If you're a developer considering going freelance, the leap you want to take looks really scary. Especially if you've been employed now for any sig...
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I wish I could give more "loves" to this post.
Absolutely amazing and the title of your post is not even a click bait.
All these tips are in fact actionable and really to follow up.
I'll definitely keep looking for more of your content!
This comment absolutely made our day, thank you so much Danilo!
Amazing to think the entire piece was written in 30 minutes - the only way we could do that is because there's no intent to "bait" you or "sell" you here - it's just the hard, objective truths of what you can do to get ahead.
The other thing we found is that good freelancing resources are so hard to come by without having to pay for them, so we're glad this article really gave you some value.
Please let us know if there's anything else you're unsure about that we could write about. Have a great day!
This is other thing I forgot to add.
Simple content but directly to the point.
And it's disappointing to see that paid content sometimes struggles to delivery the same value.
I hope you have a great day as well
Appreciate the feedback. We like to keep it direct!
It is disappointing, but free content like this and thousands of other posts is filling the gaps! We just aim to be a quality part of that gap.
Thanks Danilo!
I've been thinking about trying out Freelancing as a way to make some side cash. Any advice specific to doing it part time? Or is it an "all-in" type deal. I'd like to still get a day job coding, as to get more experience architecting software and mentorship.
So from what I understand, you don't have a job in development yet - are you switching careers or in a position where you're able to sit without income for a few months? Could you elaborate what stage of your career you're at, as it would be great to give contextual advice for you.
You 100% can do freelancing part-time. There are no differences in the buildup however - you just need to continue to bid for as many jobs as possible, build up a presence, but take on work that fits with your schedule and daily needs.
It's also great that you want to work the day job too - just make sure your day job is OK with that, setting boundaries by making it clear at interview is usually the best way to do this. The day job gives you mentorship, and the freelancing gives you a bit of freedom to earn more money on the side.
I have a job as a PC technician and am hunting for my first front end developer job. The search is going pretty good thus far, I have an interview next week actually!
Thanks! I'll definitely make sure that part time (on my own time) freelance is kosher first.
That's awesome Brian!!! Best of luck with your interview next week. We have a couple of posts in this series, I think - you might want to check them out as there's some tips that might be helpful to you.
Some of our mentors here have worked as PC Techs in many different capacities, it's an obvious transition and there's (in our opinion) more fun to be had over here! :)
It sounds like you're pretty serious on the job side of things, and its a great idea to start out in employment as your chances of getting into a company vs getting good freelance gigs are much better.
Something you might want to consider, if you're more frontend focused, is the Shopify Parner Program. E-Commerce is big business right now, which is great for freelancers as one of the largest platforms for it in the world (Shopify) has a program which allows you access to freelance contracts at no price.
You just need to learn their proprietary templating engine (which is dog simple if you're a front-end already), build a few projects to get skilled with it, get set up with them and you're good to go.
For an average of $10k per project according to them, it's worth a try.
Full disclosure: we are in no way affiliated with Shopify! It's just that one of our guys has made a lot through freelancing and selling templates and know they're really supportive with it.
Have a great day Brian!
Well! That's pretty awesome. I will check it out the other articles in the series and Shopify for sure. Thank you so very much for the support and the tip.
You're super welcome, thanks for reading our content!
Here's the link to their partner program: shopify.co.uk/partners/jobs/freelance
Only problem with post is Upwork blocked me out for bidding too much and not having any response. Certainly being persistent with the hunt is a good deal but not UpWork friendly, in my opinion. I had to send proof of my qualifications and skills yet my appeal got denied...still don't understand why.
Great advice though but I hope no one takes persistent bidding on upwork...even for basic jobs
It's great that you posted this because it shows a darker side to the marketplaces we have to go through.
If you're genuinely applying for gigs and not spamming, there is no reason for them to block you or throttle your bids. It's creating artificial barriers for someone who's actually trying. It's despicable that they'd refuse your appeal without a genuine explanation.
On the flip-side, if that's their system, this is part of freelancing - rejections, regulations, market saturation, and that's why we're trying to give a diverse set of strategies. I hope you're able to execute on some of them and find more success!
Thanks for the comment and insight!
Sure welcome.
Cool stuff! (but the links are broken, you could fix them)
Glad you liked the post Bence, and thanks for the heads up about the links - all fixed!
Tried freelancing (self-employment) for years but found it was just plain too much work doing too many things that weren't fulfilling. You're taking on (at least) one more full-time job in addition to the job as a developer. You also have to run the business -- so you'll have to do marketing & business development. That next contract's not gonna sign itself. You'll also have to administer and pay for benefits (health insurance, life insurance, disability, vision/dental, 401(k), etc.), file more tax forms (monthly 941, quarterly 940) and pay more taxes, prepare and file a corporate tax return (if you're an S-Corp), figure out your withholding and pay FICA, etc., deal with occupational licensing (depending on your municipality) and deal with state business registration requirements. If you have tangible assets (laptops! printers! routers!) you have to account for them as such, depreciate them, and pay tax on them. I'd suggest someone do it only if they have a burning entrepreneurial desire and are willing to make a sustained multi-year commitment to their business, often working well in excess of a normal 40-hour workweek.
Thank you for post.
I’ve been in freelancing for about 10 years and for some reason it turns out that if I have to look for a job, then somehow she finds me very quickly.
My key skill is word of mouth, when my clients tell their friends that I am a good specialist and I don’t have to find a job.
But I am not happy about Linkedin lately. I once wanted to fly to work in Dubai, made a website for Dubai deluxe-dubai.com, thought to develop online sales there, create a good online store and online magazine, and I did it one.
But when I added users from Dubai to Linkedin (now I'm in Thailand) and want to find new customers to develop a website from the USA, England, Australia - then linkedin offers me people to my list from Dubai zone and I just can not change it.
This is fun, but sometimes it hinders the establishment of new business connections from other regions in which you would like to work.
Thanks for the nice and to the point post. I switched to freelancing from regular job before 10 months. And I would say all Tips are really helpful and I faced situations where these Tips would have been helpful for sure.
My experience so far: (1) Initial few months, I struggled a lot to get first few work/jobs and it was really frustrating but continuously bidding to right jobs eventually I got a break/work :) (2) Heavy dependency on freelancing platforms e.g. Upwork, Freelancer, TopTal etc. which is very risky. How to reduce or avoid dependency on freelancing platforms and get work? (3) Even though you are very experienced and expert, initially you may be exploited by platform/customers as you do not have any track record on that specific platform (4) There are many small tasks/jobs available but I observed that - very very few medium to long term and enterprise scale projects available as freelancer e.g. tends to zero. How to get medium to long term, good size projects as freelancer without relying on any freelancing platform? (5) Be prepare to be multi skill to keep the work flow in. (6) Is it a better idea to start a registered company and work as a freelancer presenting that company? Do customers more inclined towards registered legal entity e.g. company than individual freelancer?
Can you help answering and sharing your suggestions/views for #2, #4 and #6?
Great article, thanks for sharing!
I've started with freelancing about 2 months ago and I really appreciate this post.
I like suggestion #2: it sounds like a warning. Freelancing is hard, we have to work harder and face off new challenges.
I've been considering something more solo than the usual 9-5 full time option. In your post, is "freelance" the same as "contractor" and if so, what are the differences?
Hi V Dedo, thanks for the question.
Contracting and Freelancing are very similar, and technically "Freelancing" is just a form of contracting, but in reality, but there is specific difference worth noting that is generally accepted
So everything up until the "Bids" section is accurate for both "Freelancing" and "Contracting".
As a contractor, rather than bidding for jobs via proposals, as a contractor you would tend to send your resume into a company looking for a specific contract to be completed.
This means DM'ing hundreds of companies isn't a very good tactic for the person that wants a contract job.
As a side tip if you want to become a contractor, the first tip of this post is also super important. Contracting has a less consistent pay schedule, and you will want to have a few months worth of expenses at any time between contracts - this also allows you more freedom to take breaks between contracts.
Really hope this helps, if something didn't make sense, please let us know.
I've seen a lot more contracting things going at the moment (mostly on LinkedIn) and with having a few years in full time employment, it seems like contracting will be easier to jump into as opposed to building a portfolio for freelance work. Thanks for the informative reply :)
You're so welcome. Contracting will definitely be an easier and lower-risk jump for someone like yourself looking to make the jump. It's effectively better paid, less secure full/part time work.
And once again, the job will always be there! You can always go back to being full time, right?
Best of luck with your journey friend!
Missing: Select a niche. It's easier to take clients when you have they segmented.
Hello.
I would like to know if i need to learn ux design to become a freelance front-end web developer
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