6 strategies to help you make 5 figures on Upwork

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Geegpay Diaries. Today we are sitting down with Favour Yusuf, a Product Marketer and Strategist for B2B SaaS who has driven growth for 10+ early-stage startups across Europe, America and Asia.

Favour did not set out to become a freelancer. After finishing university with no clear path in mind, he quickly realised how tough it would be to find work through traditional means. With no connections to help him into any big companies, he found himself stuck (a situation many will relate to). That was when he began looking for other options and stumbled into content writing.

At the time, most of his writing jobs came through other people who already had Upwork accounts. But in 2019, Upwork cracked down on accounts it believed were being misused. Many Nigerian freelancers lost access to the platform, including those Favour worked with. That was when he decided to create his own account. It was difficult to get in. In fact, he had to borrow money from a friend in the US to open his account and buy Connects, which are required to apply for jobs.

When he got down to his last four Connects, he told himself that if he did not land a job, he would move on. Luckily, he got a gig to write about golf, a subject he knew nothing about. He delivered the work and, although the quality was not perfect, the client gave him a good review and even shared some advice: only apply for jobs where you have some level of knowledge.

That one job helped him gain momentum. He got verified, used the earnings to buy more Connects, and kept applying for better roles. Over time, Favour figured out what worked and what did not. Here are the 6 strategies that have helped him go from his last four Upwork Connects to earning five figures on the platform.

🔗ICYMI, here’s a recap of our last session on how to make money using TikTok.

Strategy 1: Show your expertise
Clients on Upwork do not have time to guess your value. They want proof. Favour learned this very early on in his career, and that lesson laid a solid foundation for him. He came across a resource where someone advised to always include a relevant sample in every proposal, and that insight changed everything. Each time he applied for a job, he either attached a past project or created a fresh sample using Google Docs. Even before he had real clients, he would write mock pieces tailored to the kind of roles he wanted, making it easier for clients to assess the quality of his work. Over time, he began including published work with his name on it, but in the beginning, those self-created samples were enough to build trust and help him stand out.

Strategy 2: Package your skill in a way that solves the client’s problem
It is one thing to have a skill. It is another to make that skill valuable to someone else. In Favour’s words, “people are not paying for writing itself, they are paying for what the writing can do”. That might be brand visibility, better product communication, or more traffic to a website. So instead of selling yourself as just a content writer, frame your services in terms of results. Pay attention to what each client needs and describe your work in a way that focuses on outcomes. Clients will be more willing to hire you and pay more because they can see how your work ties back to their business goals. 

Strategy 3: Learn the business of your skill

A lot of freelancers know how to do the work, but very few know how to turn that work into steady income. Favour learned early on that knowing your craft is just the starting point. To build a career, you also need to understand how that skill fits into the real world of clients, payments and long-term growth. It became one of the key mindset shifts that helped him move from doing gigs to building a career. He took time to study how Upwork works and realised that the platform rewards freelancers who build long-term relationships. So instead of chasing short-term gigs, he filtered job listings and focused on roles with the potential for ongoing work. One of those clients ended up working with him from 2020 to April 2025. That kind of stability did not happen by accident. It was the result of treating freelancing like a business. Favour invested in learning how to communicate value, build trust and stay visible. And once he got that part right, the scramble for jobs turned into a system he could rely on.

Strategy 4: Avoid letting one client control more than 60% of your income

It is tempting to settle in when you land a high-paying client who gives you consistent work. But putting all your eggs in one basket can backfire. At one point, most of Favour’s income came from a single client. When the client downsized and ended the contract, it created a sudden gap in his finances. Thankfully, he had another client in the background, so he was not starting from scratch. That moment reinforced something he now prioritises. No single client should make up more than 50% to 60% of your income. Clients can pause work or change direction at any time, and you need to be ready. The safest approach is to spread your earnings across multiple contracts. That way, if one ends, your entire income does not disappear with it

🔗You’ll also like our content on how to receive money from Upwork.

Strategy 5: Build a pricing system that reflects value and time

Favour shared with us that he does not use one fixed pricing model for every client. He adapts depending on what the client needs and the kind of results he can deliver. When he was just starting out, Favour charged per blog post. But as he moved into more strategic roles, he started pricing based on his time and the value of his contribution.

For startup clients with flexible timelines, Favour prefers hourly contracts. He typically works between 20 and 40 hours each week on these projects. For other clients with steady deliverables, he might charge a monthly retainer. Sometimes, he agrees to fixed prices with clear milestones. No matter the format, his goal is to make sure that the rate reflects the impact he is bringing to the table.

For example, he had once worked with a company where he grew it from 10 users to 1,000 users. Each user paid $40, which brought the company about $40,000 in revenue. Understanding the impact and value he had brought to them, Favour charged $3,000 for his role in that growth. In his eyes, it was a fair trade because the client made back more than what they spent. 

Strategy 6: Stay flexible both financially and mentally

Freelancing does not give you the same predictability as a full-time job. There are slow months and fast months. One way Favour shared that helps him stay grounded is by saving consistently. He avoids spending everything he earns, even when he is having a good month. Instead, he sets aside money so that he can survive the slow periods without panic.

Beyond money, Favour also pays attention to his mental health. He tries to eat well, sleep enough, and stay active. When burnout creeps in, Favour slows down. He prays, rests, and sometimes just goes for a walk to reset. This kind of self-awareness helps him stay consistent, even when the workload gets heavy. Favour believes that being flexible, both financially and mentally, is one of the reasons he is still standing today. 

If you have read this far, thank you for sticking with us. Here are three take-home lessons from Favour to keep in mind:

1. Be patient.
Tech, remote work or freelancing are not shortcuts to wealth. They are all just another career path that takes time and consistency. Hence, it is important to give yourself at least six months of daily effort before expecting real results.

2. Do more than you are paid for.
When you are starting out, experience is just as valuable as payment. Charging lower rates in the beginning can help you land more jobs and build momentum. More projects mean more practice, and more practice means faster growth. The key is to treat every opportunity as a chance to prove your value. Go above and beyond on each project, even if the pay is modest. This builds a track record of excellence and increases the chances of turning one-off jobs into long-term, high-paying relationships.

3. Show your work.
Do not wait until everything is perfect. Talk about what you are building. Share what you are learning. People find and trust those who show up consistently.

And that brings us to the end of this episode of Geegpay Diaries. If you would like to learn more about Favour and his journey, you can follow him on X. We will also be hosting a webinar on Upwork Success Stories: How to Optimise Your Profile and Thrive as a Non-Technical Talent, so be sure to join us on Thursday, 31st July 2025, on Geegpay’s X spaces @geegpay_hq. Click here to set a reminder to attend, see you there!