Archive for the ‘freelancing’ Category
Is 2010 really over already?
Monday, January 3rd, 2011
I can’t believe it’s 2011. It’s been a ‘year of change’ and much more exciting and fulfilling than I thought it would be at the beginning of last year.
Highlights
1. Starting my own business
This year, I went full time freelance. After a few weeks worrying about getting enough work, I spent the rest of the year worrying about how I was possibly going to finish all the work, and how to turn down work I didn’t have time for without losing good clients. I have been completely blessed with amazing referrals, the opportunity to work with more talented people than I ever have before, and the opportunity to spend some time working on my own projects, which I feel have really good potential for growth and prosperity in 2011.
2. Spent more time with family
Due to some unfortunate visa and family issues, I got to spend 1/4 of this year in Canada. Even though I went home for reasons I wish were different, I feel so blessed to get to spend time with my family, see one of my best friends just after her baby was born and get to celebrate my other best friend’s birthday in Montreal.
3. Moved to the country
I have moved out of London to a small town south of Guildford. Originally nervous, I have now embraced my country living, especially the vegetable gardening and the incredibly friendly people. Hopefully 2011 will bring me further country joys… stay tuned!
Goals for 2011
- Make more money than last year
- Make money from one of my apps
- Develop my corporate website to a full blown agency
- Work on bigger projects
- Develop a more diligent bookkeeping and marketing schedule
- Go on more English adventures
So, basically, 2010 was a huge year of change for me, but 2011, I hope, will be my year of growth! Happy new years everyone!
Projects coming soon!
Monday, October 4th, 2010
It’s already October; can you believe it? It’s my first year as a freelancer, and one of the main goals I had was to be able to spend more time on ideas that I had and to work with fantastic developers whom I respect and admire. Luckily a lot of these projects are well underway, and things are happening very soon. Here are my ‘launching’ projects, hopefully all coming out publicly before the end of 2010!
Watchy : due to be launched by the end of next week!
This is a mini project I’m working on with KickCode, specifically Elliott Draper, the best rails developer I have ever met. We both work for some clients on an hourly basis and they are constantly asking how many hours we’ve worked so far (they’re watching their pennies). Watchy integrates with your FreeAgent and allows you to give clients access to their time sheets. We’ve also added a bit of nice visualization tools for the freelancer too. Feel free to register your interest… there’s a free version for everyone!
Visit landing page
Briefy: Basic beta version due in November
Briefy is my baby: born of the frustration of trying to get good client briefs, I thought there must be a tool out there that can help you build them. After a search, I found nothing. With the truly organized and creative dev skills of Dave Sumter, we’re building Briefy so that you can embed questions onto your website, as well as create client specific brief questions based on what functionality they’re looking for. We’ll be looking for beta users, so please register your interest!
Festivapp: Beta version due in December
Last but not least, we have Festivapp. This is an iphone app builder for festival owners. I am working with Dan Wichett, one of the most versatile and talented developers I have ever worked with (I also sat next to him for a few years at our last full time job, so I know we work well together). This is his baby, but it’s quite challenging design wise, especially since it’s not just an iphone app. It will make it fast and simple for smaller festival owners to get the technology that the bigger festivals can afford. If you’re a festival organizer, or know someone who is, we’ll be looking for beta users closer to the end of this year, so please register your interest!
Lots of projects, little time! As usual, I have my fingers in many pies and it keeps me busy evenings and weekends, but I am very excited about these projects and can’t wait to show you working versions of them!
Charging for your time
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
I’ve had an interesting week, and it’s only Wednesday.
I was fully booked in for work this week when I checked my calendar last Friday. It was a well-paid week. I am not taking on any new clients, as I’m technically overbooked. I really love the projects I’m working on right now too. They’re challenging, interesting, and I like the people.
But, with the exception of regular maintenance stuff, all my booked in projects have been hit with delays. Most of them are understandable, and I’ve agreed to delay them. So, I’ve gone from a well-paid week, to making practically nothing.
Should you charge?
With clients that constantly change their schedules, I sometimes tell them that if they continue to schedule in time with me, I’ll have to charge them for that time, even if they don’t use it. My problem is, I feel guilty about this: I’m not working for them then.
But, at the same time, I want them to understand that it’s really inconvenient for me to not be able to depend on the work and be able to organize my time: I could take on other projects in those days. This week has been the first time it’s been an issue: usually I’ve got enough projects on the go that I can fill my time and offer them a little flexibility, which works well for everyone.
The question
Do you charge? How much do you charge? How do you let them know, to encourage them to be more diligent in their organization? Or, is it merely the price you pay for being a freelancer?
Know thyself: the art of choosing projects that are good for YOU
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Choosing new clients is scary. It’s also completely hit and miss: sometimes the seemingly dull project is the most pleasant to work on because it’s well paid, you know what you’re getting into, and the people are a joy. Often the most exciting projects turn out to be nightmare time-sucks.
Right now, I love all my projects. I can actually say that I think the ideas, the people and the features are great. I’ve been able to have lots of creative freedom, there’s been a huge level of mutual trust in skills. And honestly, I REALLY do like the people I’m working with.
But…
I get a few legitimate offers for new work every week (sorry, everyone, I am not taking on any new work until the end of June!) so how do you know which offers you should pursue and which not to? Here I’m going to set up a few guidelines that will aide me in the future to make sure I am discerning when I’m speaking to potential clients (and maybe help you too).
Do they match your target industries?
Being a generalist in web design is no good. You really need to pick an area of expertise. Do you love customizing wordpress blogs? Are you a sports nut? Choosing a maximum of 3 areas and working towards focusing solely on those areas makes you into an industry expert.
I would really like to get involved in more environmental projects, but since I don’t have much experience in that area, I am becoming more attuned to projects with environmental aims. It’s a cliche, I know, but it’s really true: when you focus on areas you’re passionate about you’ll produce higher quality work. It also means when bigger, more interesting, fish comes up, you have the proof that you know their industry.
Do you have enough resource to do a good job?
Often times you have space for a medium size project when a really really big one comes in. When you can’t drop your other commitments, you’re guaranteed to do less than your best. Projects should fit your available space: you still need to sleep and occasionally shower, you know. If you can’t stretch yourself to fit them, you’re not doing anyone any favors. They feel neglected and you feel frazzled.
What are they like?
Some projects are so cool you want to dive right in, but warning bells often go off. If they appear to be time wasters or their voice drives you insane during the first meeting, what makes you think they will be pleasant to work with? Even with the best client there’s moments of tension; if you’re already ready to tear their voice box out of their throat, well, that’s a bad sign.
How to say no
I ALWAYS feel bad when I have to tell someone no. Here are a few reasons that I say no:
1) Tell them I’m not taking on projects until (x) weeks/months. Most people want their website yesterday, and those who are willing to wait are often more attuned to how much time projects take and how much money they should cost.
2) If I’m busy, but I have a tiny bit of spare space I could squeeze them into, I often try out a price increase. If they accept it, I am happy to work on it as sort of an ‘overtime’ fee. If they don’t go for it, no harm done.
3) Sometimes I’m really not interested in their project. I’m trying to take on projects that are not just coding, challenging, useful and fit into my ‘passion areas’. It’s really hard to turn down work, especially if it’s well-paid. How do you do this? I’m still learning. A few months ago I got offered some work to design interfaces for tv. The man was smart, interesting and would have been great to work with. I had to tell him that I couldn’t take the job. I told him that I wanted to focus on web design primarily in education and environment, and didn’t want to take on work that fell too far away from that goal. It was hard, especially since sometimes people are pushy. The important thing is to stick to you guns and not get manipulated: if they’re desperate for you and pushy to get their way, it’s a sign on how it will be to work with them.
You really have to find things that get you going, that make you want to get up every day and get your blood flowing! What I’d actually like to say sometimes is, “I’m really not interested in your project.” Anyone out there got some suggestions on how to say no?
Why don’t I have time?
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
I’ve recently starting working for myself. I absolutely love it– I love the projects, I love the work environment (right now I’m in my bed, with my cup of tea), the commute is tolerable (at some point I’ll have to migrate over to my desk) and I absolutely love having control over things.
But I thought I would have more time.
More time to set up my own projects, more time to spend blogging, more time to socialize, more time to learn and more time to work on my hobbies.
Except I don’t.
I don’t think I’ve ever worked such long hours. All my own projects, my pro-bono work, and even just keeping blogging (weekly blogging here sure hasn’t consistently happened) have taken the backseat. I love my clients, and I’m keeping them on good timelines, but I say I’ll have them something in a week, and I blink, and a week has gone by. Of course we all know that everything in web design takes longer than we expect, and I’m getting better at estimating and managing this, but it’s still a big thing. I must be doing something wrong, right?
This is a public display
I’ve put off the following things too long. I’ve been reading a psychology book that says people that go on weightloss programs on tv lose more weight because they are held accountable by more people. This study said that this works for lots of other things too: Tell lots of people what you’re planning on doing and you’re more likely to complete them, out of sheer will not to have to try and explain later. So here it is: a list of things I don’t get paid for, that I need to finish this month.
-A Smashing Magazine article that I researched in late January
-A pro-bono website for a non-profit learning program for kids that I started in January
-My own professional face, for more serious clients that I’ve been talking about making for months
-Design for an iphone game that my friend has developed that I’ve been toying with for months
Now, hopefully, out of sheer embarrassment, these four things will get done. Now remind me not to take on any more client work… I need to have fun one of these days too!
P.S. If you want me to berate you for anything, leave it in the comments, and I will make your life a living hell on march 30th!
