I’ve recently finished the 1-on-1 freelancing mentorship with Viorel (the 3-month program). He is just one of the people that worked with me to move to the next level in freelancing.
In fact, the next level for him meant scaling up from employee to freelancer. Viorel is a programmer. When I met him, he worked in the corporate environment and earned an excellent salary compared to Romania’s average.
However, I could sense he wanted more out of life each time we spoke. He didn’t have a very clear picture of how much he wanted or how to get there. But he knew from the get-go that he was ready for more.
Our first few talks never led to us working together because Viorel is in IT and I’m in another area. Besides, most of my collaborators never had any connection with IT. Still, we bonded.
I took advantage of finishing the 1-on-1 program with Viorel and took the time during one of our calls to ask him: WHAT CONVINCED HIM TO WORK WITH ME?
His answers came in the shape of a mini-interview, which I transcribed and you can read below:
Viorel, what convinced you to work with me in a freelancing mentorship program, even if I had no experience in your niche?
What convinced me? Well, firstly, it was something we discussed later and that I felt on my own skin before starting this collaboration.
It was the fact that you gave me something valuable without any strings attached.
Look, I’ll compare our discussions and those with other people. Everything was straightforward with you, and I wrote to you without ever intending to work together.
Another point that mattered was that we have the same values. I really liked that about our first meetings: your level of authenticity and even your don’t-give-a-f**kness that I didn’t have then. I can’t say I have entirely reached that level now, but I’m clearly heading in that direction.
I appreciated your level of authenticity and “Oi, you know what, this is me!” I can find – and I have found – clients to work with. But these three months honed my self-esteem. I think that self-esteem is basically the cornerstone of choosing your program.
Secondly, I liked that you approached our call with an offer that served me. I was the one who made the first step. You didn’t come to me all sneaky and like: “Hey, pal, want to buy a perfume?”
As I told Viorel, this approach isn’t just a sales technique (although, admittedly, I tested and leveraged it successfully). But, the whole freelancer mentality should be OFFERING VALUE TO CUSTOMERS!
Besides, when you’re working as a freelancer, you have to know that the price of your work is value-based – meaning it’s based on your services’ value.
I even asked Viorel what he thought about the price I demanded for this freelancing mentorship program. Here’s what he said:
Many people say that mentorship is expensive – Here’s what that cost means
Yes, even the reasonable, acceptable price convinced me to work with you. Many people were asking for more considerable amounts and 3-month tenures. And we… even if I paid you less, much less than the market price… we got to some fantastic results.
I do not deny that maybe they would have taken me there, too. But the thing that really mattered to me and convinced me to choose you was this vibe and chemistry we shared. Because, yes, I would have probably made a lot of money with them too, but that’s not what it was about.
Again, for me, it was a matter of “How do I want to get to that money?” I was convinced I was going to make it. When we first started working together, basically in the first few sessions, I knew I had made a good choice.
The current mentorship program has evolved a lot based on market research and in-person meetings, so it’s out of the testing period. But even during those trials, I could see noticeable results.
And Vio isn’t the only one who can attest to that. Many people have worked with me, reaching fantastic results, and not just from a financial perspective*. And you can read about my evolution here – my personal story!
*I want to underline that because money isn’t the only thing that matters here. And Vio sensed that from the start. It’s like he knew what I was going to ask afterward.
In this interview, I raised the topic of mindset: How important is the mindset in freelancing?
I had a massive blockage at the mindset part; just thinking about content writing and self-promotion was making me freeze. And you said: “Ok, we’ll help you. I’ll help you!” At some point, you even said, “I’ll write the content for you myself if you need it!” I mean, you came up with solutions to take me out of that “freeze” state of mind.
It would have probably taken me more time if I had to do this alone without you. That’s because I would have frozen and given up. Then, I would have become frustrated and probably picked up with you again. We would have had a nice ping-pong then.
Basically, I knew you were by my side and that “Oi, this week I accomplished this and that! Let’s try this too…” This thinking motivated me and gave me a healthy push; sometimes, it even pulled me toward my goals.
That’s another thing! I somehow entered this whole interaction without faith – not in you or the project – but without faith in myself. Those were my own biases. But, I went full in, especially after those talks. After getting to know you, I said to myself: “Oi, man, I really trust this human being!”
So that was the thing; I resonated with you, and I trusted you in everything you said. If you had told me something along the lines of: “You have to fill in the paperwork at 1 a.m. because it’s better than to apply at noon,” that’s what I would have done.
The questions I asked Viorel about his experience with me got me the answers I was sometimes looking for in myself. And I also found those answers in the freelancing mentorship programs I completed throughout the years. But I also found them in the people I work with.
This interview isn’t just for Viorel to show off or for me to self-congratulate that “oi, look how big and tough we are.” No!
This interview is meant to provide you with INSPIRATION and FORCE to move on – make the step towards freedom!
If you’re already a freelancer and feel you’re capable of more, now’s the time. You have all you need here. Absorb all the confidence you need from Viorel’s experience. Take all the support from what he said and felt.
Fuck it! If you really feel the need, write to me, and let’s see how I can help.
When you start this thing, it’s essential to have faith.
Faith in yourself if you’re starting this alone. Or faith in your mentors if you begin the journey with them by your side.
Here’s what Viorel said when I asked him about faith and what he felt outside his mentorship sessions with me
Oi, I’m glad that everything tied together smoothly. I thought it was fantastic. That gave me faith.
So, I went, and I didn’t have to wait in line with the paperwork; everything about the logistics went smoothly. And somehow, I took this as a sign that things were moving in the correct direction – meaning the direction I was heading in.
Anyway, even if I had to wait in longer lines, I was willing to do it. After we went a bit over this mindset part and I connected with my values – the values you helped me find or reconnect with – I was already all in. And again, the results showed up.
It was a partnership! I’m not saying these results were just thanks to you or me. It was a collaboration, and we both did our parts.
Again, here’s something that mattered immensely for my morale and psyche: your support!
Even if we had weekly calls, I always felt you there, and I valued this. You said: “Oi, write to me! It doesn’t matter if I can’t answer that very second; I will reply when I get the time!” I appreciated that support the most, especially when we began.
And I also liked that, I don’t know, you were coming prepared, you had your homework done. You had the process; you had it in your mind. And you knew very clearly where we’re going or where you’re taking me. I didn’t realize it, but I let myself be led by you.
As you can see, it’s crucial to know in whose hands you’re putting yourself.
Especially if you’re just starting, like Viorel.
He wasn’t already a freelancer. He was just making his first step toward freelancing. That’s why we needed support logistics on the paperwork part to set up his business. We started from zero with him. And Nela stood by his side.
Even with all this, we still couldn’t do some things. Take, for example, my lack of experience in IT.
I even asked Viorel how he experienced this lack. Because Viorel chose to work with me even if I wasn’t an expert in his niche. However, he knew I’d take him where he needed to be because I live FREELANCING as a lifestyle, regardless of the niche.
I told him as I said to everyone. I’m NOT mentoring people in freelancing by sharing strategies from books. I’m not letting you tackle the theory and practice by yourself.
I show people my process. My story. I share how I ended up earning 5,000 euros/month from my activity as a freelancer.
And I help them in 1-on-1 sessions + calls + messages whenever they need. I want to take them there too. As much as I can.
Why did Viorel work with me in this freelancing mentorship program, even if I’m not an IT expert?
I appreciated this thing about giving back and offering value without doing it just for the money. Obviously, money is necessary too, but the commercial side was kept, not necessarily to the minimum, but it was background noise.
That made me agree, and again, your mindset and our shared values prove, once again, that this thing isn’t just about money. That’s what I like about you.
Oi, money is essential, but it’s not everything.
Regarding the things you can improve, things are a bit different. If you work with IT people again, you’ll get the handle on it.
I sometimes felt your lack of experience, but I expected it from the start. I know that things are a bit different in IT and that you can’t foresee everything. So, when I chose you over the others, I thought to myself: “Yeah, man, there’ll be some hiccups along the way, but we’ll handle them together!”
Apart from that, I didn’t feel that we could do something better or that “Look, there was this thing, and maybe I needed another perspective…”
In other words, the fact that my primary GOAL as a mentor is to OFFER VALUE persuaded Viorel to disregard our different backgrounds. And there have been other cases. People came to me with businesses of which I had no notion. And we still managed to take them to the next level.
Because that’s what I do: I constantly search for solutions to help my partners, whether or not I have experience in their niches. Experience is something you earn with time and practice.
At the end of this article, I hope you take one thing from this interview!
Take the COURAGE to surpass all obstacles and break all barriers. Do this to get where you want to.
Whether you choose to do it yourself or with mentors who guide you, it’s essential to internalize this COURAGE as part of you and your process.
I can be one of your mentors or not; that’s the least important part. The important part is that you’ll have to go with your HEART full of COURAGE and FAITH regardless of who accompanies you on this journey.
If you want to help you start freelancing or go to the next level, WRITE TO ME!
I helped Viorel earn three times his income, and he got back his investment in this program within his first bill.
That was after 3 months of freelancing mentorship in 1-on-1 online sessions.
I’m not saying it’ll be the same for you. You can never guarantee these things. But I can promise you one thing, just like I promised Viorel.
I’LL BE THERE BY YOUR SIDE – WHATEVER AND WHEREVER AND HOWEVER YOU WILL NEED
That’s what freelancing mentorship means for me. If you want to have that kind of support when launching or scaling up your business, I’m waiting for you.