Stuck in my hometown

Reading the Book

Hey everyone, this is Allan. I was rereading the book we’re using for our work week, and the principles still hold even though my copy is in Portuguese. I wanted to share some thoughts that complement yesterday’s video and expand on the ideas I mentioned there.

From a Small Town

I grew up in a small town in southern Brazil with fewer than 20,000 people. After high school I had to spend almost five hours each day commuting to the nearest college, and then work after classes. The daily bus rides were exhausting, and when the pandemic hit in 2020, I decided I wasn’t going to return to that routine. I stopped attending college and turned to online work instead.

Freelance Start

I began as a freelance designer, taking on small jobs that didn’t go very far. It wasn’t until 2022 that I started working fully online and remotely. I had no clients, so I reached out to people on Instagram, offering to create posts and other design work. After a few months, I began transitioning from pure design to more technical work in digital product launches and marketing.

Becoming a Developer

In 2023 I started studying to become a developer. I learned to program while already working, because I needed to sell projects. I began with simple tasks like WordPress customizations and gradually took on more complex work. I didn’t jump straight into full‑scale programming; I progressed in small steps. With the help of AI and the knowledge I’ve built over the years, I can now handle projects entirely on my own, which is why I consider myself a solo developer.

Currency Challenge

Even though I can work from anywhere, I’m still stuck with Brazilian clients. That’s a problem because the Brazilian real is much weaker than the US dollar. For example, a $100 project translates to about 500 reais, which limits my earnings. I’m also not great at selling or pricing my work; I’m better at delivering the projects themselves. Yesterday I mentioned pairing info‑product sales with an app, but that’s a long‑term goal and won’t bring dollars into my account anytime soon. I’m still learning how to attract clients outside Brazil, and I want to be honest about that.

Next Steps

For a short‑term solution, I plan to join online communities where I can meet potential international clients. I already have a portfolio, so selling isn’t as hard as it was four years ago, but I still need to build relationships with new clients, which feels a bit intimidating. I’ll also continue prospecting one‑by‑one, just as I did when I started. I’ll share more updates in future videos. That’s it for today.