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<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 135951" data-quote="Bounce Back" data-source="post: 1139372" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139372" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139372">Bounce Back said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Can you link to this please? I found their website but don’t see irregular puzzles even when I search the site. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I had to find them by doing an Amazon search on &quot;irregular shaped jigsaw puzzles&quot;. They are really hard to find. I didn&#039;t see them on their website or their Amazon product page, just listed individually on Amazon. Here is one for example:<br /> <br /> <div> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bits-Pieces-Drive-Classic-Dobrowolski/dp/B0BFCSKQQC" class="link link--external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-proxy-href=""> Amazon.com </a> </div></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 14562" data-quote="loop101" data-source="post: 1139377" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139377" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139377">loop101 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> They are really hard to find. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I think that&#039;s the point.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 4862" data-quote="Kak" data-source="post: 1139375" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139375" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139375">Kak said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/58598/" target="_blank">View attachment 58598</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Thank you, I&#039;ve now got a sick wallpaper <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-fire.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":fire:" title="Fire :fire:" data-shortname=":fire:" /><br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/1726504287590-webp.58607/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55223-d4a5a26d12a25860d5cd62c0d3000572.jpg?hash=9aHTSsjI-V" class="bbImage " style="" alt="1726504287590.webp" title="1726504287590.webp" width="356" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">I hate Upwork so much<br /> <br /> So I only use it because they bought every single competitor and moved all the customers from the platforms they acquired, to their worse platform.<br /> <br /> How do you buy a better platform and then force people to use the worse one?<br /> <br /> Anyway, since then things have progressively gotten worse for both clients and freelancers.<br /> <br /> They used to just take 20% of the total job cost from the freelancer. Which seemed excessive but whatever.<br /> <br /> Since then they have added 10% from the client as well.<br /> <br /> They then added a $2 fee for freelancers to apply for jobs, limiting the number of applications clients got.<br /> <br /> They then limited the number of applicants clients could invite, unless they paid $30 per job post to invite more.<br /> <br /> Now the thing that sent me over the edge and down this rabbit hole, is they have now added a $10 fee to every contract you start.<br /> <br /> What the F*ck.<br /> <br /> On top of this the platform sucks, it&#039;s so frustrating to find people, the search function doesn&#039;t work, categories suck, the portfolio features are at the bottom of the page and suck, the messaging system is barely functional. Like all the basic shit that you would want from this platform doesn&#039;t work properly.<br /> <br /> So anyway, despite all of the extra fees they keep adding, shares are not even delivering a return because they are just wasting all this extra money they are getting, and not on making the platform better clearly. Down 37% this year apparently.<br /> <br /> Someone build a better platform, something like Behance would be in a prime position to do it because they have the best portfolio features and all the best designers as clients already.<br /> <br /> Apparently even Fiver is better than Upwork now, maybe I need to try it. What a joke.<br /> <br /> Rant over. Thanks.<br /> <br /> <div> <a href="https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf" class="link link--external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" data-proxy-href=""> https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf </a> </div></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 14562" data-quote="loop101" data-source="post: 1139211" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139211" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139211">loop101 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I got a note saying I had been given Speed points by LinkedIN and Twitter. Does that mean my forum account is somehow linked to my LinkedIN and Twitter accounts? Will my posts here start showing up on LinkedIN? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I have no idea what that was all about ... <br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 22018" data-quote="MitchC" data-source="post: 1139440" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139440" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139440">MitchC said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I hate Upwork so much<br /> <br /> So I only use it because they bought every single competitor and moved all the customers from the platforms they acquired, to their worse platform.<br /> <br /> How do you buy a better platform and then force people to use the worse one?<br /> <br /> Anyway, since then things have progressively gotten worse for both clients and freelancers.<br /> <br /> They used to just take 20% of the total job cost from the freelancer. Which seemed excessive but whatever.<br /> <br /> Since then they have added 10% from the client as well.<br /> <br /> They then added a $2 fee for freelancers to apply for jobs, limiting the number of applications clients got.<br /> <br /> They then limited the number of applicants clients could invite, unless they paid $30 per job post to invite more.<br /> <br /> Now the thing that sent me over the edge and down this rabbit hole, is they have now added a $10 fee to every contract you start.<br /> <br /> What the F*ck.<br /> <br /> On top of this the platform sucks, it&#039;s so frustrating to find people, the search function doesn&#039;t work, categories suck, the portfolio features are at the bottom of the page and suck, the messaging system is barely functional. Like all the basic shit that you would want from this platform doesn&#039;t work properly.<br /> <br /> So anyway, despite all of the extra fees they keep adding, shares are not even delivering a return because they are just wasting all this extra money they are getting, and not on making the platform better clearly. Down 37% this year apparently.<br /> <br /> Someone build a better platform, something like Behance would be in a prime position to do it because they have the best portfolio features and all the best designers as clients already.<br /> <br /> Apparently even Fiver is better than Upwork now, maybe I need to try it. What a joke.<br /> <br /> Rant over. Thanks.<br /> <br /> <div> <a href="https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf" class="link link--external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" data-proxy-href=""> https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf </a> </div> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Welcome to enshitification, the systematic extraction of every possible $$ from the customer.<br /> <br /> <div class="bbOembed bbMediaJustifier" data-media-site-id="twitter" data-media-key="1831000582523424918" data-xf-init="oembed" data-provider="twitter" data-id="1831000582523424918"> <a href="https://twitter.com/x/status/1831000582523424918" rel="external" target="_blank"><i class="fa--xf fab fa-twitter fa-twitter-square "><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" role="img" aria-hidden="true" ><use href="/community/data/local/icons/brands.svg?v=1749395433#twitter"></use></svg></i> https://twitter.com/x/status/1831000582523424918</a> </div><i><span style="font-size: 10px"><a href="https://x.com/MJDeMarco/status/1831000582523424918" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">View: https://x.com/MJDeMarco/status/1831000582523424918</a></span></i></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 14562" data-quote="loop101" data-source="post: 1139352" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139352" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139352">loop101 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Bits and Pieces, the company that makes the irregular puzzles, is notorious for delivering puzzles with missing or incorrect pieces, and they don&#039;t replace missing parts. You might want to make sure you plan to solve it within Amazon&#039;s return period. The reviews are split between &quot;greatest puzzle ever&quot; and &quot;ruined by missing pieces&quot;. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I&#039;m staying away, if I do my head in over a puzzle only to discover its missing pieces at the end.... too much for me haha</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 10903" data-quote="Bearcorp" data-source="post: 1139442" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139442" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139442">Bearcorp said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I&#039;m staying away, if I do my head in over a puzzle only to discover its missing pieces at the end.... too much for me haha </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I wonder if there is a business model of buying puzzles, and then selling the pieces online for $5 per piece to people who bought the same puzzle but are missing a piece. Currently, people make the missing puzzle pieces by hand using the image of the completed puzzle and little pieces of cardboard they have to trim.<br /> <br /> From now on, anytime I buy a puzzle from Amazon, I will at least count all the pieces before the return period is up. If I have 499 pieces in a 500 piece puzzle, it will immediately go back.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve been getting copies of the harder puzzles for an AI project I am considering doing. Algorithms for fitting pieces together has been done many times, but I&#039;ve never seen one for irregular puzzles (non-rectangular). I often fall in to the trap of making solutions that don&#039;t have markets. I asked a friend if they liked the idea of an app where they could scan a piece, and it would tell them where it went in the puzzle. They said &quot;No, that&#039;s the fun part.&quot; Then they said something interesting, &quot;An app that could help me fill in a missing piece would be helpful&quot;. I was thinking of some cool VR goggles app that would show you where the piece went when you picked it up, and they just wanted to be able to order the missing piece for $1-$2, so they could glue it and put it on their wall. Yet, the Need of the market overrules anything I think would be cool.<br /> <br /> The highest quality puzzles are from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Impossible-Jigsaw-Puzzle-Adults/dp/B086FS4TZD" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">Ravensburger</a>, and their solid-color Krypt puzzles are considered hard. They are a little easier than Bits and Pieces because they have straight edges. Here are two.<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/1726536393593-webp.58612/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55228-79ac86b5b1267561af19011d208de52f.jpg?hash=V8QcXxyFSw" class="bbImage " style="" alt="1726536393593.png" title="1726536393593.png" width="280" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/1726537180154-webp.58615/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55231-ded80ee7e232026f3dc6aeac05bcf939.jpg?hash=uGekqb7h85" class="bbImage " style="" alt="1726537180154.webp" title="1726537180154.webp" width="296" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 14562" data-quote="loop101" data-source="post: 1139450" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139450" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139450">loop101 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I wonder if there is a business model of buying puzzles, and then selling the pieces online for $5 per piece to people who bought the same puzzle but are missing a piece. Currently, people make the missing puzzle pieces by hand using the image of the completed puzzle and little pieces of cardboard they have to trim.<br /> <br /> From now on, anytime I buy a puzzle from Amazon, I will at least count all the pieces before the return period is up. If I have 499 pieces in a 500 piece puzzle, it will immediately go back.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve been getting copies of the harder puzzles for an AI project I am considering doing. Algorithms for fitting pieces together has been done many times, but I&#039;ve never seen one for irregular puzzles (non-rectangular). I often fall in to the trap of making solutions that don&#039;t have markets. I asked a friend if they liked the idea of an app where they could scan a piece, and it would tell them where it went in the puzzle. They said &quot;No, that&#039;s the fun part.&quot; Then they said something interesting, &quot;An app that could help me fill in a missing piece would be helpful&quot;. I was thinking of some cool VR goggles app that would show you where the piece went when you picked it up, and they just wanted to be able to order the missing piece for $1-$2, so they could glue it and put it on their wall.<br /> <br /> The highest quality puzzles are from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Impossible-Jigsaw-Puzzle-Adults/dp/B086FS4TZD" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Ravensburger</a>, and their solid-color Krypt puzzles are considered hard. They are a little easier than Bits and Pieces because they have straight edges. Here are two.<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/58612/" target="_blank">View attachment 58612</a> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/58615/" target="_blank">View attachment 58615</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>If companies published/listed total weight of the board a decent scale would be able to tell you quickly too if you weighed the pieces all together. Save some counting and miscounts.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/1726538022710-webp.58616/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55232-fcb945ca1c41c7d1f2c34ee4d3276ccd.jpg?hash=PuwGO12JDz" class="bbImage " style="" alt="1726538022710.webp" title="1726538022710.webp" width="205" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br /> What happened to Nancy!? I liked the Nancy who has been vaxxed 302 times!</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 1" data-quote="MJ DeMarco" data-source="post: 1139441" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139441" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139441">MJ DeMarco said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I have no idea what that was all about ... </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Andy Black mentioned to me &quot;No. It just means you added those handles to your forum profile.&quot;<br /> <br /> I didn&#039;t do anything to my forum profile (that I&#039;m aware of), so I assume the recent UI update tweaked something in my profile.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--unfurl js-unfurl fauxBlockLink" data-unfurl="true" data-result-id="422269" data-url="https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/tupperware-is-going-bankrupt.7064869/" data-host="forums.hardwarezone.com.sg" data-pending="false"> <div class="contentRow"> <div class="contentRow-figure contentRow-figure--fixedSmall js-unfurl-figure"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.hardwarezone.com%2Flogo%2Fhwz-logo-1280.png&amp;hash=99252583742b108c6cb96dc63e0283e1&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="forums.hardwarezone.com.sg" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-image" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </div> <div class="contentRow-main"> <h3 class="contentRow-header js-unfurl-title"> <a href="https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/tupperware-is-going-bankrupt.7064869/" class="link link--external fauxBlockLink-blockLink" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" data-proxy-href=""> Tupperware is going Bankrupt </a> </h3> <div class="contentRow-snippet js-unfurl-desc">Tupperware Brands is preparing to file for bankruptcy as soon as this week, according to people with knowledge of the plans, following a year-long effort to revive the business amid waning demand. The home-goods brand, which has for much of a century defined food storage, is planning to enter...</div> <div class="contentRow-minor contentRow-minor--hideLinks"> <span class="js-unfurl-favicon"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hardwarezone.com.sg%2Fimg%2Fcore%2Ficon.ico&amp;hash=dbf369465c80f9097a756a6df6b6776a&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="forums.hardwarezone.com.sg" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-icon" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </span> forums.hardwarezone.com.sg </div> </div> </div> </div> <br /> Probably killed by Amazon and Temu lol<br /> <br /> What happened to those 80s and 90s Tupperware parties where they got women to invite other women home for a &quot;gathering&quot; and then subtly peddling these goods? Lol</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">What does everyone use to manage their time, their business and their employees/contractors time/tasks?<br /> <br /> I&#039;m talking about things like Monday, Asana, ClickUp, Notion<br /> <br /> Seems there is a heap to choose from and they are all so packed with features it&#039;s hard to tell if they are a mess or actually useful, and once you start with 1 you are basically locked in for life<br /> <br /> Any good youtube creators on the topic? Going down the rabbit hole now as I try to level up my business conscientiousness</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Interesting. <br /> <br /> Someone just shared this with me: <br /> <br /> <a href="https://libromi.com/" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">libromi.com</a><br /> <br /> <a href="https://libromi.com/" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener"><a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/1726564769506-webp.58623/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55239-b5891a4d5fbe99ca54791244229d8afd.jpg?hash=NMI-xOmo75" class="bbImage " style="" alt="1726564769506.webp" title="1726564769506.webp" width="200" height="205" loading="lazy" /></a></a></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 1" data-quote="MJ DeMarco" data-source="post: 1139452" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139452" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139452">MJ DeMarco said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/58616/" target="_blank">View attachment 58616</a><br /> What happened to Nancy!? I liked the Nancy who has been vaxxed 302 times! </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>haha it’s funny but Pelosi is just so vile of a human it felt like a temporary one.<br /> <br /> It can live a little longer.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 22018" data-quote="MitchC" data-source="post: 1139479" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139479" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139479">MitchC said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> What does everyone use to manage their time, their business and their employees/contractors time/tasks?<br /> <br /> I&#039;m talking about things like Monday, Asana, ClickUp, Notion<br /> <br /> Seems there is a heap to choose from and they are all so packed with features it&#039;s hard to tell if they are a mess or actually useful, and once you start with 1 you are basically locked in for life<br /> <br /> Any good youtube creators on the topic? Going down the rabbit hole now as I try to level up my business conscientiousness </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I&#039;ve tried Jira, Monday, Notion, and ClickUp both for personal use and when I worked in agencies.<br /> <br /> Now, I&#039;m using only ClickUp. It&#039;s very intuitive and can be customized as needed. Makes it very simple to add tasks for other people (in your case - employees) as they should get how it works in minutes.<br /> <br /> Jira is pretty cool too, but more complex (and I don&#039;t see a need to switch to something more complex when simple does the job).</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Its funny how if you know something you can recognise it right away. <br /> <br /> But if you didn&#039;t know it, you would never have noticed anything.<br /> <br /> I was walking out of the mall earlier with my wife and I overheard one guy say to a girl... &quot;<i>I saw you walking and I had to come over and say hi</i>&quot;.<br /> <br /> And straight away I turned to my wife and said &quot;watch this, this guy is doing some pick up stuff.&quot;<br /> <br /> So we watched from a distance and I could tell he was a student. His style was a little off and he seemed to be nervous but pushing himself. So I said to my wife &quot;look out for another guy who is coaching him&quot;.<br /> <br /> And then we spotted this other dude wearing a little too stylish of a suit and hat. <br /> <br /> Once the guy ended talking with the girl, he walks over to the suit teacher guy, they exchange some feedback and he runs off after some other girl hahah. <br /> <br /> The reason I could spot it right away by literally one sentence I overheard is because when I lived in Ukraine there were dozens of these guys every weekend running around while I would be eating breakfast at a cafe. I used to watch them and have a good laugh. <br /> <br /> I often think of all the things I don&#039;t even notice though cause I don&#039;t have the reference experience. Like my brother can tell what watch someone is wearing from a huge distance - he needs a tiny little bit of detail and his mind can figure it out.<br /> <br /> Pretty cool how what you know changes what you see and how you experience life.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 33771" data-quote="Fox" data-source="post: 1139504" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139504" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139504">Fox said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Its funny how if you know something you can recognise it right away.<br /> <br /> But if you didn&#039;t know it, you would never have noticed anything.<br /> <br /> I was walking out of the mall earlier with my wife and I overheard one guy say to a girl... &quot;<i>I saw you walking and I had to come over and say hi</i>&quot;.<br /> <br /> And straight away I turned to my wife and said &quot;watch this, this guy is doing some pick up stuff.&quot;<br /> <br /> So we watched from a distance and I could tell he was a student. His style was a little off and he seemed to be nervous but pushing himself. So I said to my wife &quot;look out for another guy who is coaching him&quot;.<br /> <br /> And then we spotted this other dude wearing a little too stylish of a suit and hat.<br /> <br /> Once the guy ended talking with the girl, he walks over to the suit teacher guy, they exchange some feedback and he runs off after some other girl hahah.<br /> <br /> The reason I could spot it right away by literally one sentence I overheard is because when I lived in Ukraine there were dozens of these guys every weekend running around while I would be eating breakfast at a cafe. I used to watch them and have a good laugh.<br /> <br /> I often think of all the things I don&#039;t even notice though cause I don&#039;t have the reference experience. Like my brother can tell what watch someone is wearing from a huge distance - he needs a tiny little bit of detail and his mind can figure it out.<br /> <br /> Pretty cool how what you know changes what you see and how you experience life. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Hey handsome, I saw you posting on this entrepreneur forum and I had to come over and say hi.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 22018" data-quote="MitchC" data-source="post: 1139440" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139440" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139440">MitchC said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I hate Upwork so much<br /> <br /> So I only use it because they bought every single competitor and moved all the customers from the platforms they acquired, to their worse platform.<br /> <br /> How do you buy a better platform and then force people to use the worse one?<br /> <br /> Anyway, since then things have progressively gotten worse for both clients and freelancers.<br /> <br /> They used to just take 20% of the total job cost from the freelancer. Which seemed excessive but whatever.<br /> <br /> Since then they have added 10% from the client as well.<br /> <br /> They then added a $2 fee for freelancers to apply for jobs, limiting the number of applications clients got.<br /> <br /> They then limited the number of applicants clients could invite, unless they paid $30 per job post to invite more.<br /> <br /> Now the thing that sent me over the edge and down this rabbit hole, is they have now added a $10 fee to every contract you start.<br /> <br /> What the F*ck.<br /> <br /> On top of this the platform sucks, it&#039;s so frustrating to find people, the search function doesn&#039;t work, categories suck, the portfolio features are at the bottom of the page and suck, the messaging system is barely functional. Like all the basic shit that you would want from this platform doesn&#039;t work properly.<br /> <br /> So anyway, despite all of the extra fees they keep adding, shares are not even delivering a return because they are just wasting all this extra money they are getting, and not on making the platform better clearly. Down 37% this year apparently.<br /> <br /> Someone build a better platform, something like Behance would be in a prime position to do it because they have the best portfolio features and all the best designers as clients already.<br /> <br /> Apparently even Fiver is better than Upwork now, maybe I need to try it. What a joke.<br /> <br /> Rant over. Thanks.<br /> <br /> <div> <a href="https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf" class="link link--external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" data-proxy-href=""> https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf </a> </div> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I can&#039;t say I&#039;ve ever used any of these platforms to get work/contracts/gigs.<br /> <br /> Head over to LinkedIn. I know it&#039;s not a direct equivalent, but it&#039;s a beast and so many ways to skin a cat.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 22018" data-quote="MitchC" data-source="post: 1139479" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139479" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139479">MitchC said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> What does everyone use to manage their time, their business and their employees/contractors time/tasks?<br /> <br /> I&#039;m talking about things like Monday, Asana, ClickUp, Notion<br /> <br /> Seems there is a heap to choose from and they are all so packed with features it&#039;s hard to tell if they are a mess or actually useful, and once you start with 1 you are basically locked in for life<br /> <br /> Any good youtube creators on the topic? Going down the rabbit hole now as I try to level up my business conscientiousness </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Basecamp. Been using it for years.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 22018" data-quote="MitchC" data-source="post: 1139479" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139479" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139479">MitchC said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> What does everyone use to manage their time, their business and their employees/contractors time/tasks?<br /> <br /> I&#039;m talking about things like Monday, Asana, ClickUp, Notion<br /> <br /> Seems there is a heap to choose from and they are all so packed with features it&#039;s hard to tell if they are a mess or actually useful, and once you start with 1 you are basically locked in for life<br /> <br /> Any good youtube creators on the topic? Going down the rabbit hole now as I try to level up my business conscientiousness </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I have used Asana extensively in three separate businesses that I&#039;ve been part of, and it is AMAZING. <br /> <br /> I&#039;ve also been exposed to Basecamp, Notion, and Trello at different points. <br /> <br /> Here are some points of comparison...<br /> - Asana is nicer than Basecamp because Asana lets you have more levels of subtasks of subtasks. This breakdown can be helpful for mapping out a complex project. <br /> - Asana is nicer than Trello because you can still have a &quot;Board view&quot; in Asana, but you have the option for a bunch of other views, too, such as a calendar view.<br /> - Asana is very different from Notion, so I think it would depend on what you need out of your task management program. Notion is amazing and probably a bit more robust in features than Asana, and if you go down the Notion rabbit hole, I don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be sorry, but Asana is probably easier to set up and get traction with in terms of creating, delegating, and completing tasks.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">was doing research and saw this. am i right to tell Nikkei to &quot;up&quot; their photoshop skills?<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/20240917183229-webp.58656/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55272-89f3da2d0e68bdddc75ab5e840e7c4a2.jpg?hash=sLT57zdpHb" class="bbImage " style="" alt="20240917183229.webp" title="20240917183229.webp" width="247" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 4862" data-quote="Kak" data-source="post: 1138369" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1138369" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1138369">Kak said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> No, but my comprehension of every show and movie is better with them on. I also don’t like the volume high enough to make out every inflection.<br /> <br /> CC is the way. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I had a friend watch everything with subtitles on. I thought it was weird to begin with but now I actually prefer it as well.<br /> My girlfriend is Indonesian so always has Bahasa subtitles on and it&#039;s helping me learn the language so much faster.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 22018" data-quote="MitchC" data-source="post: 1139440" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139440" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139440">MitchC said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I hate Upwork so much<br /> <br /> So I only use it because they bought every single competitor and moved all the customers from the platforms they acquired, to their worse platform.<br /> <br /> How do you buy a better platform and then force people to use the worse one?<br /> <br /> Anyway, since then things have progressively gotten worse for both clients and freelancers.<br /> <br /> They used to just take 20% of the total job cost from the freelancer. Which seemed excessive but whatever.<br /> <br /> Since then they have added 10% from the client as well.<br /> <br /> They then added a $2 fee for freelancers to apply for jobs, limiting the number of applications clients got.<br /> <br /> They then limited the number of applicants clients could invite, unless they paid $30 per job post to invite more.<br /> <br /> Now the thing that sent me over the edge and down this rabbit hole, is they have now added a $10 fee to every contract you start.<br /> <br /> What the F*ck.<br /> <br /> On top of this the platform sucks, it&#039;s so frustrating to find people, the search function doesn&#039;t work, categories suck, the portfolio features are at the bottom of the page and suck, the messaging system is barely functional. Like all the basic shit that you would want from this platform doesn&#039;t work properly.<br /> <br /> So anyway, despite all of the extra fees they keep adding, shares are not even delivering a return because they are just wasting all this extra money they are getting, and not on making the platform better clearly. Down 37% this year apparently.<br /> <br /> Someone build a better platform, something like Behance would be in a prime position to do it because they have the best portfolio features and all the best designers as clients already.<br /> <br /> Apparently even Fiver is better than Upwork now, maybe I need to try it. What a joke.<br /> <br /> Rant over. Thanks.<br /> <br /> <div> <a href="https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf" class="link link--external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" data-proxy-href=""> https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf </a> </div> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Man that sucks, I haven&#039;t used Upwork in 5 years but it was great back then. Sounds like they sealed their fate.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Just wanted to express my gratitude for TFLF. I had the privilege&#039;s to speak with many of you, learn your stories, understand how you have overcame them. You even watched me fall down plenty of times and have a terrible mindset event last year. <br /> <br /> A manager that I use to work for once said that it was all about relationships/people. I find this to be true. So thank you.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 34918" data-quote="MattR82" data-source="post: 1139626" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139626" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139626">MattR82 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Man that sucks, I haven&#039;t used Upwork in 5 years but it was great back then. Sounds like they sealed their fate. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Yeah the $10 contract fee sealed it for me, they&#039;ll be missing out on $1000s from me just because of that little nickel and dime bs<br /> <br /> Going to setup Notion or clickup or something and manage people from online jobs, upwork and linkedin there<br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 64688" data-quote="Devilery" data-source="post: 1139501" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139501" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139501">Devilery said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I&#039;ve tried Jira, Monday, Notion, and ClickUp both for personal use and when I worked in agencies.<br /> <br /> Now, I&#039;m using only ClickUp. It&#039;s very intuitive and can be customized as needed. Makes it very simple to add tasks for other people (in your case - employees) as they should get how it works in minutes.<br /> <br /> Jira is pretty cool too, but more complex (and I don&#039;t see a need to switch to something more complex when simple does the job). </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 23590" data-quote="Andy Black" data-source="post: 1139596" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139596" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139596">Andy Black said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Basecamp. Been using it for years. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 59397" data-quote="Bekit" data-source="post: 1139617" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139617" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139617">Bekit said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Man that sucks, I haven&#039;t used Upwork in 5 years but it was great back then. Sounds like they sealed their fate. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Thanks everyone <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /> Seems to be exactly as I expected, they&#039;re all the same but all different so just pick one<br /> <br /> I&#039;m going to try a combo of ClickUp and Notion, Clickup for managing people and tasks and notion for organising everything, then see how I like both and how my system evolves<br /> <br /> The 2 contractors I spoke to both perfered clickup, but I found it confusing when I opened it and there was no little guided walkthrough like a lot of apps have when you first open them<br /> <br /> So I went to their training and it&#039;s the most slowest cringe upspeak condescending training ever, clearly designed for employees, and it&#039;s hard to navigate the training<br /> <br /> Which is insane because sure they are the ones who use it, but the ones who pay and make them use it are the business owners, and also any employee using this probably has quite a skilled job<br /> <br /> Compare that to Notion who have dominated youtube with sponsored videos and creators selling templates<br /> <br /> They now have a library on Youtube of videos from creators, who know how to create good videos and talk to their audience<br /> <br /> Huge missed opportunity there for clickup who seem to potentially have the better product<br /> <br /> Basecamp looks incredible Andy but I think a little overkill and expensive for me compared to the other options</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 14562" data-quote="loop101" data-source="post: 1139450" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139450" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139450">loop101 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> wonder if there is a business model of buying puzzles, and then selling the pieces online for $5 per piece to people who bought the same puzzle but are missing a piece. Currently, people make the missing puzzle pieces by hand using the image of the completed puzzle and little pieces of cardboard they have to trim. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> My guess is NO. The idea gives me anxiety.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 22018" data-quote="MitchC" data-source="post: 1139440" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139440" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139440">MitchC said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I hate Upwork so much<br /> <br /> So I only use it because they bought every single competitor and moved all the customers from the platforms they acquired, to their worse platform.<br /> <br /> How do you buy a better platform and then force people to use the worse one?<br /> <br /> Anyway, since then things have progressively gotten worse for both clients and freelancers.<br /> <br /> They used to just take 20% of the total job cost from the freelancer. Which seemed excessive but whatever.<br /> <br /> Since then they have added 10% from the client as well.<br /> <br /> They then added a $2 fee for freelancers to apply for jobs, limiting the number of applications clients got.<br /> <br /> They then limited the number of applicants clients could invite, unless they paid $30 per job post to invite more.<br /> <br /> Now the thing that sent me over the edge and down this rabbit hole, is they have now added a $10 fee to every contract you start.<br /> <br /> What the F*ck.<br /> <br /> On top of this the platform sucks, it&#039;s so frustrating to find people, the search function doesn&#039;t work, categories suck, the portfolio features are at the bottom of the page and suck, the messaging system is barely functional. Like all the basic shit that you would want from this platform doesn&#039;t work properly.<br /> <br /> So anyway, despite all of the extra fees they keep adding, shares are not even delivering a return because they are just wasting all this extra money they are getting, and not on making the platform better clearly. Down 37% this year apparently.<br /> <br /> Someone build a better platform, something like Behance would be in a prime position to do it because they have the best portfolio features and all the best designers as clients already.<br /> <br /> Apparently even Fiver is better than Upwork now, maybe I need to try it. What a joke.<br /> <br /> Rant over. Thanks.<br /> <br /> <div> <a href="https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf" class="link link--external" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" data-proxy-href=""> https://enginecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UPWK-PR-and-Letter-to-the-Board-9.13.24.pdf </a> </div> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> F*** Upwork. They now have this Connects system (their currency) where freelancers have to buy Connects to bid for jobs.<br /> <br /> Each job can cost anywhere from 7 Connects to 15 Connects (some 20).<br /> <br /> From what I read, most freelancers (especially new ones with no reviews) need to send out 60+ bids to get one gig especially in competitive sectors.<br /> <br /> Assuming each bid costs 7 Connects, that&#039;s 420 Connects needed per month. And because of the competition, they have this additional option which lets you buy higher spots on the Employers&#039; proposal page so your bid is higher on the list and more visible lol. Some bid an additional 20 - 40 Connects per job.<br /> <br /> It&#039;s insane and worth it only if the job is worth a lot, but even then it eats into the earnings.<br /> <br /> As for Fiverr, the problem is you can&#039;t bid for jobs and can only hope that clients will somehow find you based on &quot;SEO&quot; which is another BS to me since everyone is using similar search terms/tags and there&#039;s only so much &quot;unique&quot; terms you can use.<br /> <br /> Fiverr also has this thing called Fiverr Pro, where if you applied and are selected for this program, you get access to better higher paying clients and bigger jobs. So I went to check out their work and it looks the same as the non-Pro guys lol<br /> <br /> Anyway, there&#039;s a new kid in town for freelancing: Contra. Probably not as much gigs for freelancers yet but probably good for employers. They don&#039;t charge a fee if I remember, and their business model is on earning from transaction fees + optional Premium plan (for freelancers).<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/img_20240918_085210-webp.58661/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55277-83832f6fbffa238bca5b4eaf528297fb.jpg?hash=kqGRwnN4_i" class="bbImage " style="" alt="IMG_20240918_085210.webp" title="IMG_20240918_085210.webp" width="200" height="289" loading="lazy" /></a></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 50816" data-quote="Xeon" data-source="post: 1139652" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139652" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139652">Xeon said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> F*** Upwork. They now have this Connects system (their currency) where freelancers have to buy Connects to bid for jobs.<br /> <br /> Each job can cost anywhere from 7 Connects to 15 Connects (some 20).<br /> <br /> From what I read, most freelancers (especially new ones with no reviews) need to send out 60+ bids to get one gig especially in competitive sectors.<br /> <br /> Assuming each bid costs 7 Connects, that&#039;s 420 Connects needed per month. And because of the competition, they have this additional option which lets you buy higher spots on the Employers&#039; proposal page so your bid is higher on the list and more visible lol. Some bid an additional 20 - 40 Connects per job.<br /> <br /> It&#039;s insane and worth it only if the job is worth a lot, but even then it eats into the earnings.<br /> <br /> As for Fiverr, the problem is you can&#039;t bid for jobs and can only hope that clients will somehow find you based on &quot;SEO&quot; which is another BS to me since everyone is using similar search terms/tags and there&#039;s only so much &quot;unique&quot; terms you can use.<br /> <br /> Fiverr also has this thing called Fiverr Pro, where if you applied and are selected for this program, you get access to better higher paying clients and bigger jobs. So I went to check out their work and it looks the same as the non-Pro guys lol<br /> <br /> Anyway, there&#039;s a new kid in town for freelancing: Contra. Probably not as much gigs for freelancers yet but probably good for employers. They don&#039;t charge a fee if I remember, and their business model is on earning from transaction fees + optional Premium plan (for freelancers).<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/58661/" target="_blank">View attachment 58661</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Yeah that’s what I was saying, it’s worse for clients too because you invite people and they don’t apply because it costs money to apply<br /> <br /> I will check out contra but I’m definitely committed to moving everything off of these platforms as they all will go the same way eventually</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 50816" data-quote="Xeon" data-source="post: 1139652" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139652" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139652">Xeon said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> F*** Upwork. They now have this Connects system (their currency) where freelancers have to buy Connects to bid for jobs.<br /> <br /> Each job can cost anywhere from 7 Connects to 15 Connects (some 20).<br /> <br /> From what I read, most freelancers (especially new ones with no reviews) need to send out 60+ bids to get one gig especially in competitive sectors.<br /> <br /> Assuming each bid costs 7 Connects, that&#039;s 420 Connects needed per month. And because of the competition, they have this additional option which lets you buy higher spots on the Employers&#039; proposal page so your bid is higher on the list and more visible lol. Some bid an additional 20 - 40 Connects per job.<br /> <br /> It&#039;s insane and worth it only if the job is worth a lot, but even then it eats into the earnings.<br /> <br /> As for Fiverr, the problem is you can&#039;t bid for jobs and can only hope that clients will somehow find you based on &quot;SEO&quot; which is another BS to me since everyone is using similar search terms/tags and there&#039;s only so much &quot;unique&quot; terms you can use.<br /> <br /> Fiverr also has this thing called Fiverr Pro, where if you applied and are selected for this program, you get access to better higher paying clients and bigger jobs. So I went to check out their work and it looks the same as the non-Pro guys lol<br /> <br /> Anyway, there&#039;s a new kid in town for freelancing: Contra. Probably not as much gigs for freelancers yet but probably good for employers. They don&#039;t charge a fee if I remember, and their business model is on earning from transaction fees + optional Premium plan (for freelancers).<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/58661/" target="_blank">View attachment 58661</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I dipped out for this exact same reason and it&#039;s funny because you see YouTube Adverts by them all the time.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 14562" data-quote="loop101" data-source="post: 1139352" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1139352" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1139352">loop101 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Bits and Pieces, the company that makes the irregular puzzles, is notorious for delivering puzzles with missing or incorrect pieces, and they don&#039;t replace missing parts. You might want to make sure you plan to solve it within Amazon&#039;s return period. The reviews are split between &quot;greatest puzzle ever&quot; and &quot;ruined by missing pieces&quot;. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Place in Boulder on the mall that we stopped at over the weekend. Interesting family biz started a few years back.<br /> <br /> Laser cut wood puzzles.<br /> <br /> <div class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--unfurl js-unfurl fauxBlockLink" data-unfurl="true" data-result-id="422420" data-url="https://libertypuzzles.com/products/bison-and-sunflowers-puzzle?variant=49081415696670" data-host="libertypuzzles.com" data-pending="false"> <div class="contentRow"> <div class="contentRow-figure contentRow-figure--fixedSmall js-unfurl-figure"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Flibertypuzzles.com%2Fcdn%2Fshop%2Ffiles%2FBison-and-Sunflowers-puzzle-xl-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle_5f8ffc85-2316-4ebe-a36c-6fa1b1e6a059.jpg%3Fv%3D1725910897&amp;hash=fefb21dc35493fee6d2c21a45681b723&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="libertypuzzles.com" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-image" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </div> <div class="contentRow-main"> <h3 class="contentRow-header js-unfurl-title"> <a href="https://libertypuzzles.com/products/bison-and-sunflowers-puzzle?variant=49081415696670" class="link link--external fauxBlockLink-blockLink" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-proxy-href=""> Bison and Sunflowers Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle | Liberty Puzzles </a> </h3> <div class="contentRow-snippet js-unfurl-desc">A beautiful, unique wooden jigsaw puzzle full of odd, whimsy pieces that tell a story. Handcrafted in Boulder, CO — a throwback to the golden ages of vintage wooden puzzles. 370 pieces. Art by Andrew Barker. Collect them all!</div> <div class="contentRow-minor contentRow-minor--hideLinks"> <span class="js-unfurl-favicon"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Flibertypuzzles.com%2Fcdn%2Fshop%2Ffiles%2FLP_Eagle_favicon.png%3Fcrop%3Dcenter%26height%3D32%26v%3D1684166511%26width%3D32&amp;hash=7536206ddfa38a727ae1c0898d97c3a9&amp;return_error=1" loading="lazy" alt="libertypuzzles.com" class="bbCodeBlockUnfurl-icon" data-onerror="hide-parent"/> </span> libertypuzzles.com </div> </div> </div> </div> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/bison-and-sunflowers-puzzle-xl-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle_5f8ffc85-2316-4ebe-a36c-6fa1b1e6a059-webp.58663/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55279-661653b9a1219e128e28e3b6c2a04be0.jpg?hash=bcWvIAtSdz" class="bbImage " style="" alt="Bison-and-Sunflowers-puzzle-xl-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle_5f8ffc85-2316-4ebe-a36c-6fa1b1e6a059.webp" title="Bison-and-Sunflowers-puzzle-xl-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle_5f8ffc85-2316-4ebe-a36c-6fa1b1e6a059.webp" width="267" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a><br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/bison-and-sunflowers-back-closeup-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle-webp.58662/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/55/55278-6a124411997f07c0faceeb0dee2e748c.jpg?hash=FKRZRkPFVe" class="bbImage " style="" alt="Bison-and-Sunflowers-back-closeup-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle.webp" title="Bison-and-Sunflowers-back-closeup-wooden-jigsaw-puzzle.webp" width="267" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a></div>
 

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