Be an Awesome Freelancer with Tips from these Awesome Freelancers

Being a freelancer is pretty awesome. The creative freedom of freelancing helps you develop as a designer or any other field you’re in. It allows you to work anywhere, your home or outside, and it allows you to be flexible with your time, which is a plus for clients.

So why not jump into freelancing? Are you nervous? Well, don’t be! Luckily, you have advice from four awesome freelancers. So read up and then jump right in.

1. To start off, thank you for taking time out of your schedule for this interview! Our readers today are learning how to become awesome freelancers like yourself, so tell them what you do and about your business.

David Zemens: My name is David Zemens. I own 1955 Design, a small website development business located in Rochester, Michigan. My particular interest and emphasis is developing clean looking and functional websites that adhere to current web design standards. My skill set also includes developing and implementing custom WordPress blog themes. In fact, I use WordPress as the back end content management system for all the websites that I design. I am constantly learning new ways to extend WordPress to satisfy the needs of my clients.

Amber Weinberg: I’m a front-end web developer with other 10 years of experience. I specialize in CSS/HTML and WordPress development and I write a daily blog at www.amberweinberg.com. I also just released www.codesnipp.it into beta last week along with Nikita Makeyev. Right now I’m working towards learning Obj C to put out some iPhone/iPad apps. I am a true geek.

Tiana: I’m Tiana, the owner of Tiana Mae Design. I specialize in print design, web design and social media marketing for individuals, non-profits and small to mid-sized companies.

Michal Kozak: Hey, thanks for the opportunity to share some of my thoughts. I consider myself a web developer and designer, although I gotta say, I enjoy developing slightly more. For years I’ve been building websites for small and medium business almost exclusively, but for the past two years I’ve been exploring new fields, like: logo design, all kinds of print design, building web-apps and engines for e-commerce sites, developing AIR applications and browser extensions. On top of that, I’m in the process of developing my own JavaScript library; unfortunately it’s a side project, so it will take some time before I release it.

2. When did you start freelancing and how was it like starting out?

David: I started my business in 2005 while I was still employed full time in an unrelated field. In the fall of 2006 I retired and now focus my full time energy on website design. Working full time at the outset was good as it allowed me to have a consistent cash flow while I worked on developing my client base. Since retiring I have been able to devote far more time to expanding my business.

To be honest, learning the “business end” of my business has been tougher than learning the “website design” end of my business. Running the business takes almost as much time as actually developing and designing websites, something that I failed to take into account when I initially established my rate structure.

Amber: I’ve freelanced on and off for over 6 years, since freshmen year of college. I went full-time freelance last September. It was tough at first, I went about two months with barely any clients, but now I stay pretty scheduled up all the time.

Tiana: I started freelancing in January of 2010. Every day since then has presented new challenges. I resolve most obstacles by networking with other professionals and learning how they would solve the same issues. I also pushed myself to absorb as much information as I could by becoming an active member of the AIGA, InDesign User-Groups, and Lynda.com.

Michal: I remember vividly when I started. It was back in 2000, in April, I built and launched my first website. It was about my favourite game of all times, Final Fantasy 7. I enjoyed the process so much that I wanted to do some more immediately! Back then, there were no great sites on the topic, so I was learning mostly from experimenting and others’ code. I was literally inhaling everything I could find and/or learn from. That was the single most great and exciting experience of my life, and it changed everything.

3. What’s your favorite part about freelancing?

David: It sounds cliche, but I love having no boss and no set hours. However, to be successful as a freelancer you have to be your own boss, and sometimes it’s harder working for “the man” when it’s yourself than when it’s somebody else. Similarly, having no set hours seems glamorous, I suppose, but more often than not it means working *longer* hours than those employed in a more traditional setting. But it’s still great to be your own boss!

Amber: Being able to choose who I work with and what type of projects I do.

Tiana: I have no limit to my creativity! If I have a zany idea I would like to try out or a new way of approaching my business goals, there is no one to stop me. Also, I am doing what I love best every day. My career is my passion and I get paid to do what I love. Not many people can say that.

Michal: Learning. You won’t find this much freedom in any other job. You don’t have a boss breathing on your neck and no one can tell you what you should do or what to do next. Therefore, there’s absolutely no excuse not to learn constantly. Whatever interests you, explore it and devote to it entirely.

4. What’s the downside of freelancing for you?

David: I have found the hardest part of the business is setting limits on what part of the day is “work”. It’s not uncommon for me to be working at 6:00am and still working at midnight. If I am not actively working on a project I am always working on developing new skills for the next project. It’s hard to fit this all into an eight hour day.

Amber: It’s a little lonely sometimes, and trying to keep up with everything and everyone can be a bit daunting.

Tiana: Accounting! This was not my God-given gift, but as one who has to “wear all the hats”, this has become a necessary skill to master. Quickbooks has become my new best friend…as well as my wonderful, local accountant.

Michal: Well, that’s the good one. What I hate about freelancing is that some people don’t take it seriously. Just because you’re at home they feel like they can call whenever they want or ask you to do something. After all, it will take only minute, right? These things not only distract you but they make you feel like what you do is not really important. If anyone else experience these kinds of situation, I strongly advise you to rent an office, far away from your home.

5. Do you have tools that you use to maintain your freelancing business?

David: Tools? Sure, pretty much a standard list. Since I do all my HTML and CSS coding by hand I used Notepad for this. I also use Photoshop for virtually all of my design work. I am a devotee of Mozilla Firefox for my web browsing, but I must admit that Google Chrome is starting to draw me in more and more, too. I’m still stuck in a rut and use an older version of Microsoft Money to handle my business accounting, but since Microsoft is going to stop supporting that product soon I am in search of another piece of software to handle that in the future.

Amber: I use Billings for time tracking/invoicing/quotes/accounts and Snowmint Budget for personal/business budgeting. I use Coda for my IDE and am still stuck with using Photoshop for slicing, since the “alternatives” to Photoshop aren’t really usable. I also use the iPhone SDK for app building.

Tiana: I definitely have tools I could not live without. There are the essential items like my MacBook Pro, Western Digital external hard drive and Adobe CS5 Creative Suite, but those tools don’t set me apart from any other designer.

These are two tools that set me apart which don’t even require technology:
1. Social networking prowess: I am very intentional about creating meaningful business relationships. I keep a close eye on the upcoming networking events that promote the arts, social media or young entrepreneurs. I enjoy interacting with those that have similar business goals. Put me in a room with 100 people I don’t know, and by the end of the evening I will have exchanged at least 10 business cards.
2. A dedicated fan group: I don’t have a huge following on Twitter or Facebook like other big name designers, but the followers that I do have are very loyal. People who have worked with me on design projects before have been my greatest advocates. Most of them have passed my name on to other individuals or businesses for future projects. To me, that is a huge compliment. It says a lot about how people value my work.

Michal: Well, there’s my Mac, I do 95% of my work on it. Several apps, obviously: TextMate for coding, Billings for tracking time and invoicing, Photoshop and Illustrator for designing, iCal and Anxiety for managing my time and daily to-dos. I also have a moleskine so I give my ideas a visual presence, and a small contact book which I always have in my pocket, no matter where I am. You never know when you might need it.

6. Lastly, what advice do you have for freelancers just starting out?

David: Will Rogers once said “If you want to pick the fruit you have to go out on the limb.” I think this applies to anyone who wants to make the jump to being a freelancer. Like Nike says, “Just do it!”. But always remember to check that limb carefully and make sure it will support your weight!

Amber: To be successful, you have to WANT to be successful. You can just say one day “I think I’ll maybe try to freelance” and then sit around hoping something comes to you/ You have to really want it and think about it 24/7. Kind of like the Rocky scene where he spends all day and night training for his big fight. That’s gotta be you, or you’ll most likely fail.

Tiana: 1. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know.
There is no way you will know every trick of the trade at the get-go. The only way you will learn is by doing. So, dive in, get your feet wet and enjoy the ride!
2. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
If you’re just getting started, it’s not a matter of if you will make a mistake, it’s when you will make a mistake. The true test of character will come out in how you deal with those mistakes. Don’t sweep them under the rug. Be honest. If you admit your mistake to a client immediately and offer a solution to that problem before they have to call you out on it, more often than not, they will be grateful for your integrity to confront the issue in a straight-forward manner.

Michal: Change and reshape. If there’s anything you want to try and explore – do it, right now. There’s no point in waiting, it just pushes you away from who you can be. The more you know, the more valuable you are and the more confident you become.

What tips do you have?

Thank you to all of the freelancers who were featured in this interview! As a reader, do you have anything to add? All freelancers are different and experience different things, share your tips and advice to help new freelancers become awesome freelancers.