On a warm July day in 2014, I received a Facebook message from a former classmate. She asked me if I would be interested in translating for a local website she worked for. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I gladly accepted, eager to earn my first income online.

That “gig” barely lasted three months and I made less than $1,000. But that was the catalyst for me sitting here today, having made over $17,000,000 for clients worldwide and brought in multiple six figures for myself while barely leaving my kitchen.

Not only that, but I can plan my days around making memories with my wonderful wife and my beautiful 15-month-old daughter. Before I tell you how I can live such a comfortable life, let's look at my life Fights because it wasn't all sunshine and roses, especially in the first two years of my freelance career.

Overcoming early obstacles

After the translation gig, I took a three-month position in China, helping the company expand ties with diplomatic missions. While I enjoyed traveling and exploring Middle Kingdom, I hated going back to the office. So three months later, after returning home, I created my first website, a travel and lifestyle blog. While it never made me more than $500 a year, it served as a portfolio when I was applying for content writing jobs on Facebook job boards.

Six months after building the website and trying to compete with hundreds of others for each independent concert I was able to find, I was able to secure a somewhat steady gig with a local online entrepreneur. The same guy later called me “the best copywriter in Bulgaria”.

Whether he was right or wrong didn't matter. His statement gave me a huge boost to my faith. We even became good friends. One thing led to another and two years after our first meeting, we launched an Initial Coin Offering (ICO).

The project didn't turn out the way I expected, but I gained a ton of valuable experience. I was responsible for everything related to marketing — Social media content, email marketing and landing page copy. I helped with branding, managed a team of content writers and even provided some customer support.

Around the same time, I also made my first $1,000 in a month just writing copy. Things started to improve, but they were still slow.

Related: These 3 side hustles make more money while working fewer hours, according to a new survey

The power of investing in your growth

After a much more successful 2018, I finally made enough money to invest in me growth. That's why in 2019, I spent £1,000 ($1,300) on a writing course from a guy I'd been following for a few years. In 2020, I invested in his group training program, which I am still a member of. Additionally, I joined a paid organizer and purchased another course on how to write high converting sales pages.

By the end of the year, I had invested approximately $2,000 each month in coaching, mentoring, and courses. This allowed me to have my first five-figure month in 2021 and 7.5x my income from 2020 to 2022. The truth was, if I had invested in mentoring earlier, I probably would have achieved those results much sooner .

Related: 7 Ways to Maximize Mentoring Relationships in Business

Five essential tips to run a 6-figure business from anywhere in the world

Nowadays, I regularly earn five figures a month, choose who I partner with, and can work from anywhere on the planet as long as there's Wi-Fi. This allows me to help my wife take care of my 15-month-old daughter while having a wonderful lifestyle where we are not tied down to any country.

However, it took me over five years to get to this level and I would never have gotten this far without a few things I did.

So, if you want to run a six-figure business while enjoying the freedom and flexibility of working from home, the following tips will come in handy. Imagine being able to take a long lunch break to go to the gym or meet a friend for coffee, knowing you can get to work later in the day. Fancy a spontaneous weekend getaway? As long as you have your laptop and a reliable internet connection, you can work from anywhere in the world.

Let's dive into the tips.

Be consistent

I don't know any successful people who are not consistent in what they are doing. For example, I have posted on my site Facebook wall almost every day since 2014. And I've been working almost non-stop since 2012. These two things have helped me maintain a positive mindset and continually build my personal brand over time.

Related: Why consistency is the key to success, learn from these entrepreneurs

Don't focus on money. Focus on the craft

Many people focus only on making money. This is putting the cart before the horse. Money is a byproduct of your skills. If you are not good, no one will pay you to do work for them. But when you're good, money comes easily.

Get a mentor

There is no faster way to grow in any career than to get a mentor or a coach. Learning from their mistakes so you don't make the same ones and following their expert advice can dramatically accelerate your progress. And while it usually comes at a high price, every cent invested in your personal development is worth it.

Trust the process

As a freelancer, you will inevitably face the dreaded “feast and famine” cycles. Don't fight them; embrace them. They are part of the process. They help you grow faster, provided you learn the lessons from each period. Because if you don't? You are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

Never get comfortable

Many people do critical error to feel comfortable. This is when they stop investing in training. They stop buying courses. And they become sure that they know it all.

Sadly, this is also when things can easily go south. So if you want to avoid such unpleasant situations, always be curious and open to learning new things.

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These were the things that helped me build a sustainable six-figure business that I can run from anywhere in the world. I don't have any employees, I work less than 5-6 hours a day, and I don't even have a virtual assistant (VA).

So, if you want to achieve similar results, follow the five tips I shared above.