# Freelance business development and digital marketplaces

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/freelance-business-development-and-digital-marketplaces
> Updated: 2026-09-01T08:37:43.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

Freelancers face the challenge of balancing client work with business development, often using strategies like dedicated prospecting time or periodic “sprints” to ensure future revenue.

Online marketplaces such as Upwork and Fiverr assist professionals in monetizing skills and building credibility through reviews. While these platforms charge service fees—roughly 10 percent for Upwork and 20 percent for Fiverr—they serve as tools for portfolio building. Fiverr specifically operates as an open marketplace for digital services, allowing businesses to purchase predefined, packaged deliverables across various categories rather than engaging in traditional hourly labor or interviewing processes.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-01: Fiverr provides an open marketplace for digital freelance services

Fiverr provides an open marketplace for digital services, offering packaged freelance tasks across 116 categories to help businesses scale quickly through outsourcing.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/fiverr-provides-an-open-marketplace-for-digital-freelance-services

### 2026-08-31: Freelance business development and marketplace strategies

Freelancers can balance current workloads with new business development through dedicated time blocks and specialized sprints, often using marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr to build credibility.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/freelance-business-development-and-marketplace-strategies

---
Cite as: Freelance business development and digital marketplaces. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/freelance-business-development-and-digital-marketplaces