A Double Success Story

The market for freelance work online is growing by the month. If you've ever had doubts about whether you can do business on the web, here's a story from Bobby Hickman that may encourage you. Bobby says:

"One of my resolutions is to make more money freelancing. And I've already picked up two new assignments through Go Freelance! How did I do it? Through careful planning, keeping an open mind and pursuing new opportunities."

I'm a self-employed computer programmer and project manager with 20 years' experience. And since 1997, I've mainly worked from home as a COBOL programmer: good pay, lots of family time, no more Atlanta traffic.

But read that last sentence closely and you see my problem: 'COBOL programmer.' In the post-Y2K world, the demand for mainframe programmers is only slightly above blacksmith and typewriter repairman. Whenever my current contract ends, it's going to be tough to keep up my current lifestyle.

And that's where Go Freelance has been a tremendous help. In my annual planning, I realized I need new opportunities to fill my spare time, challenges that would build on my existing skills and hopefully lead me into broader career paths - all while working from home with my existing client.

Within the last few weeks, I've lined up two new part-time opportunities via with the Jobs Database. And location was not a factor. The first opportunity is headquartered in England, while the second is 50 miles away from my home near Atlanta.

The first opportunity is placing articles from writers around the world with magazines, newspapers, online
publications and other global media outlets. When I saw the initial one-paragraph listing, I requested more information. Intrigued by the reply, I responded with my resume and an explanation of how marketing other writers' articles fit nicely into my efforts to sell my own fiction.

Within a week, we finalized a contract and I received the first batch of articles. And none of this required putting on a suit for an interview - not even a long-distance call to London.

The second opportunity took a bit more effort. This company needs training and project tracking assistance using Microsoft Project software. Since I have used this tool many times as a project manager, I sent my resume and cover letter. Within 10 minutes, I received a response.

So, have I finally achieved my goal? No, I'm just beginning. I'll keep following up on leads from Freelance Work Exchange as I build a solid client list, establish a track record and complete the transition to true freelancer."