From $5 to $200,000 Writing on Fiverr — Interview with Maya Sayvanova
Learn from a top 1% freelancer on Fiverr what a beginner needs to be successful.
What's your first association when I say “Fiverr”?
“5 dollars and bargain prices” as Sylwia Biczyk shared inside our Online Writing School community?
Those days are long gone.
Fiverr has evolved from a platform for freelancers and 5 dollars per job to one of the best platforms for writers.
Today, there are more than 4 million active buyers who spend more than $200 on average.
Curious?
It's always easier when you get advice from someone who's gone before you.
Maya Sayvanova quit her job in 2014 to become her own boss as a freelance copywriter.
At this time, she had no idea how this whole Fiverr game worked.
I can tell you this wan’t all rainbows and butterflies.
Impostor syndrome got to her.
She set her prices too low.
Maya thought about getting a “real job” again to feed her two children.
Fast forward to today, Maya made it into the 6-figure writers club. 🤑
She’s a top and Pro-rated copywriter who belongs to the top 1% of freelancers on the platform.
Here are 3 highlights from this week’s YouTube interview with Maya Sayvanova:
#1 Most freelance writers avoid marketing. This is not the group you should follow if you want to earn money.
“First comes the marketing, then comes the reputation of an expert, and then comes success”
Often writers think marketing is…
too complicated
too expensive
dumb
… or they just don’t feel comfortable selling themselves.
They don’t want to sound salesy.
Maya has a marketing background and knows that it makes a difference.
Marketing is the one skill you need to be successful on Fiverr and on any other writing platform such as Medium or Substack.
#2 In any day job anywhere in the world, there will be idiots. It’s fine to lose the capacity to tolerate idiots.
Often people are afraid to quit their job and go all in.
10 years ago, Maya decided to make the bold move and quit her 9-5.
She felt trapped in an office with people she couldn’t stand.
That alone was worth it to become a freelancer and solopreneur.
“Yes, solopreneurship requires a lot of dedication, but it gives you confidence, freedom and unlimited opportunities in return.”
In addition, if a client isn’t a good fit, she respectfully declines his project.
Now Maya charges what she wants. She even made $12,000 with one gig.
She has a consistent stream of work.
She can choose her clients.
She even works as a freelancer for her old boss.
She travesl with her family and spends a lot of quality time with her kids.
“Which is more difficult, forcing myself to do work I don’t care about; or challenging myself to keep trying to do what I believe in?”
#3 First thing you need to do is to “burn your boats” to succeed as a writer
Back in the day, Maya desperately needed help to kickstart her freelance writing business.
After ten years, she now helps others to kickstart their solo business with her One-Person Business Success
“I really couldn't afford the big courses that I thought were the answer. And the small courses felt like they would only show me like part of the picture.”
It took her years to figure it all out but it all started with Tony Robbins mantra:
“First of all you need to burn the f****** boats!”
Resourfulness is the ultimate resource.
If you don’t have what you want, stop telling yourself the story…
I don’t have the money
I don’t have the time
I don’t have the mental space
…
“If you want to take the island, you need to burn the boats.”
It all starts with your commitment.
Maya’s whole life has changed since she became a freelance writer.
“If you don't have a job… you're much more resourceful. You're much more into it. You don't give up so easily. It really teaches you resilience.”
See?
There are so many things to learn with and about Maya.
We also talk about earning money on Medium, building an audience and her plans with her Substack newsletter.
New VIDEO: She Made $200K on Fiverr - From $5 to $200 per writing gig 🥳 🚀
✅Engagement BONUS: I love to gamify your newsletter experience, so if you leave a comment on YouTube, you could win a 15 min. coaching session with me in April 2024.
Table of Contents
00:00:00 From $5 to $200 per gig on Fiverr
00:01:00 Who is Maya Sayvanova?
00:01:28 Why did Maya Quit Her 9-5 Job?
00:03:25 Challenges Maya Faced after Quitting her Job
00:05:40 Maya’s Extreme Client Work Situation
00:07:54 Is Fiverr a Bargain Platform or Has it Evolved?
00:10:42 What Services does Maya Offer?
00:12:48 What’s the Key to Success on Fiverr?
00:15:17 How Much has Maya Made on Fiverr?
00:18:04 How Fiverr has Given Maya Financial Freedom
00:19:18 What’s the Average Day for Maya Look Like?
00:20:09 How Many Hours Per Day Does Maya Work?
00:25:17 Does Maya Use Medium as a Marketing Tool?
00:28:06 Maya Getting Her First Story Boosted
00:30:01 What is Maya's Newsletter About?
00:32:57 What is Maya's Coaching Offer?
00:34:14 Does Maya Plan to Create a Community?
00:38:03 How Maya got Published in Business Insider
00:42:52 How Getting Featured in Business Insider Changed Maya's Career
00:44:18 What’s the Biggest Surprise Maya has Experienced?
00:46:46 What Advice Did Maya Ignore?
00:48:55 The Biggest Obstacle in Maya's Career
00:50:34 Maya's Advice to Other Writers
I always say:
“There are two types of newsletter writers. Those who are curious and those who are serious and burn their boats”
If you say:
“I want to start and grow my writing business and email list healthily and sustainably, in a community with like-minded people to never feel alone or working in a silo, to connect with Maya Sayvanova LIVE…”
…then my Online Writing School is for you.
Just upgrade and become a paid subscriber to join our exclusive community!
Upcoming LIVE event - the best is yet to come
LIVE session inside our Online Writing School: “Write Irresistible About Pages with 6-Figure Fiverr Writer and Solopreneur Maya Sayvanova - with Q&A”; Tuesday, Apr 9; 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM CEST
Wait, please, could you do me a favor? 😘Re-stack and/or share this post, so more people can engage!😘 Thanks!
You got this!
Kristina
If I go back to Fiverr I don’t think I’ll offer writing services though. It was a great platform before 2020, and I did offer writing services then. However I’ve heard from other freelancers Fiverr has not been overly kind to sellers. It will be interesting to see what she says.
Will have to watch the video later, but just wanted to say "great post" as usual Kristina!