Episode Overview
In Part 2 of our conversation with Afroditi, we pick up after her rocky first year and dive into how she built a stable, high-paying freelance business. She talks about growing from $15 projects to $70/hour clients, using Upwork to teach herself strategy, and why she ultimately chose to leave the platform. This is a must-listen for any freelancer who wants to scale, and eventually own, their client pipeline.
Resources:
Afroditi’s Upwork Profile
253: Tabitha’s First $1K Month (and Why She’s Quitting Her Day Job to Go All In on Freelancing)
256: From $15 to $100K: Afroditi’s Fashion Freelance Journey on Upwork (Part 1)
Episode Highlights
- Getting Off the Hamster Wheel: How she stopped bidding and started getting inbound leads
- $70/hour on Upwork?: Yes, and here’s how she made it happen
- Cover Letters That Convert: Live pitch example you can steal
- The Highs of 2024: Working on Warner Bros licensed product
- Why She Left Upwork: The turning point, and how she’s building her brand now
- Her Community Advice: The biggest thing she’d do differently
- Discovery Calls + Boundaries: Her unorthodox “no-charge call” policy that works
Key Questions & Guest Answers
Q: How did you pitch on Upwork?
A: I always assumed the client was a startup and wrote my pitch to reassure and support them.
Q: What finally made you want to leave Upwork?
A: After several clients wrapped up at once, I realized I didn’t have a business outside the platform.
Q: What would you tell your younger freelance self?
A: Don’t go it alone. Build your network from day one.
Q: How much did you really work to hit $100K?
A: Never more than 20 hours a week: quality and clarity were always my goals.
About Afroditi
Afroditi is a fashion technical designer who earned $100K on Upwork while living in Greece. She now helps early-stage brands with tech packs and development, and is shifting her freelance business off-platform to gain more control.
Connect with Afroditi:
Follow on Instagram
Connect on LinkedIn