In 2011, Charmaine Pocek was a full-time corporate recruiter saving to adopt with her husband. She decided to try out gig site Fiverr in order to make extra money, and began spiffying up people’s resumes for $5 apiece — netting her $4 each after Fiverr’s cut.
As described in a story I wrote last year on people who earn six figures annually on the site, Pocek was initially making $10-$15 an hour. But with positive customer ratings and a new certification, she began charging higher prices. That in turn allowed her to quit her full-time job and just provide her services on Fiverr, where, for an executive package, she charges as much as $800.
She is now the first female freelancer (and first American) on Fiverr to make $1 million from the site.
When she realized she had crossed the threshold, “I was elated and surprised and excited,” she says, “more excited to keep going, because you always hear the first million is the hardest to make. It made me want to get back out there and do more.”
Charmaine Pocek, the first female freelancer and first American to earn $1 million from gig site Fiverr.
Nearly half of her earnings came in 2016, when her Fiverr profits totaled $445,000. Because demand for her services is somewhat cyclical, her monthly income varied from $26,000 to $43,000.
Her increased income wasn’t from working more hours. “I’m using experience to charge a higher fee, so I’m not having to do as many to make more,” she says. In fact, her weekly hours also vary — from as little as 25 a week or 60, depending on what orders come up and how long each gig takes. Since she offers unlimited revisions, she says an $800 corporate package could take her anywhere from a couple hours to 10+.
Charmaine Pocek’s 2016 earnings
With her extra earnings, she says she and her husband are growing their family, spending time going to a nearby beach, and taking some time to help with animal rescue.
“Fiver will give you the gift of time, that you can choose whatever way you want, whether that’s to make more money or go take the day off or play with your family. That’s what I’m most thankful for.”
Here are her tips to succeeding on Fiverr.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 5:50pm EST: The original version of this article stated that Pocek is the first person to have earned $1 million from Fiverr. She is the first female freelancer and first American to hit that threshold, but the third person overall.
This article first appeared in Forbes, on April 25, 2017.
Laura Shin , FORBES STAFF
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
