Posts Tagged ‘Freelance’

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May 4th, 2013
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Six Secrets of Web Design Freelancers!

Web designers are a particular (and often seen as a peculiar) breed of human being. It takes something special to work effectively in this field, that's for sure. But even more so to be a freelancer in the web design field. That's an entirely different subspecies altogether. For anyone who has ever tried their hand at freelancing, they know this to be the case. It is not for everyone. But it can be.

Like with most things, being a freelancer can be learned. This beast can be somewhat tamed to work for those who have perhaps failed at it in the past.

Perhaps the reason you have been unable to take that step, or that you were unable to make a go of it when you did, was because you weren't privy to some of the secrets. Less tricks of the trade, and more ways to make this lifestyle fit more comfortably.

Six Secrets of Web Design Freelancers!
Image credit: Bigstockphotos

What this Post Isn't

If you have come to this post expecting to find the secret to banking the big bucks as a freelancer and retiring at the age of 25, then I am afraid you have come to the wrong place. This post is not going to be any sort of automatic recipe for successful freelancing. Because such a recipe does not exist.

Sorry if I burst any bubbles with that statement, but freelancing is not some sort of magical field where millionaires are made around every corner. It's a field of long days and waiting games.

This post is also not going to spell out how you can become a rockstar in the field and suddenly be designing the site for the next Avenger's film.

Becoming a rockstar is up to you. You have to have the passion and talent to shape the game in that manner as you work in the web. It is more about giving you the stepping stones you will need to have in place if you are going to rise to that level, sure. But knowing the path, and being able to see it through are two completely different things.

So below you will find six secrets that all successful, and sustained, freelancers know and work by. Day in and day out.

#1 – Community Connection is Key

First and foremost, if you are hoping to be a successful web design freelancer, then you have to understand that the community connection is key. Web design freelancers know the benefit of the online community and how being connected to said community is beneficial to them and their brands. So they engage. They become an active part of the community and contribute. This is not only good for growing your business through referrals by others whom you have connected with, but it allows you to grow as a web designer too.

Community Connection is Key
Image credit: Bigstockphotos

Being an active part of the community keeps you up to date and plugged in to the latest developments in the field without having to make any sort of costly investments. While it might be a fantastic thing to do for your business, you might not always have the openings in your schedule or the funds available to attend every web design conference that is held. But the community will respond and actively share what was learned and discussed at these conferences. So you have the learning potential.

And just like with any community you are a part of, they can offer useful advice and reviews of products or services that you are considering, but haven't the means to risk spending funds on them that might just end up being wasted. Like if you are trying to find a good, reliable host, you are going to trust what those who have used them have to say about their service. Same applies elsewhere in the web design community.

So there are many ways that being part of online web design community is beneficial to freelancers. We are not always backed by big corporate budgets that we can play somewhat loosely and riskily with. So we have to do a little more research and planning before we spend. Nor do we have the budgets to continue educating ourselves in the field without tapping our free community knowledge pool from time-to-time to assist us. So the community can be and often is a freelancer's savior.

#2 – Rome Wasn't Built in a Day

…and neither will your projects be. This is not something that applies strictly to web design freelancers, and we know this. But it is something that many of us forget when we start diving in and taking on projects. We forget to pace ourselves and allow for said pacing when we set up a timeline with the client. There are not enough hours in the day, we hear this all the time, so we have to learn to effectively manage them. We must also learn how to balance the work hours and the non-work hours to keep us refreshed and productive.

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
Image credit: Bigstockphotos

This is an area where a lot of freelancers fall down and lose themselves. They let the work completely consume them and their schedules until they are consistently putting in 16 hour days, and not giving themselves any time to decompress and unwind. To have their mind unplugged from their projects and offering their creative energies a chance to recharge. This can spell disaster for anyone, but for a freelancer, it could be the end of our very brands.

Once we lose the confidence of our clients because we have been unable to deliver on their expectations and our promises, we begin to lose the credibility we as freelancers rely on to keep clients coming in. So we need to be sure that we are managing our time effectively, but also responsibly. An overwhelmed and overworked web designer is good to no one. If our creativity is faltering, then so too is our freelance business.

#3 – Inspiration is a Hydra

Freelance web designers also understand that inspiration is a hydra. It is like that mythic beast of legend in a couple of ways. And treating it as such, is a game changer that can really take your work to the proverbial next level we all should be striving for. Now this is not saying inspiration is a deadly beast to be feared, but more that is has many heads. You cannot get your inspiration from just a single source.

Inspiration is a Hydra
Image credit: Bigstockphotos

Doing so is a recipe for stagnating and having your creative drive and output slow. We need to be influenced by other fields and inspired by other formats in order to be taking our work to exciting new places. It is simply not enough to find our inspiration from the wealth of web design offerings that are out there and filling the portfolios and collections of works. We have to reach outside of our own field to find new ways to approach our work within it.

Also, just like with a hydra, cutting off one head (or excluding one source of inspiration) simply means replacing it with another. The more perspectives we allow to shape and ourselves to hone our creative voices through, often the more potent it will prove to be. Our creative experiences will be that much deeper and richer, and so too will be that which is wrought from it.

#4 – It's Feast AND Famine, Not OR

You often hear when people are talking about freelancing the whole feast or famine comparison. That this mode of operation is what you can expect while working within the freelancing machine.

It's Feast and Famine
Image credit: Bigstockphotos

You will either be enveloped in times of feast or times of famine. And when many people hear this, especially those considering getting into the field, they mistake that it is kind of an either/or situation. This is what will often lead to a freelancer over-committing themselves and booking too many projects at a time. To stave off any chance of famine.

But that is unfortunately, not often how it actually plays out. You will have periods of both. For most freelancers, there are times when you will be feasting and riding high upon a successful wave of projects that have come your way. But there will also be times when you will be in the grips of famine as the waters are still and no waves are present. You need to prepare for it. Being caught off guard in this respect is not something that tends to produce favorable results.

Being unprepared for the times of inactivity on the work front will also hopefully keep you out of that desperate place that has you accepting work from a client who comes with all sorts of red flags and warning signs. The fewer of these jobs we find ourselves forced to take, the more enjoyment we reap from our work. This helps feed our longevity and stamina for staying in the field. Even when times are tough.

#5 – Good is the Enemy of Great

This is something that I was taught a long time ago in another job, but that seemed to resonate with me more once I got into freelancing and started working for myself. This gem was handed down from a manager I worked under over a decade ago, and it holds true still. Good is the enemy of great. And even if they do not realize it themselves, the most successful freelance web designers live by this old adage. If we become too satisfied with being good at what we do, then we will never be great at what we do.

Good is the Enemy of Great
Image credit: Bigstockphotos

Freelancers cannot afford to fall into this trap. Especially in such an innovative and changing field as web design is. Instead, if we view every opportunity that we take on, as a new chance to prove ourselves to the client and the web design community at large, then we will always be striving for greatness. We will never be satisfied with our current level of skill and design prowess and we will constantly be seeking out new learning opportunities and challenges.

This is a recipe for keeping us at the very top of our games, and should be considered a priority for us all. You always hear that you should never stop learning, and this just furthers that idea and drive. For if we allow ourselves to stop growing, then we in turn prevent ourselves from moving forward on a path of upward mobility. We instead wander along a plateau until we reach the end and start declining. That's not a route we should ever be satisfied with taking.

#6 – Not Every Innovation Will be Welcome

As we work with various client types and brands, we have to remember that not everyone is on the same page as we are with this push for constant upward mobility and growth. So while we may be wanting to always broach new areas and break new ground, that's not necessarily where the work will be. And while we know trying daring new things can provide amazing and unique break-throughs in the field, we understand that we are ultimately working for the client.

Not Every Innovation Will be Welcome
Image credit: Bigstockphotos

They get to decide the full trajectory of the project and where it ends up. So not every innovative thing we suggest will be welcomed and be able to be implemented into every project. This is just the way the game is played. Some clients just aren't willing to take chances in that way, and we have to be willing to let those things go and not push the client into being our guinea pig.

Learning to work within the constraints of the client's wishes is just as important as being able to convince the client to trust in your judgement and expertise.

No More Secrets to Tell

But that doesn't mean that the conversation is over. There are bound to be more secrets that you are holding on to waiting to share. Or at least some thoughts on those we have.

Now is your turn. Take a few moments to drop us a line or two in the comments.

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April 30th, 2013
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12 Tips for Becoming a Contagious Freelancer

Did you ever notice that some freelancers attract more business than others do?

It’s true. There are some freelancers who always seem to stay busy, even when others struggle to find enough work. You can recognize them by looking through their testimonials. Or, you may notice that they always seem to have a positive attitude.

I call them contagious freelancers, because their desirability seems to be catching. Once a client starts to work with them, that client always seems to want more from them. Their popularity just spreads and spreads.

What do these contagious freelancers have that you don’t? More importantly, how can you get what they have?

In this post, I’ll share 12 tips to help you better attract clients. You’re also invited to share your best tips on how to become a contagious freelancer.

Get Contagious, Attract More Business

Don’t you wish that paying projects were catching? Well, the good news is that you can learn to attract more projects. Here are twelve tips to help you do just that:

  1. Find the right clients. If a client is a good match for your services, then it will be much easier to satisfy their needs and keep them happy. Working with the wrong client makes your job harder. So, make sure that the client’s request matches your core business goals.
  2. Respond promptly. Don’t make a client wait to do business with you. Answer client messages quickly–within the same day if you can. The sooner you respond, the sooner you can start working on a new project. If you delay too long, the client might think that you’re not interested.
  3. Listen carefully. Most businesses don’t listen to their clients. If you want to be a preferred service provider, you need to be different. Pay attention to what the client says. Ask questions if you are not sure.
  4. Treat every client as though they are special. You wouldn’t be in business without your clients. So, every time you deal with a client keep in mind how important they are to your freelancing business. Don’t be afraid to let the client know that you appreciate them.
  5. Build trust by being reliable. Your client wants to be able to count on you. Don’t let them down. Deliver quality projects on time. Good client/freelancer relationships are built on trust. Show the client that you are trustworthy.
  6. Go one step beyond. A smart freelancer keeps their client’s interests in mind. Doing this can be as simple as occasionally sending the client a link to an article that you know they will find interesting. It doesn’t take a lot of time and it helps your clients.
  7. Make working with you a pleasant experience. Always treat clients with professional courtesy. Make it a point to be friendly and helpful. Clients are more likely to rehire freelancers who they enjoy working with.
  8. Say thank-you. We live in a society where people are taken for granted. Don’t be like everyone else. You can stand out by thanking a client for doing business with you.
  9. Keep the lines of communications open. Even if you are not actively working with a client, stay in touch. Client newsletters are a great way to do this. Put a reminder on your calendar so that you don’t forget to check-in with former clients.
  10. Organize your client list. You can’t keep in touch with your clients if you lose their contact information. Develop and maintain a good system for keeping track of clients and prospects. Be sure to make a backup of this information.
  11. Offer package deals. If a client has been particularly loyal or orders a great deal of work, you can offer them a special deal as an incentive. You can also have private sales that are only available to your best customers.
  12. Ask for more business. Many freelancers don’t get repeat business from their clients (or testimonials either) because they don’t ask for it. Don’t be afraid to ask the client if they need anything else. Often just asking is enough to get repeat work.

Your Turn

What are your tips for becoming a contagious freelancer who attracts plenty of repeat business?

Share your best tips in the comments.

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April 25th, 2013
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So You Want to Be a Freelance Web Designer?

Have you absolutely had it up to here with your boss?  Sick and tired of the demanding schedule, the stressful deadlines, the abysmal pay and office politics? Dreaming of days when you can work anytime, anywhere while still in your pajamas?  Looking forward with gusto to long, creative-fueling walks spent with exotic coffee in hand?

Well, be forewarned – freelancing is not all sunshine and roses.  It has its own unique set of advantages and challenges.

As someone who started doing freelance web design back when the web was relatively new, and has continued doing it for over 10 years, I’d love to  go back in time and  pull starry-eyed 20-year-old fresh freelancer me aside and share a few realities, tips and advice with them.  Since time travel isn’t yet a possibility, I’ll share these valuable points and tips with you instead, in the hopes that you’ll be able to cut through the clutter and myths and get straight to the truth about working in the freelance world.

Let’s get started!

Know Yourself

The truth is, not everyone is cut out for life as a freelancer.  There are people who play with the idea in their head, but are miserable the moment they let go of the security and stability of their 9-to-5 job.  There are also those who start freelancing, but don’t take it as seriously as they would a job where they have to report to a superior.  Some people thrive on that kind of structure and routine, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But realize that you’re going to have clients who are scattered across a dozen time zones, projects that require more time and effort than you originally planned for, and people who will stubbornly drag their feet to get you what you need so that you can finish the project and get paid.  These are the realities of working freelance, and if you’re the kind of person who is self-disciplined, flexible, and accommodating when it comes to a few bumps in the road – you’ll find that freelancing suits your personality well.

 

Stretch Your Comfort Zone

I’m assuming that you already have the skills you need to make a serious go of web design work. But you should know that not every project you do will be strictly web design.  Some of the projects will involve logo design, WordPress or other content management systems, basic search engine optimization and even print design and layout.  Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to try your hand at these things and see how you like them.

I found out quite by accident how much I enjoyed copywriting, split testing different websites against each other, and understanding how demographics and psychology play a role in getting people to take action.  In short, I found my niche as a conversion optimization specialist, with web design going from the bulk of my work, to a small part of the overall package.  Try out different things and see which type of design work really appeals to you!  You can always change and refine the scope of the work you do over time.  No one ever said you had to get it 100% right, right from the start!

 

Sell Yourself!

Truth be told, even though you might be a phenomenal web designer, you have to be an even more phenomenal marketer.  No one’s going to sell your services for you, so it’s up to you to pound the digital pavement and reach out to your ideal customers.   Take the time to discover who this “ideal customer” is.  They could be fellow start-ups like yourself, or people who already have a website but are in dire need of a redesign.   They could even be members of a specific profession like lawyers or chiropractors.  Whatever your chosen community, you’ve got to reach out and make sure your name is top-of-mind when someone thinks “web designer”.

Find online forums, local events, social communities or other places where your customers spend their time.  By meeting them on their level, you’re more likely to connect with their colleagues, associates and others.  Referrals can do wonders for your client roster, so it pays to network and get to know people both online and offline who can send business your way.

One of the things that really helps me win over clients to this day is a good proposal.  It doesn’t have to be full of numbers and complicated diagrams – just something simple and straightforward that lays out the whole process in a way that’s easy for the client to understand.  It also has to be the kind of proposal that’s quick and easy to create.   I’ve closed many high paying projects on account of having a professional estimate sent to the client within hours.

 

Have a Backup Plan, including Finances

I was fortunate that when I started freelancing, I was attending a local university and still lived at home while paying toward my share of utilities, groceries and basic rent.  Many people start freelancing while working at their normal job or even splitting their time between part time work and moonlighting as a freelancer.  Whatever the case, have a few months worth of savings stashed away so that you aren’t living on crackers and Ramen noodles if things fall through.

 

Take Note of Important Tax and Insurance Differences

If you live in the U.S., and you quit your full-time job to freelance, there will be a few notable differences.  If you’re not on your parents’ or spouse’s insurance, be prepared to have to pay a higher premium for rather basic insurance as someone who is self-employed.  Also bear in mind that you will need to pay quarterly self-employment taxes.  At your normal job, your social security and Medicare contributions were taken out of your check automatically.  As a self-employed business owner (also known as a sole proprietor), you’ll be responsible for taking care of these fees yourself.  I highly recommend consulting a tax advisor once you decide to take that leap into full-time freelancing.

 

Choose Your Brand Well

I cringe when I thought of the domain name I first registered in 1999, thinking how cool and edgy it sounded. It never occurred to me what a pain it would be to try and spell it to clients over the phone. Thankfully, by 2002, I had my current domain and business name, and it was much more memorable.

That being said, consider your domain name and brand – avoid domains with hyphens, unusual spellings or numbers.  If you’re not confident designing your own logo, hire a reputable company to do it for you.

 

Set Your Prices

This part could be a topic in and of itself, but setting prices is another one of those points that hardly anyone gets right, right from the start.  Here’s a helpful online calculator that factors in many of the monthly living expenses you’ll need to consider.  Also keep in mind the hourly rates that are consistent with your particular skill-set, demand for your service and so forth.  Create a base pricing figure you can easily work from and then adjust as necessary.

 

Create a Routine that Works for You

Remember that part about working in your pajamas?  Well, there is a slice of truth to that.  One of the advantages of being a freelancer is that you can develop your own routine.  After a few weeks, your body will settle into a natural schedule of highs and lows throughout the day. Whether you feel your best tackling tough projects first thing in the morning, or you get your best ideas at midnight, it pays to listen to your body and group your work into chunks or tasks accordingly.

 

Now It’s Your Turn!

It is my hope that you’ll not only be able to learn from this list, but also set about forging your own career path with confidence! 

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April 22nd, 2013
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How to Recognise a Good Freelance Client

We freelancers talk a lot about Bad Clients and How to Avoid Them. But we rarely talk about the good clients.

In a way, it’s perfectly understandable. Almost every freelancer whose been at it for more than a month or two has a horror story about a client who didn’t work out. It helps to vent about those bad freelancing experiences.

However, identifying the good clients is just as important as staying away from the bad ones. All freelancers should develop their own checklist of what they are looking for in a client.

In this post, I’ll discuss good freelancing clients and explain how to recognize them. I’ll list fifteen characteristics that many good clients share. This is good starting place for developing your own client checklist.

10 Characteristics of a Good Client

Good clients are out there and you can find them. You just need to understand and be able to recognize the qualities of a good client.

Some time ago, we listed the traits of a good freelancing client here on Freelance Folder.

To refresh your memory, those traits were:

  1. Communicates expectations clearly
  2. Allows a reasonable amount of time for the work
  3. Available for questions
  4. Pays a fair amount for the work required
  5. Pays in a timely fashion
  6. Has high integrity
  7. Allows the freelancer to do their job
  8. Seeks an ongoing relationship
  9. Gives credit where credit is due
  10. Committed to quality

The original list is pretty good, and touches upon many of traits that most freelancers look for in a client.

(Most of those points are self-explanatory, but review the original post for a complete description of each characteristic.)

However, since we published the original post I’ve realized that I missed a few very important traits.

5 More Traits of a Good Freelance Client

Here are five more very important characteristics that you should look for in a new client before you start working for them:

  1. Respects the freelancer–Respect is probably one of the most important characteristics that good freelance clients share. A client who respects you and your abilities is far less likely to abuse the relationship by not paying on time, haggling over price, changing the scope, or a myriad of other bad behaviors that freelancers hate. If a client doesn’t respect you, then your client/freelancer relationship is in trouble before you deliver a single project.
  2. Allows for Growth–Over time, a good client will allow you to develop as a freelancer and trust you with more comprehansive projects. He or she will also adjust your pay according to how your value increases over time. Too often I hear of freelancers who are still working for the same rate they earned last year, five years ago, or even ten years ago. Don’t get stuck in the past. Look for clients who encourage you to grow.
  3. Stable–A good client won’t disappear without a word. The Internet is full of new and would-be business ventures, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some of the best business success stories have come from those startups. But for every startup success story, there’s a failure. The best clients for most freelancers are financially stable and in business for the long haul. These clients aren’t about to disappear without a trace.
  4. Realistic–Good clients are realistic. They don’t contact you at 4:00 p.m. on a Friday with a huge project due at 8:00 a.m. on Monday. They don’t expect you to work miracles on a dime either. They know their business and they know what they want. They don’t keep adding to the scope of a project without adding to the price. Their focus is on quality output (as yours should be) and not quantity.
  5. Has a good track record–A good freelance client treats others well. If another freelancer has been mistreated by a particular client, why would you think that you would be treated any better? If you can’t find information on how the client treats freelancers, look for information on how they treat their own customers. Chances are good that if a potential client has lots of unhappy customers, they will be difficult to deal with.
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April 22nd, 2013
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10 Amazing Free Online Business Training Resources for Freelancers

If you’re a freelancer, you’re probably an expert in your field. But while you may be an expert writer, programmer, designer, translator, or whatever–you probably don’t know much about running a business.

Yet, successful freelancing is all about running a business. If you want to succeed, you’re going to have to acquire some business skills.

Now of course, you could go back to school and get a business degree. That would cost you thousands of dollars and take up several years of your life.

Fortunately, getting a degree is not the only way to acquire business skills. There are plenty of free training resources online. In this post, I’ll share ten of them.

If you liked this post, you may also like New? Here Is What You Need to Know About Freelancing.

Free Business Training Resources

Whether you need to learn about running a business for the first time or just brush up on your skills, there are online training resources available for you.

Here are ten resources:

  1. SBA.Gov’s Small Business Learning Center. If you live in the United States, you should bookmark the web address for the Small Business Administration. It is home to a lot of valuable resources for new business owners, including free training. There is free online training on a wide variety of topics.
  2. IRS Video Portal. This resource contains a wealth of very specific and very thorough information for small business owners and the self-employed. If taxes are a mystery to you, you’ll want to browse through the topics covered here.
  3. MITOpenCourseWare. You can study the same materials as an MIT student would study through the OpenCourseWare project. A wide variety of business topics are available online at both the undergraduate and graduate level. See the syllabus, the reading assignments, the lecture notes, and even the exam questions.
  4. About U. The popular information site, About.com offers many free business courses including such topics as Advertising and Marketing Psychology, Organize Your Small or Home Office, and Guide to Types of Business. You’ll want to check out the full listing to find the best courses for your needs.
  5. edX. EdX allows you to study a wide variety of courses from a growing number of well-known colleges and universities. The classes are open to everyone. Current possible business topics include courses on globalization, statistics, copyright, and more. Check back often, because courses offered change frequently.
  6. ALISON. This is another source of free online courses (although you may need to pay for a certificate). The company is able to offer free courses because there is advertising on the site. ALISON offers 55 free courses in business and enterprise skills. Several of the courses are geared specifically to entrepreneurs.
  7. Coursera. Coursera is another source for free university courses. The courses vary in length with most ranging from six to ten weeks. Students build a portfolio of completed classes. I actually found more business topics available here than at some of the other sites.
  8. Khan Academy. While Khan Academy courses are mostly geared towards school age students, there are some courses here that could be useful to business owners. If you missed or don’t remember your finance or economics courses from high school, this is a great place to brush up your knowledge.
  9. University of REDDIT. I thought REDDIT was only a social media site, so imagine my surprise to find out that it is also a source of free training. While most of the topics covered are of general interest, freelancers may want to look at the courses under Social Sciences, which are mostly related to social media.
  10. UDACITY. This is another portal for free online training. The site seeks to provide relevant training for the real world. There is no cost to register and start taking courses. At the time of the review, there was only one business course, How to Build a Startup.
  11. Bonus training: TED. TED talks are well known for providing vital and up-to-date information from a variety of thought leaders. If you want to learn the latest thinking on a particular topic, this is the place to go. I’ve never been sorry that I listened to a TED talk. Be warned, though. There are over a thousand talks and it can be hard to find what you are looking for.
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April 22nd, 2013
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12 Tips for Becoming a Contagious Freelancer

Did you ever notice that some freelancers attract more business than others do?

It’s true. There are some freelancers who always seem to stay busy, even when others struggle to find enough work. You can recognize them by looking through their testimonials. Or, you may notice that they always seem to have a positive attitude.

I call them contagious freelancers, because their desirability seems to be catching. Once a client starts to work with them, that client always seems to want more from them. Their popularity just spreads and spreads.

What do these contagious freelancers have that you don’t? More importantly, how can you get what they have?

In this post, I’ll share 12 tips to help you better attract clients. You’re also invited to share your best tips on how to become a contagious freelancer. If you like this post, you may also enjoy Where on Earth Am I Going to Find My First Clients?

Get Contagious, Attract More Business

Don’t you wish that paying projects were catching? Well, the good news is that you can learn to attract more projects. Here are twelve tips to help you do just that:

  1. Find the right clients. If a client is a good match for your services, then it will be much easier to satisfy their needs and keep them happy. Working with the wrong client makes your job harder. So, make sure that the client’s request matches your core business goals.
  2. Respond promptly. Don’t make a client wait to do business with you. Answer client messages quickly–within the same day if you can. The sooner you respond, the sooner you can start working on a new project. If you delay too long, the client might think that you’re not interested.
  3. Listen carefully. Most businesses don’t listen to their clients. If you want to be a preferred service provider, you need to be different. Pay attention to what the client says. Ask questions if you are not sure.
  4. Treat every client as though they are special. You wouldn’t be in business without your clients. So, every time you deal with a client keep in mind how important they are to your freelancing business. Don’t be afraid to let the client know that you appreciate them.
  5. Build trust by being reliable. Your client wants to be able to count on you. Don’t let them down. Deliver quality projects on time. Good client/freelancer relationships are built on trust. Show the client that you are trustworthy.
  6. Go one step beyond. A smart freelancer keeps their client’s interests in mind. Doing this can be as simple as occasionally sending the client a link to an article that you know they will find interesting. It doesn’t take a lot of time and it helps your clients.
  7. Make working with you a pleasant experience. Always treat clients with professional courtesy. Make it a point to be friendly and helpful. Clients are more likely to rehire freelancers who they enjoy working with.
  8. Say thank-you. We live in a society where people are taken for granted. Don’t be like everyone else. You can stand out by thanking a client for doing business with you.
  9. Keep the lines of communications open. Even if you are not actively working with a client, stay in touch. Client newsletters are a great way to do this. Put a reminder on your calendar so that you don’t forget to check-in with former clients.
  10. Organize your client list. You can’t keep in touch with your clients if you lose their contact information. Develop and maintain a good system for keeping track of clients and prospects. Be sure to make a backup of this information.
  11. Offer package deals. If a client has been particularly loyal or orders a great deal of work, you can offer them a special deal as an incentive. You can also have private sales that are only available to your best customers.
  12. Ask for more business. Many freelancers don’t get repeat business from their clients (or testimonials either) because they don’t ask for it. Don’t be afraid to ask the client if they need anything else. Often just asking is enough to get repeat work.

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April 27th, 2010
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Gifts to Give Your Freelance Career in 2010

OK so at this point in the season you have already spent quite a bit purchasing presents for those around you. Whether you agree with the commercial nature of the season or not, it is hard to argue with the meaning behind this practice. Show appreciation for those around you by providing useful and thoughtful gifts.

This year I suggest you not only show appreciation to your friends and family (and do this first and foremost) but also your freelance career. Sure your career probably hasn't purchased you a gift and it might not directly say "thank you," but I assure you that karma will take care of you in the end.

All jokes aside your freelance or business needs constant love, attention and appreciation. It is easy to get into the mindset where you are comfortable with a long term contract or a specific set of clients with out thinking about how you can continue to grow and improve your practice.

Gifts of Education

One of the best ways you can improve your business, freelancing or career is to improve on your skills. This can be done through practice (which you should be doing constantly) and by making an effort to learn new theories, techniques and skills.

1. Buy the Web Design Business Tool kit

This is probably the best all inclusive book / kit I have come across when it comes to building a successful web design business. Filled with plenty of great information, sample documents and new ideas you can be sure that you will find at least a few great ideas to build your business.

Read more about it on sitepoint.com

2. Attend a Conference

Sure they can be expensive and often times there are podcasts that you can check out afterward but you can't put a price on the networking and connections that you can make by attending just a few good conferences. Becoming a part of the web design community on a personal and real level can do wonders for your career.

I suggest looking into:

3. Read Some Books

There are a lot of great books out there on all aspects of web design. You just need to take the time to read them and expand your skills. This year I see more and more emphasis on web analytics, web strategy and other forms of online marketing. Some books to check out:

Gifts of Efficiency

Being more efficient is a long standing hobby of mine. If you are like me, you have lots of ideas and aspirations to do great things but are severly limited by the amount of time you can dedicate. Not only will you be rewarded with more time and less stress, but being more efficient will help you keep your clients happy and increase revenues. Hard to argue with those perks eh?

1. Improve your Book Keeping

Yes I know, for creative types doing accounting is probably the last thing we would ever want to do. However the insight that you can gain by having a clear picture of your cash flow and expenses is invaluable. It can help you work harder to hit your revenue goals and keep you apprised to how much you are spending. If you don't want to take the plunge and hire an account consider signing up for one of these services that will save you time and makes accounting easy:

2. Improve your Project Management

I used to discount how important project management was. As long as projects were moving forward things are great right? ah if it were only so easy. The more time spent planning the smoother projects will go. Here are some options:

3. Hire help

If you can pay someone less than your billable rate for any task you are doing then by all means do it. The increase in time will let you find more and better projects as well as spend more time on what you are really passionate about. I recommend either finding interns, contractors, virtual assistants or full time employees.

4. Impove your Process

It is always a good idea to evaluate and try and improve your internal process. Is there something you could spend time on now to save more time later. I take time quarterly to try and look at what activities we perform at 3.7 DESIGNS constantly and try and improve our approach. I recommend the following books:

Gifts of Promotion

When you provide a service as opposed to a product you are faced with a situation where people are paying for something that seems intangible. You can't hold, feel or look at a website. One of the great ways to make your service feel tangible is by getting actual tangible items that carry your brand. This can be everything from business cards, folders, coffee mugs, letterhead, etc…

By providing several items to a client or potential client that are tangible items from your business it builds confidence that you have an established and credible company.

1. Paper Products

2. Create a Portfolio

3. Schwag

Gifts of Reoccurring Income

Doing some work to develop some reoccurring income streams will allow you to be more selective about what projects you take on, who you hire for help or what other investments you are willing to make. Because a lot of time these can be developed so that the income is not specifically tied to an amount of hourly work (which is typically how we price our services) it provides a whole range of options that simply getting more projects does not.

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April 20th, 2010
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Get Your Clients to Stop Comparing Rates

money You are the best at what you do. No other freelancer can do what you do as well as you do it.

The problem, however, lies in getting clients to understand this. This is particularly hard if you’re still in the start-up stage, where you’re having to find the clients, instead of them coming to you.

In certain industries, like design, it’s easier to get the client to understand the difference in quality and rates (although designers still get rate-comparing clients), but if you’re a developer or writer, it’s tougher to get the client to understand the difference.

So how do you convince the client that your $100 an hour services are better than the other guy’s $30 an hour services?

Think Like a Consumer

We are all consumers of products. A client-freelancer relationship is much the same as a consumer-product relationship.

When the consumer (the client) shops around for a product (the freelancer), several factors are taken into account before the consumer purchases anything. What are these factors?

Let’s pretend our consumer is shopping for a car. All cars are essentially the same in that they have four wheels, some seats, a radio and a windshield. They all get your from Point A to Point B in the same amount of time. So what makes a consumer pay $60,000 for a BMW when they can get a Yaris for $8,000? Perception.

  • Perceived Value–A consumer generally believes that the more expensive product is of better quality.
  • Perceived Status–A consumer generally believes the more expensive product makes him better looking, cooler or more accepted by society.

So how does this apply to a freelancer? You must make a client believe they are going to get a lot more with your services (the BMW) than the other guy’s (the Yaris).

Of course, perception is nothing without reality. If consumers found out that the BMW breaks down every week, uses cheap materials and was missing seat warmers, a premium stereo and other gadgets we’ve come to expect from luxury cars, the BMW would quickly lose its “luxury” perception.

Make sure you, as a freelancer, really are providing your clients with “BMW” services before you start charging that premium price.

Get Clients to Come to You

The best way to get clients to stop rate-comparing is to get them to come to you. This can be done several different ways.

  • Referrals–If your client tells a friend that your work is super-awesome and that friend comes to you for some work–they’re less likely to haggle prices. This is because they already know you do awesome work and there’s no one else to compare your rates to, since they’re probably not shopping around. They’ve already seen the product and know how it awesome it is.
  • Testimonials–Testimonials work similarly to referrals, but are less effective. Testimonials are especially effective when they can be tied to actual pieces in your portfolio.
  • Through the grapevine–You hear other freelancers and experts talk about the importance of social media–and they’re right. If a client sees you active on Twitter, with lots of followers and professional conversations, and then sees that you have a popular blog, they’re going to know that you’re one of those experts. And they’ll pay more for that.

Don’t Use an Hourly Rate

Hourly versus set rates have been debated plenty of times before, but if you want to set yourself above other freelancers, you need to stop using hourly rates. This is important for several reasons:

  • If you’re faster at what you do than most other freelancers, you can shortchange yourself by completing projects too quickly.
  • Clients like to know what they’ll have to pay up front. What sounds better? “I charge $50 an hour and it will probably take me 10 to 20 hours to get that done.” Or, “That project will cost $1,000?”
  • Hourly rates can be limiting. When you tell a client that you charge $100 an hour, a client only sees that hourly number. They don’t see that while you charge twice as much as the other guy, you’ll get it done in half the time (and do it better).
  • There’s a cap to how much you can set your hourly rates–certainly no one will pay you $300 an hour for your services, but you can charge a $300 flat fee for something you know will only take you an hour to complete.

Go Above & Beyond

Don’t just offer your clients a design, development or writing service. Give them more and don’t charge for it. For example:

  • Offer business or web-related advice.
  • Deliver your product ahead of schedule.
  • Tweet or blog about the clients’ site or business.
  • Always answer the phone and emails with a smile on your face. It shows.

Make sure you’re giving them those luxury features to remind them of why they’re paying you more.

Focus on Benefits, Not Prices

A client once told me that although I charge a lot more than other developers, I was worth it because my work was great and I was easy to work with. This is the kind of response you want from all your clients.

Unfortunately, you’ll always have those low, or no, budget clients that always choose the cheapest freelancer, irregardless of the quality of services you provide. But, the great clients that you really want will recognize the quality you provide and are willing to pay more for it.

Don’t be sneaky about your prices, but try not to focus on it. State your price, but then talk about the benefits and ROI you can give that client. Why should he hire you and not the other guy?

Share Your Experiences

How did you get your clients to pay your higher rates? Are you still stuck trying to accomplish this?

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April 20th, 2010
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How Committed Are You to Freelancing?

determination Freelancers come and freelancers go.

It’s a fact that many start freelancing, but not everyone who starts a freelance business sticks with it. What do you think it is that really separates those who stick with freelancing from those who quit?

Could it be talent? Is it the amount of knowledge that a freelancer has? Or, perhaps popularity is the true measure of a freelancer’s ultimate success…

While all of these factors are important, there is something that is even more crucial to freelancing longevity.

The answer lies in a single word–commitment.

In this post, we’ll discuss some of the traits of a committed freelancer. I’ll also share my own observations about freelancing commitment.

Traits of a Committed Freelancer

Those freelancers who stay in business over the long run tend to have a completely different mindset than those who try freelancing and then move on to pursue something else.

There are many traits that separate the committed freelancer from the rest of the bunch. Here are a few of them:

  • Has a Plan B. Not only is it important to plan for success, it’s also important to plan for failure. If things don’t go according to their first plan, the committed freelancer comes up with another plan (Plan B).
  • Goes the Extra Mile. The committed freelancer is not just the one who gets the job done. They also go the extra mile to make sure that the work is the best that it can be.
  • Is Passionate About What They Do. Freelancing is not just about the money or the ability to work from home for the committed freelancer. They truly enjoy the work that they do. Many of them can’t imagine doing anything else.
  • Determined to Succeed. Determination goes a long way towards freelancing success. For those who are truly committed, quitting just isn’t an option. They’ll keep trying until they make it work.
  • Is Willing to Learn. I’m convinced that the freelancers who have the real staying power are those who are lifelong learners. They are constantly seeking out ways to improve their skills and grow their business.
  • Works Smart. Oddly enough, the successful freelancer isn’t usually the one who works the most hours. Rather, it’s the one who learns to work efficiently and minimize wasted time who succeeds in the end.

The bottom line is, when it comes to freelancing, commitment pays off. Throughout the years that I’ve been freelancing, I’ve witnessed the benefits of commitment over and over again.

My Experience

In the seven plus years that I’ve been freelancing, I’ve noticed that many of the freelancers that I knew when I first started freelancing are no longer in business. Despite a seeming initial success, many freelancers ultimately leave the freelancing world and return to the traditional workforce.

At first, this observation frightened me a little bit. I knew that some of the folks who left the freelancing arena were more talented and probably much smarter than me. If they couldn’t make it as a freelancer, how could I?

Then I realized something. Those who quit had very little tolerance for setbacks. As long as things were going smoothly these seemingly successful freelancers were fine. However, whenever they encountered a difficulty they became frustrated and didn’t know what to do.

After one or two setbacks, these freelancers simply gave up. They weren’t adaptable and they weren’t committed to their freelance business.

What About You?

Are you a committed freelancer? What keeps you going?

Or, have you already left the freelancing world behind? We’d like to hear your story as well.

What traits do you think separate those who quit freelancing from those who stick with it?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.


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March 26th, 2010
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How to Freelance from Just About Anywhere

There are no shortage of great freelancing blogs and websites out there that teach you the ins and outs of freelancing. One of the more popular ones, of course, is the Envato Blog, Freelance Switch. While these blogs do a great job of educating the masses about typical freelance work, many of them fail to touch on the subject of Freelancing Abroad. Today, I would like to pick up where many of these sites stop on this topic.

My thoughts and insights on the world of freelancing abroad don’t come from just reading a few travel books and watching the Travel Channel. No, the suggestions and comments I will make come from years on the road as a man of various trades.

While traveling, I have worked as a magazine photographer in Aruba, a travel writer in Nicaragua, and a web designer in Costa Rica. These are just a few of the jobs and locations I have held. So, no matter what type of freelancing you do, you are sure to gain some helpful information on freelancing from your dream destination.

Any of you who have closely followed Outlaw Design Blog may remember when my wife and I moved to Costa Rica over a year ago. While we are currently living in the States for the time being, we lived in Costa Rica for over a year. In that amount of time I learned things about freelancing abroad that no book or blog could have ever prepared me for. There are just some things about freelancing from exotic destinations that you can never really prepare yourself for. Hopefully, by reading this post all the way through, you will limit the problems that can come up from freelancing abroad.

Author’s Note:

Please keep in mind that abroad is a very broad term (no pun intended!). It encompasses the entire world. Obviously some of the things I say in this post will only be relevant for certain parts of the world. For the sake of this article, I am mostly referring to Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

While some people may dream of working in places like Europe or China, I won’t really touch on them in this post. For many, moving to another first-world country is nothing more than visas and red tape. Moving to a third-world country, on the other hand, has its own set of problems and drawbacks.

Establish Your Business First

I am not going to say that it isn’t possible to start up a design company in another country, but if you are new to freelancing, you may want to establish your business in an area with a more stable economy. Once you have learned some of the basic ropes of freelancing and have a number of repeat clients, then it’s a little safer to make the jump to a foreign location.

Reason being: if you are moving to a third-world country, you can pretty much assume that no one is willing to pay what your work is worth. Thus, the chance of finding local clients is slim to none. The ones you do find probably won’t see the benefit in paying $2,000 for a custom website.

In the event that things go wrong and you go broke, it can be a lot harder for your friends and family to help you out. Depending on where you live, getting money sent to you is sometimes easier said than done.

If I haven’t scared you off with the above information, then you might have the right mindset to freelance abroad.

Suggested Reading:

Deciding Where to Freelance From

Many of you will already have a dream destination that you would love to work from. This is a great place to start, but you might want to be prepared for the fact that it might not be the most reliable place to work from. It really depends on what sort of work you do and what sort of internet connection you need.

For example, writers really have the most choices when it comes to location. This is because they don’t always need a high-speed internet connection. Even in some of the most under-developed cities, you are likely to be able to find a dial-up internet connection. Photographers, bloggers, designers, and other people who need a faster internet connection will be slightly more limited in the destinations they can choose from.

Your best bet in choosing a place to freelance from is to pick somewhere you have visited before and have enjoyed. By doing this, you aren’t as overwhelmed with the move and have a better idea of what to expect. By choosing a place that you have been to before, you have a better idea of what the internet situation is really like, what areas are safe to live in, the cost of living, and other useful information. This sort of first-hand information is invaluable, as it is very hard to find accurate information of this sort in any book or website.

Deciding where to freelance from is really a personal choice and not something I can really make recommendations about. What I can do is tell you a few things you may want to think about when considering where to freelance from.

How much money can you realistically make on a regular basis?

It is always best to low-ball this amount in case you have a really slow month and don’t have much money saved up.

What are the most important creature comforts to you?

Are you partial to hot showers or air conditioning? Not everywhere has these luxuries, so you might want to double-check that house ad before you pay a deposit on it.

Do you want to rent a house or live in a hostel?

Hostels can be cheaper to live in, but you have to put up with group kitchens, lots of people, and less-than-private accommodations.

How important is a high-speed internet connection to you?

As stated before, not everywhere has easy access to high-speed internet, so you might want to research what the internet situation is in a particular area before you decide.

Will you be moving with your family? Do your kids need to be near a school?

Traveling with a family is a lot different than traveling alone. Some under-developed countries don’t always have schools nearby.

How long will you be moving for? Six months? A year? Permanently?

Depending on how long you plan on staying in any one location, you may be able to get discounts on rent when you agree to 6-month or 12-month lease.

What is Passive Income?

If you are unfamiliar with the term “passive income” you probably don’t know how to make any! The idea of passive income is simple: it’s finding a means of making money without having to do anything. Of course, that’s a very simple explanation – the reality is a little more complex. Let me give you a more specific example of what passive income is; a designer makes a premium WordPress theme and then sells it on ThemeForest.

This is an example of passive income because the designer only had to create the theme once, but will make money from that single theme forever with little to no more work required.

That is how passive income works: by creating a product or service once, and then being able to profit from it time and time again with little to no work on your part. All the Envato Marketplaces are perfect examples of how creatives can start building up passive income.

  • ThemeForest – Website Templates, WordPress Themes, HTML Themes, Code Snippits.
  • GraphicRiver – Stock art, Vectors, Icons, Photoshop styles, Design Templates
  • FlashDen – Animations, Image viewers, Menus, Site Templates, Loaders, Games
  • AudioJungle – Music Loops, Sound Effect, Songs, Music, Source Files
  • VideoHive – Stock Footage, Video Graphics, Project Files, After Effects

Another reason passive income is such a good idea for freelancing abroad is because it makes for a nice emergency fund. Even if your passive income streams only make $100 a month, that can turn into quite a nice emergency fund that you can probably have pretty quick access to if something should go wrong.

Suggested Reading:

Dealing With Clients Overseas

If you are already running the majority of your business over the internet, you will be in great shape when you move abroad. One of the hardest adjustments to make is getting used to having many different clients in many different time zones. Although this can be easily remedied with a few clocks on your computer, it still takes some getting used to.

There are so many apps and tools on the web these days that you can pretty much find any tool you need to conduct business online. Below I will list a few essential tools that many freelancers could find useful in running their businesses abroad.

Fax.com – Some clients would rather fax you back information than email it to you. There are a number of similar services like this that allow you to send and receive faxes via email.

Basecamp – This project-management software is great for designers and developers, but might also come in handy for writers or photographers. It could serve as your own personal organisation and backup area online.

RightSignature – Need signatures on forms and contracts but don’t have time to wait for snail-mail? RightSignature makes it easy to get legally signed contracts taken care of via the internet.

Skype – A telephone service like Skype or Google voice is an essential tool to have. It will give you a telephone number where clients can reach you, no matter where you live.

Earth Class Mail – If you still have a need for snail-mail, services like EarthMail will check your mail for you, open the mail you tell them to, and then scan the enclosed information to your secure account. This is good if you still have bills or important documents that you need access to while away.

Offering good communication between you and your client is critical to success for any freelancer. This is especially true when freelancing abroad. If you want to keep your clients happy while on the road, make sure you stay in touch with them. When living in a new and exotic location, it’s easy to put off client calls and email to head out to the beach for the day. I am certainly guilty of doing just that, but I always made it a point to email, chat or call clients at least once a day. Even if I did no other work that day, I made sure to stay in touch with my clients daily.

You need to get used to the idea that you may not have a phone or internet service in the house you are renting or living in. In some parts of the world, very few houses actually have a phone. Even less will have high-speed internet service. Start getting used to the fact that you will be spending a lot of time working from internet cafes. I mention this because it might make it that much harder to stay in touch with clients, depending on where the internet cafe is in relation to your living quarters.

4

Final Thoughts

Obviously there is a lot more to moving, living, and working abroad than this post covers. For that reason I am working on creating a membership site called Freelancing Abroad. The idea of the site is to help educate freelancers with basic knowledge with which they need to be able to run a profitable freelancing business from anywhere in the world. If this is of interest to you, I encourage you to sign up for updates at my site Freelancing Abroad.

Freelancing from your dream location might be the most amazing thing you can do with your life. Think about it: what could be better than doing something you love from the most beautiful place you can think of? I am here to tell you, it is not as hard as you might think. The hardest part is taking the first step and getting the ball rolling. Once that ball is in action, you won’t let it stop.

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