🧡 Quick heads up! This was created when FWE was brand new. Since then, we've grown into a thriving beginner freelance community on Skool with multiple courses, trainings, q&a calls, coworking, tools/resources and an incredible group of people just getting started.

You may hear references to "free" in the video — everything now lives inside the community for just $9/mo or $79/year.

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Hey there, freelance friend! 👋

First off, in case you're new here, I'm currently traveling cross-country because my dad's cancer situation went from "we've got this under control for now" to "SURPRISE, life is chaos" last week.

I'm currently somewhere between North Carolina and Indiana in our RV, mainlining gas station Diet Coke and stealing WiFi from whatever parking lot has the strongest signal. BUT—Tuesday Trainings wait for no one! ✨

So while there's no formal video training today (because recording in truck stop bathrooms is where I draw the line AND we are still in the middle of the 10 Days to Paid Upwork Challenge), I wanted to drop something insanely valuable in your inbox that might actually be MORE important than any tutorial I could record you today.

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What Nobody Tells You About Freelancing Success 💡

Here it is: Freelancing is a math problem.

That's it. That's the secret.

Not a fancy website. Not perfect grammar. Not even being the most talented person in your field.

It's. Just. Math.

And I'm about to show you EXACTLY how to solve the equation.

My Free Gift To You: The Freelance Proposal Tracker 📈

Cue dramatic music and possibly some confetti 🎉

Listen, I know spreadsheets aren't sexy. (Unless you're me, in which case, COLOR-CODED DATA MAKES MY HEART GO PITTER-PATTER.)

But this isn't just any spreadsheet—it's the difference between "I'm randomly applying to jobs and hoping for the best" and "I can scientifically predict how many jobs I need to apply to in order to make $X."

Let me tell you why this unassuming little spreadsheet is about to become your new secret weapon.

The "How Do I Know When I Can Quit My Job?" Question

The #1 question I get from people interested in freelancing is some version of:

"How much do I need to make before I can quit my soul-crushing job?"

Here's where most people get it COMPLETELY WRONG:

Most people fail at freelancing because they try to COMPLETELY replace their full-time income WHILE still working their day job.

This is a recipe for burnout. You'll end up quitting freelancing long before you ever quit your job.

They apply to 10 jobs, hear crickets, and conclude "freelancing doesn't work" or "the platform is too saturated" or "I guess I'm just not good enough."

⚡ RECORD SCRATCH⚡

The REAL Strategy To Quit (From Someone Who's Actually Done It) 🔍

Here's what I teach instead:

There are THREE numbers we care about:

Your hourly rate 💰
Your closing rate 🎯
Your emergency savings 🦺

First: Your Hourly Rate

Even if you make $500/hour at your current job (in which case, WHY are you here?! JK, I know why—freedom), I'm still going to tell you to START at $15-25/hour.

I can hear some of you gasping in horror.

Others are thinking "$25/hour? I'd be THRILLED with that!"

MY unofficial goal for you? For you to eventually AT LEAST DOUBLE what you make at your day job.

I went from making about $50/hour at my healthcare position to now charging $100-250/hour for my freelance work.

That's 2-5X my former pay. FOR FEWER HOURS.

The goal isn't to match your current rate—it's to EXCEED it. By a LOT.

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Why?

To offset your admin time (proposal writing, client messaging, learning)
To account for self-employment costs (taxes, insurance, software, etc.)
To make up for the fact that you'll probably work fewer hours (because FREEDOM)
To begin building that all-important emergency fund (more on this later)
To give you actual BREATHING ROOM in your budget (imagine that!)

And trust me, that rate walks up FAST once you start getting reviews. 🤝

Second: Your Closing Rate

This is the magical number that frees you from having to completely replace your 8-5 income BEFORE you can quit.

Your closing rate tells you: Out of every X proposals you send, how many turn into actual paying clients?

Your closing rate is simple: Number of proposals sent ÷ Number of contracts landed = Your closing rate

When you're brand new? This might be 5% (1 job per 20 applications).
After a few 5-star reviews? Maybe 8-10% (1 job per 10-12 applications).
With experience and momentum? 20% or higher (2+ jobs per 10 applications).

Here's the beautiful part: This number works regardless of how many hours you're putting in.

Whether you're sending 5 proposals a week or 25, your closing rate will be relatively consistent over time. That's what makes it SO powerful for planning.

Upwork used to show you when clients "opened" your proposals. Sadly, they removed this feature (RIP useful data 😭), but it's important to know that even with KILLER proposals, only about 40-50% of clients even open them to read what you wrote.

So if you've sent 10 proposals and heard nothing, remember that maybe only 4-5 people have even seen what you wrote!

Third: Your Emergency Savings

You will NEVER hear me recommend someone quit their job without having AT LEAST 3-6 months of living expenses available in your savings account.

"But Erica, I can barely pay bills, how am I supposed to save 3-6 months of expenses?!"

You're about to have NEW MONEY flowing into your bank account from freelancing!

Even if you can only spare 10 hours a week for freelancing, that's potentially $250/week at $25/hour.

That's $1,000/month you didn't have before. Once that rate is at $50/hour? $75/hour? (Those rates come up FASTER than you think!)

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Use that money to:

Pay down high-interest/high-payment debt
Build your emergency savings fund
Invest in tools/training that make you more efficient and competitive

Before you know it, you'll have that safety net AND the skills to replace your income.

Let's Math This Out (I Promise It Won't Hurt) 🧮

Let's say after a few months, your data shows:

You send ~20 applications/month
You land 4 clients (20% close rate)
You charge $50/hour (double your current $25/hour day job)
Those 4 clients give you 20 hours of work
You make $1,000/month working part-time (5 hours/week)

Now, say your current 9-5 pays $4,200/month. To match that, you'd need:

84 hours of freelance work ($50 × 84 = $4,200)
That's just 21 hours per week!
At your 20% close rate, you'd need to send 85 applications/month
That's just 4 applications per workday

Do you see how DOABLE this is?

And this is the WORST-CASE scenario! I'm not even factoring in:

Repeat clients (reducing how many apps you need to send over time)
Client invitations (they come to YOU)
Your rate CONTINUING to increase (because it will!)
Longer-term, larger-scope contracts (which mean more stable income)
Retainer clients (my favorite—consistent monthly income!)

But I'd rather you plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when it's easier than expected.

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Why I Created This Tracker For You 📊

I want you to treat your freelance business like a science experiment. You're collecting evidence to prove to yourself (and maybe your anxious partner/parent/inner critic) that this isn't just a dream—it's a viable path forward.

Freelancing has natural ebbs and flows. Some weeks you'll have 5 clients beating down your door. Other weeks might be quieter. You need enough data to see the patterns and know what's "normal" for YOUR service offerings and YOUR approach.

With this tracker, you'll start noticing patterns:

Which proposal styles get more responses
What types of clients respond to you most
How your close rate improves over time
When you're ACTUALLY ready to make the leap

👉 Download Your Free Proposal Tracker Here 👈

I recommend collecting at least 90 days of data before making any big decisions about quitting your job. I know that feels like FOREVER when you're miserable at work, but I'd rather see you leap from a stable foundation than from a place of panic.

REMINDER: Your first freelance dollar is the hardest to earn. The second is a little easier. By dollar 10,000, you'll be wondering why you didn't start sooner.

What To Do With This Tracker

Record EVERY proposal you send
Track which contracts you land
Track hours and income to see your effective hourly rate
Watch for patterns in which proposals/jobs convert better
Experiment with different approaches and see what improves your numbers

This is the exact data that will tell you, with mathematical confidence, when you're ready to make the jump.

Now It's Your Turn! 🚀

Download the tracker. Start recording your numbers. Be consistent with your applications.

And remember—it's just math. Not magic, not mystery, just sweet, reliable, predictable math.

This is why I push consistency SO HARD. Because freelancing success isn't about divine intervention or some special talent you were born with—it's about showing up, sending those proposals, and letting the numbers work ever in your favor.

I can't wait to see YOUR math equation solve itself into a beautiful, freedom-filled freelance career.

P.S. P.S. If you haven't started the 10 Days to Paid Challenge yet, what are you even DOING? (Kidding. But also, not really?) That's where I teach you step-by-step how to set up your profile, find jobs, and create proposals that get you HIRED. There’s even a video training for this tracker on the inside. Join here and catch up while I'm on the road!

This Tool Will Tell You When You're Ready to…