Where did AltWork come from?

I stated on UpWork in 2016 when the future of freelancing was bright. The competition was growing, but the fees remained stable and there were no reports of profiles being removed arbitrarily. 

Having read writing blogs, I took their advice. I started applying to any jobs which I might be qualified for, undervaluing my interests and prioritizing experience. I then underpromised and overdelivered and got that first 5 star review. I was glowing. I knew this was it. I got more clients, expanded my work to other sites, quit my full time job, and moved out of the big city that was slowly killing my soul. This was a promising beginning.

The excitement did not last. I noticed I was not alone undercutting prices. Everyone was doing it as well, causing rates to drop lower and lower. I found myself hunting for $10 a page writing rate and started supplementing with editing work which I absolutely hated. The urge inside me screamed, 'write!', but my bank account was screaming-'deposit!'.

When I wrote a 10-page research essay in one day, having written 30 pages of research already that week, I knew this was not sustainable. I fell back on teaching.

I would come back to freelancing sites and browse the job postings, checking if I really missed anything. All I saw was shocking low rates, as little a $5, for a research paper. My heart sunk every time.

I wish I could tell you that I picked myself up by my bootstraps and now I have high profile clients and make 100k a year. This is simply not the case. 

What I found through my journey is that while a few people might figure out how to get better rates and achieve incredible results, the majority of us will not. So instead of trying to game the system, it is better to create a new one. This is why I created AltWork. The goal of the platform is to be a collaborative marketplace where creators own their content and the rewards are shared among the community. 

I want the future to be bright for everyone. I hope you do too.