When Tyler announced to his roommates that he was quitting his part-time job at Smoothie Town to “be his own boss,” they figured he must’ve lined up a legit gig.
For anyone wondering, this is the wrong way to learn How to start freelancing.
He hadn’t.
What Tyler did have was a vague plan inspired by a TikTok that said:
“Make $10K/month doing graphic design. Laptop. Coffee. Bali. Repeat.”
It showed a woman in sunglasses designing logos from a poolside cabana. Tyler figured if she could do it, so could he. He Googled how to start freelancing and clicked the first link that wasn’t an ad or a pop-up trap.
Armed with caffeine, Canva, and blind confidence, Tyler signed up on a freelance site called HustlCrate. He gave himself the username TyGuyDesignz69, uploaded two “portfolio samples” (one of which was a meme about soup), and set his rate at a generous $25 per logo.
“This is gonna be so easy,” he said, sipping a lukewarm oat milk latte made in his roommate’s busted espresso machine.
Enter: Brandon and the Curse of Flexgasm
On day two, he got a message from a guy named Brandon, who was starting a high-protein snack brand.
“I need a logo for Flexgasm. Something that looks jacked.”
Tyler, eager and entirely unqualified, replied, “Absolutely bro 💪 $25 flat. Unlimited revisions. I got you tonight.”
Spoiler: This is not how to start freelancing.
Tyler created a monstrosity: a logo with a dumbbell shaped like a lightning bolt, bulging biceps gripping the sides, and the brand name in a gradient font that looked like it had abs.
Brandon was thrilled—at first. But then came the dreaded message:
“Can you make it more like Apple’s logo? But with muscles? And maybe flames?”
Tyler spent the next 12 hours trapped in a design spiral, tweaking versions like a man possessed. Version 1 had abs. Version 2 had fire. Version 3 had a protein shaker inside a volcano.
Brandon ghosted.
Tyler stared at his inbox, defeated, clutching his third cold brew and whispering, “Why did I promise unlimited revisions…?”
Freelance Rock Bottom
After his Flexgasm flop, Tyler did what any rational person would: he rage-ate a half-bag of frozen pizza rolls and rage-Googled “how to start freelancing without becoming a joke.”
That’s when it hit him—he had skipped all the boring but necessary setup.
The articles he should’ve read earlier explained everything:
- Why you need tiered packages
- Why “unlimited revisions” is a trap
- Why deposits matter
- Why clients named Brandon should come with a warning label
He scrapped his original profile and started over.
The Glow-Up: Professional-ish Tyler
Version 2.0 of Tyler’s freelancing identity was shockingly… legit.
He renamed his profile: Tyler | Clean Graphic Design for Creators (no “69” this time).
He created three packages:
- Basic ($50): 1 logo concept, 1 revision
- Standard ($100): 2 concepts, 2 revisions
- Premium ($200): 3 concepts, full branding guide
He even built a simple portfolio using Canva and linked a Google Form for client intake. He posted a real FAQ, added timelines, and set expectations like a full-grown adult.
He finally understood how to start freelancing the smart way: by treating it like a business—not a lemonade stand for logos.
Redemption by Croissant
Tyler’s next client was Lena, a baker launching an online pastry shop called “Crumb & Co.”
“I need a logo that feels soft and artisanal,” she wrote.
Tyler lit a candle, turned on lo-fi beats, and got to work. He sent three mockups, all with watermarks. Lena picked the one with a hand-drawn croissant and pastel serif font. It looked like a hug in logo form.
She paid the 50% deposit. She gave clear feedback. She even tipped him.
Then she did something no client had done before:
She DoorDashed him a cupcake with a handwritten note: “Thank you for making this easy!”
Tyler stared at the cupcake, stunned.
“This is it,” he whispered. “This is the dream.”
The Takeaway
Freelancing wasn’t a vibe. It was a hustle. A business.
Learning how to start freelancing meant setting boundaries, charging what you’re worth, and saying “no” to flaming dumbbell logos.
Tyler didn’t hit $10K/month. But he did pay rent, replace his cracked phone screen, and—most importantly—retire TyGuyDesignz69.
