We all got our start somewhere, some stories probably a lot more interesting than others but it always fun (for me at least) to hear how other people “got where they are today”. So with that in mind I thought it would be a good place to start this little series.
It was a about a year ago, “A Year in Review”, you caught that right? Anyhow a year ago I was working for a small local web design company. There where many jobs, some schooling and a lot of experience that came before that (all very interesting) but I will focus on what I was doing at the moment when I decided to start freelancing.
So back at this small company I realized two things, actually let’s make it three. The first thing I realized after only being there a short time, was that there would come a time in the near future that I would need to make a decision about the direction I was to head. Let’s call them warning signs. The second thing I realized is that I was halfway decent at the business end of things, if not more so than the design/dev end of things. The last thing I realized was that I was somewhat good at this job and all I needed was just a tiny bit more confidence in myself to be able to succeed at what I was about to set out to do.
Then the opportunity presented itself, I felt like I had things as set as they where going to get and I took the leap. Due to some circumstances surrounding this situation, I gave myself three weeks to produce at least a second project as a freelancer. Needless to say I was right in taking the leap and I have not looked back since.
Ok enough boring stuff you are after all here because you probably want to learn a little something so I’ll cut the story short and dive into a few of the things I did to get myself set up to be successful as a freelancer. By successful I am not saying that I have taken over the world or become extremely wealthy over the past year, but from the week I started on my own to the present I have been “lucky” enough to stay consistently booked with work and for the most part I enjoy what I do.
Preparing for the Break
Learn About the Business – Don’t think for a moment that your days are going to consist only of what you love doing. Before you start and if you have the opportunity to learn from your current employer, then do so. Soak up everything you can about the business side of things. This includes everything from writing the proposal and closing the sale to client interaction. Get good at it, it’s a large part of what you are going to be doing and it is going to make the difference between being successful and looking for a job a few months down the road.
Branding – Decide how you are going to brand yourself as a business long before you purchase your domain or consider having your first business card printed. Do you plan to freelance under your name, Joe/Jane Smith or will you go with a fictitious business name as I did. I don’t think there is any right or wrong way to go about this as long as you put some thought into it and do it right. You may consider thinking about where you see your freelance business a few years down the road as well. Obviously things change and you may find your business morph into a small design studio with a few team members a year or two from now and it sure doesn’t hurt to take that into consideration.
Grab Yourself a Domain Name and Put Up a Website -
Chances are if you are in the web design/dev world you probably already have one (or a few), which I did but nothing that said “I’m over here now.” Meaning nothing that put me out there as a freelance web dev/designer for hire. Some may have nothing at all to start with, so my suggestion is set yourself up with a simple website from the start. Doesn’t have to be anything over the top, in fact mine was pretty basic and simple, a few samples, contact info etc. By doing this I had an easily accessible “portfolio” and business card, that I could direct potential clients to while fishing for new work.
Seriously Consider a Blog – This is the format that I started with and have obviously stuck with almost a year later as I feel it has opened me up to many an opportunity. As you can see the main focus of my “freelance site” is not my work and it is not my contact info, it is my blog. Go beyond the normal sales copy and create some informational/instructional content for your customers. Don’t just tell them how great you are let them see for themselves.
Marketing Material – What other types of marketing material might you benefit from in the start. Do you need a business card or will your portfolio site do? I really have no solid advice on this other than think about the type of client or work you are going after. What type of marketing material will they respond to. I personally grabbed a whole slue of business cards right up front thinking I would be handing them out like a mad man and now a year later I still have about 95% of that box left on my shelf. (Maybe I just don’t get out enough?) Think about what makes sense for your particular business, not everyone is going to benefit from 3000 postcards and a mass mailer.
Organization – Get yourself organized from the get go. I can say that your procedures, polices etc will more than likely change and adapt as your freelancing business matures, but you should have a decent foundation in place for your “first day on the job”.
Some things to think about:
1. Contracts, proposals etc – More than likely you are going to struggle here, your first few (or more) are not going to be experienced agency quality contracts, but do some research and at least prepare yourself enough to come of as professional and organized when you approach a new client. Even if your first client is a friend of the families.
2. Money -
i. Do yourself a favor and establish a separate bank account, period.
ii. Billing, figure out how your are going to bill clients, your billing terms, and your accounting software. Use something, when I found Freshbooks a month into working on my own, I felt like my whole world had changed.
3. Project Management – Everything from emails and phone calls to getting approval on comps. There are a ton of apps out there that will make life easier and give your freelance business a more professional appearance when it comes to project management. Most of them are free of charge to start. Find a few that make sense to you and use them (they can and will be replaced as you learn your business).
Marketing & Networking – This topic is best suited as a post in itself but the main thing here is to think about how you are going to market and network yourself from the start. Long story short, how are you going to start finding work. I personally started out by searching for the work, job boards (i.e. WordPress jobs), networking groups. These practices landed me my first couple of gigs but what I have found to work best in “my line of work” is simply networking online. I do this through blogging, commenting on other blogs, and engaging in some of the more traditional social media platforms out there such as twitter. The point here is step into this with an idea of how you are going to begin marketing your skills, like the rest of your business this will change and adapt as you go along but start with a solid plan.
Tools – Chances are you are probably not going to have a whole grip of cash to layout and set yourself up as well as some of your past employers had you set up but at least give yourself a fighting chance here. Invest in the tools that are essential to what you do. They will make your life easier in the long run and more then likely help you to produce the superior quality of work that you are looking for. On the flip side of things, don’t go overboard and put yourself in the hole. Just because you caught a photo spread of one of your “idols” work station set ups that involves 2 or 3 26″ monitors does not mean you need to rush out and grab one. Sure, since being in business a bit I have purchased a oversized monitor but I worked on a 17″ laptop (single monitor) for quite some time beforehand.
A Few Other Ideas
- That I did not have the pleasure of taking advantage of.
Stash some cash, not everyone is going to be able to jump in and make a living from the get go. In most cases you are going to experience a cut in pay. Consider stashing away a chunk of change to keep you afloat while you establish your freelance business.
Make Some Connections I had a few but I wish I would have had a few more. We all have our strengths, but sometimes a project is going to require something outside of yours. The idea here is to reach out and make a few connections with people who have the skill to back you up (people you can outsource to) and help you to land a nice project that may have otherwise gotten away.
Make Some Space This is going to come down to what works best for you, I personally was in between when I first started. I had a separate space for working but there was a fine line between working space and “play” space. I recommend setting up a space that is more like an office than not. (If you can actually afford an office then more power to you). Sure you can grab your laptop and plunk down in front of the TV or head to the coffee shop once and awhile to catch up on some work, but I think that conducting business from a almost business setting is your best bet. Besides everyone thinks that us freelancers hang out in our PJ’s watching Transformers while we mash together their project, don’t play into that persona. If you are going to make a run at freelancing then conduct yourself as if you are a business owner.
Finally I am going to again include this link and recommend that you take a look at this article by @mayhemstudios, some very useful and pertinent information for anyone considering a freelance career. “13 Tips You Should Know About Before Flying Solo”
In Conclusion
These are just a few tips and ideas for anyone considering making the jump to freelance. I can not and probably would not ever discourage you from following your dream to freelance as it would be hypocritical, but I will say that I recommend getting “your ducks in a row” as they say before taking the leap.
Check out other articles in this series: