviews

[@preciouskennedy6370]

Do you use other platform apart from Upwork?

[@basedblueboy8770]

Can you let me know the platform for IT work?

[@martinbel]

​@@ThomasImthat's a riskier client. But sometimes you have no option

[@ragethesystem91]

Thanks man, really appreciate your insight. Thinking about trying Upwork.

[@AmeerHamza-cy6km]

I faced this client attitude problem twice. It is frustrating.

[@thedesignventures]

thanks for sharing

[@bakeraus]

Upwork is the perfect market for .... I want, I want, I want ....$10 jobs...easy job...if it was that easy why don't they do? Never be afraid to push back with clients in a professional manner, they will take and take.

[@Aya_Honig_Animation]

Ho man... something like this happened to me this week, I had to watch the email correspondence of the sales department trashing me with the accounting department, saying they didn't know how "expensive and slow" I was. Which is weird to me, given that I sent a proposal and a timeline ahead of starting the project. That wasn't on upwork, so goes to show clients can be difficult in any platform. It's really shi*ty. Sometimes we get blamed for miscommunication and inside politics of organizations. Somehow this always happens when there's more then one person in charge. Lucky not everyone is like this!!!

[@tulipsglimpse]

thanks for sharing this real feeing, learned a lot form it❤❤❤

[@emmanuelthompson32]

mw personally straight up i cancle the project , it always shocks them

[@taylorfredrickson7750]

I used to be a freelance ESL teacher. I had hundreds of 5 star reviews and 1 one star in about 5 years. This kid took the tablet in his bathroom and started shitting while in class, so I ended the class and the parent blamed me for ending the class. Luckily the company was pretty good about hiding unfair reviews.

[@chrisdoukiris7132]

Thanks for sharing Thomas!

[@MuhammadIsfahan-j7t]

Provide this type of video update now because in past 7 months too much has been changed

[@niyanaknowledgecave3277]

client don't even open the bid...trust me..!! I did everything to make it perfect but didn't work, very very frustrating...

[@ChicagoJ351]

I don’t know anything about upwork, but do clients get reviews? It seems it would be helpful. If it was me, I think your view of giving them what they want to hear is a good approach. But I think also recognizing when there is a dependency on the client and how you could get setup to take the fall. Making sure everything is documented if possible so that boss could get all the details presented to him. I think the other manager should have handled that differently. It’s not ethical that the manager let you take the fall.

[@Maldives2025]

its a 9 - 5 but in your room

[@codersoll]

Way more better than working a regular job where you have no control over your job

[@Maldives2025]

@@codersoll pros and cons depends on the job :) as you can see there is a lot you don't have control over on Upwork and have to pander to clients

[@codersoll]

@@Maldives2025 still better in my opinion

[@helperboy5020]

thx thomas. Valuable info.

[@300AdamB]

I would not suggest it if your just starting up your looking at 6 - 8 months before getting your first client and that's if you continuously be changing up your profile and buying connects I would advise just getting a job in the sector you are interested in 😊

[@maurooldani4036]

Very good video thx, keep doing content

[@lightbluerain]

Did you leave feedback back for the client explaining what had happened? Other freelancers should be warned about them

[@sulayman0848]

well said go ahead.

[@Saufii]

Thank you for sharing

[@truthseeker3140]

Hi Thomas. You stated you got a 1 star review. Is it possible for clients to leave a bad review if you haven't accepted any money from the client. If it isn't possible I think it may be best just to cancel the job rather than get a bad review.

[@ThomasIm]

The JSS still gets affected either way, and the project was a $900 project. I didn't want to refund that

[@truthseeker3140]

@@ThomasIm thanks for your response. Here is what I read on an Upwork forum: If you refund and the earnings 0 from the contract only public feedback will be hidden, any positive or negative private feedback is still counted towards JSS calculation. If the project value is high do not agree to the refund, go for feedback removal option available to Top Rated. If she is determined to leave a bad feedback you are better off ending the contract yourself. If you have completed the contract as per the terms discussed and agreed do agree to refund.

[@spirkinp]

Hi Thomas! Great video What do you think, in which areas to gain experience and develop projects?) I would be grateful for your advice)

[@ThomasIm]

There's tons you can choose from, I could tell you what I chose, but it might not be right for you You have to do the research to find one yourself

[@spirkinp]

@@ThomasIm I will be very grateful if you would tell me)

[@sikkidesigns]

Next Video Thomas "How to manage clients especially on Upwork?" plzzzz!!!

[@harshaliyanage01]

Thank you ❤️

[@Noob-zi2ce]

Reviews on Upwork can be edited by clients. You have an opportunity of reaching out to a client and asking them what you did wrong to get the bad review, you can resolve the issue and the review will he edited.

[@chillydoog]

Man, thank you for this advice. I feel like your situation with that bad client is so typical of agencies, especially when they hold so much leverage over you. I didn't realize they could just end the contract and drop you so quickly and then tarnish your reputation. That's such a dick move. Do you have any advice on how to filter out these potentially toxic clients? It seems like once you're in a contract with them they just hold all the power over you as a freelancer. I would love to know if you have found any red flags to look out for to avoid getting into these situations in the future.

[@vanp3081]

That happened to me working corporate. I would receive files after the proposed launch date and be accused of delaying projects. It was an ongoing issue. Did you get paid for the one post?

[@edlynagamata9879]

Hello, I make money through Upwork..

[@emmanuelthompson32]

on gave me a 2 star on a programmer trailing stop that was working perfectly, he was literelly performing and using the wrong set of data for his calculation which was laughable but his EGO would not allow him accept he was making the wrong calculation

[@ArsalanM541]

Hello, brother also share your experience writing proposals and client face-to-face meetings.

[@ThomasIm]

Already have videos on those Proposals: Writing a good cover letter: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ommYhZ6Xo9ispK8 My exact cover letter that got me my first client: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIGwfGhqf7yYa7c Meetings/sales calls: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4DYZ6VsmNlqq9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJmbo5qXasqjipY

[@kumargupta7149]

You said update is really nice.

[@elisabethw.alfanisa2998]

Wow.. I love this kind of content! It’s so raw, no editing, just your honest sharing, and more importantly it speaks FACTS👍🏼 I am starting off my freelancing journey with 5+ years working experience before and its been uneasy for me to get client from Upwork. Do you have any tips to attract the first client? Cuz I think the first client will be very significant.. Thankss🙏🏼

[@ThomasIm]

Thanks! I can probably go for hours on tips to attract clients.. I'll try to shorten the points and create a video on it!

[@MrGreen087]

Man, I have been on Upwork since 2016 - Expert Vetted Freelancer. Yet, not able to find any descent project for the last one year or so. Contradictoty to what you are saying, the number of freelancers from US and Canada has grown a lot since Covid and its much harder for someone outside North America or UK / EU to compete (like in my case). What is more suprising is that those freelancers from western countries are offering a very competitive rates these days. Nobody cares about pension and medical insurances anymore - instead operating from cheaper cities without 9-5 commitment

[@chillydoog]

Thanks for your insights. Im curious what industry you are in and what type of freelance work do you offer?

[@MrGreen087]

@@chillydoog Fractional CMO - Digital Marketing

[@bbbbjjj7002]

Same thing here. I believe the problem is with upwork recommendation algorithms first of all.

[@UltraPayrollMaster]

pls post the URL to your upwork profile (so i can see the 1 star review).

[@infofromBeKind]

I just started - how long do you wait for a proposal? I was invited to apply for a job and it's been 10 days and I have yet to hear back either way.

[@JhosimarB-e4y]

Hi Thomas. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. One question. I'm new in Up Work and your idea just clicked on me. I'm planning to do a job similar us you. But Im wondering how did you start with your portfolio?. Did you ask your workers about their jobs or how was your approach? Thanks

[@ThomasIm]

I did that as well as create my own work examples. Created a video on it too you can check it out

[@TyroneEntertainingJoseph]

I’ve just signed up to Upwork bro and I wanted to ask is it safe? Like I don’t want to apply for a job and I don’t get paid 😤😤😤😤🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

[@infofromBeKind]

Is ageism or ghosting something a person has to worry about with Upwork? I was part of a round of layoffs and when I was applying for full time jobs, my unemployment coach told me to take all my credentials off my resume otherwise it shows how old I am and people would think I've over qualified and I'd never get an interview. Is that similar in the freelancing world?

[@infofromBeKind]

What is the most interesting job offer you have received on Upwork? I just had a guy reach out and ask if I would plan his proposal for him. Is that normal?

[@oneminutenglish]

What up man! One question please, do you think graphic design now in 2024 or learning to do youtube thumbnails with adobe worth learning as a complete beginner to start on up work?

[@FlifnoFun]

Yes great skills to have

[@mariatsimbi7163]

I have a 9 to 5 job as a mechanic and i was considering to join Upwork in order to make some extra money. Do you think that i could do that in Upwork? Or do you have another platform in mind?

[@dansw0rkshop]

This is how I started back in 2007 when it was called oDesk. Had a full time job as a warehouse worker (and did some IT work for the same warehouse). Started out with moonlighting the freelance thing and eventually was overwhelmed and had to quit the 9-5. Has been mostly bliss since.

[@elgalgotranquilo]

Hey, thank you for the video. I havent't started yet on upwork, but I did freelance jobs before. How do the contracts work? I usually ask for 50% in advance so I don't work for free. How do you manage this? What happens when a client cancels his contract? I'm not sure how this works on Upwork.

[@ThomasIm]

Pretty simple, just let the client know beforehand. When a client ends the contract, the contract ends. There's really not much to it

[@elgalgotranquilo]

Perfect! Thank you again@@ThomasIm:)

[@Damilare1truelove]

Please if I don't have qualification to present on upwork, will I still make money on upwork

[@avalox7624]

Not Every Person Can work in Upwork If Your Russian Upwork will not let you even Create an account. I have a friend He is a Russian Citizen and he's account was permanently banned do to the Sanctions, and Noth Korea doesn't even have Internet.

[@AmyOfEarth]

If you love PAYING to work instead of GETTING PAID to work, you will love Upwork!

[@AlanZhu-kv8lr]

i haven’t landed a job yet and just recently out of nowhere a person sent me a proposal for a quote on quote small job. He didn’t say what his timeline was (as in how much time he expects this job to take) so I messaged him back asking about this. He hasn’t responded in 4 days. Thoughts on this? Should I just take the job anyway? Or just move on because of a noncommunicative client that could end up in a similar position as ur past bad exp? love ur vibe btw

[@ThomasIm]

I don't accept jobs until there are clear expectations on the work scope and quotes In your case I think the best you can do is just send a final message letting your client know your price for the project and that you can start as soon as they confirm After that, move on. Focus more on the clients that are responsive

[@afiasheikh416]

Unresponsive client is a huge red sign. He may give u a job and deadline and then go on silent mode when u have any question or need a feedback. Watch carefully

[@glenarroyo3688]

What kind of work you do?

[@bipulyadav7450]

I am strugging on Upwork, Can you give me some referals pls ?

[@reuben-mwangi]

any one working with upwork please from KE??

[@marcusnjoroge4431]

Me here ✊

[@reuben-mwangi]

@@marcusnjoroge4431 do you mind helping me pick up on how to go about it?

[@jeczsz]

they want a yes man

[@RolandWebster-l1u]

Young Carol Thomas Betty Perez Dorothy

[@iskapalya]

Bottomline; ego maniac client

[@sinatraforeign]

definitely

[@jgibson8092]

exactly. he got an apology then still left a 1 star review . I wouldve been pissed .

[@dumafoic5745]

for upwork its matter if you live in Russia

[@AnsafP]

every freelancer have atleast faced a 1 star review at least once.

[@TermiteValley]

wow, sucks about that 1 star review. Sorry about that man,,

[@PansyMarcia-p5r]

Moore Mary Lewis Michael Rodriguez Margaret

[@muzaffarali6417]

Why your lips and voice match?

[@edgardrcha]

hi thomas how could i talk to you about the skills to learning in order to start working on upwork

[@boris_just_]

Upwork is just waste od time. I spent whole year there and nothing. Zero.

[@UHFStation1]

So damned if you do or don't?

[@CrazyCokee]

what an complete A - hole client. definitely wasn't your fault, sometimes clients just have no awareness and lack personal responsibility and then project their own frustrations out on someone else with no rhyme or reason. you just happened to be the unlucky person to cross paths, but nothing to do with u

[@PEBBLETHEREBEL1985]

I felt angry listening to your client story,

[@RooterDelWifiXs]

Is your audio delayed?

[@ThomasIm]

Unfortunately yeah

[@CraigieNorma-w1k]

Clark Lisa Perez Karen Gonzalez Donna

[@Anthony-dj4nd]

NO