Sohel Rana
Sohel Rana is a co-founder of OLL.E and of Upwork X-Ray, its free Upwork data tool. He writes about how the product came to be and what freelancers miss when they can't watch everything at once.
Posts by Sohel Rana
- Zillow alerts: how to get new listings first, and what to send the landlordSet up Zillow alerts by saving a search and picking the fastest email option, usually instant. Three landlord messages, why alerts get missed, how to stop them.
- Buying insurance and mortgage leads: what to ask, and how to answer firstBuying insurance or mortgage leads? Exclusive vs shared, real-time vs aged, what to ask a vendor, call and text scripts, and how to hear about each lead fast.
- Messenger notifications and auto-reply: what a personal account can do, what a Page can do, and how to fix missing alertsPersonal Messenger has no auto-reply; Pages get instant replies. Change notification sounds per chat, fix missing iPhone alerts, and get alerts for one person.
- PayPal notifications: spot the fake ones, keep the ones that matterCheck any PayPal payment email in the app before you ship. How to spot fake PayPal emails, turn on the right notifications and meet dispute deadlines.
- WhatsApp notifications not showing? Fix them on Android and iPhone, then give one person their own soundGive one WhatsApp contact their own notification sound, then fix missing alerts on Android and iPhone, including the icon missing from the status bar.
- Etsy messages: where to find them, and how to answer the ones that matter firstEtsy messages are under Your account, Messages on Etsy.com and the Messages tab in the Etsy Seller app. Fix missed alerts, use 5 templates, reply faster.
- The four watches a freelancer should set up on day one, and everything to switch off firstFour things should ring a freelancer's phone: a matching Upwork job, a client after hours, a pricing email and a meeting soon. What to switch off, and how.
- Shopify order notifications: fix the ones you have, then get a call for the orders that matterTurn on the Shopify app's order push and the staff order email first. Shopify cannot call you; here is how to get a call for big or problem orders only.
- Running an agency from your phone: five watches that catch a client before they quietly leaveFive OLL.E watches an agency owner sets once: VIP clients on WhatsApp or Slack, emails about cancelling, pricing leads, site-down alerts, today's meetings.
- How to get a phone call or an alarm when a specific email arrives (Gmail, iPhone, Android)Gmail cannot ring for one sender. Four ways that work: a filter with High priority only, iPhone VIP sounds, an Android label channel, or a real call from OLL.E.
- Best apps for freelancers in 2026: nine that earn their place (two are ours)Nine apps for freelancers in 2026, grouped by the moment money is lost: finding work, missed messages, proposals, time, invoices, contracts, calls and pay.