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#229 · how to upwork in 2026

youtube ↗Lead Generation

How can I make $5–10k a month, and should I focus on one niche or multiple niches with automation on Upwork?

On Upwork, you don't really choose a niche; Upwork is your zero to one, not just getting $60 but maybe $600 or $6,000. To maximize your odds of success, come up with a good advanced search—a set of filters for terms like automation, N8N, Claude code, or make.com. Each day, use that filter to get a big list of matching jobs, open them in 50–100 tabs, and quickly verify which are good. You'll end up with maybe 10 jobs you can actually apply to, across various niches and technologies, so having some technical ability helps you talk about platforms confidently. Then record a quick video and apply to each job. This SOP isn't magical; it's just a strategy that works a bit better than others. By stacking it up volume‑wise, you'll eventually succeed—like investing a dollar and getting $1.50 back. If you repeat this daily for many years, you will succeed.

upworkniche5-10k/monthautomation

Related answers

youtube ↗AI & Automation

Can you give me a five‑step action plan to use AI and transition from time‑for‑money jobs to a remote lifestyle, given I'm a barber instructor who also does ATV repair and speaks Spanish?

First, keep your current income streams (barbering, ATV repair) while you allocate a small portion—maybe $300 a month—to learning one automation tool, such as Make.com or Zapier. Focus on mastering a single tool rather than juggling many; think of it as a pickaxe you can use for everything. Spend a few days watching a comprehensive course (e.g., my 6‑hour Make.com course) until you’re comfortable. Then take three concrete steps: 1) Choose a niche you want to serve. 2) Build an Upwork profile targeting that niche. 3) Start cold‑email outreach using the formula I described earlier. 4) Join relevant communities to network and share content. Keep the niche practical—look for markets where people are already spending money. Follow this five‑step plan, reinvest earnings into tools and education, and you’ll gradually shift from time‑for‑money work to a remote, AI‑enhanced business.

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youtube ↗Niches

As someone with a software development and cyber background who has built sites and one automation pipeline but hasn't done any outbound, offers, or positioning, and is interested in cyber, web app, dev, and automation, what should I focus on and how should I put myself out there to become a one-stop shop?

It's a common problem for beginners to spend too much time thinking about the business model instead of actually doing it. You're likely stuck in your head wondering what niche to pick, how to reach people, and which platforms to use. Rather than overthinking, you should test an idea in the market. Pick three things: choose an outreach minimum per day on platforms you have experience with—like DMs on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, communities, Reddit—and run it for a month without changing anything. After 30 days, if you do about 10 pieces of outreach per platform, you'll have contacted nearly 1,000 people, giving you real data to inform your next step. For example, you might find that your web development offer converts at 2.9% while your cyber offer doesn't perform as well, letting you focus on what works. This approach turns you into a scientist of your own life, gradually carving out the solution space and increasing your chances of success.

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youtube ↗Mindset

I've been binging Nick's stuff the past few days. Solve each problem step by step. But Nick, all this sounds too good to be true. Tell me about it. Like each automation only takes me an hour or two to build and does not cost that much. We're supposed to sell it to people at like $1,000 to $2,000 USD.

There is indeed a trade‑off. You can spend a lot of time on high‑effort, low‑reward tasks like demolition work, but you can also create automations that require a few hours of learning and then generate a high return on effort. While some claims sound too good to be true, most of what I talk about is simply easier ways to earn per‑unit income. The biggest stumbling block is getting to the point where you can build profitable systems. Non‑technical people can start making $3‑5 K a month within their first 30 days if they follow the process. Ultimately it’s just sales: learn the customer’s pain points, position your solution as the answer, and sell based on perceived value. When pitching retainer‑style automation work, you can charge a monthly fee for managing the automation, not just a one‑off payment.

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