When I first started using Upwork, I did what most people do.
I looked at the rates.
If it was high, I applied. If it was low, I skipped it.
It made sense, and it felt right, but it wasn’t
So many people fail on Upwork because they don’t realize:
- High rates don’t automatically mean strong opportunities. The work could be messy, expectations unclear, or difficult clients. It is easy to walk into underpaid chaos disguised as a premium project.
- Some of the best projects don’t look impressive at all. They are easy to scroll past because they don’t scream for attention.
- Even when you find the right opportunity, it means nothing if the proposal is weak, generic, or rushed. The proposal is what actually positions you as the obvious choice.
This is the difference between wasting time and landing six-figure clients:
- Knowing how to spot red flags and quickly filter out the wrong opportunities, so you’re not wasting time on demanding clients, unrealistic scopes, or work that will never justify your rate.
- Being able to recognize the right opportunities, even when they don’t look impressive at first glance, because you understand the signals that point to clarity, structure, and real long-term potential.
- Submitting proposals that don’t just “apply,” but clearly position you as the solution to the client’s problem, making it easy for them to feel confident choosing you over everyone else.
➡️ Today’s Action: If you’ve been on Upwork (or any freelancer platform) before and it didn’t work, hit reply and tell me what happened.
I’m happy to give you some perspective.
Keep going! You are doing great
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