Comments on: Open Thread: What Did You Get Right When You Started Freelancing?

By: Hipspooms

Hipspooms — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:32:15 +0000

Hi, I am working as Accounts Auditor and I am looking for a good and genuine Accounting job. When i searched on the internet I have found billionsof Accounting jobs and most of them were useless. If anyone knows about any particular Manager related jobs site, request to do reply.

By: Karl Bowers

Karl Bowers — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:49:48 +0000

Funny enough I charged a really high cost for my first web design project (due to the fact it took me forever to finish it – as I learned a lot basic skills on this job!).

Over the years, I haven’t charge anyway near the same amount, but in retrospect I’m beginning to think I should. So now I’m taking steps to bring my pricing back into line with that first project!

By: Will

Will — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:42:03 +0000

Great idea for a post!

I’m still new to freelancing, but reckon I’ve got a few things right;

1) I had work before I left the agency I worked at

2) I had a contract. That contract had been looked over by a solicitor.

3) Had a website that was getting lots of traffic from CSS galleries

4) Try to offer the best possible service I can. Clear communication is key to keep clients right up to speed with their projects.

By: Susan Greene

Susan Greene — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:52:01 +0000

There are two main things that I did right when starting out:

1) Created a website and managed to get it well ranked on search engines

2) Connected with a couple of ad agencies and web design firms that provided a steady stream of sub-contract work to me

By: GetAFreelancer

GetAFreelancer — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:43:49 +0000

I wouldn’t change a thing. Making the right contacts is important, I’m now contracted by GAF directly and only have to worry about one client. I could take on more but it wouldn’t be cheap for them.

By: Marie Poulin

Marie Poulin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:39:10 +0000

1. I remained in good standing with the studio I left. Now, they outsource all of their web-based projects to me, as well as use me for their web consulting, and its a great partnership!

2. Signed up for Freeagentcentral for my accounting. I don’t think I could manage everything otherwise!

3. Starting offering weekend web workshops, so word of mouth spread like wildfire, and got me not only more workshops, but more work!

4. I share my knowledge and skills with others. I always make myself available to answer questions and help people troubleshoot… eventually you become to go-to person for those kinds of things, and people are quick to recommend you!

5. Did a few “favour” jobs to beef up the portfolio. It pays off big-time if you don’t have the kind of work in your portfolio that you want.

By: Melek

Melek — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:47:23 +0000

What did I do right?
I bought the best computer and laser printer that I could. I believe my laser printer is about 9 years old, and my Mac is 6 years old, and they still run like a charm. They were expensive, but a good investment.

I also didn’t burn bridges. You never know who you will run into from an old job who now works with a potential new client. I still work with my first two clients from 10 years ago.

What did I do wrong?
I don’t think we have enough space here to type all that out :)

By: Chesley

Chesley — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:31:25 +0000

From the beginning I had a contract, got full contact information from all of my clients, and I maintained a professional demeanor at all times. I must admit that I have since slacked in a couple of these areas, however, I would attribute these things to my early success.

Another thing that I did early on was keep my options open. I new that getting a single client wasn’t the end all be all, and that I needed to create multiple streams of income.

I have certainly grown and learned a lot (some from experience and some from other writers), but the principles I began with keep my business growing to date.

By: Nicole Foster

Nicole Foster — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:32:46 +0000

I started freelancing after 5 years of “mastering” xHTML/CSS. I wasn’t a master of it, but I fooled around with it for 5 years. I knew freelancing would be a great way to earn money and learn new things about web design.

I started off getting clients from having low prices (even doing jobs for free) and advertising on a web design related forum. I was already a very active member on a small-ish forum. It worked for me until about February of this year. Everyone got sick of my services and I went on to a bigger forum.

I worked with no tools, but I started out with a tutor. A friend of mine helped me code my first design and I learned from there. Somebody/something that teaches you how to code a design will be a life saver.

So far, my start up was not that bad. I wish I didn’t charge so low, but then again, I wouldn’t have some pieces in my portfolio.

By: Quality Leads

Quality Leads — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:39:23 +0000

Another success top tip is to be always on time.
Be punctual, it is a great way to say “I am a proffesional”

Igor