Do you want to learn how to earn more on Upwork? See how these talented freelancers got started and yanked up their rates on the world’s most competitive freelancer marketplace with the help of CoachLancer. Here is our Hall of Fame of the most impressive success stories.
Nothing is impossible when you have the right approach!
Rafael Barreto-Garcia’s insane starting rates on Upwork
Can you believe some people can start on Upwork with an hourly rate of $99? Check out how Rafael Barreto-Garcia did it! He’s got the coolest Upwork kickstart with just a little help from CoachLancer!
Rafael shows how a solid professional can start with serious rates even with $0 earnings.
Rafael had already started on Upwork on his own with a small gig worth about $20… which is a common thing to do just to test the platform out and get the first 5-star review.
But that’s not the best approach when you already have the skills of the world. In fact, that approach can become a limiting factor!
Knowing that Rafael has a unique competence profile and plenty of international experience, got law degrees from 3 different countries, knows 6 languages, etc. all indicating true world-class competence, the advice from CoachLancer was this:
“Refund that $20 job. It will drag you down and with your experience, you can start from a much higher level even from zero.”
We had a call, worked on his profile by rapid email exchange, and finalized the first really good version and a clear niche in one calendar week. We were sure we could find out how to earn more on Upwork early on.
2 days later, he got his first job worth $300. That’s 15X the initial $20 gig!
The second job came soon after… with a $99/h rate accepted by the client without any questions!
That was in August 2022. As the all-time fastest coachee, he’s earned more than $100,000 in 10 months and received a Top Rated Plus badge!
At the time of updating this, September 2023, his latest rates were around $349/h which is totally insane, right?
There’s no stopping Rafael now, he’ll rule his legal niche on Upwork for years to come!
Keenan Lakey learned how to earn more on Upwork
Check out what Keenan Lakey did. He leveled up his Upwork business with CoachLancer big time!
Keenan’s progress in terms of his freelancer rates.
Keenan’s hourly rate was the same as Dr. Mike’s, initially: $30/h. But he knew he had skills worth much more… the same as Dr. Mike’s case.
So, here is a demonstration of what everyone who knows they are worth more than they get paid for should do: level up the rates by strategically choosing better and better clients!
We had a short call to discuss Keenan’s challenges and iterated through his profile by email, after which he quickly managed to specify a better niche for himself. A couple of short tests, and voilá!
Now, he is fluently evolving his niche further as he likes and he has doubled his hourly rate over a period of mere months!
This is possible because he’s now getting better and better clients. And the best part: His current rates are a permanent improvement to his freelance business. There’s no need to go back to lower rates as his profile is now full of social proof that he is definitely worth the money!
Nice, right?
Want to achieve something similar?
Check out what CoachLancer can do for you if you want to learn how to earn more on Upwork. There are two ways to improve your Upwork business:
- Personal coaching: Become a CoachLancer member and get mentored by Dr. Mike whose hourly rates on Upwork reached 3-digit figures years ago.
- Webinar courses: Whether you’re starting up or raising your rates, we’ve got you covered with 3 awesome courses, each one solving a different business problem.
Refuse to work for peanuts, go straight for coconuts!
We’re here to help you make it happen!