FREELANCE STARTER GUIDE

(for new techies)

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2FREELANCE STARTER GUIDE (FOR NEW TECHIES)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WELCOME!

IS FREELANCING RIGHT FOR YOU?

IDENTIFY YOUR SPECIALTY, SERVICES, AND AUDIENCE

1. Why you must get specific about your specialty

2. Get specific about what services you offer.

3. Know your clients.

HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST CLIENT

1. Get personal.

2. Don’t waste time worrying about things that don’t matter early on

3. If you can’t find someone who needs a website…

HOW TO ACTUALLY MAKE MONEY AS A FREELANCER

How to know what to charge

Keep clients coming in

HOW TO TRANSITION SMOOTHLY INTO A FULL-TIME FREELANCE

CAREER

Tips on freelancing while working full-time:

How to know if you’re ready to freelance full-time

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WELCOME!

Hey there!

If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need to be convinced about all the advantages of freelancing. (Extra money, choose your own hours, work from anywhere…)

Sounds amazing, right? Well, like anything, it can sound too good to be true. Many people try out freelancing thinking it’s all roses, and get frustrated when they find the thorns. It’s not always easy to find clients, decide what you’re worth, or handle the pressure of being your own boss for the first time in your life. So before you make the jump into the world of freelancing, it’s wise to make sure you’re prepared.

Which is exactly why I created this guide.

This guide includes information about:

1. “Branding” yourself as a freelancer

2. Finding your first clients

3. Knowing what to charge

4. And how to make the transition from a full-time job

Ultimately, by the end, you should have a much better idea of what to expect outside the world of 9 to 5.

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ABOUT LEARN TO CODE WITH ME

Hi! My name is Laurence Bradford. I started Learn to Code With Me (LTCWM) in 2014 after countless trials and errors teaching myself how to code.

It was tough, and I felt alone most (if not all) of the time.

My first few work experiences were freelance jobs. To this day, I still believe that freelanc-ing is a great way for beginners to start putting their tech skills into use - even if they have a full-time job! But boy, I wish I knew then what I know now. And that’s why I created this Freelance Starter Guide—to share those things with you.

Today, my writing has been featured on sites like Mashable, SitePoint, Skillcrush, and others. I am also the Tech Careers Expert for About.com.

Want to get in touch?

You can find me on Twitter @learncodewithme or in FB in my group Newbie Coder Warehouse.

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IS FREELANCING RIGHT FOR YOU?

Call it what you want: independent contractor, 1099 employee, LLC/small business owner...by my definition, freelancing means working for yourself, taking your own clients, and run-ning the show.

I think freelancing is something everyone can do; what changes is how much. Maybe not everyone is cut out to freelance full-time. But making extra money on the side? Using it as a way to gain experience you can add to your resume, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile—which you can later leverage into a full-time opportunity?

Sure, why not!

Freelancing gives you the chance to flex your newly found digital skills by taking on some extra side work—and get paid for it. If you enjoy it and are successful, you can transition into freelancing full-time. If you find that you prefer a traditional work environment, that’s fine too.

ACTION ITEM: Figure out how much time you could dedicate each day to part-time freelance work. And when you start taking clients, increase your workload gradually so you know how much you can handle.

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IDENTIFY YOUR SPECIALTY, SERVICES, AND AUDIENCE

Before getting your first client (that’s next, promise!), it’s wise to put some thought into your specialty, the specific services you plan to offer, and your ideal customer.

1. WHY YOU MUST GET SPECIFIC ABOUT YOUR SPECIALTY

Specialty is key. The more specific you can be about what you do and who you serve, the easier it will be for you to get clients—and good clients (because not all of them are!).

When you specialize, over time you become an expert in the niche you’ve chosen. For in-stance, because of LTCWM, I have built a name for myself as an expert in the learn-to-code space. I now have people reaching out to me from these kinds of companies, like coding bootcamps, looking for my assistance.

I became the “learn to code” girl. You want to do the same. You want to be the guy who helps restaurants build WordPress sites. Or the woman who specializes in User Experience for startups.

Your list of skills may be massive, but if you try to be a “jack of all trades,” you won’t become renowned for any of them. The flip side of that phrase is “master of none”: when you spend time becoming merely competent in many skills, you won’t have time to gain expertise in one.

To get the best (and highest-paying) clients down the road, you need to specialize. These cli-ents know what they want...and they want to be confident that you can provide it. Not that you did something similar once or twice.

One more reason to specialize is that when people search for help on Google, they’re looking for something specific. They don’t want “general tech skills freelancer,” they want “restaurant WordPress developer” or “startup UX designer.” The more specialized your site is to the niche you’ve chosen, the higher you’ll appear in the results.

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2. GET SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT SERVICES YOU OFFER.

On a similar note, the services you offer should be outlined very clearly.

If you help people build WordPress sites, mobile apps, and even do some Ruby on Rails here and there, you’ll have less experience with each of them individually. But if you make it very clear that you’re a mobile app developer and break down exactly which services you offer, you won’t get many people querying you about those other odd jobs.

Now, it’s fine to do a wide variety of work in the beginning, when you’re just getting started and finding out what you like. But down the road when you’re more established and have that figured out, you’ll have to learn to say no.

Being specific also helps you save time: you don’t have to constantly learn new things about ten different topics. You’re a seasoned master in the one you’ve chosen.

3. KNOW YOUR CLIENTS.

Once you have your specialty and services squared away, knowing your target clients be-comes easier. Do you want to work one-on-one with small business owners? Or would you rather do contract work for a large company? Are you knowledgeable about a certain indus-try (restaurant, law, finance) and more comfortable working with clients in those spaces?

Beyond who you want to work for, consider:

1. Whose needs do your services meet?

2. Whose problems are you equipped to solve?

3. Who has the budget to pay what you deserve?

These are the people who will hire you.

TIP:

It’s okay to choose a spe-cialty, and tweak it later! We’re always evolving. Your freelance career should be, too.

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Once you’ve identified a target client, it becomes much easier to understand what they’re looking for and effectively pitch yourself. You’ll know the language they speak and you’ll anticipate the questions they have. This makes you seem prepared and professional from the get-go.

ACTION ITEM: Make a list! Write down what you want to specialize in, what services you want to offer, and who you want to work for. You can always revise it or change direction later.

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HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST CLIENT

1. GET PERSONAL.

When it comes to getting your FIRST client, you probably know someone who needs a web-site, or has a friend/relative/colleague who does. So put yourself out there and ask them! “It’s not what you know, but who” is true (at least to a certain extent...obviously you’ll want to know some of the “what” too!).

You can get clients in other ways, but the *best* way is to network your way into jobs—on-line or in person.

Here’s a few ways to find your first client:

1. Reach out to your existing connections (friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, gym bud-dies, etc.)

2. Tap into your 2nd degree connections (friends of friends—LinkedIn makes it simple to do this)

3. Network in real life (go to events that aren’t tech-related - you may be one of the only people there with your skillsets! And thus stand out more)

2. DON’T WASTE TIME WORRYING ABOUT THINGS THAT DON’T MATTER EARLY ON

When you’re getting started, it’s easy to get caught up in the details. After all, you want everything to be “perfect” when you get the ball rolling! But honestly, some things can wait. I’m talking about stuff like:

• Your logo

• A business card

• All the “right” tools and software

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You don’t need a lot to get started. Heck, you don’t even need a website to get your first client. (It certainly helps, though.) The point is, don’t spend your time and money on bells and whistles that you might not even end up needing. First, get a small project. The logo can wait.

3. IF YOU CAN’T FIND SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A WEBSITE…

So you’ve let all your friends and family know that you’re looking for work, and for a second you thought that your third cousin’s roommate’s coworker sounded interested, but she didn’t email you back. What now?

There are a couple options for finding work online. When I was getting started, I liked to use Craigslist. Check in the “jobs” section for the categories of “internet engineering” and “web/info design,” and in the “gigs” section for “computer.” You can just browse, or input keywords into the search field to filter your results. Craigslist jobs can be in person or telecommuting.

Some people like to use Upwork or other bidding sites. In my opinion, these are more of a crapshoot. Now and then you’ll find a good client, but there are far more who want to pay pennies...and you’re often competing against people desperate enough to accept the low pay. It can’t hurt to check it out, but don’t set your hopes too high.

Your last option, if all other approaches prove fruitless? Volunteer. Okay, so you’re not getting paid, but you are gaining experience you can add on your portfolio/LinkedIn, which will make it that much easier to get paying work later. More than that, volunteering for an interest you care about is a great way to meet new people. I talk to people all the time who end up getting paid work from connections they made while volunteering.

ACTION ITEM: Tell people you’re looking for work! Talk to family, make a Facebook post, attend professional meetups. Put out the word and see what comes your way.

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HOW TO ACTUALLY MAKE MONEY AS A FREELANCER

“I’m living in a shotgun shack and eating beans every dinner, but at least I’m my own boss!” Noooo. Don’t let this be you. If you’re starving as a freelancer, you’re not doing it right. Know your value and charge what you’re worth.

HOW TO KNOW WHAT TO CHARGE

1. See what competitors are doing. What are the industry standards?

2. What value is this project bringing you? Consider benefits aside from the money. Especially when you’re first starting out, think about whether accepting a low-paying or volunteer project will bring you:

a. Exposure?

b. Experience you can show off later?

c. Connections?

d. Is it for a known company? Would adding it to your portfolio really make you stand out?

3. Especially if you’re doing contract work for a company, realize that because you’re not on their payroll, they’re not paying for taxes or benefits like they would with a normal employee. Factor those things into your price.

While we all hear stories about so-and-so who charged $100/hour for freelance work after only coding for a month or two, realize that’s not the norm. (Well, maybe if you live in a city like San Francisco where all salaries are inflated.) It’s perfectly normal to start small, and increase what you charge over time.

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KEEP CLIENTS COMING IN

Once you’ve cleared the initial hurdle of getting your first few jobs, you’ll want to keep the momentum going. To stay in business, you need a pipeline of new clients coming in. These are my top four methods of doing that.

1. Referrals: Word of mouth is an oldie but a goodie. People trust recommendations from those they know and trust!

a. Ask existing clients to let you know if one of their connections is looking for help

b. Get recommendations to put on your website/LinkedIn page

c. Most importantly, do quality work for your clients and you’ll find that the referrals happen naturally!

2. Demonstrate credibility and expertise

a. Portfolio website - Showcase your best work and prove what you’re capable of

b. Blog - Building and maintaining a blog demonstrates that you know your field, are a good communicator, and like to provide value to others

c. Testimonials - It will set people’s minds at ease knowing that past clients have had good experiences working with you.

3. Social media

a. LinkedIn - Really invest some time in creating a good LinkedIn profile, because it’s basically social media for professionals. Keep it up to date, participate in groups, and connect with decision-makers.

b. GitHub - When you work with code, GitHub is a must, as the platform enables you to show your work. People will look here.

c. Twitter - Often, people will tweet when they’re looking to hire a freelancer. Search terms like “freelance [your specialty] needed” and reach out to the author with a message or even a video tweet.

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4. Networking

a. Make new connections - Ask for introductions to friends of friends.

b. Meetups - Meetup groups can be started on just about any topic. Join tech groups to connect with others in your industry, learn together, and help each other.

c. Events - Like meetups, events are about coming together in pursuit of a common goal. They’re usually less frequent than meetups, and are attended by more peo-ple, giving you the chance to shake some new hands.

ACTION ITEM: Start beefing up your online presence, and provide value to people for free (via a blog, group participation, etc.). One of the best ways to do this is through a portfolio site. To help you get started, check out my free portfolio course.

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HOW TO TRANSITION SMOOTHLY INTO A FULL-TIME FREELANCE CAREER

As I mentioned earlier, freelancing full-time is not for everyone.

But even if you think it is for you, you should start small. Definitely don’t quit your full-time job (FTJ) right away.

It’s best to keep your job and spend your free time growing your budding freelance career until it’s steady enough to stand on its own. Maybe that means skipping TV after work, or getting up a little earlier. Sure, it’ll make life a little harder for a while, but it can be done!

TIPS ON FREELANCING WHILE WORKING FULL-TIME:

1. Use this time as a kind of “free trial” to find out what you like, what you’re good at, and what to charge. You have the safety net of your FTJ, so you don’t need to accept jobs you don’t want.

2. Stay focused. Wasting time is so easy. Build a schedule for each day detailing the things you want to accomplish. Set timers. Don’t fall into the black hole of browsing funny cat videos.

3. Make a name for yourself in your niche sooner rather than later. When your name is what’s paying the bills, you can’t afford to be an unknown.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU’RE READY TO FREELANCE FULL-TIME

Here are a few things that may mean you’re ready to freelance full-time:

1. You’ll have a steady stream of clients giving you great feedback about your work.

2. You’ll have built up a safety net of savings to carry you through dry spells (which can happen to anyone).

3. You’ll even be turning away jobs because you can’t fit them all in.

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Of course, the “right time” is different for everyone. But all of the above are great signs, sig-naling that you may be ready to make the leap, quit the FTJ, and officially be your own boss.

ACTION ITEM: Write out a list of goals for yourself in your notebook, a Google Doc, or whichever note-taking system you prefer. How much do you want to be earning every month as a freelancer before you quit your FTJ? If you have a slower month, will you have enough savings to hold you afloat?

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Check out my Free Portfolio Course

YOU GOT THIS!

If a freelancing career is something you truly want, I’m confident you’ll make it work. It takes perseverance, hard work, and tenacity...but as

they say, nothing worth having comes easy! All the hours you put in now will make your success that much sweeter.