FBP 013: Freelancing to The Next Level with Stef Gonzaga of The Freelance Pinoy (Part 2)

As promised, here is Part 2 of our talk with Stef Gonzaga, founder of The Freelance Pinoy website. In this episode, we will dive deeper into the next 2 of the 3 most popular questions asked by freelancers.

How do I sustain myself with freelancing?
How do I get paid?

If you remember in Part 1 of the Freelance Blend Podcast (Episode 12), Stef focused on the one of the top freelancer questions, “How do I find clients?” Stef also discussed creative ways on how to get noticed and stand out from the crowd of freelancers bidding for the same client. In case you missed that episode (well, you are missing half of your life), please click here:

FBP 012: Freelancing to The Next Level with Stef Gonzaga of The Freelance Pinoy (Part 1)

Meanwhile, here in Part 2, the interview will get very interesting not only for newbie freelancers but also for professional ones as Stef and I examined how you can take your freelancing career to the next level (hence the title)! As I had mentioned in previous episodes, this is actually the mission of Freelance Blend, to not only inspire Filipinos to pursue freelancing opportunities, but also to eventually turn freelancers into entrepreneurs through branding, blogging, product creation, etc. And it was truly fascinating to hear it straight from The Freelance Pinoy herself how freelancers could attain that level.

Dear Freelancer, if you are truly serious about becoming a freelancer, this is definitely a Must-Hear episode for you!

Key Takeaways

How to diversify your income streams as a freelancer.
The pros and cons of forming your own team.
Creating your own products and examples of products for different types of freelancers.
The Freelance Pinoy products in the pipeline.
Learnings from Ramit Sethi of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com
How to price yourself as a freelancer.
How to negotiate your rate.
The importance of setting a time limit for your rate.
When to brand yourself as freelancer.
The benefit of having a website as a freelancer.
Her favorite application or software.
Her recommended books.
State of freelance hiring in the local scene.
What freelancers should look forward to from The Freelance Pinoy.

Resources and Links

Ramit Sethi – IWillTeachYouToBeRich – preview course of “Earn $1000 on the Side”
Dropbox (file sharing and backup service)
Alfred (a productivity tool for Mac)
Google Drive (easy to create documents and share with others)
Microsoft Word / Microsoft Office (would you still need links to this?)
VM Ware Fusion (split laptop screen between Mac and Windows software)
http://thefreelancepinoy.com/freelanceblend (Special link created by Stef Gonzaga for Freelance Blend listeners about the blog posts mentioned during the show).

Books

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World – Gary Veynerchuk (the most effective ways to use social media for freelancers).

The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle – Steve Shaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia (book about freelancing).

*Kindly note that the above links may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase something, but in no way will you be charged more for your purchase. Just think of it as giving support to Freelance Blend. Thanks.

Quote-Unquote

“I realized that I’m actually capable of deciding how much I want to earn. And that alone is really empowering.”

“You chose a rate that you feel is fair for you.”

“Don’t set yourself up as a cheap solution. Don’t set yourself up as someone who can just be bullied down. ”

“From there you gain experience, you gain more clients, you gain feedback and then when you feel that you have more to offer, your skills are better, you have more services to offer the client, that’s the time you can actually increase as you go along.”

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Freelance Blend Podcast: The Podcast for the Philippine’s Premier Community of Freelancers

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Thanks for taking time to listen to this 2-Part series with Stef Gonzaga of The Freelance Pinoy. Please watch out for more uplifting interviews from the most influential freelancers, bloggers and entrepreneurs of our time here at Freelance Blend. Cheers!

Aside from the Top 3 questions asked by freelancers, do you have anything bugging you about freelancing? Please post on the Comment Box below and we will answer as best as we can. (Stupid questions are allowed and encouraged :)).