Ashraful Islam is a young entrepreneur in fields of freelancing. He is working in global marketplaces and just in a few years he is now an ideal example of success in the freelancing world.

His start

Ashraful was a fresher college student in 2014. That time he bought a computer and decided to be skilled. After a short time he learnt basic freelancing skills and joined different marketplaces. Soon he was getting responses from global clients.

What He Does Actually

Ashraful Islam provides SEO services which is search engine optimisation service globally. Right now he is working for a Canadian company called unlimited explosion. He also works in marketplaces like upwork or fiverr.com.

Why Freelancing

‘Honestly speaking before 2014 I didn’t have any idea about freelancing but after starting my journey as a freelancer it became a passion for me’, Ashraful says. He loves to communicate with new people from different countries, different religions, different cultures. The diversity of various backgrounds of people attracted him to freelancing. He likes to take challenges and every time he starts a new project he feels that he has a challenge to complete the project successfully and make his client happy.

How hard was the Journey

Without struggling no one can become successful. And the starting is always hard in every sector just like story of Ashraful Islam. His starting story is the same as the others. He belonged to a middle class family and when he intended to buy a computer, his father couldn’t afford to buy one and his uncle gave him 50000 taka and his father gave him 20000 taka to buy a desktop computer. And he started to develop his skills. After developing some of these skills when he was planning to start the work on the marketplace he faced some problems. The biggest problem was English proficiency. On those days his English was very bad and one day a client texted him and he was so nervous to reply. He copied the message and pasted it on Google translator and then tried to understand the meaning of the message. He has worked on Elance and Odesk at that time. Ashraful says, ‘So there were lots of applicants applying for a single job post. So I was planning something to get the job. I used to sleep early around 11, 12 or 1 a.m. and wake up at 2:30 a.m. That time at late night the number of applicants were lower than other times and he got more client responses’, Ashraf shares. He could sleep the highest for 4 or 5 hours in a day because he had to attend classes at 8 a.m. It was important for him to attend classes since he was a fresher. In the marketplace he must say that luck also favoured me.

Inspirations

Mr Hasan was the one who inspired Ashraful Islam. Ashraful started his career at the same time with him. Mr. Hasan always told him to keep trying and one day he will definitely succeed. So Ashraf never forgets him. He helped Ashraful a lot when Ashraful started his career.

Marketplaces Ashraful is Working in

Right now he is working in upwork.com and fiverr.com. He has joined Fiverr recently this year. And already he has got unbelievable responses from fiverr as well. It was quite surprising for him.

Big Task into Freelancing

‘When I started my services professionally, I got some small projects and suddenly it was a big break as a freelancer in the middle of 2015’, Ashraful Says. He added, ‘It was a very big project worth 5000 US Dollars. That time I bought a laptop from my own earnings and it was a very proud moment for me. And from that time I was never workless in my career’.

Updating Skills in Fields of Freelancing

It’s very important to update skills with time. Because clients will not spend their money on some backdated person. And according to client requirements Ashraful keeps himself always updated. He focuses more on Google to find solutions and updates. In his point of view the problems people face virtually can be solved 90% with Google. He always reads blogs and watches videos on YouTube and different platforms. He says, ‘One day a client asked me if I can place Google ML ID. That time I was a fresher and I didn’t know how to set up a Google ML ID and I searched it on YouTube and Google and then learned it and equipped it. My client was very happy with that service’

The Worst Part About Being a Freelancer

‘A BIG NO’, says Ashraful Islam. He shares, ‘Every profession has its pros and cons but honestly I can’t find any cons about being a freelancer. I am proud to be a freelancer. And I love doing my job on my own.

Tips to Keep the Client Happy

‘Client satisfaction and client management is a big issue for freelancers. Let me give you 3 tips based on my real life experience’, Ashraful says. Number one, always be honest with your client. 

Secondly, Always provide them the best service and provide more than they wanted.

And last one is to always show respect to the client. Sometimes, you can get clients with bad behaviour but you have to manage them in a humble way.

Any Tips for Newbies

Suggesting new comers in freelancing Ashraful stresses in developing skills first then come to the sector. Freelancing sector is not as easy as you think. It’s a highly competitive market. So, without proper skill one isn’t able to survive here, Ashraful suggests. ‘You have to provide quality work always and please don’t think much about the money. If you have the high-quality skills, then you will definitely succeed. Don’t lose hope ever. If you work hard You will succeed inshallah’ – That was Ashraful’s suggestion.

Thus dynamical work and adaptability of Ashraful Islam made him a successful freelancer. Now he doesn’t have to look back. And more than anything it was his willpower and skills which made him today’s Ashraful Islam.