Oluwatobi Adeyemi

For everybody in my DMs asking 'how do I start on Upwork': watch this first, then come back. The first 30 days are the hardest and few people show them honestly. My first month in 2017 I sent 40 proposals and got 1 job, $60. Na so we start.

The client from hell: a true story in 9 parts (names removed, trauma kept)

This happened in 2022 but I still dream about it sometimes. Name and country removed, as the topic rules say. Grab your popcorn. 1. The brief. "We need an app like Uber, but for laundry. Simple." Budget: $2,500 fixed. Timeline: 4 weeks. I should have closed the tab. I did not close the tab. I was chasing a monthly target and my sister's school fees were due. 2. The small additions. Week one: "can riders also see the…

How I price on Upwork after 7 years: hourly, fixed, and the number I never go below

My first Upwork job in 2017 was $8 an hour fixing a WordPress contact form. Today I charge $45 an hour for Laravel and React, and fixed projects are priced from the same number. Here is how I think about it. Numbers are mine, from Lagos, Top Rated Plus. Your market may be different. 1. Pick a floor and never go below it My floor is $35 an hour. If a job cannot pay that, I do not apply. The floor comes from simple…

Getting paid as a Nigerian freelancer: every route I have used since 2017, with what it really costs

Every week somebody in my DMs asks "Tobi how do you collect your money?" So I am writing it once. This is from my own wahala, not from a sponsored post. Fees change, check them yourself before you trust me. 1. Upwork to Payoneer to local bank This is my main road since 2017. Upwork releases, I withdraw to Payoneer, Payoneer converts and sends to my naira account. The cost you see: a small withdrawal fee. The cost…