Humans strive for worldly increase. They leave no stone unturned. But all cannot succeed in their professional life. Because all of them are not blessed with proper guidelines. Likewise, all the successful are not our examples. But freelancer Mizanur Rahman has become both. He is an established freelancer at Upwork. Also, he is a teacher at a govt. primary school. Teaching is certainly nobler, but he takes pride in both. Isn’t it interesting? Today we will be talking about Mizanur Rahman.

 The Involvement

Naturally, we were interested in knowing his early days i.e. how he got involved in freelancing. 

He says, “For the first time I read an article on freelancing in 2012. Thus I became curious and started learning more about it. I was so curious that I got admitted to a coaching center at Jatrabari. Those courses enriched me and helped me choose my niche.”

Motivation/ is Like Blessings

Mizanur Rahman was lucky enough to have some motivators around him. As he was in love with freelancing, so he got blessed with some benefactors. He says, “One of the teachers of the coaching center named Md. Al-Amin, actually he inspired me for the first time. Else, my maternal uncle Suman Patwari inspired me to a large extend. Apart from making me enthusiastic, he was so cooperative. I’m also grateful to PrimeIT’s teacher Mr. Zohirul Islam sir and BITM’s teacher Nahid Hasan sir. Unless I got helped by these persons I think I wouldn’t have been here today.”

Why Upwork

We know Upwork is a wonderful freelancing platform. Nonetheless, we pretend to wonder why he is doing his business merely by Upwork. 

He says, “Yup, I didn’t think of an alternative. To me, Upwork is the top of the best! Of course, Toptal, Fiverr, or Evanto are also amazing. But you know Upwork has an exceptional flavor. This is the biggest and most reliable marketplace in the world. Here you can thrive in various job experiences along with payment certainty. To be honest, I feel proud as an Upwork member.” 

Adaptation is a Big Deal

Getting adapted to platforms like Upwork or Fiverr is crucial. Teachers are generally good explainer. Hence we expected a good explanation from him. He also gave a chic one.

“Look, every marketplace has a distinct functionality. Thereby you have to dye yourself. You can compare this to humans’ adaptation to a new environment. Suppose you are a Fiverr man. Then you have to learn how to create a Gig, what else should you do to win buyers at the end of the day. To use Upwork, you have to create a good portfolio, then learn how to write outstanding proposals, and bid according to your niche.” 

“Moreover, there are some Dos and Don’ts of each platform. You must maintain these carefully.”

On Decorating Your Profile

Unfortunately, many freelancers fail to make an aesthetic profile. Many even exaggerate in a way that results in an unreliable thing. Before the performance, to convince your clientele by an outstanding profile is very important. 

Mr. Mizan says, “My first suggestion is – you must be honest. Don’t brag. Showcase the skills accurately what you have developed after the niche selection. Incorporate ‘only authentic’ information to decorate your profile. Moreover, keep updating the profile with your increasing experience. You may be capable of adding more skills. You may specialize in other categories. Don’t hesitate to add them. But add them with proof or sample. Making samples according to the trend of the job board is wise. Then add them to your portfolio. It’s important to perceive what clients do want. And stick to your target market up to bottom.” 

About Proposal and Gig Writing

He focused more on using Upwork and Fiverr as these are most popular in Bangladesh. At the same time, he especially talked about the gig and proposal. He says, “Winning a project more or less depends on it. Proposal or gig shall bear the testimony whether you understood and can fulfill the job requirement or not. You will have some job-winning proposal samples on the internet. Learn them. Learn how some of the high-profile sellers create gigs. Also, you can have a glance at the Freelancer.com to enhance your proposal writing concept.”

Set up the Goal

All the responsible freelancers have their goals. Mr. Mizan also serves with a goal. You will be pleased to hear this. We found it so educational!

“I make my clients succeed. I think their success is my success. Trust me, this is the thing that rewards me again and again! I don’t have to rush after money, rather money seeks where I am. Above all, as an educated, skilled person you will have some responsibilities. For the same reason, I just try to serve this world with what I have. Being progressive I want to make it progressive. That’s it!”

On the Project Management

Getting smart in project management is urgent. Many of the freelancers lose their clients after the maiden project. They fail to secure a long-term relationship. Even simultaneously dealing with two projects becomes problematic for many. And let us learn from him how a good attitude can play a vital role.

“The way you work will speak how you feel about a certain project, how about your zeal! See, as a web developer, I prioritize understanding the project’s goal. Ask my clients dozens of questions in need. And I never miss the deadline. Clients do like these very much. During a long-term project, I update them regularly. Honestly, I always try to give my best. I try to exceed their expectations. I treat them as if they are my friends! And while working in a team, I aptly cooperate, praise other team members and cheer at successful completion. In the end, I ask for feedback politely. 

Key to Success

We asked him to measure his success. Also, we wanted to know the key to his success. He smiled and gave us a nice reply to remember.

“Well, as freelancing is my personal business, so let us measure it financially. All praise due to Allah, currently my average monthly income is around 2 thousand dollar! I think this is enough to lead a standard life in Bangladesh. However, the feeling of my success comes from the client’s success. And the key to my success is ‘self-criticism’. Also, I take clients’ criticism positively. This helps me accomplish a project with satisfaction.”

Difficulties & Overcoming

He then shared how difficult the journey was and how he surpassed them patiently. 

He says, “To be honest, it was so challenging! It was then disapproving in the society that a public university grad will take freelancing as his only profession. They weren’t cognizant enough. Even some of my friends, relatives, and family members discouraged me. But I took it as a challenge and finally proved myself. Now they themselves praise me all day long!” 

3 Tips to Satisfy Clients

Based on the prolonged experience he gave 3 vital tips:

⮚ Be modest in dealing as much as possible

⮚ Don’t brag, rather be honest entirely

⮚ If there is a mistake made by you, confess without any complexity. Yet, never fall in dispute.

 Tips for the Newbie

We found him very optimistic for the newbie. At the same time, he uttered some cautions. 

“Don’t enter the marketplace without enough preparation. Try to develop an ever-learning mentality. Otherwise, you won’t be able to survive in these highly competitive marketplaces. You must develop your English skill. And you must be patient.” 

He further says, “Look, days have been changed. Now Bangladesh is the second-largest freelancing source in the world, okay! This can be your biggest inspiration. And no worries for learning materials, you will have plenty of them at Google, Bing and Youtube. In Sha Allah, you will do something extraordinary. Wish you all the best.”