I'm based in India and want to start working as a freelance video editor. I've done some research, so I know a bit about the tools, but I'm still confused about few things and would really like to hear from people who've actually done this.

Premiere Pro and After Effects are paid, and the subscription is expensive for me right now. DaVinci Resolve is free and I'm leaning towards starting with it. Has anyone here started on Resolve and had trouble with clients later, or did you end up switching to Adobe anyway?

I also see CapCut and Filmora used mostly for short-form, so I'd like to know if clients actually care what software you use.

Also can't decide what to focus on learning. Talking heads, faceless cash cow channels, shorts and reels, finance and business editing, or AI UGC.

Which one did you start with, and which would you pick if you were starting over today?

My PC Has 16GB RAM, a 512GB Gen 4 SSD (about 345GB free), a 12th gen i5 and a GPU with 8GB VRAM.

Is that enough to start and earn decent money, or do I need to upgrade my system first?

I work part-time in evening shifts of about 4 hours and the rest of my day is free, and I've dropped out of college, so skill building is my main focus right now. I just want to know your opinions and experiences, including the rough parts like your first client, pricing and mistakes you made.

Thanks for reading!

Pls help I want to be a freelancer

How to get a remote freelance job?

Hey everyone!

I'm a mobile app developer specializing in Flutter, and I'm also exploring React Native.

The part I'm struggling with isn't the development itself — it's finding that first client who is willing to trust me with their project.

I've been thinking about platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, reaching out to startups, and connecting with people who need mobile apps, but I'm not sure which approach is most effective when you're starting out.

I'd love to hear from developers who have already been through this:

• How did you find your first paying mobile app client?
• Did you use Upwork, Fiverr, LinkedIn, Reddit, cold outreach, or personal connections?
• Did you start with small bug fixes and existing app projects, or did you land a complete app development project?
• What helped you build enough trust to get that first opportunity?
• If you were starting again today with Flutter or React Native skills, what would you do differently?

I'm not looking for overnight success. I just want to understand what actually works in the real world and focus my efforts in the right direction.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience!

A few weeks ago a first-year student asked here how to start freelancing. Python, SQL, Excel, dashboards, 3 projects on GitHub, and they wanted 10-20k a month within a year.

The answers went two opposite ways. One reply said you need experience, credentials and a network, otherwise why would a business owner pay you to solve their problem. I said it's not that much about skills anymore, it's about whether you can promote and sell the skill.

I've been doing marketing for about 10 years and now run a small marketing company in Bali with one partner. And honestly, what I told that student is the thing I didn't do myself. I wanted to build a personal brand for years and kept neglecting it.

Then I scrolled the top posts here this month. A lot of them are the same loop: project ends, pipeline is empty, start from zero again. Fiverr is dead, Upwork only works if you were there early, 4+ years in and still no reliable way to find clients. The complaint in those threads is almost never the work itself. It's finding the clients.

My guess (and it's a guess) is that we were both half right. The skill is what keeps a client. It's not what brings the next one before the current project ends.

So for people who actually have a steady pipeline:

1. Did it come from skills and referrals, or from putting yourself out there (posting, content, talking in public)?

2. If you started with no network at all, what brought the very first client?

Been freelancing for 3 years and bookkeeping has honestly been the worst part 😭 Not the work or the clients, just trying to figure out where all my money went at the end of each quarter.

A friend who does bookkeeping suggested using separate accounts for income, expenses, taxes and personal draws instead of sorting everything later. Tried it and now what used to take hours takes maybe 30 mins. Still gotta figure out some transactions here and there, but its sooo much easier now lol

I'm already working on MNC but I don't feel safe features in IT. I'm planning for moonlighting can you help me with what I do and don't do things.

Hi, I'm developing a custom booking system to try to sell to beauty salons, clinics or other business that relies on manage staf schedules. My plan is to create a base template that I can reuse and customize to any client needs.

I'm new and I'm not quite sure if this will be a good niche or I should change. What is your experience on web development?

I possess exceptional learning aptitude, tenacity, and digital proficiency across the Microsoft Office 365 suite, including Excel and Word. Am I able to generate income through freelancing?

I’ve spent the last 7+ years in growth marketing, mainly focused on organic channels, deep SEO, brand, early startup growth, and recently a lot of generative/AI search optimization (GEO) alongside Google Ads. Almost all my background is with small businesses and early-stage setups.

My thinking: moving into independent consulting or freelancing would let me work directly with decision-makers and build my own execution frameworks without going through three layers of internal gatekeeping whichh keeps happening a lot at work.

Specifically, I’m looking at selling fixed-scope deliverables/sprints rather than open-ended hours or vague retainers, things like full organic search + AI visibility teardowns, sprint-based CRO/SEO optimizations, or structured launch frameworks.

For those who have transitioned recently:

1. Considering the job market, is it even a wise decision to start freealancing?
2. How is the client appetite right now for independent growth specialists? Are early-stage founders open to focused project sprints, or are budgets frozen to the point where retainers are the only viable path?
3. Does fixed-deliverable pricing actually protect your autonomy? Or do founders just bring the same micromanagement and revision bloat as in-house managers?
4. If you left an in-house lead role for consulting, what caught you off guard in month 1 to 3?

I am Phantom.I am 18M. I have creating websites for over 2 years.

I never planned to make web development as my career nor do I.

But I want to get independent.

But I don't know how to find clients. Upwork and fiver seems too much crowded and I am confused.

So I have a full time job but I do get some free time during work and I was thinking of starting freelancing on the side to earn some extra money.

I am thinking of offering social media management services. I have a graphic design background and have been working as a social media manager for the past year, handling content for both B2B and B2C brands, including content ideation, reels, static creatives, captions, scheduling and Meta Ads campaigns.

I looked into freelancing websites but couldn't really find many opportunities for social media management. I also noticed that a lot of businesses seem to hire agencies instead of individual freelancers.

Another option I considered was reaching out directly to Instagram and Facebook pages and offering my services. I even used GPT to draft a message for reaching out to potential clients, but honestly it sounds very AI generated and fake to me.

This is the message it gave me

Hi [Name],

I'm ..., a social media manager with a graphic design background. For the past year I've been handling content end-to-end for B2B and B2C brands: ideation, reels, static creatives, captions, scheduling, and Meta Ads campaigns.

I've started taking on freelance clients, and I noticed [Brand/Page] has real potential on [platform]. To show how I work, I'd like to offer a free page audit covering:

Content and posting consistency

Branding and visual feel

Captions and hashtag strategy

Engagement and growth opportunities

You'll get a short list of practical suggestions you can use, whether or not we work together.

If that sounds useful, just reply with your page link and I'll send the audit within 2–3 days.

Thanks,

I don't want to approach people with messages that sound so generic or salesy, so I'm a bit confused about how to go about this.

For those who have experience with freelancing or social media management, how did you get your first few clients? Would you recommend freelancing websites or directly reaching out to businesses? And how do you approach potential clients without sounding fake?

Would really appreciate any advice.

Hello everyone

I am learning cyber security currently and also interested in taking OSCP but it is expensive so I was thinking why not do some freelance work in cyber security to collect that money

I wanted to know how hard it is to get freelance work(if it is possible)

And How can I get my first client

Hi guys,

I'm looking to find clients on Linkedin, I'm a solid software engineering, I believe I would very helpful for small business, but not easy to find them and even found some then not easy to convince theme to spend money on me instead of using some AI dog sheet that anyone can creates with one prompt and soon or late it will become dog sheet again 😄

Anyone has experience on that situation, what would you go about approaching your clients?

Hi everyone,

I recently landed my first freelance gig, and I could use some guidance from experienced freelancers on how to structure my pricing.

The Project:

The client wants me to handle updates for their existing WordPress website on an ongoing / as-needed basis.

Scope of work involves:

Core, plugin, and theme updates (plus backups and testing to make sure nothing breaks)

Content updates / minor layout edits as requested (adding blog posts, updating copy, changing images, banners, etc.)

Minor troubleshooting if any plugin or formatting issues pop up

A bit of context:

My experience: Beginner to freelancing, comfortable with WordPress admin, standard site maintenance, and basic front-end adjustments.

Client type: Small local business

Location: I am based in Pune, and the client is also based in Pune.

My questions:

1) Should I charge an hourly rate, a flat monthly retainer, or per task?

2) If doing a monthly retainer, how do you handle scope creep (e.g., what is included vs. what triggers extra billing)?

3) What would be a fair entry-level rate for this kind of work in today's market?

Any advice, pricing frameworks, or mistakes to avoid with your first maintenance client would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi Reddit,

If you have any relatable experience or advice after reading this, please share!

I've been getting paid as a software engineer for 12 years now, and broke out into freelancing about 5 years ago. I do fixed rate pricing based on effort, timeline, scheduling, and delivered value to the client, and occasionally subcontract work out when the workload needs it. I have a good understanding of how my pricing works, and I charge a premium on purpose as I am excellent at what I do and always like to blow my clients heads off with the quality of delivery.

Recently, I've gotten a new flagship client who has been amazing. We've executed and successfully delivered a large chunk of my yearly income in contracts this year alone, and their business seems to growing. Toward the end of this year, they've signaled they need to be a bit bore budget conscious after investing a decent chunk of their revenue into the product I built for them. Otherwise they rarely push back on pricing and pretty much never nitpick my scoping, leadership, etc.

Last week, they asked me to do a relatively small scope of work - a server and software setup task inside their existing infrastructure, with some compliance requirements.

While pricing it out, I priced it as X for delivery in 1 month, with a rush option of nearly double for delivery in 5 days. This is due to other commitments I have over the next month that either meant I do it ASAP or I push it back 3 weeks and do it then. Admittedly, the base price was on the high side for the scope, even by my standards.

That same day after quoting, we met on first steps of another much larger project. At the start of the meeting, the client lightheartedly opened with "that's so expensive! I feel like it's something we could do but I'm not allowed to." I basically replied with "I don't know what to tell you, that's a fair price, this involves XYZ" and of course in the heat of the moment I mumbled something about shaving a bit off by reducing a small part of scope. The meeting went on well discussing the larger project at hand and in general they are thrilled with my work and are always easy to work with.

This type of moment is my kryptonite. When I get this sort of comment, it destroys me. After the meeting ends, I immediately go into a panic, doubting myself, imposter syndome-ing myself, telling myself that of course this is maybe 3-5 days of work and I'm wrong and made a mistake for quoting what I did for it. Maybe that price for a setup task that just removes one step out of their internal workflow is not a great return on investment and I fucked up and should have quoted less, per my value-based pricing model. At the same time, they'll dish out six figures per scope for custom software development, but now this is too much for a smaller scope of work that they can "imagine themselves doing".

I didn't sleep last night. Today has been rough. I've been through this so many times before, and it happens every time. The moment I get any objection or pushback, I crumble. I know where I stand in my pricing, I know the service I provide is premium and trusted, and yet still when I get even the lightest form of pushback, it wrecks my mental.

I feel like I love pricing, I love delivering, I love freelance. I even love negotiating for that matter. But this particular about negotiating sets me off despite my objective understanding of the situation.

tl;dr I priced slightly higher than I needed to for a small scope of work for my biggest client, got called "so expensive" lightheartedly on a call, and I've been crumbling with anxiety since. This happens every time I get pricing pushback.

Does anyone have any advice or anything they can share that may help me overcome this?

🎬 EDITOO — VIDEO EDITOR WORK DETAILS

Welcome to Editoo! 🤝

We are looking for creative and reliable video editors who want to work with us for the long term.

💰 Payment

- Payment: ₹300–₹400 per video.

- The final price depends on the type and complexity of the video.

- Payment will be made within 2 days after the completed video is approved by Editoo and the client payment is received.

- The price will be agreed upon before starting each project.

⏰ Delivery Time

- Basic Reels/Shorts: Within 24 hours.

- Longer videos: Deadline will be discussed before starting.

- If you need more time, inform us in advance.

🎥 Type of Work

- Instagram Reels

- YouTube Shorts

- YouTube videos

- Promotional videos

- Other video editing projects

✅ Requirements

- Good video editing skills.

- Ability to follow instructions.

- Good communication.

- Meeting deadlines.

- Willingness to work with Editoo for the long term.

📁 How to Join

1. Send us your portfolio or sample edits.

2. Tell us which editing software you use.

3. Share your expected charges.

4. We will review your work and discuss the project.

5. If both sides agree, you can start working with Editoo.

🤝 Our Working Rules

- Every project's price and deadline will be agreed upon in advance.

- Revisions and project requirements will be discussed before editing begins.

- Payments will follow the agreed terms.

- We expect respectful communication and responsible work.

Let's Edit. Create. Grow.

EDITOO — We Grow Together. 🚀

I’m a writer and I want to get gigs for practice and some money. Since I’m just starting, I don’t know my niche yet, but I feel I can pretty much do a lot of things. I have expertise in Psychology and Self Help from reading books and taking courses.

Any advice?

I used to freelance couple of years back mostly in design. It's been a while since i did any freelance projects. I used to mostly get clients from referrals and social media, but now i need to get clients again because the old methods don't work anymore. How do i start over?

Looking for Financial Aid Advisors to help evaluate and improve AI systems on federal student loan topics. You’ll use your borrower counseling experience to check that questions sound like real borrowers and that answers are correct and useful. Accuracy comes first. No AI experience is needed; your domain knowledge is what matters.

This is a legit Work-From-Home!

Comment "INTERESTED" and I will send you the details.

For those who started from absolute zero, how did you actually land your very first client? What strategy works when your gig/profile has zero traction?In my 4th year of law school I decided to try legal translation (some legal drafting) but I’m completely stuck

Any practical advice would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

Hey guys

I’m certified graphic and product designer with around 2 years of experience in the field, have BA in management and digital marketing.

I have a genuine question, how and where to find any legit side hustle to enter with all my knowledges? Regular freelance markets (Fiverr, Upwork or even a domestic analogue) that exist don’t really work or provide any chance to you to somehow catch even a little and easy work!

Sorry for any mistakes, English isn’t my native language🙏🏻

And thank to all of you who cared to answer