I actually run a small QA-as-a-service company (for 3+ years) and I should say that we strive to distance ourselves from "freelance" word as much as possible.

As most other cheap labors in a remote freelance mode — it is discredited. I think it would be just hard to build a personal brand strong enough to compete with tons of people, who can look like a diamond on a pre-sale phase and then just disappear.