Archive for Freelance

I wish I would have known: Answers from 11 top freelancers.

GuerrillaFreelancing have got an awesome article for any first time freelancers. They’ve rounded up a few of the top freelancers out there and had them answer the question “What do you wish you would have known starting out as a freelancer?”. Needless to say, this article is full of over 2 thousand words of wisdom. I hope you find use for this article and if you know someone who might benefit from it, I’d love if you shared it with your Twitter followers and Facebook friends.

Delegating and Saving Time as a Freelancer.

There are several reasons why a freelancer delegates tasks to a fellow freelancer or to someone else. Whatever the reason for delegating a task there is surely one thing which you should achieve by delegating a task and that is to get more time. This article at FreelanceApple will illustrate the advantages and occurrences when you should delegate tasks and the manner in which to do so.

How to succeed in Freelancing: Say NO to Fast Work.

Ah, the rush job. A client emails you in a panic and the tone is so urgent that you feel the need like it’s your own. You drop everything. Stop the presses! There’s a fire to put out – you can’t just let it burn! Well, actually, yes. Yes, you can. There is no job on this earth so important that you have to drop everything right now to resolve it. MenWithPens explain how to say no to rush jobs.

How to convince your clients that they need Usability.

So you’ve built all this knowledge of usability. You’ve read and keep up to blogs like UX Booth, UserFocus, et all, and you’ve built up a nice little toolbox of all these tricks and tools you want to use on your next client. You feel inspired and you’re excited to put all this extra time into the next big project, but then when you pitch it to a client, they give you a blank stare. ThePhuse explains what to do next.

Not Getting Paid: One Freelancer’s Story (and Solution).

An anonymous LA-area freelancer has posted a cautionary tale that will prove valuable to anyone who works for hire. One extremely helpful bit of advice is to require confirmation via deal memos before agreeing to work for someone. In this freelancer’s case, that practice ultimately helped him win a court case. Whoever you are, we salute you for sharing this information at Motionographer.

How to succeed in Freelancing: Say No to Low Pay.

New freelancers don’t really know the value of their skills, or feel they can’t charge more because they don’t have experience, or they can’t figure out what the current industry rate for what they do might be. So they pick a rate they think is the right one… and after working a while at that rate, they realize that they’re unhappy, they’re not making enough, and they can’t seem to figure out a way to get out of the rut. Someone mentions they should raise their rates, and these freelancers think, “How?” MenWithPens have the answer.

Doing Pro Bono work brings in big money.

If you are looking for a way to break into a whole slew of businesses, start contacting non-profit associations who may be suffering right now. The work will be hard up front, but the payoff down the road can be huge. And even if the payoff isn’t huge, if the non-profit is something you believe in, then you did a good deed! Woorkup describes their experiences.

How to succeed in Freelancing: Say ‘No’ to your Clients.

Being crazy-busy and in demand is supposed to be a good indication of success. Why don’t you feel successful? All you feel is tired and overwhelmed. You must be missing something. There has to be something you’re not doing right, because when you look at other successful people you admire, they don’t look tired at all.  You try to learn the secret, because there’s obviously something you haven’t figured out yet. If you knew what that secret was, you’d be just fine. There is a secret. It’s two little words: yes and no. MenWithPens explains.

How to present the graphic draft to the client.

Once you have created the layout of the website, you will have to present it to your client. The approval process of the draft has many aspects which are similar to the sales and marketing techniques employed throughout the business world, so it is your job to convince the client to accept your project offer. By following the method at YourInspirationWeb, you will be able to avoid making last-minute changes; additions which sometimes hinder the quality of your project and only add more time to it.

72 Questions to ask New Web Design Clients (with a PDF Chart).

How many times have you hung up the phone after a chat with a new prospective client and then immediately slapped your forehead and said “I can’t believe I forgot to ask ______!”. Well, Bonfx jotted down their own personal list of forgetful-questions, and did a quick survey of the top 20 results for “questions to ask new web clients” and related searches. Aside from semantic fluctuations, there was zero overlap: we all ask the same stuff. So they present the best 72 questions to ask prospective web design clients, along with a PDF chart.