Meet Javiera Alfaro, a Digital Nomad Coach

Industry

Javiera's journey to freelance

Just six years ago, Javiera was working at a call center, feeling stressed and saving up her vacation days. If you told her then that one day she'd be a digital nomad and teach others how to take ownership of their freelance careers, she’d have laughed.

Javiera began freelancing to earn extra income outside of her full-time job. The term "freelancing" at that time to her was something you did on the side to get more work and make additional cash. She gave herself a year to "try it out."

"When I started, I just didn't have a role model. I didn't know anyone who called themselves a freelancer and had a stable income."

Javiera joined Upwork as a virtual assistant and translator. Once she landed her first big client, she realized that there was "something there" and decided to take it seriously. Starting as a virtual assistant, she became the company’s Junior Director of Operations in just two months. This is when Javiera's idea of what freelancing could be changed.

Changing the narrative

At first, Javiera didn't see freelancing as a sustainable career path. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, business models were still tied to offices. Working remotely wasn't mainstream, especially where she lived in Central America. Digital nomadism existed, but to Javiera it seemed like a pipe dream rather than a type of life she could work toward.

Javiera's first step was to research.

"What if you start looking for evidence that this is actually stable? There are people who make five or six figures a month through freelancing, right? So look for evidence of the new narrative and new plan that you're trying to build."

She wanted proof that being a full-time freelancer was possible and turned to Upwork to study her competition: other freelancers with similar skills. In her mind, Javiera needed to change the story she was telling herself and reframe what freelancing meant to her.

As a digital nomad coach, Javiera helps her clients to change their narratives and take ownership of being independent professionals.

"You can call it 'just a freelance project' and 'it's my side job thing,' but then if you really own it, have sovereignty, and want to build a true business, then you start treating 'that freelancing thing' as your business. Freelancing is like the baby step, and then once you become more confident and feel that this is your job, your thing, and you are the business owner—your mindset changes."

Nomadpreneurs

When you become a freelancer, you essentially work for yourself and own a business—you're the project manager, CEO, accountant, and everything else. The secret to success for Javiera is the mindset. You have to think as a business owner providing your services, a nomadpreneur rather than an employee.

"We sometimes bring the mindset that we're employed when in reality, clients are hiring us because we are the ones that know how to implement something. It's all about mindset. One of the things that my clients love the most about working with me is that they can feel confident that I am going to guide them through the process."

Javiera helps digital nomads find their niches and create a scalable business model that fits the lifestyle they want. Once they have their niche, she teaches them how to turn it into a business idea that aligns with their personal and professional goals. Javiera is even there to assist with landing their first client.

Javiera jokingly refers to herself as a business doula, coaching her clients through the birth of their ideas.

"We all deserve to build a life based on freedom. It is something we all have access to, but you have to be committed to building it.”

Why Upwork

Javiera is proof that hard work pays off, especially as an independent professional. She has built a strong reputation on Upwork as a career coach and business consultant, earning her Top-Rated Badge and an impressive 100% Job Success Score.

She recommends Upwork to independent professionals looking to start building their own freelance businesses.

"A huge step that helped me was getting clients on Upwork because you don't have to have a personal brand. You don't have to build a website. You don't have to create a presence because you can just go there where clients are ready to hire you."

Where talent and clients meet

What drew Javiera to Upwork is what keeps her here today: the clients. Over 30% of the Fortune 100 turn to Upwork to find independent professionals. In most cases, these clients are hot leads—they know what they want and are looking for the right talent. Clients come to Upwork because they're looking for immediate help with their projects.

"On Upwork, clients are already aware of the problem. They're looking for someone to fix it. So I don't have to do the whole buyer journey traction to generate leads and get clients."

Today, Javiera uses Upwork as a way to find clients—or really to let clients find her. Because of her reputation, Javiera regularly receives invites and offers from new clients.

"On Upwork, I don't have to go find clients; they're already there, so most of that part is done. At this point, I don't even send applications to jobs because clients come to me, so that's what I love the most. Upwork is like a pool where you can find ready-to-buy clients."

Freelancers have many different ways of earning on Upwork. They can check Talent Marketplace^TM and submit proposals to available jobs. Freelancers can also set up fixed-priced projects and list them on Project Catalog^TM for clients to shop. They can offer paid Consultations to clients in their area of expertise.

Javiera's advice to freelancers

Success as a freelancer doesn't happen overnight. Like any business, you have to work hard to build it from the ground up. Initially, you may feel like you're spending a lot of time perfecting your profile, submitting proposals, and interviewing with clients. But once you have a portfolio to share and positive reviews from past clients, landing jobs becomes easier. When asked about her journey, Javiera puts on her coaching hat and gives some of her best tips for freelancers looking to build their careers.

Find your niche

Javiera encourages new freelancers to figure out what they enjoy doing best and then specialize in it. Becoming an expert in a niche can help build your reputation, so you can increase the demand for your services (and charge more).

"As a freelancer, you may think: I have all these skills. I'm a copywriter, I'm a graphic designer, I'm a web designer, I'm a virtual assistant, and I can also do content. But what is really resonating with you? What kind of work and projects do you feel more excited about? That's your specialty and what will make you stand out from the competition because you'll become a master in one specific thing. When you niche down, you can start positioning yourself as the go-to person to fix that problem."

When working as an employee, especially at a smaller company or startup, being able to do a little bit of everything is highly valuable. You can lend a hand whenever needed, learning skills on the job. Independent professionals, on the other hand, find success through niches.

"You cannot build a great experience if you're trying to do everything at once. So for me, the main thing is don't be afraid to test and try different things when you're starting, but there's going to be a point where you'll have to decide what is in better alignment with what you do."

When clients look at proposals and see talent profiles, they want to know what you're best at. Clients hire independent professionals for highly specialized jobs and to close skills gaps compared to employers looking to fill positions with many different responsibilities. If you choose a niche, you can work on growing your expertise and skills in that particular area.

Build relationships with clients

Freelancing is all about building relationships with clients. Part of this starts with choosing what projects to say yes to and learning when to say no. Some clients may have a clear idea of what they want but aren't sure how to get there. You need to be able to demonstrate confidence and provide leadership.

Javiera offers free 30-minute discovery calls to meet with potential clients to help her understand what they're looking for and the full scope of the project. She has frequently had clients reach out to her in the past, thinking they need a virtual assistant when really the project's scope better fits an operations manager—a skill and role they didn't know existed.

"How do you know that you're the best option for your client if you don't have all the details about the project? I do discovery calls with my clients to ensure that we're a good fit for each other."

If a client isn't the right fit, learning to say no is essential. You want to make sure that you can meet and exceed your client's expectations. Based on the description, the project may sound like something you're interested in at first. Once you meet with the client, if you feel that you don't have the right skill set or your workstyles and personalities don't align, it's okay to say no. This can help you avoid projects that may end up taking more time than you wanted or lead to negative feedback.

"In the beginning, I had a really difficult time saying no. I was pretty much accepting any project and job. I think it has to do with the scarcity mindset—the fear of losing an opportunity if you say no to something even if it's not aligned. The first step is you need to create the awareness that in order for you to have more aligned projects, you will have to make a space for that. The second step is how can you create standards to help identify your best client and set boundaries so you can scale and grow as a business."

Know your value

When negotiating as an independent professional, Javiera recommends demonstrating the value you bring to your client and their return on investment. Think about the financial benefit you’re bringing to them, or how you’re making their lives easier. Some clients may just be looking for the fastest and lowest-cost option, but once you establish a reputation, that may not be the type of client you want to work with.

Javiera remembers creating a Black Friday email sequence for a client. She estimated it would take her ten hours to set up and build, so that's how she calculated her rate. Once it went live, she checked the analytics and, on the first day, the campaign made three times the client's investment in her.

"I really took the time to contemplate what that meant, creating the awareness of what my services provide clients. When you start really having solid points of why you're pricing in a certain way, you can show your clients that your work will create that return on investment. It goes back to the mindset and understanding your value. I went to the next level when I started basically charging per result rather than per hour."

Javiera also recommends learning the right workflows and project management processes to help you become more efficient so you earn more per hour. As a freelancer, you're in charge of scheduling and how you manage your day-to-day. You may be working with multiple clients at once and need to stay organized.

"If you don't master the art of prioritizing and planning, then it's going to be pretty difficult for you to handle the scope of work, especially if you have several clients, right? So for me, learning project management skills was really key, and then getting support from project management tools and learning how to create workflows. I don't want to do something repetitive; I prefer to create workflows to save me time."

Rethink what's possible

As an independent professional, you run your own business, and the services you offer are your skills. You get to work directly with clients and choose the projects you say yes to. Many people choose to freelance because of the flexibility and control they can have over their career, whether they want to travel the world and work remotely or schedule their workday around family time and caretaking.

If you're looking to become a digital nomad and see what's possible when you take ownership of your career, Javiera is ready to coach you through the process. Businesses can work with Javiera for coaching and consulting, helping with automation, launch strategies, and curriculum building.

Javiera has built a career around doing what she loves, and she encourages others to see what is possible through freelancing. Upwork played a big role in helping Javiera get to where she is today. See what projects match your skill set right now and start meeting clients from all over the world. You may never look back.