“Six-figure” is sometimes a cringy word, isn’t it? Do a search on any web browser, and you’ll more than likely find hundreds of people begging for your attention. Buy this program, book, or coaching service, and you’ll earn six figures, “Just like I did!” It’s enough to make you roll your eyes and give up on the idea. Today, I have no snake oil to sell you—but some stories to tell that I had to do some real digging to find for you.

If you’ve been freelancing for a little bit, you probably already know about Fiverr. It’s a freelance marketplace built on the idea that you can hire a freelancer to do a task for $5. A lot of the gigs there are $5, but there are plenty of others that charge more, so there is a real earning potential there if you can figure out how to do it. Many others have. Let’s jump right into the stories of real freelancing entrepreneurs who found their way to a six-figure income on Fiverr.

David Feldman: financial analysis to brainstorming to writing

Feldman found his way to profitable gigs on Fiverr after making a minuscule amount offering financial analysis gigs on Fiverr. He did it by doing his own analysis on the gigs being offered on Fiverr—by looking at Fiverr professionals with multiple jobs in their queue combined with those who had a lot of good reviews. This led him to offer quick brainstorming services for $5 a pop, then he moved on to small writing gigs, which allowed him to learn a bit about copywriting while he was earning money.¹

Ryan Heenan: preschool music teacher to jingle and video producer

As a music teacher, Heenan made $30,000 a year. But now on Fiverr, he reports that he earns over $30,000 a month producing jingles and videos for a variety of clients.²

Charmaine Pocek: corporate recruiter to resume writer

Pocek started out small in the beginning by revamping resumes for $5. Back in the beginning, she didn’t make a lot of money. “On average, I was making . . . maybe $10–$15 an hour.”³ Then, a year and a half later, Fiverr had upgraded her seller status, so she increased her prices to $30–$50. By that point, she had hit the six-figure mark and was making at least $15,000 per month. She even created a premium offer for executives at $500 to $800 per gig. Within two more years, Pocek had built her Fiverr business, and she was making over $300,000 per year. Not bad for someone who started out by offering $5 gigs!

Levi Newman: Army veteran to copywriter

Newman originally meant for it to be something small to earn extra money, but it built to something much more. Within a year of offering his services on Fiverr, he was making over $10,000 per month.³ “My first couple months I made $800-$1,200, and then it just snowballed. Within six months, I realized I could do this full-time. Since Christmas 2015, I’ve made $10,000-$15,000 a month.”

Red Horrocks: stage manager to voice actress

“At my previous full-time job, I earned $52,000 anually.”³ But with Fiverr, she makes at least $15,000 per month, easily landing her in the six-figure income range. Her business really started to grow after she made her Fiverr profile look more professional.

Key Take-Aways:

• Every new Fiverr entrepreneur starts out at the bottom—you have to do $5 gigs for a while before you can hit your sweet spot.
• Respond quickly to your potential clients and use excellent customer service skills to foster that relationship.
• Some days you will have to work long hours, and others, you might only need to work a few hours.
• Make your Fiverr profile look as professional as possible.
• Building a six-figure Fiverr business takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Don’t give up!
• Start with what you know and build offerings from there.
• Do your research to discover what makes other Fiverr entrepreneurs so successful. Don’t copy—use what they’re doing as a foundation to drive your unique business.
• Go above and beyond what each client expects. You never know how much work you could get from that one client you gave amazing service to.

Like any other job, startup, business, or freelance gig, finding success on Fiverr takes some time to get right. When I first tried to find work on Fiverr, I did it completely wrong! Using these techniques, I’m going to take another deep dive into the platform to see if it’s another avenue for me to build an even stronger freelance business.

What about you?

1: Berger, Sarah. “How this 38-year-old is making 6 figures freelancing on Fiverr.” CNBC. December 20, 2018. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/18/how-this-38-year-old-is-making-6-figures-freelancing-on-fiverr.html.

2: Leamy, Elisabeth. “Want to ditch your commute? Finding a work-from-home job is easier than ever.” June 27, 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/want-to-ditch-your-commute-finding-a-work-at-home-job-is-easier-than-ever/2017/06/26/9337c146-5134-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html.

3: Shin, Laura. “How These 3 People Make 6 Figures A Year On Fiverr.” Forbes. May 31, 2016. https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/05/31/how-these-3-people-make-6-figures-a-year-on-fiverr/#506f7adc1df2.