📋 Roadmap Overview: Upwork vs. Fiverr Experiment
- • Earnings Potential: Upwork yielded higher hourly rates ($22/hr) but required active "hunting" and an initial investment in Connects.
- • Barriers to Entry: Fiverr is passive but competitive; Upwork allows for proactive upselling once a foot is in the door.
- • The Strategy: Use low-skill data entry gigs as a "Trojan Horse" to build trust, then pivot to high-margin service upselling.
I Started From Zero on Upwork & Fiverr. Here is What Happened.
No portfolio. A credit score of 540. A fresh laptop. We tested which platform actually pays the bills for a beginner.
Upwork Results
- Proposals Sent 42
- Jobs Landed 3
- Total Earnings $480.00
- Avg Hourly Rate $22/hr
Fiverr Results
- Gigs Created 4
- Orders Received 1
- Total Earnings $40.00
- Avg Hourly Rate $8/hr
The "Connects" Trap
Here is what nobody tells you: Upwork isn't free. I spent $15 on "Connects" (credits to apply for jobs) before I got my first reply. If you are literally at $0 in your bank account, this is a barrier.
My "Trojan Horse" Strategy
I stopped applying for "Expert Writer" jobs (too much competition) and started applying for "Boring Data Entry" jobs. I landed a PDF-to-Excel conversion job for $30.
Once the client saw I was reliable, I upsold them: "I noticed your website copy has some typos. Want me to fix them for $50?"
The Lesson: Use low-skill gigs to get in the door, then sell your high-skill services.