How to Become a Freelance Web Developer

    on Apr 15th 2009 with 235 comments

    Have you ever wanted to be a freelance web developer? Whether you’re working for the man or developing as a hobby, there are some tried and tested tips you can use to ease yourself into the life of a freelance web developer – even if you only do it part-time.

    By working with many and varied clients, your web dev and business skills will grow at a rapid pace. If everything goes right, you should be able to make a good living doing something you love.

    So today we’re going to go over how to actually become a freelance web developer, and all that goes with it.

    Photos by Will Hybrid.

    Just Starting Out

    Starting is an incredibly hard thing to do for many web developers who don’t have any clients. The most important thing to remember is that without clients, you don’t have a business. It’s quite easy to get caught up in things like building a portfolio site, playing with invoicing tools, and other semi-important tasks. So it’s most important that you just start working with people and getting bids.

    I’ve found that starting in a niche area is the best way to begin building a successful freelancing business. For example, my specialty is working with content management systems like Drupal and WordPress. Starting out I only tried to find work within those fields, so that I could become an expert in customizing content management systems.

    If you’re a designer, you might try becoming an expert in a design niche as well. Ecommerce design, blog design, Twitter backgrounds, you name it. Becoming a leader in a niche means that you’ll be in higher demand. Higher demand for your services means that you can be choosier about your clients, charge more, and ultimately have a better freelancing experience.

    You Don’t Need to Know It All

    If you’re afraid of not knowing what you’re doing right out of the gate, take heart. You don’t even have to know a lot about a programming language in order to make a bid on a project. You can learn how to do it along the way. Don’t be afraid to work on a project if you don’t know exactly how to finish it. That’s what our good friend Mr. Google is there for. However, you have to make sure that you can deliver what’s been asked. Just don’t let not knowing a little bit discourage you from trying. Web developers do most of their best learning when they’ve stepped outside their comfort zone.

    Experience Working With Clients

    Thanks to services like Jobs.FSw, Elance, ODesk or even RentACoder, you can quickly start bidding and working on projects without having a portfolio. It’s important to just dive in and start getting experience wherever you can find it. Experience with the language(s) you’ll be working in, but most importantly, experience working with clients. Working with clients is one of the hardest parts of the job. Some clients are wonderful, others are awful. Learning how to find great clients and how to talk to them is a fine skill even the world’s most gifted coders will only develop with practice.

    Communication

    Communication is an often overlooked aspect of freelance work. Good communication can make the difference in snagging a bid, finishing a project on time, and ultimately keeping the client happy. If you take the time to keep your client in the loop, they’ll be appreciative of the transparency. Even if you’re letting them know that the deliverable is going to be a bit late. Communication is a critical piece of the freelance world that many often overlook. It’s nearly impossible to communicate too much with a client.

    Bidding

    When you’re just starting out, bid as low as you can handle. I know it’s hard to imagine that your time isn’t worth much, but until you get some experience under your belt, it really isn’t. This time period of one month, two or three, is an investment in being able to charge more later on. The goal isn’t to make a lot of money at the start, but rather to just get experience as a web developer. In the beginning stages, experience is a hundred times more valuable than your hourly rate. You’ll soon be able to raise your rates with glowing testimonials and excellent work to showcase.

    Learning Discipline

    Another huge aspect of learning how to become a freelance web developer is learning how to be a disciplined web developer. Many developers start out programming in “blitzes” of work, where they slack off for a few days and then start pulling all-nighters close to the deadline. Not only will you produce shoddy work, it’s also not a sustainable work cycle.

    Learning how to discipline your work schedule is incredibly important for someone wanting to become a full-time freelancer. I have a simple system where I make sure that I work X billable hours a day. When I’ve hit my quota for the day, I get to do whatever I want. But I force myself to work until I’ve hit that quota. This has made my workday much less stressful, as I always know how much I have to work to pay the bills.

    Being Honest With Yourself and the Client

    There’s a strong temptation to take an overly ambitious timeframe on a project. However, you’ve got to account for Murphy’s Law. Projects nearly always take longer than you think they will. If you’re not being realistic with how long a project might take, you’re only making it harder on yourself when it comes time to talk to the client. A client would rather you overshoot the amount of time the project will take and finish it on time (or early!), as opposed to hearing that the project is going to take a lot longer than you initially thought.

    Being honest with the client also means that you might have to tell them no. They might want something added to the site that is, well, ridiculous. It’s your job to “let them down easily”. Any reasonable client would much rather hear that you think it’s a waste of your time and their money than blindly going along with their ideas. Remember, you’re the expert. They’re paying you. If you’re honest with them, they’ll respect your opinion and your authority. In fact, they’ll appreciate it. You just have to remember to be tactful and honest while telling them.

    If you’re looking out for the client’s well being, they’ll look out for you.

    The Mighty Testimonial

    Testimonials are gold to the freelance developer. Imagine a scenario where instead of spending your precious time bidding on projects and looking for work, people are looking for you. They’re emailing you to see if you’re available to lend your expertise and build them a site. It’s simple: The more people that love your work, the more recommendations you’ll get. There is nothing more powerful than a happy customer.

    You’ll find that the more projects that you do, the more referrals you’ll receive from satisfied customers. Eventually clients will make a way to your door, just based on your reputation.

    The Portfolio

    A portfolio is an important part of web development. You’ll find that many of your prospective clients will want to see your portfolio, and any chance you can show off your work, the better. Collis has an excellent tutorial on how to set up a portfolio site, and it really doesn’t take that long to put one together.

    However, not having a great portfolio isn’t the end of the world either. I haven’t built one yet for my own projects, and while many people have asked to see one, I’ve never lost a bid for not having one. Your reputation is much more valuable.

    How to Bill Your Clients

    Billing is a mysterious part of freelance work.

    Billing Tools

    Billing clients is a tricky part of being a web developer. I’ve found it’s best to use software or an online service like Freshbooks to handle the client billing.

    Desktop applications are great for invoicing as well. They typically give a little more functionality than online invoicing systems, and all of your data is private and secure on your own computer, if that’s an issue for you. I use Mac software called Billings to manage my invoices and time tracking, but there are many other options available as well.

    Whatever solution you use, make sure that it does all of the nitpicky client work so that you can keep your focus on the most important stuff: learning and working with clients.

    Payment Options

    There are numerous ways to bill clients. Some people just wait until the project is finished and send a final bill. Others ask for a ratio up-front (ie. 50% up front, 50% upon completion). I usually ask new clients for a certain amount of payment up front, just to make sure I don’t get burned. For example, I’ll probably ask a client for half of the estimate up front before I start working, and then the other half upon completion. If I’ve worked with the client before or I know them personally, I might just send a bill when the project is done.

    Another thing to think about when billing is the scope of the project. If it’s a massive project, I might bill at weekly or bi-weekly intervals. I usually give the clients updates on how many hours I’ve worked and what to expect on the bill. (Are we seeing yet how valuable communication is with client work?)

    Whatever the method, make sure that you and your client are crystal clear on the billing arrangements. That’s the most important part. Nobody likes to be surprised when it comes to money.

    Marketing Your Services

    I’ve seen some people put tons of money into marketing and advertising. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Save your money. Programs like banner ads, Adsense and other “scattershot” approaches to advertising your business don’t really work. And here’s why.

    Like we said before, the best form of advertising is a testimonial or recommendation. But there’s another way to generate leads, and it is almost as effective: teaching.

    There is no better way to showcase your talents and command of a subject than by teaching. People want proof that you’re an expert, and the best way to do that is to start teaching. If you start teaching, you’ll show that you’re an expert. Say a searcher found an article that Nettuts+ writer Richard wrote on learning ExperessionEngine. The article clearly showcased Richard’s knowledge on ExpressionEngine. Would you rather hire a nobody to develop your EE site? Or would you rather hire someone who has already demonstrated a strong command of EE?

    Aside from generating more leads, you’ll also start to gather a following. People follow experts on places like Twitter or blogs. There are tons of designers and web developers out there who have gathered strong followings on the web, and as a result their work has skyrocketed. They can charge more because it’s simple supply and demand.

    Twitter is an excellent way to:

    1. Start giving back to the community and teaching and
    2. Generate a following

    Another excellent way to showcase your talent is to start blogging and teaching. Write about topics related to web development and your niche. The best marketing a freelance worker can do is to give value and teach. If you can do these things, you’ll never have a shortage of work and can often charge your dream rates because people trust you and see you as an expert.

    What Should You Charge?

    There are a few different methods when it comes to determining rates. I believe that if you’re just starting out, it’s best to charge a lower rate until you really figure out what’s going on. Once you’ve gotten experience working with clients, billing, and winning bids, than you can raise your rates. But here’s something else that I’ve learned when it comes to rates. Often people associate your rates with the quality of work you’ll provide. For example, if you’re bidding against a freelancer that charges $100/hour, and you only charge $10/hour, the potential client might believe that the other guy is 10 times better than you and give him the bid. He’s associating your price with value, even though you might be just as talented as the other bidder.

    I know this sounds crazy, but once you get some experience under your belt, you might win more bids charging higher rates. It all depends on who the client is. However, clients that are willing to pay more for better service and quality are more likely to be better clients. I don’t necessarily recommend you radically change your pricing overnight, but experiment with your hourly wage and how it affects how many bids you’re getting. You might be surprised.

    Rates all depend on your personal profile and how specialized your service is. If you’re creating cookie-cutter templates or sites, you might not be able to charge as much. If you’ve become a leader in a niche area of web development, than you can certainly charge more for your services. It all depends on the service that you’re providing.

    Wrapping It Up

    I know we’ve covered a lot in this article, but if there’s one really important thing that you should remember when you’re just starting out it’s this:

    Experience working with clients is the most important part of getting started. Billing software, portfolios, blogs, Twitter and everything else are important, but the most critical part of freelancing is learning how to work with clients and building relationships. Everything else should take a backseat to diving in and getting to work!

     
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    Glen Stansberry is a web developer and blogger. You can read more tips on web development at his blog Web Jackalope or follow him on Twitter.  

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    Newer Comments →
    • http://www.mattegan.net Matt Egan

      Any tips for a 14 year old trying to start out freelancing. I’m not just some inexperienced moron, I actually know my stuff. I just have a problem with people thinking that a 14 year old would have enough experience to create a professional design. Thanks :D

      P.S. Feel free to check out my website btw.

      • http://ethanturkeltaub.web44.net Ethan

        I find that too. I also know what I’m doing, I just can’t get clients, and if I do, they think I’m not “mature” or “responsible” enough, which I really am.

        • http://www.colorlab.nl Vincent

          I think there is some truth in that, the – not – mature part. Life experience and communication skills build up as you grow older; people will take you seriously if you can present yourself and your work better over time.

          Give it time and don’t give up.

        • http://www.saroverhees.be Saro

          You should build up a better Portfolio. Honestly, i think there is nothing interesting in it! You’re portfolio includes only 30 seconds work.

        • ARS

          I have the same problems, My portfolio had only one hit other than mine and that person said I was too young for the field

        • http://nerieru@nerieru.com nerieru

          Ethan, I’m gonna tell you this as I would view it as a potential client. I browsed your website for a bit, and you seem to portray yourself as an expert on several languages. You are only 13 years old, however way you put it it doesn’t make you an expert. There are several options for clients to pick:

          a. Just some cocky kid thinking he can make money with his noobish skills (which means no client for you)
          b. Just some kid with a little experience building little websites thinking he can be a pro (again no client)
          c. He actually knows his stuff.. Meh not likely, he probably just wants to earn some pocket change (potential client that might rip you off)
          d. Mmm.. Maybe he knows his stuff, and since he’s only 13 I only need to give him pocket change!! (potential client, but because he knows your age thinks you only need a LITTLE money)
          e. Client that saw your work, doesn’t know your age, sees you as an expert because of your work and thinks ‘great’ I’ll contact that guy.

          I think the chances for an option a-d client are pretty high, and an option e client is pretty low

          When browsing your website it gave me a really ‘cocky’ impression. You say you’re experienced, ok how experienced are you in those fields?

          Build a portfolio, work on your website so that it gives a professional impression. Also get your OWN domain, someone on a subdomain of some random website doesn’t give me the impression that he is a professional.

          So, make yourself an expert (don’t do this in a cocky way). Blog not just about what you’re gonna do, blog about things related to your field of work. I’m not interested in your trip to Washington. Post tutorials, work of others, post projects etc. And the most important thing is be an expert in a niche field, don’t portray yourself as an expert in a whole lot of fields. I would suggest starting out with building blogs based on drupal and wordpress, release a template or 2. Put them in your portfolio and start from there. Build templates for websites such as themeforest.com

          Read about the freelancing business pretty much like this post.

          Additionally you state that you have spent a MONTH working on your website, I don’t see why you needed to spent a month on that..

          If you like more info or want to contact me for god knows what, just email me ;)

      • http://novus.byvolce.com Jonathan Solichin

        I’m with you on that. Although I am 15 now haha.
        Sometimes I don’t know whether to go with my age truthfully or to hide it so that they do not judge based on my age.

        • http://behance.net/alexbeltechi Alex Beltechi

          I think lying about your age (or country as many do) is a very bad idea. I guess you should be happy to be in the field so early, and make a good first impression on the client. I wouldn’t make a big deal to promote my young age, but I wouldn’t try to conceal it, either.

      • http://www.xemmex.com XemmeX

        If I can give you a tip I will give you this one! On every spare time that you have you should buid templates and add it to your portfolio. This way you have more content to show and you get more experience at the same time. Your website is not bad at all, but it is not enough. People are very hard to convince even for long time experience designer. Keep pushing!

      • http://www.hellogreenstar.com GreenStar

        Try bidding on jobs online where you’re not going to have physical interaction with the client and do not disclose your age. Let your quality and professionalism speak for itself.

      • http://www.demoehn.de DeMoehn_sm

        Yeha I had the same problems.
        But nearly with 16 I’ve got my first job beceause someone found my in a Fitness-Forum ^^ then I’ve got another job and another…

        Now I’ve my own small business and I’m nearly 20 years but time goes fast beside school and doing websites for clients.

        The biggest problem is that you’re not mobile. So you can’t drive a car and so on , you’re not flexible.
        Clients might hate that to see thei professionel webdeveloper coming there by bus or mummy^^

        But start beeing in technical forums an so on and posting some small tutorials or so on. That’s a first step. Like “Glen Stansberry” said -> teaching

        • Big_w

          The ages will just keep going up, im 17 and i belive that i know what im doing but its so hard to get the clients. becuase of scholl i carn`t do something too much but its not worth companys to do small updates to site.

      • http://www.ltheobald.co.uk/ Lee Theobald

        My response to any young person is to not freelance just yet – get some experience in a company first. It’s not the design/development skills that are the problem – it’s the business ones. Company politics, how to talk to customers, what to do when someone doesn’t pay.

        You’ll gain so much experience just working for someone else for a few years that you won’t regret doing it. Then concentrate on freelancing with a few more tools in your arsenal and a lot more cash!

        • angga

          I couldn’t agree more to this post. Exactly what i was doing in my early career … working in a company ( be it small or big ) helps you understand business life because freelance is not about your tech skill only, you have to understand business as well.
          so yeah, don’t do freelance yet …

      • Mads Kjaer

        I’m 16, but have been freelancing since I was around your age. I’ve found that when you tell clients how old you are, they generally don’t come back. Don’t mention your age if they don’t ask, and you’ll have time to prove yourself.

      • http://alisonfoxall.com/ Alison

        Do not reveal your age. Clients will see that you put out your website that you are 14 and be immediately turned off by it. I am 20, and I hide my age because people still think 20 year olds are off partying and drinking in college. I have already graduated college, but a lot of people don’t graduate early and take what they do seriously. I also have taken my high-school education off my resume, because they can guess your age that way too. Clients are strange like that. Remember they are taking a gamble with their money and are making an investment. Websites aren’t exactly cheap!

        • http://www.shaunguido.com Shaun Guidolin

          I agree.. but remember you kids (I’m 33, doing this since I was 16) are going to shape the next decade of the web… and don’t shy away from that.

          Never doubt yourself because you are young, just do the work and do it well – then the age won’t matter.

          You can also most likely never need to tell you age, especially if you deal with clients totally online. Just build up your portfolio and you’ll have no problems.

        • http://www.probloggerworld.de roné/di/kristu

          I learnt from D. Schwartz Magic of thinking BIG that you should never sell yourself short and to work from your strength.

          Denying your age isn’t the best strategy. You are disappointing yourself and maybe potential customers. Do not sell yourself short, your age could be an asset. See it this way: being a youngster can be a reason to either hire or fire you. Same goes for veterans: “Well we want some fresh blood in here and you are too old.” Do you really want to hide your age your whole life long (now too young, later being too old)?

          If someone judges you by your age maybe it simply means that this insn’t the right customer for you.

          Do not sell yourself short. Be proud of what you do and did so far. Fix your resume and act bold. AFAIK no one hires someone who lacks self-esteem, at least I wouldn’t. ;)

          People pay people to getting things done and not for excuses.

          Enjoy your work and your time. Never sell youself short. Eventually you will succeed. :)

      • http://www.jamesgeorgedunn.com James George Dunn

        I know how tough it was for me when I was your age, trying to prove myself. But I decided to take the time and perfect my skills in different areas of the web design field, as well as graphic design. These days I do everything from, web design to graphic design including screenprinting, letterpress printing, photography and origami.

      • Ursula

        Having dealt with plenty of young “business” web designers and web devs i can tell you why lots of people shy a way. Plenty of them, seemingly very professional with a good portfolio and recommendations, would completely crash and burn once they got a GF, senior year, college, or due of lack of clients got some sort of other job.

        Pretty much they had lots of freetime to do the business, and once that free-time was used up it turned out they didn’t have a lot of experience in time management, business management, or any real dedication beyond what they through was an easy buck.

        Go ahead and build on your experiences, portfolio, and clients…. but understanding why someone won’t hire you is a big part of trying to convince them you CAN handle it. :D

        • http://www.pmpperfumes.com Shaun Guidolin

          Ursula, that’s a very good point – and problem. To most youth, it’s a job and not a career, and jobs are a hassle.

      • http://www.angeliqueandfriends.com Angelique

        Matt –

        Well, you certainly have created some professional-looking work. Here is a big reason why people may be reluctant to hire a fourteen-year-old programmer. It isn’t because they are worried that YOU won’t take the job seriously; they are worried that YOUR PARENTS won’t take the job seriously.

        I am an entertainment agent, and I run into this problem with talented teenagers. What happens when the parents decide to plan a family vacation on a gig date? What happens if, at the last minute, the parents decide they are “to tired” to transport the teen? What happens if the parents ground the teen and refuse to let him/her work?

        Your potential clients are worried about similar problems, and you should think about them, too. You are also dependent upon your parents to pay for a high-speed internet connection and to repair or replace your computer if needed.

        Lying about your age is a bad idea. You don’t have to shout, “I am fourteen!” but your bio information should mention that you are in high school. That could work to your advantage; see if you can spin your bio so that you sound like a prodigy. Go all out with recommendations from teachers saying how talented, reliable and responsible you are.

        I hope your parents are willing to talk to potential clients on the phone. I always insist on talking to the parents of young entertainers. I need to know that they support their teen in take contracted jobs seriously.

        Good luck!

      • http://jallits.com/ Daniel Craig Jallits

        Landing that first gig is hard. I would bet that getting freelance work via bidding on a website like eLance will not work for you until you have some completed work which has been done for a client other than yourself in your portfolio.

        That being said, don’t be afraid to use your parents or your friends parents as references, with their knowledge of it first. Heck! Maybe one of your teachers might know someone who is looking for a little work to be done. Most likely one or both parents are working and have their own professional network. Use that to your advantage.

      • http://www.mattegan.net Matt Egan

        Holy cow you guys :D Thanks for the responses (I’ve goten e-mails from some of you too). I’m actually working on a site now for a gaming clan, and just now updated my portfolio. Thanks for the support and suggestions!

        • http://youthbloggers.net/ Patrick DeVivo

          I’m 15 at the moment, and used to take on “freelance” work, but just could not handle the load with school work and other priorities. I still get emails and requests, but I usually turn them down because of lack of time.

          My suggestion, is go for it **but only if you can handle it**. Most people are willing to work with teenagers, as long as they know their stuff.

        • Chris

          If I was sourcing a programmer and reviewed your site, I’d be very concerned with an obvious lack of any sort of grammatical or spelling review. I’d also be concerned when I checked out your blog and found this in the opening paragraph of your latest entry:

          “Well, my mind doesn’t like to focus on the task at hand, unless I really really enjoy the task at hand.”

          Frankly, that’s the last thing I want to hear from my freelance developer, and it’s about what I’d be inclined to believe is true about a 14-year old.

          Reputation management isn’t just an SEM strategy. As a freelancer, you are your brand, and when your brand comes off as self-admittedly flaky, or lacking in attention to detail, there’s enough to be concerned about to move on to the next guy.

      • Mel

        Hi Matt

        I am 27 now but I have been at this game since I was 16, its very difficult for clients to take you seriously. There are a number of reasons why, some of it is down to bias, at 14 you are not very experience etc, on the other hand there are also legal aspects, You cannot legally sign a contract, not sure about where you live but where I live the minimum age someone can work is 14 and 9 months and even though you wouldn’t be an employee that may also be an issue.

        My Advice to you is not to worry too much about the attitudes of these businesses continue developing you skills and working on your own projects, try and pick up pro-bono work for local charities and non-profit organizations. Its all about developing and improving on your current skill set (no matter how good you are or think you are there is always room for improvement). You may not be making money from these projects but what you are doing is investing in your future, you’ll be getting a head start on your peers by the time you leave high school, college or university you will already have a very good skill set and portfolio.

        If you CAN pick up a bit of paid work go for it, target small local businesses in your community, they may not pay much but with each project you building your portfolio and you will get a little older in time. Never lie about your age but don’t advertise it.

        Mel

      • Cornholio

        If all of your clients of your self then why have a portfolio? Also think of re-designing your web page, I think it’s too busy!

      • Phil

        I’m 18 and have been providing web / graphics design for around 7 years, As i’ve read all the post above they point out some very good points in starting up, as does the informative thread.

        However the problem that exists in start up designers at a young age is getting the work, and getting the work sometimes requires to know valuable people or to get yourself out there in the first place.

        And even though creating a website to sell your skills might seem to be a good idea, however now with thousands of porfolios, development websites and professionals around that know how to get out there effectively and sell themselves, it will be very hard for you to attract the attention you want.

        As the above comments said, create a portfolio, always inform people about every website you make, write about the timescale of the website and what you enjoyed about making it and more. (Important to note never rush a project as the thread suggests as you will end up with shoddy work) This will let people know your dedicated to your work, and most of all have fun doing it. Thats an attractive thing for clients to know as they will trust you more regardless of your age.

        Thinking a head I’ve always found has helped me in the way that I used to only spent 50% of my time looking and working for clients the rest I used on school and anything else. However when your not working for clients in that time, dont slack off (Like I started to do) always be building on your language skills and develop your skills further, the more you know the more your prepaired and the more you can offer your clients.

        But the older you get you tend to be more focused on work itself as thats what you need to survive. Mixed in with social life and family the less time you will have to learn and develop your skills. So my point is to not focus on getting clients at 14, use your time to develop your skills as thats the most important thing you will ever need (along side experience) in getting the work.

        You must not forget that the money will come later and while you still live with family is a perfect time to perfect your skills as they can support you with living.

        I know some people will disagree on this point, as I really don’t like to say it myself. However there will be a lot of distractions as you develop your skills and get older, you may decide your better off elsewhere…perhaps graphics design. Atleast this was the case for me…While experience in the areas is required for creating websites don’t try and tackle the possibility of 2 jobs as you will find yourself being a handy man (which is good) however not a professional. To be the best in your field is too time consuming to do ballance too many skills at once. So develop the skills you need the most and doing so will result in better quality of work, and ultimately more clients later in life.

        Personal projects are a really great way to improve management skills and development skills and even portfolio aslong as there not too ambicious, as a project that may take years may not give you the skills you need to keep ahead of the game especially if the project crumbles which there is always a high risk of happening. So keep projects ambicious but try keeping them small so that they dont dominate your development life. They have more chance of making you some money in most cases.

        Good luck, And I really hope that helps someone.

        Phil.

      • http://www.tdesignonline.com Richard Lee

        Just don’t disclose your age unless they ask… show your skills not your personal stuff (you can do that in your blog or something). I’m 23 and just graduated with a web design degree and people still don’t take me seriously. Really they want something done professional… you know? and you can give that to them without them having to know your birthday ( :

        Blessings…

      • Dara

        People will usually shy away from a 14 year old because they might not know about best business practices, copyright (yes even code is copyrighted), and perhaps become a liability. Also, when you say you are handy with PhotoShop, do your clients expect a 14 year old to afford an $800+ program? These are necessary issues to address.

        You have great advice and support from many people. Take all the reasons why people won’t hire a 14 year old, and give them a counter-reason that you are the right person for the job.

        I would agree with Phil though. Build your skills now, follow the web trends, and worry about landing clients down the road. I started out making NeoPets profile and shop layouts. Make your family and friends websites. This not only builds your portfolio, but your skills as well.

        Always do something you’ve never done before in each new project.

      • http://www.liquidtutorials.com jake walker

        same im 16 and will be leaving school at the end of this year and i want to freelance on the side of a job?

      • Milos

        Hi,
        Im almoast 17 and I want to do webdesign on my own in the future. You hear that?! In the FUTURE!!!

        Listen, you might think you know everything and you’re the best in everything, but the truth is, you don’t and you’re not!

        You have soooo much to learn!!! I don’t understand why are you so impatient? Just learn,learn,learn and don’t get ahead of your self! Go check out some cool sites and try to make some stuff they have. If you can’t do it, search the net. Look for tutorials. You’ll learn a lot that way. As you get older you’ll discover more and more.

        One more thing. You’re 14 dude! I wouldn’t hire you if you were the last guy on the planet! As crazy as this might sound, I wouldn’t hire myselft right now. Simply because of the exp. I already did one website with my uncle, I learned a LOT on how to communicate with costumers in general and also some cool secrets and tricks for creating websites.

        All you need to worry about for now, is to learn new stuff and get experience.

      • Chris

        I know this article has been up for a little while now, but I thought I would throw an extra comment in to all of the underage would-be developers.

        Though you may know how to do the job, and even if you present yourself professionally, there is one hurdle that you can’t overcome when trying to do business. You are under the age of majority.

        This may sound like I am picking on your because of your age, but that is not my intention. The real difficulty is that doing business with a minor is legally risky. I am not a lawyer, but from what I recall hearing in the the business law class I took back in college, a contract with a minor is not binding. This means that an adult that contracts with you to design and develop a site may end up paying you and not ever get their site. Furthermore, they have no legal recourse because you are under 18.

        Until you turn 18, stick to working on small, volunteer sites that can help you improve your skills, both technical and personal, and build a stunning portfolio. Once you turn 18 and preferably after you graduate from high school, try your hand at the professional market again. You will have a much greater likelihood of success since you are legally bound to the contracts you sign.

    • Hassan

      Hey this seems great, I’ve read a part of it and sounds great. Thanks for sharing buddy :)

      Best Regards,

      Hassan

    • http://thedailyapp.com Tommy M

      I submitted an article very similar to this, but was told that NETTUTS doesn’t post stuff like this – that it’s more for freelanceswitch audience. Why did we post this on NETTUTS and not freelance?

      • Chesham

        I dunno, I’ve noticed that the Tuts+ sites are starting to move away from just posting tutorials to doing stuff like this lately (it’s been happening for a little while). When did you submit your article?

    • Katrina

      What a great article. There are lots of “take-aways” and lessons to be learned here for the aspiring freelancer.

      Thank You.

    • http://masonsklut.com Mason Sklut

      That was really helpful. Thanks for those tips Glen.

    • http://blog.technicallycoordinated.com/ Brett Shegogue

      Great tips! I do have some concern with web based freelance bidding sites. i see people offering ridiculous low rates ($10 for a full site?). How can these people afford to pay their bills at this rate? I understand aggressive bidding, but freelancers need to help each other out by not going with these low-ball bids.

      • http://www.shaunguido.com Shaun Guidolin

        You cannot worry too much about what other people do in other countries. People looking to fill these positions will look for different things.

        The old adage is “you get what you pay for.”

        As a designer that’s used freelancers for written content, I’ve went both ways. I’ve picked the lowest price from India, but I’ve also went with a higher priced person in the USA because I felt more comfortable with their pitch.

        My advice is to set a realistic price and stick to it. You can always try and find people in other ways other than those bidding sites.

    • henry

      nice! good to see this type of articles!

    • http://www.christopherleedesign.com Chris

      Just the article I needed! Thanks! It’s a big pond out there and us who are new to the world of freelancing can sometimes feel like little fish. This article definately gives a good scope of what it takes and a much needed boost in confidence.

    • http://twitter.com/furley furley

      Envato has a whole site dedicated to this, http://freelanceswitch.com/. It’s loaded with supplementary info on freelancing. Also has a great podcast. The perfect thing to listen to while freelancing!

    • http://logixstudios.com Brandon

      One statement that was missed in this article that I think can provide a lot of guidance and insight into launching a freelance career is the importance that working in an established design firm can provide. Working for someone else will give you the discipline and very valuable business advice. I’m not saying you have to do this but the experience you’ll gain in business and in management will help you greatly through your freelance career.

      • http://www.shaunguido.com Shaun Guidolin

        agree and it’s important that not everyone is cut out to work for themselves.

        when you are young it’s pretty easy, but as you get old and you get a wife/husband and kids, it’s rather stressful to scour for money.

    • http://www.dreamslikefire.com/ Joe Hickman

      This is excellent advice! I have a ton of projects under my belt and I still have to follow some of these same principles. If you’re dedicated, it will come.

    • joell

      tnx for the helpful info!

      This is great man..

    • http://www.my619.com Kris

      Great article…I started part time back in ’06. I started back in ’02 learning photoshop and was using DW to do drag and drop website creation. A friend of mine who is a professional web designer pushed me to learn CSS/XHTML and MODx (CMS). I sat down for 6 weeks straight on the Christmas break of ’06 (my full time job was out during that time). So I learned those things and was able to provide a much sought after service. Last year my business did killer! Lots of hard work (easily spending 60/hours per week that first year) paid off. It’s definitely doable if you enjoy it and are passionate about it.

    • Brian

      The most important tip I have for you freelancers is:

      Get out of the house and do door to door business sales. Meeting prospecting clients face to face is the most effective way to pick up business. Forget the phone and forget internet for marketing.

      It’s about physical and social contact. It’s hard to forget a good face to face conversation. I like to find a few businesses, study their business strategy and approach them with something that will blow them away. It has never failed!

      • http://www.shaunguido.com Shaun Guidolin

        I agree 100% .. as a person that didn’t really do this, let me tell you, you can become buried at home and be afraid of what’s outside of your safe zone.

        If you start out in this manor it will only help you .. in fact it wouldn’t hurt to find a partner that can work the sales sides of things and you guys split the cash.

        Local business is the biggest market at the moment. Believe it or not, most business are not yet online.

        • http://www.demoehn.de DeMoehn_sm

          Yeha we do this very often.
          I’m working as programmer together with a great designer.

          At most of our meetings are just face to face.
          Showing the clients some really good presentations of our last work which will get them on their knees for us begging to do the work.

          No, to be earnest. A real good Presentation and a nice meeting is very good, espescially if you want the client to recommend you to others.
          A face is harder to forget than just an E-Mail Adress.

    • http://rcthegreatblog.com Rahul Chowdhury

      Its a great article. Thanks for it.

    • http://creativepayne.com Aaron Payne

      Just started freelancing about a month ago full-time. I love it so far. It’s a bit scary but very exciting at the same time.

      Helpful article.

      Thanks!

    • desu

      @Mat Egan
      Whoa 14 years old, too younger for my country to be a freelance. Hope you be the best :)

      And this post, I like thanks for it…

    • http://www.visual-blade.com Daquan Wright

      Explore, experiment, and research..you’ll eventually find your way.

      Great article, communication is key with anything business related.

    • http://www.freshclickmedia.com Shane

      Interesting stuff. I’m holding down a 9-5 job, but trying to get into freelance work for a variety of reasons.

      With the advent of the internet, things have changed so much. It’s now easier for younger people to do this type of work.

    • http://www.colorlab.nl Vincent

      Nice article. Curious if I am ever able to make the complete switch and leave a default 9-5 behind.

    • http://www.moraywebsolutions.com MorayWeb

      Very interesting article, and it comes at a crucial stage in my own freelance/self employed venture. Thanks for sharing!

    • http://www.ferdychristant.com Ferdy

      “Don’t be afraid to work on a project if you don’t know exactly how to finish it. That’s what our good friend Mr. Google is there for”

      Terrible advise. The rest of the article is great though.

      • http://www.freshclickmedia.com Shane

        I take your point here. You certainly don’t want to start something if you don’t know anything about it.

        However, whilst I don’t agree with Glen here, you do need to take the plunge sometimes, and have the confidence that you can do a job.

      • http://www.millconsult.com Brad

        While I wouldn’t necessarily disagree completely with you, I do believe Shane is correct in that you have to take the plunge at some point and begin learning different things. I started out as a complete idiot doing Photoshop designs and allowing the program to slice it up into tables and posting that to the web- and people were paying me!

        Eventually I began learning CSS and valid HTML, then moved on to PHP and now jQuery- but all of this typically came about due to client demand and I just sucked it up and learned it. Now I not only Freelance, but have a large contract that requires me on site 3 days out of the week developing and maintaining two large websites that 3 years ago I would have never known where to begin on.

        • http://www.shaunguido.com Shaun Guidolin

          I’ve found sometimes you have to be thrown to the fire before you learn anything. When I started I knew some html and a bit of graphics. But when the company I worked for had their e-commerce package & team ripped from them, we were left with nothing.

          So I grabbed a copy of (what is now) osCommerce, a php book and started coding. In a matter of a couple years, I built my own ecomm engine, that’s now expanded to 3 sites >> cheap plug >> www,pmpperfumes.com <<

          I still use google on a daily basis to fill in holes in my knowledge, without it I’d be stuck. php.net gets contast attention from me as well.. you never stop learning.

      • http://www.demoehn.de DeMoehn_sm

        You shouldn’t to anything of which you don’t know at least a glance.
        But doing something new or something harder than staying always in your compfort zone is really useful.
        I always programmed some Website with a Newsscript or a Guestbook or so as the biggest I could do.
        But someday there was a client who wantent some kind of CMS like Website.
        And my principle is to do websites made-to-measure so I couldn’t usw CMS like Typo3 or Joomla! so I just started creating my own small one.
        The client is happy now and I discovert how to useing a Template System, jQuery and some other nice stuff

    • Snorri – Css

      Nice Article

    • Michael

      I’m 20 years old, and very interested in freelance. But how do you guys get clients? Do you search for them, and contact them directly? Or do you know someone who knows someone, and so on?

      Michael.

      • Brian

        It first started out as helping friends and then their friends. I never offered cheap service because I was just a ‘friend’. If you want to be treated as a professional, you have to act like one, even with friends. This is the most important ground work before approaching a company.

        Once I got my hands on a large group of friends projects, my portfolio was large enough to actually approach company’s.

        Like I said earlier, you need to put your self out their and not be afraid of any negative outcomes. Just hold you head high with professionalism and let the Customer know you can help them, and possibly change the way there business is visualized to the public. Nothing is going to happen on it’s own and certainly do not solely rely on word of mouth.

      • http://www.demoehn.de DeMoehn_sm

        Knowing people is mostly everything.
        And start knowing people ist very easy.
        Just begin doing some web-work for friends or family and maybe someone visits this site or someone out of the family knows a person with a small business which wants a tiny website.
        So I started doing some websites for friends and some private things like gamepages or picturepages and so on.
        Then you’ll have a bigger Portfolio like “Brian” said and maybe some finds your work somewhere or someone is the friend of the person with the small business and the tiny page you createt someday.
        If your work was good and the client liked it he will recommend you and so you’ll start getting to know more people

    • Pantelis Vratsalis

      Thanks Glen, great piece of advice.

      I’m in the process of starting as a freelancer after quitting my job (in another field, but that’s a whole different story :) to follow my passion about web development and web design. The advices you’ve given will certainly help in the rolling out phase.

      Many thanks again!

    • Mongo

      Not to put a downer on the younger developers and all but I am not sure, if I was a client, if I would hire someone so young. You guys may have the skills to make a site, even if some of the ones you have shown are a little buggy (browser compatibility, Semantics, Accessibility etc) its the fact that you don’t have the life skills to put a decent looking site together. The old saying of a monkey can create a picture, but an artist creates a masterpiece.

      I might be wrong and we may have a few web developer Beethoven’s now a days, but personally I think you should wait a few years before complaining about not being able to get jobs when you haven’t got the experience to do a great job.

      am sorry if I have offended, not meant to, and am sure am not the only one who thinks like this.

    • http://www.squareart.co.za gez

      Nicely done Glen, and I love the pics.
      Thanks for the article.

    • http://www.mogillmedia.com Mike

      Excellent article!

    • http://melalouise.net Pamela Ueckerman

      A few other tips from a seasoned freelancer:

      - Don’t pidgeonhole yourself to certain kinds of projects, if you find you’re getting a lot of a certain kind of work, go with the flow. I started out offering templates to small business but got lots of work from designers wanting PSD files cut up into HTML/CSS

      - Keep track of how long you spend on certain kinds of tasks to help you estimate future projects more accurately – e.g. cutting up a WordPress blog template

      - If you’re stuck for work, take on some pro bono work to help build your portfolio

      - In slight disagreement with this article I’d say don’t start out charging too low because it makes it hard to change that rate for repeat clients and it cheapens not only yourself but the whole industry – it sets an expectation to clients for how much that sort of work is. If you are doing a good job, charge what its worth.

      • http://www.shaunguido.com Shaun Guidolin

        Good point Pamela on the pro-bono part. *Prove* your work before they pay. If your stuff is good enough, then this is a great way to get started.

    • http://www.salesonlineworld.com Kayles Kai

      NIce Article..! Really worth reading ..!

      Thanks a lot for Sharing.

    • wayno007

      Thanks for a great article. I’ve done some web development on the side while keeping my full-time employment — the extra money is nice! There’s some good nuggets here that I can apply to my business.

    • http://www.crearedesign.co.uk Martyn Web

      Great article,

      I think you have to be the right type of person to begin freelancing as I know I have way to many distractions at home to prevent me from working, and it seems like theres alot more trivial tasks to keep on top of as well and thats where my organisational skills would fail.

    • http://www.datamouse.biz DataMouse

      Great article!

      When I was starting out, RentACoder was the best option for me.
      It enabled me to build a portfolio and use the feedback left by clients to use as testimonials.
      The downside is the pricing. I was developing sites from scratch (design, slice, code) including ecommerce stores and blogs for the equivilent of about $30-$50, as RAC take a percentage.
      After a couple of months of low wage and living on rice and peas, I had enough experience of both design and dealing with clients to increase my bids.
      Now, i only use RAC to fill in “quiet” times in my work.

    • http://www.brendan-owers.co.uk Brendan

      Every article that get puts up on here seems to always be at the right time for me!!

      Great article, great tips for freelancers just starting out (like myself) and those who’ve already been doing it!

      Thanks

    • http://www.johndeszell.com John Deszell

      Good article, I just started Freelancing part time. It’s been kinda rough so far, but it’s all about the experience. Then it will get to be the point were the other stuff besides the actual development comes easy.

      I just couldn’t imagine diving in head first to full time freelancing when you have to support yourself. If you were young and lived with your parents, that maybe a different story.

    • http://www.marcosuarez.com Marco

      Billings 3 is amazing! Thanks for tipping me onto it!

    • http://thewebgoods.com Ben G

      Awesome post, thanks for your valuable tips!

    • http://ivorpadilla.com iPad

      What a great great! article, As always Nettuts.- Bookmarked*

    • http://aaronhalford.com Aaron

      I may sound like a broken record, but if you have to ask how to be a freelancer you probably should rethink your career plans and keep your day job.

      Good luck!

    • http://chrisberthe.com/ chrisberthe

      Wow! Thank you so much. I was actually having a conversation about this very same topic last night with a friend who’s a web developer. I have 3 clients for this summer but had no idea how to go about billing.

      Thanks Glen!

    • http://banhawi.com/ Banhawi

      Awesome article ,thanks .

    • http://www.quizzpot.com crysfel

      thanks for the reading…. been a freelance its complicated at the beginning

    • Ade

      There is a lot of sound advice there, particularly with regard to management of time and costs, which is difficult initially. I would add a point about learning from the almost inevitable early mistakes and clients that don’t work out, for whatever reason. Don’t let the knockbacks get to you but learn from them instead. You will occasionally encounter difficult clients but they can be a great source of learning! How you deal with them will get better every time.

      For those who have asked about finding clients, I always recommend networking as much as possible, and I don’t mean the obvious online stuff. Actually meet people, join a business federation and/or industry body, get a business advisor, make use of resources aimed at new business start-ups. They are at once a source of help and of potential clients. Likewise, find an accountant – you will need one anyway.

    • http://fearlessflyer.com Michael Soriano

      Thanks for this. I especially liked the section where I should teach. Now I have a direction. I’ve done all of the above – except the teaching part. Thank you.

    • http://www.zitrox.com michael

      nice article..

      i remember a lot of this things. especially the disciplline ;)
      i work now since more than 3 years on my own, but i still have troubles to
      work every day ;)

      as soon as you can do what ever you want, it will be harder from day to day to really sit on your desk and just work ;)

    • http://www.freecss.info Free CSS Templates

      Some great tips. The biggest thing for me is what to quote.

    • t. johnston

      great article, but something here confused me. the top half says to charge lower because you’re starting out, and then the second half says charge higher to win the job. a bit of a contradiction, right?

    • http://samgbrown.net Sam Brown

      I’m not finding it too easy to start out – I’m having trouble finding any clients – any more tips on that? I often find websites such as you listed there is an uneven balance between the amount of clients and the amount of people bidding on projects. You usually end up with competition nearly in the 100s for a single project.

      Great article though, thanks.

    • jermaine

      I been waiting for a post like this thanks.

    • http://redouane.abouhafs.name Redouane Abouhafs

      Great article!

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