Where to Sell

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So hopefully that last video gave you some ideas for things you could start selling, maybe even got you a little bit excited at the possibilities the gig economy has to offer. In that case, you might be raring to get going, so how do you start? Well, of course, the obvious answer is that you’re going to need to find a place to sell those skills. Where do you go to sell the skills to become a member of the gig economy?

Well, there’s a few options, there’s a few things already set up for you that you can start with right away. First of all, you have freelancing websites, and these are the obvious go-to solution for anyone looking to sell their services online. These include things like Upwork, as well as Freelancer, as well as Toptal, as well as Fiver, as well as PeoplePerHour.

All of these have different benefits and pros and cons. However, each of them works in a very similar way. Basically, you list your skills online. You have a kind of CV that you present online. And then anyone can search for you based on the skills you list. If they like what you offer, then they might get in touch and offer you a gig. On the other hand, you can go and find where they’ve listed gigs and then apply. You might have to bid for it. Either way, they then decide if you’re the right candidate for that job, and if you are, then you win the bid, and now you’re working for them.

Working through one of these websites does present some pros and cons in itself. So when you work through something like Upwork, you have the benefit of having access to a huge number of potential clients. This is somewhere that they know they can go to find people to work for them. That means it works like a distribution platform, and it means that you don’t have to be as active, chasing up people who you can work for.

Likewise, they often have ways for you to demonstrate your skills. So instead of just saying, I’m a programmer, you can take a small test, and this will then allow you to display your skills as a programmer right there on your profile. And that way, they’re more likely to hire you because they know that you’re not just lying or over egging your skills. Likewise, you can share a portfolio of work on here, links to other examples, and your CV, as I mentioned.

On the downside, this now means you’re competing directly with a huge number of other professionals, many of whom will charge a lot less than you, so you need to stand out against them. At the same time, many of these sites would be overly controlling. Some of them will actually record your screen.

And I highly advise that you don’t work in that manner because, although it can give the client a certain sense of security, meaning that they are more likely potentially to hire you, especially if other people are offering that, it also means that you now are basically being watched every minute of the day. It normally works by taking screenshots at set intervals, so it’s not literally recording you live however, you’re still not able to just browse the web as usual. It can create arguments, et cetera, and I think that ultimately undermines many of the benefits that come from working in the gig economy in the first place. This is something, again, that benefits the employer far more than the freelancer.

Another downside is, of course, that these sites tend to take a cut, although that varies depending on which site you’re going to use. So you might want to do your research and see which is likely to take the biggest cut. Another limitation of these sites is that you often have to communicate now with that person directly through the site, meaning that you can’t email them personally, meaning that you’re basically locked into the system where that company is taking a profit.

This is why I personally don’t use those sites, however, and I much prefer to find my clients in some other ways. One way is to go through webmaster forums. These include Digital Point Form, Warrior Forum, BlackHatWorld. These are sites where people who own websites will discuss topics relating to search engine optimization, marketing, et cetera.

And there are also markets on here as segments of the forum where you can post your skills or where you can look for people who are looking for certain types of work. Here, the going rate is often a bit lower, but there’s far less competition. And I’ve posted ads there maybe three times, and all three times I got over a year’s worth of steady work from that single ad. In many cases you do have to pay, but it’s about $30. That’s a one-off flat fee.

Fiverr is another very good one. The whole conceit of Fiverr is that you charge only $5 for each gig, but it’s changed that message quite a lot lately so that $5 is often the starting rate but you can offer much more expensive options. And these days, you don’t even have to offer a starting gig for $5, so it is becoming a marketplace for real professionals to work as well.

Another option is LinkedIn. If you have a very good LinkedIn profile, if you put that you’re open to offers, and if you make sure to network and add as many people as possible, then some great opportunities can come through here. And often big companies, big websites will be browsing LinkedIn regularly to look for people to perform work for them.

You don’t need to pay for the pro account. In fact, any account will do. But my main advice on this front is just to keep adding people, even if you think they’re not at all related to you. You can end up being indirectly connected to some really big people just through sheer volume. It’s kind of like a degrees of separation game. And if you’re a second degree connection with someone, then you can message them using the inbuilt messaging service called InMail. This is a great way to network.

You can also create a website where you display your skills. And if you understand search engine optimization– maybe check out the Apress Media video on that– and if you create a blog on a social media channel, then people will find you through here. Likewise, online communities. Say, for instance, if you’re a digital artist, then you could consider looking at DeviantArt or even Reddit.

And finally, of course, there’s value in just messaging people directly. So if you find a website you want to work with, just drop them a line and say, hey, I offer this service and I think you can use it. Are you interested? Those are just some of the options, and there’s plenty more. And if you’re good, then eventually you’ll spread via word of mouth.

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