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Forward
For five years, every Thursday that I can, I have been holding a Q&A ses-
sion on Twitter. At 3:30 p.m. EST and for the next 90 minutes, I answer
every question I am asked.

I started doing this in March 2010 and I quickly noticed something very
interesting.

People didn’t care as much about certain things as I thought. They

thought they did and I thought they did…

But what was really happening was that people really had many other
issues on their minds. How to get over a bad breakup. How to deal with
the shame of failure. How to deal with the panic of public speaking, or not
going to college, or learning something new.

I would answer in 140 characters and then quickly move onto the next
question.

But over time, I’d see the questions asked again and again and again. So I
end up spending a lot of time researching them.

Which is part of the reason I started my podcast. If I have a hard time

finding the answer to a question in books, I’ll just call the world’s leading
authority and ask them to come on my podcast and then I can specifically
ask them the question (ex. Matt Barrie who I will talk about later).

Then I write about it.

Then I teach it.

“Learn, write, teach, repeat” is a learning technique that has been very
successful for me.

And not only that, it’s been very helpful to the thousands of people who
have shown up to these Q&As. Not because I know all the answers (I
don’t) but because now I know through years of research and study what
questions are important to people. And I’ve practiced very hard to figure
out the fastest way to find answers.

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This is why I started my newsletter. Because some answers can’t, and

shouldn’t, be limited to 140 characters.

Questions about learning are always the most important in these Q&A
sessions. People want to find their passions. What they really want to find
is the answer to the question, “How do I find what I am good at?” Well, you
can’t. You get good by using the best learning techniques out there.

And, of course, money is VERY important. And not just stocks.

Many, many people have asked me this exact same question, even the
same dollar number:

“How can I make $2,000 in a weekend?”

I had some ideas for answers. But I decided to take it to the next level.

Just as I have said before, that I believe everyone has a book inside of
them that they could write, I also believe that everyone has the ability to
work for themselves.

For some people, that may mean going out and starting a brand new
business. For others, that may mean becoming a freelancer and working
when, where and how you want.

Regardless, though, this guide will help you in any aspect of business.

James Altucher

How to Make $2000 in a Weekend

Freelancer.com is a $500 million company trading on the Australian Secu-
rities Exchange that aggregates millions of freelance jobs every month.

The founder and CEO, Matt Barrie, is a friend of mine (I have included our
entire conversation at the end of this report).

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So I called Matt and asked him the $2,000 question, but worded slightly
differently:

What jobs are constantly posted on freelancer.com where I can easily

earn $2,000 in a weekend?

I was afraid he would ignore me. Freelancer.com is constantly buying new

companies. Matt is constantly traveling. But the entire reason he started
Freelancer.com was to help people get out of their cubicle jobs and find
more opportunities to make an income.

He wrote back to me instantly. And, full disclosure, I have ZERO financial

interest in the company or in promoting it.

In fact, I am grateful to Matt. In 2007, I used Freelancer.com to build

Stockpickr.com (initial cost: $2,000), which I sold eight months later to
TheStreet.com for $10 million.

I knew that each job that Matt sent me would require learning some skills.
Otherwise it would be too easy (and, hence, these jobs would not earn
you $2,000 in a weekend), but I wanted the skills to be easy to learn. For
instance, using Lynda.com or codeacademy.com, you can be in the top
1% of WordPress developers within just a few months of study.

Here is what Matt wrote back to me:

Hi James,

Every single project is tailor-made based on the needs and requirements of

each employer, and therefore depends on the complexity, timing and costs of
the job.

Nevertheless, please find a list of projects where freelancers can easily make
$2,000 or more in just a couple of days:

1. Video Animation — video projects for KickStarter/Indiegogo or

animation explainer videos for a new product/ service launch are
an easy and quick job to do online

2. Programming — e.g. for Ecommerce stores (Shopify, Magento), we

have seen a huge increase in ecommerce, as well as social media
commerce

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3. Website testing or Web Scraping — last minute changes on the site

before the big launch, companies want to make sure the site would
work as intended so they simply hire someone to test it throughout

4. Website Development and Design (as you said, WordPress fits in

this category) — it can be templated but it’s quick and efficient and
it looks good

5. Children’s Book Illustration — incredibly popular job on the site that

pays quite well. Self-publishing is a big thing these days and illus-
trators on the site can provide for a huge range of different design
styles that fit any requirements

6. Writing — we have seen numerous requests from people needing

help with their business plans or book editing hiring experts in the
field on Freelancer.com. It’s especially popular among not native
speakers when they need something done in English or another
language and they want to do it right

7. 3D Rendering and Architecture Design — huge skill on the site,

studios are willing to pay a lot of money to get last minute support
and help with their projects or contests

8. Software Architecture

9. App development — full time staff or freelance temp workers may

not always be available to help out, especially during the weekends,
while our developers on the site can easily fix any issue or help to
finalize the project when deadlines are tough

10. Photoshop or any other graphic design work — companies would

pay substantial money to have their PowerPoint, Infographics,
Brochures or Keynote presentations designed by a professional
designer on the site.

The best thing about our service is that people can work in different time
zones, so employers can get 3 days work done in just about 24 hours. E.g.
someone in Europe working for an Australian while they’re sleeping.

Freelancers can also take on several smaller projects from different employers

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at the same time so they can earn a big chunk of money by the time the week-
end is over. Not just individuals, but companies and agencies employing several
people work through the site, running several projects simultaneously so they
can maximize the earnings.

Matt

Some of these skills (software architecture, for example) might take more
than a few months to learn, but not that much more.

And things like 3D rendering, you’d be surprised, are actually quite easy
to learn AND are in great demand. In fact, most of the job categories de-
scribed above require skills that you either have right now (web scraping
or writing) or can be learned with some study (through courses given all
over the web and YouTube) and practice (illustration, 3D rendering, Pho-
toshop, app development, etc.).

Many people think, “If I just pick the right stock, it can go up and I will
make a lot of money.”

This may or may not be true.

But with a small amount of money, the best returns can happen if you
invest in YOURSELF, learn skills for the above jobs, and then start taking
on more and more freelance work until you can quit your job, or work from
anywhere.

Matt gave the top 10 jobs he sees on Freelancer.com, but I didn’t want to
stop there. Here are some other jobs that could reap huge rewards.

1. Copywriting
Copywriting can be one of the most lucrative jobs with a little bit of effort.
But what is it?

Think about it this way: every company has something they need to sell,
but not every company knows how. They may be great at creating an
amazing product, but when it comes to getting people to buy, they may fall
short (especially as more and more people begin buying products online).

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That is where a copywriter comes in.

A copywriter is able to successfully reach the people and businesses

most likely to buy their products… simply by sending letters and emails to
those who have shown an interest in similar products in the past.

The great thing about copywriting though, is that you don’t even need to
be an amazing writer. You just need to be able to write a simple letter with
a compelling story.

Given a few months, you can easily begin to pull in more than $50 an hour
and eventually receive commission on the sales you bring in.

The best place to start if you would like to begin to learn how to become a
copywriter is by reading the following books:

a. Ogilvy on advertising by David Ogilvy

b. Scientific advertising by Claude C. Hopkins
c. Tested advertising methods by John Caples
d. Copy logic by Michael Masterson & Mike Palmer

Once you have read these, it is time to begin building your portfolio. The
best way is often to begin writing for a friends company, or reach out to
owners of Etsy stores and write for free.

Once your portfolio is built, you can begin reaching out to potential clients
that you would like to write for and begin your profitable new business.

2. Infodoodling
This is related to what Matt was talking about above in video animation.
Infodoodling is one of the largest sectors of growth for freelancers.

You’ve seen these videos — one of the most popular TED talks ever was
an Infodoodle.

The reason these kinds of videos are so successful is because they are
more engaging than just a person talking. The viewer feels like they are
able to follow a story — even if it’s a boring one.

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3. Voiceover
Doing voiceovers is one of the easiest and most lucrative freelance jobs
out there.

Besides the obvious skill of having a voice people want to listen to, the
only other skills you need are related to recording and editing.

I personally have paid people to do voiceovers for my podcasts and I

know that they made a ton of money for the amount of work it took to re-
cord them. It was worth it, though, because the voiceover is the first thing
someone hears when he or she listens to my podcast.

I could give you a full walkthrough of how to become a freelance voice-

over artist, but this guide is better: thevoiceoverguide.com

4. Translation services
Bilingual? Then you have a job.

Speak an uncommon language? Then you can be paid a lot of money.

Being a translator can be a very profitable side business.

The great thing about being a translator is that it doesn’t only have to go
one way. Not only can you be hired to translate English to Norwegian, or
whatever it is you speak, but you can translate Norwegian into English.

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