In total, Fisher has made more than $1.6 million in payments on Upwork, which Insider verified with documentation. Although he declined to name the startups he worked with, some of his pitch decks have helped companies secure funding from major venture firms such as SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz, and Tiger Management.

“One thing that has always amazed me is the potential for customers that you’ll find on Upwork,” Fisher said. “I’ve been in contact with people who are absolute superstars in their space that I would never have expected to work with.”

As an extension of his freelance work, he launched his own company, Unicorn Capital, in 2018 and an investment fund, Minimal Capital, in 2020. He also gives freelancing advice on his YouTube channel.

If the economy slows and the once plentiful venture-capital supply becomes more competitive to capture, Fischer doesn’t expect his business to take a hit. The Wall Street Journal reported that some tech startups are already finding it difficult to secure VC funding. But Fisher doesn’t care about its customers. He said he felt he might need his services now more than ever.

“In a competitive market, VCs don’t stop investing,” he said. “Founders just have to put in a little hard work and smarts to get the attention of top-tier investors.”

Fisher shares his tips for a successful freelance career and explains how he used Upwork to grow his business.

Find a specialty and stick to your standards

When Fisher started at Upwork, he took on almost any job he could, creating business plans, financial models, Excel tasks, and PowerPoint presentations.

Over the years, he has seen many founders need help raising capital by telling their stories through effective and engaging pitches. So he narrowed his focus to business plans and the pitch deck.

Establishing a niche helped Fisher grow his business, and he estimates that he has built more than 1,000 pitch decks since then. He maintains high standards for each and every customer and every task that he undertakes, he said.

“You are the only person who can set the rules for how you work,” he said. “When you establish your own principles, you are in control.”

Tomorrow’s price is not today’s price

One of the benefits of using Upwork is price acceleration, Fisher said, which he described as the ability to increase your rates as you complete more work. For example, when he first used the platform, he charged $300 for a PowerPoint presentation.

To begin with, he kept his rates low so he could get a job and build his portfolio. Now that he has a lot of experience working for top companies, he can charge more. Today, he employs no job for less than $15,000.

“You are able to accelerate yourself so fast,” he said. “Even the people I’ve talked to four or six months ago are not the price they are today.”

get that 5-star rating

Just as customer reviews are a major selling point when shopping online, a freelancer referral on Upwork is the best way to establish a reputation. Fischer said it’s all about delivering quality work.

“If you do excellent work, your customers are going to praise you,” he said.

After all, a five-star rating can lead to more customers looking for you, rather than having to put yourself in front of them.

“You’ll see business go your way fast,” Fisher said. “When you build that reputation for yourself, it gets noticed and you’ll see huge gains.”