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The Complete Guide to Freelancing in 2025

Start a career or earn a side income by becoming a Freelancer. No previous experience needed. You'll learn the exact steps you need to take to start freelancing, build an online presence, get high-paying clients and gain the flexibility to live your dream life.

21 Days

Average time students take to complete this course.

instructor
Taught by: Paul Mendes
Last updated: December 2024

Course overview

This Freelancing Bootcamp Course gives you the step-by-step guide to go from ZERO EXPERIENCE to becoming a Freelancer and having a profitable freelance business getting clients you never thought possible.

What you'll learn

  • How to build a rockstar Upwork profile that stands out and ranks organically
  • Create winning proposals that ensure you land clients
  • Build a side-hustle or a full-time online income that could replace your 9-5 job
  • Find the right high-paying freelance jobs
  • The top profitable freelance skills that are currently in high-demand
  • How to communicate with clients effectively
  • How to build relationships with clients so that you can earn recurring income

I want to become a freelancer. What do I need to do?

You don't have to be some crazy expert to start earning money as a freelancer. Freelancing is a skill, and you can learn freelancing just like any other skill. Many people just don't know where to start and how to stand out.

If you're wondering how to become a freelancer, then you've come to the right place.

You want to learn freelancing and we're going to teach you exactly how to become a freelancer. That's precisely why we created this freelancing course!

The biggest challenge used to be "how do I find clients?" but with the growth in platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, there are 1,000s of jobs available at any time.

Companies pay freelancers $2.52 billion (and growing!) via Upwork each year.

Imagine being able to work from anywhere in the world, making a consistent monthly income and having the freedom to live your dream life. Sounds like

This course is NOT like other freelancing courses and tutorials you will find online that only cover the basics. Or worse, are taught by someone that isn't even a successful Freelancer themself.

This freelancing course is focused on efficiency and taking action:

  • Paul, who is a Top 10% Freelancer on Upwork, gives you the exact steps and templates that he's tested and used to get high-paying clients. And shows you how you can too.
  • Paul's focus is to get you earning money as quickly as possible and to set you up for long-term success.
  • You could complete the majority of this course in a weekend and get your first client in the next week if you're serious about making it happen.
  • Freelancing is a competitive space so we will be going beyond the basics and showing you how you can stand out and build a sustainable and profitable business.

And you won't be learning and starting your Freelance career alone.

By enrolling today, you’ll also get to join our exclusive live online community classroom to learn alongside thousands of students, alumni, mentors, TAs and Instructors.

Most importantly, you will be learning from someone that has actual real-world experience and is a Top Rated Freelancer on Upwork.

This course covers everything Paul has learned so far on his ongoing journey. He's made the mistakes so you don't have to. He knows what works and what doesn't. And he is sharing absolutely everything with you. Step-by-step.

Who should take this course?

  • Anyone looking to create a rewarding and profitable freelancing business
  • Anyone who wants to create a side-hustle or full-time source of income online
  • Anyone looking to leave their 9-to-5 for a life of financial, personal, and professional freedom
  • Anyone who has already tried or is currently freelancing but isn't having as much success as they'd like

Wait... Is This Course Just For Upwork?

Nope. This course uses Upwork, a freelancing platform with billions in jobs each year, as a starting point and an example to show you how to apply all the tactics and strategies Paul has mastered over the years. But the strategies you learn can be applied to any freelancing platform.

This Freelancing Bootcamp course consists of six sections:

1️. Building a ROCKSTAR Freelance Profile

As they say, first impressions are everything. Having a top-notch profile will help you gain attention and build instant credibility with clients. This section will show you exactly how to create a profile that will help you land high-ticket clients.

2️. Finding & Closing High-Ticket Clients

Here is where your freelancing training really kicks into gear. The more money you make the better, right? Being able to charge higher amounts and land higher-quality clients will also help you generate more predictable monthly recurring cash flow. Paul shares his secrets to identifying where high-ticket clients are hiding and how to land them.

3️. Managing & Scaling Your Freelance Business

We don't want to help you just get started. We want to help you unlock financial, personal, and professional freedom in your life. This section teaches you how to maintain high-ticket clients & how to scale to the moon!

4. Profitable Freelance Skills

Whether you're already a Developer, Designer, Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer or have none of these skills, we will show you how to identify which of the best freelance skills to learn is right for you and will allow you to charge higher rates.

This section will even teach you many of the current highest-paying skills like copywriting, graphic design, email marketing, online advertising, SEO and more.

5. Freelancing For Developers

Coding in particular is one of the best freelance skills to learn. Why? Because it's amongst the most sought-after and lucrative skills for freelancers.

This section takes you on a deep dive into the world of freelancing as a developer, including an overview of the freelancing sector for all major development areas such as front-end, back-end, full-stack, cybersecurity, machine learning, and more!

6. Setting Yourself Up For Freelance Success

Freelancing is competitive. This section is going to teach you how to stand out from the competition and build your business faster. You will learn the key principles that are needed to be a highly successful Freelancer.

7. Developing a Millionaire Mindset

Your mindset controls everything. And we're going to show you how you can shift your thinking to improve your life. This section will lay the foundation on which your entire profitable freelance business will be built.

BONUS: Downloadable PDF Cheat Sheets & Templates

To help you reach success even faster, Paul is giving you the following cheat sheets and templates that he's used to make $10,000s+.

  • Freelance Job Search Manual: So you can find where the best freelance jobs & clients are hiding.
  • Sample Quote Freelancing Template: So you can offer your services to clients & land more deals quicker.
  • Upsell & Bundle Freelancing Cheat Sheet: So you can bundle your skills & earn consistent monthly income.
  • Winning Freelance Proposal Formula: So you stand out from the competition & land more clients.
  • My Secret Freelance Tools & Apps: So you can work smarter and be as productive as possible.
  • Case Study Freelance Blueprint: So you can save time and start closing deals more frequently.
  • Managing & Scaling Online Ads for Freelancers: So you can manage and grow profitable online ad campaigns for your clients.

What's the bottom line?

This freelancing course is not about making you just code along without understanding the principles so that when you are done with the course you don’t know what to do other than watch another tutorial... No!

This course will push you and challenge you to go from an absolute beginner with no experience and no clients to someone that can earn income as a Freelancer 💪.

And if you want to learn to code from scratch and become a Freelance Developer, check out our step-by-step Freelance Developer Career Path.

How do we know?

Because thousands of Zero To Mastery graduates have gotten hired and are now working at companies like Google, Tesla, Amazon, Apple, IBM, JP Morgan, Facebook, Shopify + other top tech companies.

They are also working as top freelancers getting paid while working remotely around the world.

They come from all different backgrounds, ages, and experiences. Many even started as complete beginners.

So there's no reason it can't be you too.

And you have nothing to lose. Because you can start learning right now and if this course isn't everything you expected, we'll refund you 100% within 30 days. No hassles and no questions asked.

When's the best time to get started? Today!

There's never a bad time to learn in-demand skills. But the sooner, the better. So take the first step to landing your first client today by joining the ZTM Academy. You'll have a clear roadmap to developing the skills to get hired and advance your career so you can live the life you've always wanted.

Join Zero To Mastery Now

Don't just take our word for it

Our courses and community have helped 1,000s of Zero To Mastery students go from zero to getting hired to levelling up their skills and advancing their careers to new heights.

Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot

Ishan R

It was a very insightful course! I learned everything I wanted to about freelancing. I have always had the imposter syndrome regarding my skills and thus I never started freelancing, however, after this course, I have the confidence that I can do it.

Ishan R

Amazing course. One of my best bang for bucks. I landed my first client on Upwork using the information in this course!

Ivan Z.

This course is filled with hidden gems that no one talks about! This is what truly set it apart from the other courses I've taken. What really propelled this to be among my favorite courses was how in-depth, comprehensive, and thorough the instructor was.

Steven B.

David K.

ZTM does it again! I have purchased almost every course they've made for a reason. The instructors and the ZTM team are amazing at what they do! Seriously, If you want to become a freelancer, look no further than this course. Thanks ZTM!!

David K.

Dr Troy W.

This is a great course. Everything is explained in a clear and concise way that can be reviewed many times. You will continually benefit from this course as your freelancing career progresses.

Dr Troy W.

It's a fantastic course, and I thoroughly loved it. Each module provided detailed but concise information. It discusses not just the technical aspects of being an outstanding freelancer, but also soft skills. I strongly recommend it!

Gargi C.

Course curriculum

To make sure this course is a good fit for you, you can start learning for free right now by clicking any of the PREVIEW links below.

Getting Started

5 lectures

Your Freelancing Journey Begins

2 lectures

Profile Module - Building a Rockstar Freelance Profile

7 lectures

Deals Module - Finding & Closing High-Ticket Clients

9 lectures

Growth Module - Managing & Scaling Your Freelance Business

6 lectures

Skills Module - Profitable Freelance Skills

10 lectures

Developer Module - Deep Dive on Freelancing for Developers

17 lectures

Success Module - Setting Yourself Up For Freelance Success

7 lectures

Mindset Module - Developing a Millionaire Mindset

6 lectures

Where To Go From Here?

6 lectures

Meet your instructor

Your instructor (Paul) isn't just an expert with years of real-world professional experience. He has been in your shoes. He makes learning fun. He makes complex topics feel simple. He will motivate you. He will push you. And he will go above and beyond to help you succeed.

Paul Mendes

Hi, I'm Paul Mendes!

Paul has worked his way up to becoming one of the top-rated Freelancers on Upwork and is now helping others, just like you, replicate his success to become a profitable freelancer.

SEE MY BIO & COURSES

Paul Mendes

Freelancer & Consultant

Frequently asked questions

Are there any prerequisites for this course?

None! Anyone can become a successful Freelancer as long as you're willing to put in the work and provide an in-demand skill.

Who is this course for?

  • Anyone who wants to start Freelancing from scratch but doesn't know where to start
  • Current Freelancers who want to land more high-paying clients
  • Anyone looking to create a profitable freelancing business
  • Anyone who wants to create a side-hustle or full-time source of income online
  • Anyone looking to leave their 9-to-5 for a life of financial, personal, and professional freedom
  • Anyone who has already tried or is currently freelancing but isn't having as much success as they'd like
  • Anyone that is struggling to get hired as a full-time developer, designer, marketer, etc. and wants to get paid to work on projects to add to their portfolio
  • You want to learn from an actual Freelancer that makes $80+/hr and is rated in the Top 10% of Freelancers on Upwork

What if I don't have an in-demand skill?

Then you've come to the right place! In this course, Paul will teach you the basics of a few of the most in-demand skills in this course.

But by joining the ZTM Academy, you also get access to all of our courses and career paths to help you go from absolutely zero experience to an expert in the most profitable in-demand skills there are.

Do you provide a certificate of completion?

We definitely do and they are quite nice. You will also be able to add Zero To Mastery Academy to the education section of your LinkedIn profile as well.

Are there subtitles?

Yes! We have high quality subtitles in 11 different languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Romanian, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, Indonesian, and Japanese.

You can even adjust the text size, color, background and more so that the subtitles are perfect just for you!

Still have more questions about the Academy?

Still have more questions specific to the Academy membership? No problem, we answer some more here.

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