Learn about Sarah, an American freelancer who has succeeded on the platform thanks to her strong commitment and focus on her work.

Shortly describe your story

Sarah: Since I was really young, all my friends and coworkers in the US would work hard to save money in the summer to have fun along the school year and get some special purchase, like the famous Gameboy on its day! So working as a freelancer has always been something interesting and beneficial for me, both from the economic perspective and also as an experience for my curriculum.

How and why did you get to know Workana? Which were your needs as a professional?

Sarah: It was during my last year at work, with a fixed contract –I was trying to meet the requirements for a permanent visa in Chile, when I started to look for quite a more steady way to do freelance work, which I’d done for years but only occasionally and with little planning. There was a site hiring foreign workers in Chile, but in 2013 the ads posted were not many. Besides, in some other informal groups such as Facebook, there were a few vacant positions, for instance, just as a teacher of English or as a secretary to foreign executives.

I was willing to join in a more challenging project, to explore new industries and work with clients from other countries –to find “joy” and do something more than simply making money for a company whose values did not identify me. The icing on the cake was the possibility to put up a portfolio of clients which let me work virtually with a flexible timetable so as to focus on other rewarding experiences such as doing voluntary work in Santiago.

How did Workana help you solve that difficulty?

Sarah: The platform and freelance work style at Workana allowed me to quickly build a virtual profile, which I’m now using along with my resume when I need to apply for a project, either in or out of the platform. I feel that the comments from clients provide a sort of safety net to new clients who might be reluctant to hire a foreign freelancer for the first time.

The result of putting up a profile and joining a project at Workana was quite more fluent than it usually happens with other sites and made my transition to 100% freelancing much easier than starting my own business and trying to find clients on my own, not to mention the high investment costs. It also let me hold control of some important tools about the development of my “freelance business”, such as collections and automated payments, or the “matching” with clients looking for my profile, or even making communication with clients simpler.

For all these reasons, I always recommend “Workana” to my new friends and colleagues, as now they might avoid wasting their time experimenting on other sites until getting to something that really works!

Have you noticed any difference in your approach to clients or an increase in your workload since you became a Workana Partner?

Sarah: I’ve become a Partner quite recently, which means not just still getting support for your positioning, but receiving quicker answers from clients when you apply for a project and gaining more profile visibility. Besides, last February I was awarded a Premium plan on the Twitter contest, which was like a lifesaver to me, and then I got a new wave of clients along with the new year.

It wouldn’t have been possible to survive such huge interaction with clients –requests and questions about the system, if I hadn’t counted on the support of customer service you get with the Premium plan. Instant withdrawals were also very useful to cover extra costs and some unforeseen expenses during those days.

Which is the big advantage / added value that you found with Workana? Would you recommend it? Why?

Sarah: (Please read previous question, connected to this answer.) Taking control in an organized fashion when you’re set to find new clients, being “suggested” as a good match to other clients and counting on a serious platform where you can do safe business transactions is a total plus. In Chile, the payment cycle can be from 30 to 90 days! I cannot even think what would have been of me if I had gone to the market on my own and had to manage the collections, payments, follow-ups and communication all by myself for the first time.

Workana platform saves a lot of management time for small companies or for freelancers and allows you to focus on your expertise rather than on the details of each business transaction. The best thing is that, if my enterprise someday gets big enough, I can easily go back to Workana and find a partner for a future business together. I’m really looking forward to getting to that next level!

Below I’m at a business meeting with one of the clients I made on Workana:

What direct benefits did you get with Workana? Do you have any statistics or specific figure?

Sarah: The continuous use of Workana results in the development of unexpected tools such as getting to understand other languages better in your exchange with foreign clients. In my particular case, now I can understand much more of Portuguese, as I’ve worked with over 5 clients from Brazil since I joined Workana and I’ve never thought it possible to do so if you didn’t  have a fluent command of the language.

On the whole, I’ve worked with clients from over 7 different countries on Workana (compared to just two countries out of the platform). I started earning enough to get one payment every two months at first, to getting three payments between February and March. Basically, I eventually started generating 5 times more money monthly than at the beginning. With lots of dedication, I’ve improved my application letters, dealing really professionally with each of my clients. “Good vibes” and flexibility will take you far with a client!

Learn more about Sarah’s profile and experience!

—

Do you feel like creating your freelance profile? Do you already have a profile on Workana but you liked the idea of becoming one of our Partners to earn more and get more projects? Welcome then!

Start experiencing right now everything Workana can do for your freelance career. It’s a one-way ticket, without any doubt! Come and join our freelancers’ network now!