As a freelancer, establishing your online reputation is essential. We work with clients on the premise of trust.
That’s why most freelancing platforms put in place a two-way feedback system. This system will give a person an idea about how a particular freelancer performs previous projects.
So if a freelancer failed to meet the expectations set at the start, it could mean a termination of the contract, which leads to a negative review.
And if you have low ratings, it decreases your chances of getting hired.
What if I told you that it’s possible to get more projects, or get better premium clients, even after you got a low rating in your previous project…
And you can bounce back big time, become in-demand without the need to sell your service by the hour?
I’m about to show you how a young mom got back on her feet and become the most in-demand funnel designer… even after getting poor feedback from a previous client.
Discover what she did to shift the result in her favor and make her business grow the way it is right now.
Meet Bea.
Bea is a 25-year old wife and mom to an 8-year old daughter named Blake.
She loves rock music and tattoos.
Her roller coaster life started at a very young age of 17 when she got pregnant in her second year.
“Nung nanganak ako, pinag-hihiwalay na kami ng mother ko. Kasi sabi, mag aral daw muna daw kami. Baka masundan na naman daw, di na kami makausad sa buhay.So, sinabi ko sa sarili ko, “bakit ko hahayaang masira yung pamilya ko. Ginusto naman naming pareho.”
Two months after she gave birth, they decided to elope and move to Batangas.
It’s really painful for her to leave her daughter to her mom. It’s the most difficult decision she has to make back then.
She felt like a failure as a daughter, that even now she’s a mom, she still has to depend on her mom for her daughter’s welfare.
They have no choice but to do that with 500 pesos in their pocket.
The next day, Bea decided to apply to SM as a saleslady. She’s only 17 years old during that time, which made it difficult for her to apply for a job. The interviewer even looked down on her because she’s so young to apply for the job.
“Nawalan ako ng pag-asa kasi hirap akong makakuha ng work sa ganong edad at wala pa akong tinapos, college undergrad ako nun.”
She even tried applying to a BPO company in the area, but she can’t speak straight English at that time. She always stutters whenever she tries to do so.
Then, she tried to apply to a freelance agency near their area. It turned out they’re looking for an article writer.
“After a few days, nakareceive ako ng text na pumasa daw ako. Training na daw. Tuwang tuwa ako. May bayad yung training. P250 a day. Tuwang tuwa na ako kasi 500 pesos lang yung pera namin, tapos magkaka-250 a day na ko.”
As a couple, they’ve decided that whoever gets the first job will be the one who will work. And the other will take good care of our baby once they’re ready to get her from her Mom.
The training lasted for 2 weeks. After the trial, she got hired at 50 pesos per hour, plus paid overtime.
Usually, the job was from 8 am to 5 pm. But for her to get paid extra 50 pesos per hour, she would choose to work longer hours to have extra money to pay the bills.
After a month, they decided to get her daughter from Bulacan since they have enough savings.
And it felt really good that after how many months, she’s able to be with her daughter. In fact, she can still remember (like it was yesterday) the very first clothes and toy she bought for her.
But like any starting family, her income becomes insufficient to support their needs. They experienced not to eat, for Blake to have enough supply of milk and diapers.
“Naalala ko pa nga, ang inuulam namin literal na kangkong lang. Yung ulam ng umaga, yun na din hanggang gabi, minsan umaabot pa ng kinabukasan. Sobrang hirap.”
It came to a point when their marriage was significantly affected.
They had countless fights over a lot of things, money being one of them.
“Naisip ko, hanggang dito na lang ba ako? Parang hindi ko kayang tumagal sa buhay ng hanggang dito na lang. Ayaw kong tumanda sa office na to, na 50 per hour lang.”
She realized it was not the lifestyle that she wanted for her and her family — she wanted better.
That’s why the couple decided that they’ll both work and take turns taking care of their daughter.
Bea will take good care of her daughter at night, while her husband will do his part during the day.
But it wasn’t easy.
“Dahil doon, naospital yung anak ko, nagkaron siya ng pneumonia kasi napapabayaan siya. Kaya parang naisip ko na, umuwi muna sa Bulacan… Parang sumuko din ako.”
She got worried about her daughter.
And can’t accept the fact that she got sick because they’re not able to provide her the needed care and attention.
That’s why she decided to resign from work and went back to her Mom in Bulacan.
“Naisip ko, gusto ko ulit mag-aral para magkaron pa ako ng mga skills.”
She still had a dream to finish her studies and work in a nice company earning a decent income as an employee.
Little did Bea know that her Mom will text her and ask her to go back home.
She was given a chance to study again; she agreed.
She took Multimedia Arts at a certain college in Bulacan.
And In the first semester, she tried to explore freelancing again — but this time, as an independent freelancer.
She tried applying for graphic design jobs.
She was then hired as a Graphic designer/VA at $3 per hour.
She felt happy and anxious at the same time since she didn’t have her own laptop yet. Plus, her Mom’s internet shop didn’t have the software she needed to fulfill the job.
In short, she got no way to complete the job.
She just wanted to try applying for the sake of trying and didn’t really expect someone will hire her.
In short, she was caught off guard.
And since she’s not able to deliver what’s required, the client terminated the contract immediately and left a 2-star review.
She felt devastated.
She experienced several challenges after that 2-star rating.
Most clients she connected with were concerned about her ability to complete the task required. They thought she’s not capable of delivering the requirement since she underperformed on the last project.
Some even question her skill if she could really deliver the project.
And when she attempted to raise her rate, they belittled her and confronted her why she’s charging that high; that there are other freelancers who are charging way low.
(Sigh.)
But Bea was not the type of woman who’ll cry over spilled milk.
She knew nothing good comes out of putting yourself in the corner to hold a pity party.
“Kaya ang ginawa ko, para matabunan yung 2-star rating ko, nag apply ako ng mga easy jobs na may fixed price na mababa yung fee. Ang habol ko kasi dun yung 5-star ratings, para matabunan yung 2-star rating ko.”
After several fixed fee projects, things got better for Bea. It became easier for her to apply since clients no longer see the 2-star review…
Simply because several 5-star reviews have outnumbered it.
Problem solved!
She continued to look for jobs to pay for her tuition fee. She wanted to be independent and not rely on her Mom when it comes to finances.
“Gusto ko ng makabawi sa kanya, since ping-aral nya ko before pero binalewala ko lang. Since binigyan nya ko ng second chance, I want to do it right this time.”
A great idea came to mind, and here’s what she did.
She went to Facebook and searched “looking for a graphic designer.” She then saw a guy who’s looking for a virtual assistant.
She did the usual drill.
She sent a private message and chatted about the job.
She impressed the client with her skills, attitude, and experience.
The conversation went well. That’s why she got hired at $10 per hour for 40 hours per week.
“He then asked me if I have an idea about Clickfunnels. Sabi ko wala, pero, I love to learn to help him with his business. Nag-undergo ako ng training sa Clickfunnels.”
Clickfunnels is a robust page builder that helps businesses market, sell, and deliver their products online. This tool simplifies online marketing, selling, and delivery of their products and services… by providing users with funnel options that are pre-built for a specific business, product, or service.
Little by little, their lifestyle improved. The freelance business enabled Bea to support her family’s needs. They’re able to buy a second-hand car, a Honda Civic CSI model 1995.
But here’s the caveat…
She’s still trapped and exhausted with all the client work she had.
She’s not enjoying the job at all.
Even though she’s a freelancer, she didn’t have the “freedom” to choose who she wants to work with. Some clients looked down on her skills, & even questioned her abilities.
Even though she’s a freelancer, she still didn’t have the time freedom because she still worked at an hourly rate selling her time.
And even though she’s a freelancer, she didn’t have the freedom to enjoy quality time with her family. She’s still strapped in front of her computer, clocking in 14 hours per day on average to meet the weekly time quota.
“Napagod na din kasi talaga ako. Mag-start ako mag-work ng 10 AM tapos hanggang madaling araw na ko magta-timer para maka-quota. Kasi kailangan ma-track ng client yung activities ko, para malaman yung na-accomplish ko every day.
Yung billable hours ko to work, kailangan may matching report yun that I work with the projects I do for them. Hourly kasi talaga.”
This report shows what window she opened, the movement of her computer mouse, the clicks, and other relevant activities done during the tracking period.
In short, every move was monitored and reviewed by her client.
She got no time for breaks. In fact, she needed to ask her 3-year old daughter to hit the up and down keys for her, so she can take a break.
That’s how glued she is with her work at that time.
Her biggest challenge when it comes to freelancing was charging higher than what she usually charges a.k.a premium fees, so she could only work a few hours per week, freeing up more time to be with her family.
It is a massive challenge for her back then because clients have a lot of objections whenever she attempts to increase her hourly rate.
They’re asking why she’s charging that much.
Bea has a scarcity mindset. She believed that if she changed her pricing model, they will end the contract and waste the opportunity to earn from them on an hourly arrangement.
“My thinking is that it’s ok to sell my time instead of them declining my proposal. I don’t think about the long term effects of what I’m doing. Nobody is guiding me in freelancing, and I’m all by myself back then.”
Yet, the burnout screamed louder than the dollars she’s earning from her clients.
She realized her time is more productive doing something else, instead of scrolling, and hitting up-down keys to clock in her hours.
That’s why she looked for new opportunities.
And when you’re looking for opportunities. Guess what you’ll find?
Yes, more opportunities.
“Minsan, may nakita akong isang video before sa FB. Nag-offer yung guy na may tattoo ng mini-workshop. Pero di ko kinuha kasi wala pa akong bilib sa mga online courses before.”
She started posting questions in a private Facebook group asking how to solve her current challenge on a project she’s working on.
And because of that, she got connected with other Pinoys in the freelancing industry.
Once again, Bea saw one of John’s posts about his newest freelancing course, which costs PHP 2000.
But did not take the opportunity.
Why?
She doesn’t believe in the power of coaching and online courses.
“I thought that everything could be found on Google, and I don’t need to pay for mentorships like this. Napakalaki ng bilib ko sa sarili ko, na kaya kong i-discover lahat.”
Her scarcity mindset was getting in the way. She only took projects which are pure hourly. It’s very seldom for her to take fixed rate projects. And if she did, she got low-fee jobs.
Never in her years working online did she got hired on projects with a rate of $500-1,000.
She’s literally selling her time. She just did what she’s told to do. And that’s it. She didn’t think of overdelivering service.
Then, she saw John’s free workshop again. This time, she really read it— from lesson 1 to 4.
And to her surprise, the lessons were mind-blowing.
“He’s different from all the Filipino freelance coaches that I know and have been seeing in my newsfeed. Some coaches teach only their skills. Or how to land clients through freelancing sites like Upwork (I knew that already and I’m stuck there unhappy).
John is totally different. He teaches the strategies, techniques, and mindset, which most freelancers lack.”
So she will NEVER miss his next offer in the future.
Then, when John opened the Tribe for the first time seeing a lot of great testimonials from people who learned from him…
This marked the day that she said to herself…
“Something has to change with my way of freelancing. Something is not right about how I do freelancing. This needs to end now.”
That’s why she enrolled in the Tribe.
She realized that it’s really life-changing to invest in courses like this. She kinda regrets starting too late enrolling in this kind of program.
For her, it’s okay to be a self-taught freelancer, but she realized it’s way better to take this path because it fast tracks your success.
You’ll achieve your goals faster.
She signed up for the quarterly payment option costing her PHP 2999 to enroll.
After she got access to the course, she immersed herself in the lessons and put it to the test immediately.
She found an opportunity from a private FB group where a prospect asked a specific question. Since it’s within her skills, she sent a private message with the idea of helping this prospect.
The conversation went well, which resulted in sealing the deal at $956 for a 10-hour project.
“Still, I can’t believe I initially invested in this Tribe for only PHP 2999 (3-month plan), and the return of investment was already $956 + $1000 in just 17 days.”
If you’ll do the Math $1,956 @ PHP 50 = PHP 97,800.
This means she’s able to profit 32X more than what she invested — and that’s just the beginning.
The next month, she’s able to win another project worth $2,500 paid in full by the client. The client was quite happy with Bea’s work that she added 3 more web pages at $197 per page.
That’s not all.
She was able to turn this client into a referral machine by exceeding her expectations and providing her with a premium experience.
This is what happens when you genuinely care about their biz.
Remember the $956 deal?
That deal includes a 10% commission for every sale generated.
Guess how much is her commission after she finished the work 2 months ago?
$654.38 for that month. Doing. Nothing.
She’s getting win after win by implementing the lessons in her freelancing business.
She even closed another $4k project with a new client.
After that win, she became complacent, so she stopped prospecting. She’s burned out because the project required more work than what she expected.
And to add to that, she realized she undercharged for the service she rendered for the client. That should have been a $10K project.
That’s why she felt the need to rest for a while.
She thought she deserves a rest from the hard work she did, which caused burnout and exhaustion.
As an outlet to relax and release the stress, she resorted to playing online games like GTA and Counter-Strike. And later on, she became addicted to it.
“Hindi na ko nag prospecting. Hindi na ko nag-show up sa social media kung saan nandun yung mga prospects ko, yung mga clients ko. Hindi na ko nag operate ng freelance business ko.”
As in zero. Nada. Zilch.
And this made her business suffer.
Not only that, this $4k client asked for a refund because she’s not able to complete the project on time.
“That call puts me back to my senses.”
She acted on it immediately and talked to the client. They agreed to finish the project.
She even offered to do other projects for free, aside from what they agreed upon to make up for the delay she caused.
Thank God, she agreed.
The lesson…
Never stop prospecting even if you close premium projects. You still need to do prospecting consistently for you not to experience “dry” months.
She also realized the importance of giving your full focus and attention to the project given to you.
And that you should not let distractions move your focus away from the things that matter in your business — your clients.
“To be honest, hindi ko sinisisi yung sarili ko na naging game addict ako. Kasi ngayon, mas na-value ko yung mga bagay na tinigil ko before.
It makes me realize how important prospecting is to my business. How one lousy decision can pull you back to where you’ve been dreading to avoid.”
And after the realization, she felt more focused on doing what she had to do to make her business even more successful.
And with the help and encouragement from her Tribe BFF’s, she realized how important it was to have the right people by your side to remind you and guide you in the right direction.
Many things have changed since she joined the Tribe.
“My goal was to be able to charge higher fees while working fewer hours. So I could free up more time to spend with my loved ones while being able to meet financial goals without compromising myself.”
This is now a reality.
She now enjoys a freedom-filled life.
She no longer looks for clients; clients find her.
She now prequalifies clients. She only works with people aligned with her goals, who respect her and her skills.
It’s now in her process to provide value in any way she can. She, not only finish the project, but she also provides strategic advice on how her clients can do better when it comes to their business.
She continually provides value even after the project was done.
And treats her clients’ business as if it’s her own.
She now has more time to improve herself, more time to read books and study courses to master her skills even more.
“From having a scarcity mindset, my mindset has shifted 180 degrees. I now think abundantly, always coming from a place of help and opening myself to collaborations and improvement.”
She’s now more open to coaching and mentorships to further improve and fast track the success of her freelancing business.
And there’s more!
Mentally
“I learned how to handle my freelancing career as a business. Also, the strategies, techniques, and mindset shifts that gave me endless possibilities in my biz.”
Physically
“I don’t compromise my health anymore. I have more time to go to the gym, go to the grocery to shop for healthy foods. And more time to pay attention to my family’s health.”
Financially
“I was able to achieve my financial goals faster: for our house, car, my daughters’ schooling. And all other goals that I couldn’t achieve if I am still working in Upwork.”
Emotionally
“Aside from I have more time to bond with my family, I was able to meet new relationships with amazing people and friends like Dina, Alyssa, Nica, Ems, Diane, Russell, Queen Ma, John himself and many others.”
Spiritually
“Because my life’s purpose became clearer to me, I realized my biggest WHY. I have a lot of self-realization after joining the Tribe that I’ll probably don’t think about.”
More than the wins, it’s the discoveries and insights she learned along the way that shaped her as to who she is today.
For her, money can be earned and spent; clients can come and go. But the learnings will remain in her heart and mind forever.
Here are just a few of the golden nuggets she discovered in her Tribe journey:
“Take action. The result will not come out if we’ll just read the lessons and let it collect dust in our memory bank. It’s still up to you.”
There’s no such thing as failures – but lessons.
“My AHA moment is simply “TRUSTING” the whole CCPP process — even though I failed at first. Failed DCs, failed proposals, prospects seen zoned my messages, I still trusted the process until I finally landed my first deal. And a year after, I have finally been able to master the CCPP process and even tweaked it to fit my business.
Since I’ve been doing this for almost 2 years now, I recognized patterns that made me master each part of the process. If you do it consistently, you will realize those patterns. Now, imagine if I didn’t trust the process and gave up too soon, I wouldn’t be where I’m at now.”
She also realized that failing is part of the process.
In the beginning, she hated failing.
But as time went by, and as she was religiously doing the process, failing becomes her favorite part.
It taught her a lot of lessons that made her optimize her process even more. She was able to figure out the things that are not working for her and improve the ones that work.
She also realized that by doing it consistently, you would be able to recognize patterns that will help you scale.
If you recognize patterns, you can put up a system around it, allowing you to grow.
“I feel challenged and determined, which makes the process fun. Whenever I get to close clients, it makes me crave for more, to book more DCs, to create more proposals and close more deals.”
Being able to close deals boost her confidence.
When she reached a certain income goal for the month, she sees to it that the next month would be bigger. But this time, making sure that she doesn’t pressure herself too much to avoid stress and disappointment.
To date, Bea’s working with different coaches and consultants. She handles the design and automation of websites for these 10 clients, so they can sell more of their products and services:
- A Business Coach in Maine – A Monthly Retainer Project
- A Spiritual Coach in Los Angeles – A Project-Based Contract
- A Fitness Coach in Arizona – A Monthly Retainer Project
- An Instagram Coach in Bali – A Monthly Retainer Project
- A Marketing Coach in Texas – A Project-Based Contract
- A Mindset Coach in Queensland – A Project-Based Contract
- A Business Coach in Missouri – A Project-Based Contract
- A Million Dollar Business Coach in Florida – A Monthly Retainer Project
- A 2 Comma Club Member in Florida – A Project-Based Contract
- A Business Consultant in the United Kingdom – A Project-Based Contract
Bea’s Next Plan?
To be able to share her knowledge with other people and earn passive income streams by selling info products.
“I’m planning to create courses and info products to sell to the international market. In fact, I’m now at the point where I am transitioning from a freelancer mindset to a CEO.”
Bea just registered her business in Florida, United States. She did this, so she can also start setting up the payment gateway for her to start that plan.
She also wanted to build a small team of funnel builders & designers.
Bea already hired two people which she trained recently to do the work for her.
Guess who she gets as members of her team?
Well, two of the gamers she got to play with during her game addiction period.
It seems like her gaming addiction is not that bad, after all.
You see…
Your rating somehow plays a minor part in the success or failure of your freelancing business.
Yes, it signifies a wrong move or mistakes you’ve done in the past with a particular client.
But this shouldn’t prevent you from correcting the mistakes you did.
Make those mistakes your stepping stone to move forward towards your goal. This mistake serves as lessons for us to avoid things from happening again.
Failure is not a failure — only discoveries.
It only becomes one if you fail to make it work to your advantage.
And because of that, I’d like to live you with a quote from Henry Ford:
“Failure is simply the ability to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
If you want to discover how to bounce back from failure (this time more intelligently), you want to improve your freelancing situation and treat it like a real business without clocking in hours of work till dawn…
Then apply to become part of the Freelance Movement Tribe by clicking the button below.
