Successful Freelancer: Learn from Arron how to take your first steps and gain prominence as a freelancer

It’s always an honor to be able to bring you success stories of freelancers here at Workana and today, we want to share the story of Arron, who works as a freelancer and, despite his young age, has understood that having organization and discipline are key to success in this career. 

Being constantly learning, mastering techniques and tools have made him number one on his category in Malaysia, where we started operations in 2018.

From University to the First Steps as a Freelancer Professional.

Being only 22 years old, Arron today is one of the most prominent freelancers in the Design and Multimedia category in Malaysia. He is still at University and is an Architecture major. It was precisely because he was exposed to different types of projects in his academic life, involving graphic designs and tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator, that he started working as a freelancer and offer his work to clients.

He’s a full-time Freelancer, only taking off the time he still dedicates to studies, and even before he started his freelance career, he went through a 3-month internship in an Architecture office, as a requirement for one of the modules of his university course.

All the experience gained through the internship and, of course, his academic studies, were instrumental in getting Arron to start his freelance career as a Graphic Designer and also to convince customers of the value of his work and his competence.

From a traditional family and a small town in East Malaysia, Arron left his hometown and currently lives in Subang. This region of Malaysia, where Arron is from, is a place where there are fewer job opportunities.

We know that for those who live in less developed centers, which is where he used to live, a career as a freelancer is an excellent alternative because, through remote work, it’s possible to work from a distance without having to relocate.

A lover of the Fine Arts, he goes to the movies every week. 

We at Workana had the pleasure of interviewing him and getting to know a bit more about his expectations and aspirations.

Check out everything Arron shared with us.

Why did you decide to become a professional freelancer?

With a great interest in working as a graphic designer for the fashion segment, he liked this practice of freelance work and how working remotely allowed him to make money. In addition, being the entrepreneur of your own career was part of his plans.

He set as a professional goal to grow a small business with his girlfriend in this area.

How important is Workana in your freelance career? What does Workana allow you to do? 

As he shared with us, when he chose Workana, he wanted to start a fashion brand and still didn’t have the working capital to start the activities. This scenario led him to pursue activities such as graphic design. 

When he started his search, he typed “malaysia freelancer” on Google and reached Workana! 

At first, he tried other platforms but preferred to continue with Workana because, when he compared other marketplaces of remote work and freelance work, he understood that, in other places, the competition ends up becoming very high and the offered prices, too low.

What is something you don’t like?

Self-promotion projects.

What are you doing with your free time now that you’re a freelancer?

Usually, in my spare time, I dedicate myself to my studies and I also really enjoy watching movies.

What’s your dream?

Building a company in the fashion segment, a famous brand, and also carry out interior design projects. I would like to have a multidisciplinary company that can provide solutions and, of course, be open to hiring freelancers who’ll help me achieve all of this! In particular, new freelancers to give them the opportunity to grow, just as other customers have once helped me in the past.

What is your advice for anyone who wants to become a Freelancer?

“Learn how to manage your time so you can complete all your projects properly”.

The freelancer who is starting out shouldn’t be disappointed at the beginning of his career, for getting their first projects can take a little more time.

Always take the opportunity to show examples of your work and their quality. 

Another tip by Arron is to always use the portfolio and, in your profile, a sharp and high-resolution image that shows your face or your brand. If the photo was taken outdoors, it’s a great opportunity to get good lighting. Otherwise, make sure that the light and background are both good.

In addition, any type of comment left in the profile or past experience will be welcomed!

The Importance of Ranking for Arron’s Freelance Career at Workana.

At one point during the interview, we asked Arron what he liked most about Workana and he answered instantly: “The ranking system that gives more visibility and benefits to the Freelance’s profiler”.

To become Workana’s # 1 Freelancer in its Design & Multimedia Category in Malaysia, he has completed 16 projects and of this total, 5 clients have hired him again for other projects. And we obviously recognize this as very positive and we attribute points to the professional’s profile so that he can stand out.

It’s worth mentioning that Arron’s freelance profile is very complete and brings clear and easy to understand information both in his Work History as a Freelancer, as in the “About Me” section.

He makes it clear that, despite having his headquarters in Malaysia, he can work with customers from all over the world and is able to work on the following types of projects:

In all his client’s reviews, Arron was rated 5 stars and all with great comments:
Understand how Workana’s Ranking System works

Whether you’re just arriving at the Platform now or have been registered for some time now, this is a great opportunity to find out how Workana’s ranking system works!

Basically, this system assigns a score based on multiple factors and we’ll talk about each of them below:

  1. Payments and reviews obtained in the last 6 months: The system takes into account the latest payments and reviews. After six months, your income almost won’t affect your position in the ranking, and the higher reviews will multiply your score even more.
  2. Violations: Avoid any breaching of the platform’s policies and terms as, if you receive a violation, your score will be impacted.
  3. Reply rate: Respond quickly and give complete answers to your customers. The response rate will help you improve your ranking position in a short period of time.
  4. Recently made proposals: Be an active professional on the platform, searching for new projects and improve your ranking.
  5. Projects won in recent months: The client accepted your proposal? This will also help you with your ranking.
  6. Clients that hire you again: Being rehired is even better! It means that the customer was satisfied with your work and wants to have your services again! Obviously, this will very positively multiply your ranking.
  7. Your position in Workana’s achievements and rewards system: The higher your position, the better your rank will be.
  8. Mediations (non-disputes) and projects not completed in the last 6 months: If you have mediations, this may or may not adversely affect your ranking. As a rule, having more than one recent mediation will likely be negative for your ranking. The more mediations you have, the greater the effect.
  9. Contact or payment alerts outside Workana: If our moderation system detects that you inform contact data or accept payments outside the platform, your ranking will be adversely affected. Your account may even be terminated!

If you have more questions about this topic, don’t hesitate to check out our Help Center!

Get to know more about Arron’s category: Design & Multimedia

We recently brought word that last year, an average of 300 projects were created for the Design & Multimedia category here at Workana. And this is the most prominent category of the platform!

Having skills like Arron’s with Photoshop and Illustrator are essential. But it’s not just technology and tools that these professionals need to be aware of.

It’s essential to find balance, harmonization and know how to build patterns of colors and shapes in the right way to capture the consumer’s mind through images. It’s necessary having attention in every detail of the project to understand the tastes of each client, and only professionals of this area are truly qualified to carry out this type of work.

In this article, we share 8 Design principles with very special tips both for the entrepreneur who hires professionals and for those who want to get more knowledge and, who knows, dive head-on into this profession!

How about sharing your success story?

Did you like meeting Arron? We invite you to fill out this form and tell us your story.

Meet the Largest Freelancer Work Platform 

Since 2012, Workana connects entrepreneurs, independent professionals and freelancers to work remotely. Today we are the largest platform in all of Brazil and Latin America.

To create your project and leverage your enterprise, it’s simple: click this link and start today taking the next step for your growth!

 

Subscribe to the Workana newsletter and keep updated