Let’s face it. Freelancing gives us the power of freedom to do what we love and are good at doing without the pain of a nine-to-five job. But here’s the hard truth.
The Awkward Truth No One Wants to Admit – Competition
The freelancing boom has been especially strong in English-speaking nations. According to Josh Howarth, the Co-Founder of Exploding Topics, the number of freelancers in the United States climbed from around 73 million in 2023 to approximately 76.4 million in 2024, and is projected to reach about 86.5 million by 2027, leaving it to surpass 50% of the U.S. workforce soon. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, there are currently about 4.39 million full-time freelancers, contributing roughly £162 billion to the economy.
Canada is not far behind, with approximately 2.7 million self-employed individuals, of whom around 15 % work as freelancers. Australia has also seen rapid growth – Fiverr data shows its platform experiencing a 10 % annual increase in freelancers. This underscores the global shift toward flexible, independent work. Collectively, these figures underline a clear trend – freelancing is no longer a niche but is becoming a mainstream career path across the English-speaking world.
If you’re a freelancer stuck in the loop of bidding wars and vanishing clients, you’re not alone. The freelancing space in English-speaking countries is packed with talent. Everyone’s bidding for the same projects, same jobs, offering similar skills, and often underpricing themselves just to land a gig. This creates fierce competition even among English-based freelancers globally or within a country.
The Factor That Drives the Freelancing Market – Price
I did my fair share of hiring freelancers on English-speaking marketplaces, and yes, price is a critical factor when it comes to picking the right candidate.
My usual technique is to employ new arrivals who are motivated to build their freelancing profile with positive reviews. They are often willing to offer highly competitive rates, and although they have not been rated yet, I’m willing to take a chance with them based on our conversations. I reward those who delivered well with exceptional reviews and testimonials.
But not many recruiters follow this technique. Most would still go for those with the best price and best reviews. So, how are you even supposed to stand out from the crowd? Here’s something no one’s really talking about that is working for some smart freelancers out there.
The “Blue Ocean” No One’s Swimming In
While most freelancers are stuck fighting over the same English-speaking clients, there’s a whole ocean of clients out there in countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Brazil, and the list goes on.
These countries often have their own non-English freelancing platforms that cater to their local markets. Until now…
The Language Barrier is Your New Advantage
While everyone else is battling it out in crowded marketplaces, you can quietly slide into blue ocean markets – the non-English-speaking clients who barely get approached by international freelancers.
But here’s the but… how do you actually talk to them? You could try copying and pasting between Google Translate (or ChatGPT). But that gets annoying really fast. Believe me, I tried it.
Here’s Where a Multilingual Chat App Comes In
What if there’s a multilingual chat app that lets you talk with clients in different languages without you or them even realizing it? It auto-translates both voice and text in real-time, without a single copied or pasted text. The best part is that your clients don’t need to install anything. They just need to tap a link in their browser to communicate with you. That’s it!
You type in English (or your native language), and they get it in Japanese or French, instantly. They can quickly reply in their language, and you see it in yours.
This is one of the reasons why we built BiiB, the free multilingual messaging app that only needs one side to install the app. We use a highly accurate AI translation model, so that you can write with shorthands, make typos, write in broken grammar, or throw in abbreviations or idioms. It still understands you and keeps the conversation flowing naturally.
Best of all, the app’s user interface feels like you’re using your daily instant messaging app. There’s nothing much to learn, not even a foreign language.
3 Reasons Why This Strategy Works
Let’s break it down:
- Low competition: These clients are not getting bombarded with 100+ bids.
- Smart pricing: You could price below their local market price.
- No tech friction: They don’t have to download or learn anything new.
With BiiB, you can unlock entire markets that your competitors don’t even know exist. It’s like giving yourself a head start while everyone else is stuck in traffic.
So, if you’re tired of fighting for scraps in the red ocean, it’s time to dive into the blue. Explore those non-English speaking markets. With the BiiB app in your hand, you’ve got the secret weapon to communicate effectively and land those projects. It’s a new strategy, and not many are talking about it yet. Be one of the first. Go get those projects!
NOTE: Honestly, it’s really tough not to sound promotional in this post about the BiiB app. I swear I tried! But the truth is, we genuinely built this app to help freelancers like you.