Failure - it's seen as a taboo word or something that only has negative implications. What if I told you that my failures had put me in better positions in recent months? What if I told you failing in something isn't the end of the world? Would you believe it? I know it hurts to fail at something, but as long as we have breath in our lungs, we're likely to fail in one thing or another. What is the best thing to do when you fail? Pivot.
What is Pivot?
Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines a pivot as "an adjustment or modification made (as to a product, service, or strategy) in order to adapt or improve." This definition says it all. There are two choices whenever you hit a roadblock...give up or find another way. As a Freelancer, I've had quite a number of setbacks, and I'm going to bear all in this blog post. Some failures I've had have ended up becoming huge blessings.
My Experiences With Failure
Like I said, as a Freelancer, you'll receive so many no's. It's part of life. A friend of mine once said she couldn't freelance because she was scared of rejection. You'll get rejected - not every job you apply for will be a success; heck, only a small percentage will be. You'll apply for many, many jobs before getting a few. You have to be resilient - have the "this is my last opportunity" mentality. This can be applied in life - if you've made the right choice in terms of the field to pursue, all that's left is your hard work to become the best in it.
My Freelancing Experience.
I've found lots of success Freelancing, right from the beginning in June last year. But as time went by, I met a few disappointments, and the first was Upwork. I registered in March last year and had no idea how it worked. I gave up on it altogether and joined Fiverr in June. The success on Fiverr was not bad, to be honest until I got a strict warning for arguing with a client about a mid review he gave me. I was annoyed that for only $15, he gave me 3 days of hell working for him - just when I thought he was satisfied, he ended up giving me 2.7 stars. The thing about Fiverr is, each rating counts massively. So any low rating could rank your level back to the beginner level. After that, my gigs never ranked the same - I never got private messages inquiring about my services, and I knew that the site had fucked me over. I occasionally get gigs on Fiverr but not like before.
My Print On Demand Experience.
I then decided to focus on Print On Demand - Red Bubble. If you put enough time into Red Bubble, you can make some coins every month at least, but the thing about Red Bubble is, there is zero stability there. Once your account is suspended - there's no getting it back no matter what. My account got banned after I changed my payment method. I did everything I could to get it back, but I realized that all the hours wasted uploading designs could not be gained back.
My Pivoting Moment
That was when my Fiverr was a mess. What I put all my hopes on also got destroyed. I was distraught. I decided to give Upwork another chance. I watched Josh Burns' YouTube videos for tips on finding success as a beginner on Upwork. He gave valuable tips such as always applying early, working for verified accounts, and using a strong proposal. I followed that, and I started finding a few clients. I then found a field in which someone from Indonesia was finding great success, and I said to myself - "this is what I want to do." I got one client, moved to two, and went to as many as 20+. Now I rarely open Fiverr unless I get an order or I'm buying a service because Fiverr has never made me earn what I'm earning on Upwork. My worst month on Upwork is better than my best month on Fiverr.
Had I not failed in Fiverr & Red Bubble, I wouldn't have given Upwork a second chance. If I refused to pivot when I got hit by those setbacks, I wouldn't have found a much better path for myself. That's how life is. Sometimes you meet disappointments when there is a much greater blessing ahead. These failures taught me that I should never give up no matter how hopeless things may seem.
Conclusion
I just wanted to share how much failing at something isn't the end of the world. Even 2 Chainzz wasn't doing well when he used Tity Boi as his name, and Eminem's Infinite album was a huge flop. On a more serious note, don't let failure determine who you are. Pivot and try new strategies until you find one that brings success. Let me help you try different methods till you find some success.
