Focus on the Freelancer: Mario Rocchi, Product Designer
One of the beauties of freelancing is that it can be done anywhere in the world. This week, I was able to talk to Mario Rocchi about what it is like to freelance in South America.
E: Tell me a little bit about your background, and your freelancing experience. How did you get started?
M: I’m a freelance product designer based in Colombia. Freelancing was initially just a part-time job, but I made the jump to full-time about four years ago. I’m currently helping different startups in the U.S. build their products and improve their user experience. As a Design Screener at Toptal, I also help guide candidates through the Designer vertical application process.
My passion for technology started at an early age. I got my first computer when I was about 12 years old and I thought it was game-changing to be able to create things on screen. I started using Paint, and as I grow up, I started trying things like PhotoShop, Visual Basic, and MS Dos. You should’ve seen my first website, it was pretty bad.
E: What is like freelancing in Colombia?
As far as I know, there are a good amount of freelancers here. If you want to succeed here though, you need to look for clients in other countries. Many Colombian companies unfortunately don’t value design as much as they should.
E: What is the hardest part of freelancing?
That’s a tricky one. I would say the prioritization of tasks, especially when it comes to working with multiple clients/projects. Although it may be difficult at first, the only way you’ll get experience is from getting your hands dirty.
E: Any advice for those working with international clients? What would say to those who are just starting out as freelancers?
When you collaborate with freelancers and clients from all over world, you have to be flexible when working with different time zones. The good thing is that it allows you to manage your own time easier. For example, I’m currently working with 2 clients and one of the developers team is based in Bogotá and the other client’s developer team is is based in India. Therefore, I can chat or join calls during the day with the Colombian devs, and work with the others during the evenings.
For those just starting out: Be sure to take ownership of every project you work on and remember that relationships are really important in the business. Showing your work and networking are truly the best ways to secure clients and grow as a freelancer.
Want to be highlighted in a future “Focus on the Freelancer”? Be sure to add add yourself to our growing Freelancer Directory and join the freelancer conversation happening right now on Slack.
