I am so excited to share another student success story from the Live Free Academy with you today! These are some of my favorite episodes and blog posts because they give you a real behind-the-scenes look at how moms just like you are starting, growing, and thriving as freelancers while balancing busy family life.
Today you’ll get to meet Maggie. She’s a mom of three young girls who started freelancing in 2022 and has built a business that works around her family. She began as a tech VA and later pivoted into web design—helping entrepreneurs create beautiful, functional websites that actually bring in clients and sales.
From Church Work to Freelancing
Before freelancing, Maggie and her husband both worked for a church. When her second baby came along, Maggie was on bedrest but still found ways to work virtually and manage her own hours. That taste of flexibility planted a seed—she wanted a way to keep working but from home, on her own terms.
After her family left their church positions unexpectedly, she began searching for what was next. She had a background in psychology, but going back to school wasn’t an option. Instead, she leaned into her natural love of problem-solving and tech.
Maggie taught herself how to automate systems and manage tech tools, and when she discovered freelancing, it felt like the perfect fit. She even landed her first gig on Upwork for $20 doing Google script work. It wasn’t much, but it showed her the possibilities: she could earn money from home using skills she already had.
Enrolling in the Live Free Academy
Not long after, Maggie heard about the Live Free Academy. She said the words on the sales page—“flexible hours, work from home, and get paid to do it”—jumped out at her because that’s exactly what she wanted.
At the time, she had just had her third baby, and her husband was switching careers. Money was tight, but she knew she needed to make freelancing work for her family. So she enrolled.
Within her first couple of months, Maggie landed three clients as a tech VA through a mix of outreach and personal connections.
Realizing a Pivot Was Needed
Working as a tech VA gave Maggie valuable experience, but she also realized it wasn’t the perfect long-term fit. Tech work can be time-consuming, unpredictable, and sometimes under-appreciated by clients who don’t understand how much problem-solving is involved.
She started asking herself: What’s a service I enjoy, can get faster at, and that clients will pay higher rates for?
That led her to pivot into web design.
Even though she already had the technical skills, she had to overcome the fear of putting herself out there in a crowded field. She invested in a web design course, built her own website, and started marketing herself as a designer.
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Building Momentum in Web Design
In her first few months as a web designer, Maggie landed clients through Facebook groups and networking. She learned the difference between retainer work and project-based work, and she started developing stronger boundaries and processes around client communication.
Like most freelancers, her journey wasn’t a straight upward climb. Some months were slower than others, but she kept going—showing up for challenges, coaching calls, and even in-person networking events (no small feat with three little ones at home!).
Those in-person connections led to powerful referrals, including collaborations with a Google Ads specialist and local business owners who needed websites.
Where She Is Today
Today, Maggie is running her web design business part-time while raising three little girls. She’s landed paid strategy sessions, website projects, and built relationships that continue to bring in referrals.
Her journey shows us that freelancing doesn’t have to look one way. You can start small, pivot when needed, and create a business that works for your family and your goals.
What We Can Learn from Maggie’s Story
Start where you are. Maggie’s first $20 job might not have been glamorous, but it was the first step.
It’s okay to pivot. Trying tech VA work showed her what she didn’t love, which led her to discover what she does.
Relationships matter. From personal networks to local meetups, connections have been key to Maggie’s growth.
Progress over perfection. She didn’t wait until she “knew it all”—she learned as she went.
Maggie’s story is such an encouragement for any mom wondering if freelancing is possible while raising a family. It absolutely is—and it doesn’t have to look perfect to be successful.
If you’re ready to start your own freelancing journey, just like Maggie, the Live Free Academy is here to guide you every step of the way.
The Live Free Academy
If you have read Maggie’s story and feel inspired to learn more about freelancing and how it can help you make a flexible, stable income from home. Please reach out, and ask me any questions about getting started or what it could look like for you to become a freelancer!
Send me a message on Instagram @micala.quinn, I’m happy to chat through that with you!
As always, if you want to become a freelancer and are ready to get started, the most hands-on way I can help you is through my program, The Live Free Academy!
LFA will walk you through the exact steps to build your business and land clients. There are templates and tools to help you implement every step of the process. Plus, it comes with my trifecta of support–weekly coaching calls with me, monthly challenges to help you land clients, and the student community to connect with and build relationships with other women building their businesses!
There are job leads and skills training in the top freelance services businesses are hiring for as well. Sign up for The Live Free Academy course here!
