Become a freelancer on Unicorn Factory

Whether you are just starting out or already a seasoned freelance pro, we want to help you find and work with amazing Kiwi businesses.

Promote your freelance services to local businesses

  • purple checkmark

    Get customer enquiries through your personal profile page

  • purple checkmark

    Showcase your work by adding your portfolio to your profile page

  • purple checkmark

    Set your own rates, availability and services

directory page
uf screenshot

Get access to New Zealand's largest freelancer job board

  • purple checkmark

    Get personalised introductions to clients who post job on our job board

  • purple checkmark

    Budget ranges, timelines and requirements specified

  • purple checkmark

    Up-to-date and pre-vetted clients

Connect with a community of Kiwi freelancers

  • purple checkmark

    Knowledge base to help you become a better freelancer

  • purple checkmark

    Monthly online workshops to help you take your biz to the next level

  • purple checkmark

    Networking opportunities

community page

Community testimonials

We have connected over 700 Kiwi freelancers to over 4000 Kiwi businesses and entrepreneurs

"Unicorn Factory was perfect for me to find copywriting work on the side of my full-time role in government. It has helped me build a portfolio that I hope will allow me transition into freelancing full-time!"

marielle hawkes
Marielle Hawkes
Copywriter

“I couldn’t recommend Unicorn Factory enough! Any freelancers out there need to seriously consider joining the fam. Network with an online community and have more work coming in, it’s a no-brainer.”

alex siale
Alex Siale
Digital Marketing Expert

“When I first arrived to New Zealand I struggled to find my place as a freelancer, but when I found out about UF it opened the door into the freelance community and has given me a platform to network, showcase my work, and land some amazing local clients.”

brandon miller
Brandon Miller
Webflow Developer

Find your next freelance job in New Zealand

Find a preview of our most recently listed freelance jobs on Unicorn Factory
Open
Design
⭐️ Featured

Smell Hound - Video Advert

Animation Design project by Small business (less than 10 employees) in Christchurch. Budget is $1k - $5k and start date is Immediately

money
$1k - $5k
handshake
0
Intros made
tribunal
Small business (less than 10 employees)
male-user
😎 Side Hustler
December 2, 2022
Open
Marketing
⭐️ Featured

Social Media Marketer

Social Media Marketing project by Small business (less than 10 employees) in Auckland, NZ. Budget is $1k - $5k and start date is Immediately

money
$1k - $5k
handshake
0
Intros made
tribunal
Small business (less than 10 employees)
male-user
🚀 Newbie, 😎 Side Hustler, ⭐️ Pro
December 2, 2022
Open
Business Support
⭐️ Featured

New Zealand Voice Recording for AI

Virtual Assistant project by Small business (less than 10 employees) in UK. Budget is Under $1k and start date is Immediately

money
Under $1k
handshake
3
Intros made
tribunal
Small business (less than 10 employees)
male-user
🚀 Newbie, 😎 Side Hustler, ⭐️ Pro
December 1, 2022
Open
Design
⭐️ Featured

Childrens superhero book

Illustrations project by Personal Project in Auckland. Budget is $1k - $5k and start date is Immediately

money
$1k - $5k
handshake
0
Intros made
tribunal
Personal Project
male-user
🚀 Newbie, 😎 Side Hustler, ⭐️ Pro
December 1, 2022
Open
Writing
⭐️ Featured

Content writer for online learning modules

Copywriting project by Pre-revenue startup in Auckland. Budget is $1k - $5k and start date is Immediately

money
$1k - $5k
handshake
4
Intros made
tribunal
Pre-revenue startup
male-user
😎 Side Hustler, ⭐️ Pro
December 1, 2022
Open
Design
⭐️ Featured

New Business Logo Design

Logo Design project by Mid-sized business (11- 100 employees) in Te Awamutu . Budget is Under $1k and start date is No set start date

money
Under $1k
handshake
3
Intros made
tribunal
Mid-sized business (11- 100 employees)
male-user
🚀 Newbie, ⭐️ Pro
November 29, 2022

Who should sign up to Unicorn Factory?

Unicorn Factory is best suited for people who are serious about turning their craft into paid work. We are looking for people who are creative, but most importantly, people who are willing to invest in themselves and their freelance business.

🚀 Newbies

  • You are passionate about your craft and you see freelancing as an amazing opportunity to get paid to do what you love.
  • You haven't had your first paying client yet. Maybe you have been held by the fear of finding clients, failure or being judged.
  • You are willing to take freelancing seriously from day one, and want to invest time and money up-front to set yourself up for success.
  • Who hires Newbies on Unicorn Factory? Small local businesses, like yoga studios or cafes, often hire our Newbies because they are the most cost effective option, while still getting quality work.  
  • Newbies usually charge our an hourly rate between $35 - $45 per hour.

😎 Side Hustlers

  • You are currently in a full-time job but love the idea of using your skills and knowledge to help local businesses grow.
  • You might be working on your own startup and want to freelance on the side to keep cash coming in while you are building your business. (That's how I started)
  • You also love the idea of having one or two freelance clients to make a bit of extra money on the side.
  • Even though you freelance on the side, professionalism and delivering value is important to you.
  • Who hires Side Hustlers on Unicorn Factory? Early-stage startups and small local businesses are the most common clients for our side hustlers. These are often one-off projects with a fixed project rate.
  • Our most popular services for Side Hustlers are copywriting, branding and strategy.

💵 Pros

  • You have a well established freelancing business and have been self-employed for a while now.
  • You consider yourself a full-time freelancer, consultant or coach.
  • You specialise in a specific area of design, development or marketing. You may work with a specific niche, but are open to working with businesses who are looking for your expertise.
  • You currently have no employees or business partners, but you sometimes hire subcontractors to help with bigger projects.
  • Who hires Pro Freelancers on Unicorn Factory? Pros are our most hired group of freelancers. They work with all types of businesses from small local businesses to government agencies and large corporations.

⚡️Studios

  • You run your own agency or studio, and have between 1 - 5 FTEs. You also frequently hire freelancer for their specialised skills to help out on projects.
  • You see Unicorn Factory as a way to connect to more local businesses who may need your services.
  • Who hires Studios on Unicorn Factory? Often larger Kiwi businesses, government agencies or funded startups hire studios because they can take on larger projects and deliver a wider range of services.

Membership plans

Flexible pricing, no hidden costs, cancel anytime.

Newbie Plan

We will promote you clients as a beginner freelancer. Typically you will attract projects valued between $200 - $1k per project.

$10/mo
excluding GST
Includes:
purple checkmark
Newbie Tag in Profile
purple checkmark
Unlimited enquiries via your profile page
purple checkmark
Up to 2 job board intros per month
purple checkmark
Apply to jobs under $2k budget
purple checkmark
Account Analytics
purple checkmark
1 portfolio item
purple checkmark
Free Access to community forum
purple checkmark
Free access to live freelancer workshops

Side Hustler Plan

We will promote you to clients as being a part-time freelancer. A lot of one-off projects valued anywhere between $500 - $3k.

$20/mo
excluding GST
Includes:
purple checkmark
Side Hustler Tag in Profile
purple checkmark
Unlimited enquiries via your profile page
purple checkmark
Up to 2 job board intros per month
purple checkmark
Apply to any jobs under $5k budget
purple checkmark
Account Analytics
purple checkmark
1 portfolio item
purple checkmark
Free Access to community forum
purple checkmark
Free access to live freelancer workshops

Pro Lite Plan

We will promote you as a full-time freelancer to clients and will promote highlight you as a featured freelancer on your main service page.

$42/mo
excluding GST
Includes:
purple checkmark
Pro Tag in Profile
purple checkmark
Unlimited enquiries via your profile page
purple checkmark
Up to 4 job board intros per month
purple checkmark
Apply to any jobs on job board
purple checkmark
Account Analytics
purple checkmark
4 portfolio items
purple checkmark
Free Access to community forum
purple checkmark
Free access to live freelancer workshops
purple checkmark
Backlinks to website
purple checkmark
Priority Listing on Services Pages

Getting Started on Unicorn Factory

1. Apply to join

Start by creating an account, filling out the application form and adding two case studies to your profile.

2. Review & Approval

We will review your application and once approved notify with you with the next steps via email.

3. Join Unicorn Factory

Once approved all you will need to do is select a membership and you will be good to go 🚀

FAQ

If you have any other questions please feel free to reach out to us through our contact page

Contact Us

How long does the approval process take?

We review all applications on the 20th of each month. Depending on your application and availability of spots we will either approve, reject or waitlist you. We will explain what the next steps are via email. If you haven't heard from us, please reach out via our contact page.

Am I guaranteed leads if I sign up to a membership?

No. Unfortunately, we cannot control whether or not clients decide to reach out to you. Our job is to get as many potential clients in front of you. It is your job to make sure that your profile is presented well and that you have case studies added to your profile, the two biggest factors in getting clients to reach out.

Is there a trial? Why is this website not free?

We don't do trials anymore. We trialed it for a while and unfortunately it attracted too many people who didn't take it seriously. We try to keep our membership as low as possible. We do however refund you if you complete your profile and don't get any leads.

The reason why it's not free to sign up as a freelancer is because I would lose heaps of money trying to keep the site online.

How many leads will I receive under each membership?

Again, it depends on the type of membership type you select, as well as what services you offer. In terms of service category the breakdown of enquiries is as follow: 40% are for design related projects, 33% are marketing related projects and 27% are software related projects.

In terms of freelancer type: - 50% of our enquiries go to ⭐️ Pros, 37% to 😎 Side Hustlers, 8% to ⚡️Studios and 5% to 🚀 Newbies.

We currently receive between 250 - 350 direct enquiries every single month, with the average client reaching out to three freelancers at a time.

How much money can I make as a freelancer?

The average deal a freelancer closes on Unicorn Factory is NZD3.5k (in 2020). The biggest contract that two different freelancers closed last year was for NZD 50k.

How much you charge will again depend on what you do and how much you charge.

I have never worked as a freelancer... can I still join?

Luckily, there is a community of us that have all been in that situation before and we have a forum where you can ask whatever questions you have about freelancing.
‍
Our goal is to not just help you get more leads, we want you to succeed as a freelancer long-term which is why we have our forum for you to ask questions, and to connect with other freelancers.

What is your refund policy?

If you sign up and it just doesn't work out for you and you feel like it was a waste of money, I am happy to refund you for your last month under the following conditions:
‍
1) You have added at least one case study to your profile.
2) You have bcc'd me in responses to leads (if you received any)
3) You put effort into creating a great bio.


handshake
Job Board
search
Directory
favourite
Showcase
Blog
Sign up