- PPF Points
- 2,100
From Flat-Broke to Booked-Out: My Wild Freelance Glow-Up (With Proof, Cause Receipts Matter)
Alright, real talk? Two years back, I was basically eating cereal for dinner—by choice? Nah, by necessity. No clients, nada portfolio, zero roadmap. Just me, that ancient MacBook that sounded like a jet engine, and the kind of anxiety that keeps you up at 2am.
Fast forward? Picture me now:
Calendar slammed for 3 months—can’t even squeeze in my mom’s birthday (sorry, Mom)
$3K+ per project—yes, you read that right
My “no” game STRONG—feels so good rejecting lowballers
Clapping back at laughable offers (and loving every minute)
Honestly, if I’d seen a real, unfiltered freelance “brag thread” like this back then, I might’ve started five years earlier. Not just showing off—dropping real mistakes, screenshots, and the gritty playbook. Designer, copywriter, VA, developer, coach—don’t care. This is for whoever’s sick of being stuck.
So yeah, let’s dive in. Grab your snacks
CHAPTER 1: Rock Bottom & Broke AF
When I say broke? Broke-broke. Like, getting creative with instant noodles and counting down to payday. Rent: always late. Credit cards? Maxed. Those $5 Fiverr gigs everyone clowns on? Yeah, I was chasing ‘em—and still getting ghosted.
Was I salty? Uh, deeply.
Then I stumbled across a thread about some random pulling $5K a month, all freelance. Something snapped. Maybe it was delusion or maybe desperation, but I thought, “Why not me? But, like, with a plan—NOT just hustling and crying.”
So I stopped cold-pitching randoms and tried to actually look valuable. Ballsy, right?
CHAPTER 2: Niche or Die (a little dramatic, but true)
My first big win? Didn’t even involve a client. Nope—it was realizing what I’m actually dope at.
Beginners mistake: Trying to be good at everything.
“Oh, I do writing, design, tweet-thread services, social media… and I’ll take your dog for a walk too?!” LOL, stop.
When I dialed it in—Freelance Copywriter for Personal Brands—lightning struck. I targeted coaches and creators for email and sales copy. Pitch? Simple: “I write words that make your followers pay you.”
Having ONE mission? Changed everything.
CHAPTER 3: Portfolio Magic Out of Thin Freakin’ Air
Cringe alert: No portfolio means no clients, but also, no clients means no portfolio. Welcome to the freelance paradox.
So I had to finesse it.
All of it went into my fancy Notion site—dubbed “My Copywriting Vault.” Fake? Nah. Spec work, baby. Shows skill way more than “I’m available, DM me.”
Someone bit. Boom, first paying client. I nearly screamed.
CHAPTER 4: My First $500? Felt Like I’d Won The Lotto
I started showing up. Twitter, IG, wherever. Not begging—just building. I posted bite-sized copy tips, showed before/afters, even gave a glimpse of my process (aka: the chaos).
Two weeks in—got a DM.
“Hey, saw your landing page post. You working with anyone?”
Quoted $500. Expected negotiation. Response? “Cool, send the invoice.” No chill, just vibes. I hit up Stripe and spent 10 minutes admiring the notification.
CHAPTER 5: How $500 Turns Into $5,000
Here’s what most freelancers totally miss: client experience is everything. You can write killer copy, but if your service sucks? Word travels fast.
So I became the extra mile guy. Custom welcome email. Delivered early. Loom walkthroughs for every section. Slipped in some bonus edits—on the house.
Result? Client = mind. blown. Cue referrals. One of them landed me $2,200 for almost the same work. Literally felt like printing money.
Moral? Treat every single client like they’re the main character. Sometimes they literally 10x your gigs.
CHAPTER 6: Bundles, Baby
After a handful of projects? Patterns start showing up. Every client wanted basically the same stuff:
So, instead of charging by the hour (yuck), I tossed together packages:
• Starter Pack: $750
• Growth Pack: $1,500
• Launch Pack: $2,500
No more awkward “what’s your budget?” convos. Pick your poison, pay upfront. Tossed in a “rush delivery” upsell too. Easy money.
CHAPTER 7: Booked & Busy—Couldn’t Fake This If I Tried
This is where the snowball started rolling. Three things, on repeat:
By month six? My calendar was unrecognizable:
Week Clients Cash
1 2 $3,000
2 1 $1,500
3 2 $3,200
4 2 $2,800
----------------------
MONTH: — $10,500
Waitlist started filling up. I felt kind of important, not gonna lie.
CHAPTER 8: Time to Show the Receipts (Because “Trust Me” Ain’t Enough)
Ain’t about humblebragging—here’s the real juice:
Stripe hitting $10K/month—repeat, not a fluke
Client saying “You’re the best copywriter I’ve hired—like, ever.” cries happy tears
Folks emailing me asking for a spot on the waitlist
Google Calendar 6 weeks booked. (Had to make time for showers, y’all.)
It wasn’t luck—it was systems, good service, and refusing to vanish online.
CHAPTER 9: Scaling Without Imploding
Booked out’s dope but, plot twist—I’m still trading time for cash. So, I started stacking new income streams:
Passive-ish income = chef’s kiss.
And that’s the ride so far. Not always glamorous—sometimes ugly crying at 1am, sometimes basking in Stripe notifications. Wouldn’t trade it, though.
To sum it up: Get scrappy, get focused, and don’t be too proud to show your fake-it-till-you-make-it portfolio. It works.
See y’all at the top. Or in my DMs—just don’t lowball me.
Alright, real talk? Two years back, I was basically eating cereal for dinner—by choice? Nah, by necessity. No clients, nada portfolio, zero roadmap. Just me, that ancient MacBook that sounded like a jet engine, and the kind of anxiety that keeps you up at 2am.
Fast forward? Picture me now:
Calendar slammed for 3 months—can’t even squeeze in my mom’s birthday (sorry, Mom) $3K+ per project—yes, you read that right My “no” game STRONG—feels so good rejecting lowballers Clapping back at laughable offers (and loving every minute)Honestly, if I’d seen a real, unfiltered freelance “brag thread” like this back then, I might’ve started five years earlier. Not just showing off—dropping real mistakes, screenshots, and the gritty playbook. Designer, copywriter, VA, developer, coach—don’t care. This is for whoever’s sick of being stuck.
So yeah, let’s dive in. Grab your snacks
CHAPTER 1: Rock Bottom & Broke AF
When I say broke? Broke-broke. Like, getting creative with instant noodles and counting down to payday. Rent: always late. Credit cards? Maxed. Those $5 Fiverr gigs everyone clowns on? Yeah, I was chasing ‘em—and still getting ghosted.
Was I salty? Uh, deeply.
Then I stumbled across a thread about some random pulling $5K a month, all freelance. Something snapped. Maybe it was delusion or maybe desperation, but I thought, “Why not me? But, like, with a plan—NOT just hustling and crying.”
So I stopped cold-pitching randoms and tried to actually look valuable. Ballsy, right?
CHAPTER 2: Niche or Die (a little dramatic, but true)
My first big win? Didn’t even involve a client. Nope—it was realizing what I’m actually dope at.
Beginners mistake: Trying to be good at everything.
“Oh, I do writing, design, tweet-thread services, social media… and I’ll take your dog for a walk too?!” LOL, stop.When I dialed it in—Freelance Copywriter for Personal Brands—lightning struck. I targeted coaches and creators for email and sales copy. Pitch? Simple: “I write words that make your followers pay you.”
Having ONE mission? Changed everything.
CHAPTER 3: Portfolio Magic Out of Thin Freakin’ Air
Cringe alert: No portfolio means no clients, but also, no clients means no portfolio. Welcome to the freelance paradox.
So I had to finesse it.
- Picked 3 creators I admired (read: lowkey Internet famous)
- Rewrote their sales pages (totally for practice—not paid, not asked)
- Whipped up Canva mockups
- Pretended I was explaining the project to a “client” in a case study
All of it went into my fancy Notion site—dubbed “My Copywriting Vault.” Fake? Nah. Spec work, baby. Shows skill way more than “I’m available, DM me.”
Someone bit. Boom, first paying client. I nearly screamed.
CHAPTER 4: My First $500? Felt Like I’d Won The Lotto
I started showing up. Twitter, IG, wherever. Not begging—just building. I posted bite-sized copy tips, showed before/afters, even gave a glimpse of my process (aka: the chaos).
Two weeks in—got a DM.
“Hey, saw your landing page post. You working with anyone?”
Quoted $500. Expected negotiation. Response? “Cool, send the invoice.” No chill, just vibes. I hit up Stripe and spent 10 minutes admiring the notification.
CHAPTER 5: How $500 Turns Into $5,000
Here’s what most freelancers totally miss: client experience is everything. You can write killer copy, but if your service sucks? Word travels fast.
So I became the extra mile guy. Custom welcome email. Delivered early. Loom walkthroughs for every section. Slipped in some bonus edits—on the house.
Result? Client = mind. blown. Cue referrals. One of them landed me $2,200 for almost the same work. Literally felt like printing money.
Moral? Treat every single client like they’re the main character. Sometimes they literally 10x your gigs.
CHAPTER 6: Bundles, Baby
After a handful of projects? Patterns start showing up. Every client wanted basically the same stuff:
- Sales page
- Welcome emails
- Basic landing page
So, instead of charging by the hour (yuck), I tossed together packages:
• Starter Pack: $750
• Growth Pack: $1,500
• Launch Pack: $2,500
No more awkward “what’s your budget?” convos. Pick your poison, pay upfront. Tossed in a “rush delivery” upsell too. Easy money.
CHAPTER 7: Booked & Busy—Couldn’t Fake This If I Tried
This is where the snowball started rolling. Three things, on repeat:
- Showed up with proof—client wins, screenshots, testimonials
- Hit up my (tiny but mighty) email list with value bombs + offers
- Opened free 15-min calls (somewhere between “strategy sesh” and therapy)
By month six? My calendar was unrecognizable:
Week Clients Cash
1 2 $3,000
2 1 $1,500
3 2 $3,200
4 2 $2,800
----------------------
MONTH: — $10,500
Waitlist started filling up. I felt kind of important, not gonna lie.
CHAPTER 8: Time to Show the Receipts (Because “Trust Me” Ain’t Enough)
Ain’t about humblebragging—here’s the real juice:
Stripe hitting $10K/month—repeat, not a fluke Client saying “You’re the best copywriter I’ve hired—like, ever.” cries happy tears Folks emailing me asking for a spot on the waitlist Google Calendar 6 weeks booked. (Had to make time for showers, y’all.)It wasn’t luck—it was systems, good service, and refusing to vanish online.
CHAPTER 9: Scaling Without Imploding
Booked out’s dope but, plot twist—I’m still trading time for cash. So, I started stacking new income streams:
- $47 mini-course about landing page copy, Gumroad style
- Notion template shop and swipe files (money while I sleep, baby)
- Monthly group workshops—fun, more scalable, and I could wear pajama pants
Passive-ish income = chef’s kiss.
And that’s the ride so far. Not always glamorous—sometimes ugly crying at 1am, sometimes basking in Stripe notifications. Wouldn’t trade it, though.
To sum it up: Get scrappy, get focused, and don’t be too proud to show your fake-it-till-you-make-it portfolio. It works.
See y’all at the top. Or in my DMs—just don’t lowball me.
