Let me stop you right there. This avenue isn't for everyone.
There's a lot of hard work, long hours, and probably more stress than you can imagine.
Everyone's reasoning and goals are different, but I couldn't morally let people go ahead without some warning.
But I don't want to dump all over people's dreams (as some did for me).
Let me go through what I did to get started.
My story began ages since, in a time almost lost to history.
I've been through a lot in the years I've been working for myself. To be honest, I cannot remember the year from the top of my head, but I've had enough ups and downs and different stages of "working for myself" that it does feel like a few distinct lifetimes.
All I remember that in my early 20's I wanted to work for myself. I wanted the freedom and flexibility to work when I wanted, and not for the sake of money.
If there was something that I needed to do, such as some DIY, some shopping, or just to have some time to relax, I didn't want the pressure of sitting for 2 hours in rush-hour traffic per day and end up spending roughly £10-20 at Starbucks per week just so that I wasn't late for work (and that's precisely what I did).
Ultimately, I needed super flexi-time.
I've had a few jobs over the years. I've been a warehouse worker, an intern, bar staff, head of finance, and ultimately ending in web development, so I like to think I have a range of experience.
Perhaps that has helped me hone my skills in order to run my own web development business. I'm good at it, I enjoy it, and I like making my clients happy.
I left my last employment with a sigh of relief. It wasn't a horrible place to work in by any stretch of the imagination, I actually learned quite a lot and valued my time there, but having that freedom and that push to actually pursue my dreams was literally a breath of fresh air.
Story time is over, let's get down to some practicalities.
This is from my own experience, "going it alone", and within the UK.
Things have also changed a fair amount (hello IR35), so please do your own research into what to do. I just hope this helps point you in the right direction.
Okay, so if you're operating within the UK, you need to get yourself sorted out with HMRC.
There are multiple options available (all make you "self employed"):
For once, the GOV website came in handy for me to explain what each is (see more here), but the gist is...
You work for yourself, however you please. You find work to do, and invoice for it. All the money is yours, and all the responsibility.
All you have to worry about is the Self Assessment each year.
Read more at: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-sole-trader
Similar to a Sole Trader, a Partnership is basically saying "I'm working with this entity". I say "entity" because it could be a person, or a company, or multiples of each.
Each partner files their own taxes, etc., like a Sole Trader, but the responsibilities are shared between.
More info: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-sole-trader
Okay, now we're serious.
This is requires the most work, due to the level of admin (Registration, Accounts, Tax Returns, Confirmation Statement).
Even after doing this for years and having a good system in place, I am always anxious about it.
That being said, there really isn't much change to how your business will operate. You still need to win clients, get work, and be paid. However, it did come with some perks for me.
Being a Limited Company does offer some protections, and advantages.
When I first started out contracting, for whatever reason, I had to operate as a Limited Company, or under an Umbrella Company.
I'm assuming for taxes and stuff, but I didn't get into freelancing for someone else to take a percentage of my pay, so I moved from being a Sole Trader to a Limited Company.
It costs £12 to set up a Limited Company, but it isn't so straight forward. Luckily there are agents and other methods out there to do this for you, if you've got the money.
Some light reading: https://www.gov.uk/limited-company-formation
Okay, "accounts" basically means bookkeeping or dealing with money.
So you need to keep track of everything coming in and going out, and making sure they all match up.
When I first started, I did this with a spreadsheet. It worked pretty well, when business was simple, but it quickly got crazy when I didn't keep it up-to-date or missed something.
Then there were the annual returns.
One thing I'd heavily recommend is a business bank account. I'm not sure if this is mandatory for Limited Companies, but for Sole Traders, you can get away with a personal bank account.
I've read some articles that banks don't like personal accounts to be used for business, but considering that having a separate account for business uses made keeping my Accounts far easier.
I wouldn't have to go through each transaction and see if it was business related or not, and I could quickly see when I "paid" myself.
The downside to using a business bank account is the cost. I've yet to see a completely free business account, but when I signed up, I got a year's free banking, so I wasn't charge, and then it moved to fee per transaction, with £5/month minimum.
It has since scrapped the minimum amount, and is just the "per transaction", which is nice now, but after years of scraping by, and on average costing less than £1/month in fees, they took a LOT from me.
However, I do get something for free from my Bank (more later), so perhaps it's paying itself off now.
You can move from bank to bank to keep the year's free banking and get the best deals, but this costs time, sometimes money, and you'd have to change all your payments terms, etc. It also looks bad ("why do you keep switching banks?")
Honestly, find a decent one and stick with it.
Ah ha! Now on to the fun part (remember, I was the Head of Finance at one point).
As I mentioned earlier, I used a business bank account and spreadsheets to keep track of my accounts. This works really well to begin with, but then you run into so many issues.
Luckily, my experience helped me understand the process and know what I needed, but hiring an accountant to do this for you, or using specialist software helps a great deal.
Sure, it'll be easy to keep track of how much money you've got, but there are things like taxes and returns which need to be filed correctly, and you don't want to make things more difficult for yourself.
Trust me, I've lost countless nights stressing over this nonsense and you've got to remember those deadlines (and there are a lot if you've setup like me).
Let me be clear, I get this software for free because of my bank, but I would heavily consider paying for it if need be (I'm a developer, so I'd be tempted to make my own).
Since I don't pay them for it, there is no incentive for me to recommend them. They do have a referral scheme, but I'm not eligible.
Honestly, they've been a life saver since I've been using them and I don't think I could ever go back.
The support is excellent and they keep adding new features to make running a business easier.
Whereas before, "doing my taxes" took several days, I can get it done in less than an hour. It's true, I recorded it in their Time Tracking system.
They've got so many great features, this whole article could be just dedicated to them. Go check them out, and tell them I sent you. Maybe they'll be nice and send me a gift.
If not FreeAgent, get some software to help you keep track. Maybe you'll be lucky and get it free from your bank too.
I'll end this article here. It's very rare for me to write so much, so I'm quite surprised I'm going to make this a 2-parter. Who knows, maybe even a third!
It isn't "easy street", but it is well worth it. Even as I pile more admin upon myself by growing and expanding (I know have to sort out pensions since I'm taking on employees), I don't think I could ever go back.
In the next article I'll be explaining things you may want for your business (websites, emails, software), and luckily for you, I know how these things work... so perhaps you can trust me?
Until next time.
I'm writing this a few weeks into 2021, and as a UK business, the global pandemic has been "something else".
Now, back in March 2020, I had a fairly decent stream of work coming in. However when we first went into Lockdown, the work dried up.
A good number of my clients were in hospitality, and thus, were closed. Since they were closed, and not bringing money in, the budget for work dried up.
Even recently, I've been getting emails from them about more work, looking to pick up the projects again, but we've entered another Lockdown.
To be honest, I don't think I ever left the first and I don't know what number we are even on.
It's been a hard year for a lot of us; some more so than others, and my heart earnestly goes out to those who are struggling.
However, it is a new year! A fresh start, and all that!
Luckily for the business, I was able to pivot and find clients who needed work doing who weren't massively affected by the Lockdown. This meant that I could still bring money in and grow the business.
We've got exciting things in store. Recently bringing on an intern and looking at adding another member of staff shortly.
These are all part-time jobs, mainly because the work needs to come in and these employees need to "pull their weight", but I am very optimistic about this year.
Better still, these are people who are interested in learning and are wanting a fresh start themselves (new careers, etc.), so who am I to pass up on an opportunity like that?
I've also seen other "small local businesses" do well too. Some are my clients, and others are competition (either directly, or they snatch up the talent I was looking into). And, to be honest, I am glad. If more people are achieving their goals and dreams, all the better.
I don't write this to boast. If anything, I'm only writing this because I want to blog more (see various other published and draft posts scattered around).
But if it helps get the message across that "life goes on" and we shouldn't wait until things go back to normal, then at least some good has come of it.
So, if you want to help me support others in achieving their goals...
In case anyone reading this doesn't know, I've been working with WordPress since the very early days. I've seen a lot change, what to do and what not, and I will honestly say that WordPress is not the complete solution.
It is heavily limited in so many ways, and very vulnerable in others.
It's not entirely the developers fault. This free, open source system is accessible my everyone, and no one is perfect.
Anyway, the issue isn't with WordPress. The issue is with "developers", and there are so, so, so many of them.
As a developer, I've had to fix up a lot of sites where they've been built on systems that are ultimately abandoned. I've also had to build sites using mandatory themes and plugins.
And the sheer amount of work and stress I've put into these sites, it would have been far easier and cheaper to build a system from scratch; heck, the site would run a lot smoother to begin with.
I get it, you're on a budget and money is tight, and the lure of this "all in one, magic bullet system for less than a hundred quid" is very, very tempting, but here's the thing... they are absolutely rubbish (and there are thousands of them).
Given a year, the vast majority of them won't be updated any more.
Given a year, your "developer" who you've paid thousands to will tell you to hoof it (and I've seen that happen far too frequently).
Given a year, you'll be frantically running around, trying to find someone to fix your site for you because it's falling apart at the seams.
I write this off the fact I've spent the past two months fixing sites because their previous developers left their clients in the lurch, and essentially didn't care about the work once the invoice was paid.
I write this off the fact that I've had to calm owners and managers because their site is suddenly unusable and it's their primary source of income.
2020 is bad enough.
The TL;DR is find someone who is trustworthy and reputable... which is a hard thing nowadays, because there's a lot of snake-oil salesmen out there.
People will try to squeeze every penny out of you, and use very under-hand tactics in order to do it.
Or they will outsource it to someone else, for a fraction of the cost they are charging you, and it will be a dumpster fire. Again, I've seen this be the case.
At the end of the day, do your research like you are going to build it yourself.
Sure, you may not have the skills or the know-how, but look into it.
As someone who has to write up proposals and manage whole projects, it makes my life so much easier talking to clients who have a basic understanding of what they want.
Don't buy cheap (hence the title of this post). You will be paying far more in the long run.
Find someone that can show you what they can do, in a variety of different ways, and especially someone who actually knows how to build things from scratch.
And question all their decisions. Why are they using this theme, those plugins, why are they building it themselves, etc.
((but, you know, in a nice way so you are able to understand and not come across as nagging))
This is your idea, your livelihood, your money that you are spending, so ultimately, you are in charge.
I honestly do aim to write blog posts more frequently. I've got a notification set for Friday, 3.30PM, every two weeks called "Blog Post", but alas, I'm not consistent with it.
I have several drafts and notes written down, but finding the actual time to write something informative and fun isn't the easiest I find. I think it comes down to inspiration and motivation.
Anywho, I want to introduce you to some new friends of mine.
Why am I showing you these guys? (I've tried to sex them, and I think I've got 3 pairs).
Well, in complete honesty, it's to bring some peace and relaxation to my day to day.
This past few months has been all go for me; overworked, scope creep, clients changing their minds, the usual. I'm not complaining, much, because it is nice to be productive and make my clients happy with a job well done, but I needed something to pull me away from work.
I've been listening to "Turtles and Chill" on Twitch most days. It's soothing jazz, and some cameras pointing at a tank with fish and turtles swimming around. It's a relatively pleasant community there, albeit not that talkative, so it helps fend off the loneliness from social distancing, but isn't that distracting.
I've had fish before, generally cold water goldfish, and they grew massive, but I was young and they were a nightmare to care for because I didn't have the best setup for them.
This time, however, I've gone for something different; small tropical fish in a planted aquarium.
I mean, just have a look at the tank. This wasn't quite complete (I was waiting for some clips for the heater, and it has changed a little bit since), but it already looks so calming.
Sometimes I just get lost in watching all the fish go crazy during feeding time, watch as the Harelquin's swim upstream (literally against the filter outlet flow) and see who out of the bunch is hiding away (there seems to be one out of each shoal).
It's a relaxing and easy hobby, once you've got the correct setup and do things the right way.
Oh, you mean this dog?
You can't have him.
Having a dog has been great; an excuse to get out of my chair and outside for some exercise. He's the perfect fit. Daft, playful, but also sensitive and cuddly.
When he's out, he's got all the energy in the world, and when I need to work, he just curls up either on his bed or mine and goes to sleep.
My life is all the richer with him in it.
In all honesty, the only reason I am talking about my pets is simply because it takes me away from the computer. My days are usually 12+ hours in front of some form of screen.
Even when I'm not working for clients, I'm either working on my own projects, playing videogames, or chatting to friends online.
What you need is a hobby, something that takes you away from the busyness and allows you to reset; don't shirk your responsibilities, but don't run yourself into the ground either.
So, if it's going to the gym (or in my case, aikido [when we're allowed again]), walking the dog, walking yourself, aquascaping, painting miniatures, art, reading a book, whatever, take time out to do it.
I have been far more productive after a decent break/rest from the strain of work. Even a 15 minute break to make a cuppa and stare out of the window allows my brain to have a rest, and I've found whatever problem I've been smashing my head against for hours prior, I suddenly have a solution for.
Be kind to yourself.
As of writing this, we're mid-way through week 3 (week 3.5, if you will) of the UK Lockdown, and I have to say, it feels a whole lot longer.
But that's besides the point. A lot of people are feeling the pressure, a lot of businesses are. People have lost their jobs, work has slowed down significantly and people are adjusting to the "new norm".
I've always worked from home, not much has changed in that aspect, but it is difficult to see people struggling in these times, whether it be friends, family, my clients or just strangers on the street.
It doesn't help that people are treating this like an extended holiday.
Yes... sorry, my mind started to wander.
Essentially, it's important to be productive.
Perhaps there are some DIY or home improvements you've been wanting to do, perhaps it's time for a spring clean (trust me, it is rewarding to be able to clear the clutter and sit down in a fresh, clean, tidy home), or (hear me out) it's time to start working out, or even try your hand at a new/favourite hobby (cooking, baking, reading, etc.).
I've had a few projects which I've been working on, and since I've had more "free time" lately, I've been picking those back up.
One of which is Distraction Tactics.
Distraction Tactics is a small "indie" game development studio which focuses on working with freelancers and self-employed people in order to come together and make games.
There are a few games in development right now, and the outlook is optimistic on these.
This project really was a delight to work on. I learnt a lot by working on the site, and I think I am actually proud of it (which is a rarity for me, being a perfectionist).
The funny/annoying thing is that whilst finishing up the site (and I mean literally, as I was about to hit "deploy"), I had a bold, new idea... "why don't I used CSS Grid for this problem I faced? Why don't I rebuild the site with CSS Grid?"
No. Just no. Don't ever do this, because you'll get stuck in an endless cycle and nothing will ever get finished.
If it works, great, stick to it, and use your new idea for the next project.
Anyway, please go check out the site (I'll be adding it to the portfolio at some point), and constructive feedback is welcome.
And as per usual, shameless plug below.
I've been having loads of issues with my internet of late.
After an OS update, I suddenly was unable to stream; I was dropping all the frames. The only thing that had changed was an update in my OS.
Weird, right?
Using the updating and down-dating the drivers did nothing, but I was moving away from my ISP by this point, because of their terrible customer service, and the fact that you are essentially forced to use their equipment only (which is expensive and sucks).
So I moved ISP, to somewhere "faster" and cheaper.
Certainly cheaper... and third-party friendly, but as for reliable, no chance.
Although their supplied router actually reaches all parts of the house and doesn't randomly disconnect.
I've taken out the best possible plan they have for my area, and it's not a lot.
It's advertised as 35-50Mbps, but I am no where near that; for an entire month I was barely scratching past 20.
But "guaranteed" 31.8Mbps.
As for my upload... I'd be lucky to go over 3Mbps (despite advertised as 6-12Mbps).
Not only that, I can do one thing on the internet at any given time. Downloading a file literally obliterates any other connection, on the same machine or other device.
But what I did learn from this is that Mbps is not the same as MB/s. Both are per second but Mb is megabit and MB is megabyte. 8 bits in a byte.
So doing some tests, I was able to download a 500MB file in a few minutes, at 3.0-3.5MB/s, and that ate up my entire bandwidth. No control, and no consistency.
At least with my previous ISP I had a consistent wired connection (I aim to not use wireless if possible).
Even as I write this, I am currently watching someone stream on Twitch. That uses up 3-5Mbps, but trying doing anything else or visiting a site takes far too long.
It doesn't matter how long you've been a "developer" for, you always need to test things.
I say this coming off the back of spending this entire morning (yes, the same day as I am writing and publishing this article) going through this very site and fixing things with the theme.
I had recently been doing some updates to the parent theme, and without realising, inadvertently affected the site's child theme.
This essentially made my the responsiveness null and void. Developer error.
How long this was the case, I don't know, but it's only because some random person on Curious Cat sent me a "question" saying that my site wasn't very mobile friendly.
And I was shocked to find out they were right!
Even now I am still working on the theme.
Sure, I could have rolled back the themes or even just found old code, but in hindsight, it's better to re-write the code, to make it cleaner and up-to-date with modern technologies.
The main time-sink is the testing; going through each page and seeing what works and what doesn't on each of the browsers and devices; and there is even more testing afterwards.
So a huge thank you to the Anon user on Curious Cat for bringing this to my attention.
And it just goes to prove how you cannot just assume.
Some things are a given ("this should work first time", or "this works here, so it'll work here") and some things need to be put through the ringer, but everything should be tested and depending on how complex, all the more so.
The simpler, the better, IMO.
Update: A few hours after I wrote this, I broke the site. Luckily I had a backup of the working file that was causing the issue.
See, this is why testing and backups are important.
It's not uncommon to be rejected a lot when looking for work; you can send out resume after resume and only a handful will reply, and an even smaller amount for interviews.
It's even worse when you're essentially working on a commission.
Recently I've been looking for new clients and having a push into marketing.
Work from clients has been slow over Winter, and it's time to start stretching again, so I am actively looking for projects which will enable me to grow and develop my skills whilst providing an source of income for the business; it's not too easy.
There have been a number of contracts which I've not won for a number of reasons; either the clients don't value my time and skills, or the contract does not match up with what I need (ergo, full time, on site, and a hundred miles away).
But here I want to break down the value of you as a developer, and why potential clients are uncertain before taking the leap into a contract with you.
Now this is the million dollar question.
What do you value yourself at?
For me, it was relatively easy to decide, as I came out of full time employment, had an hourly rate and a monthly salary; this I had to match, taking into account that I won't have a consistent income like I used to.
There are numerous calculators out there to "find out" your new rate, but how this is worked out, I don't know.
All I know is what I need to earn in order to make ends meet, and starting out is tough.
I also compare my skills and prices to my peers; people who are at a similar level to me, same location, etc., as a rough guide. There are also expenses to consider, cost of doing the work (hence why I always push for remote roles as it will cost less) and taxes on top of that.
It's not enough to earn "just enough to live on", you need to think about savings, about growth, and about expenses.
So, whatever you think you are worth, add 20% minimum, to at least cover the tax.
And don't be afraid to adjust your costs as you see fit. I have two general rates that I go by: an hourly "adhoc" rate, for small one-off jobs, and a "contract" rate, which is reduced simply because of the promise of work. It also encourages potential clients to sign up to such contracts as it will save them money and have that security of having a developer to call on.
And, as your skill set improves, and your time becomes more valuable, you need to show clients what you are worth, which your prices should reflect.
Yes, they do, and you need to convince them to part with that money and give it to you.
There is so much competition out there that you will never see either end of it. You've got people on the lowest end, trying to earn a quick buck, and you've got people who charge your daily rate in an hour. People value different things.
I've spoken with many of my peers recently about this, as I've had clients who literally come back and say "everything is so expensive" every single time, and yet, I've done plenty of things for them. It's not only about the value, but about the trust, and I think my peers agree with me on that.
You need to show that you are worth your asking price; this can be either showing your portfolio, going to meetings, or indeed taking on smaller jobs to as evidence. And show that you care about what they want to do, not that you are just "earning a paycheck". If you are passionate about your work, and want to do right by your client, it'll show.
I've had clients who have tried to take advantage of me, and the only clients that are worth working with are the ones who I stood my ground to; the bullies or the flakes are not worth your time, trust me, despite how tempting it is just to get some work in.
I've always regretted working with these clients, as you may have seen in a previous post, and my enjoyment for work improves dramatically when I can say goodbye to them.
In all honesty, I don't really know.
I'd like to have a "10 steps to win more clients and earn more money" but I don't, and those articles don't actually work. They give tips and ideas in what you can do, but they're not a step by step guide, and anyone who tries to sell you it as so is lying.
The key think I would say is find some work which you enjoy and take it easy to start with; grow and develop that trust with your client, and don't forget to save, to take some of the stress off.
Don't sell yourself short, and be sure in your work and your worth; confidence is key.
And if you're someone looking for a developer, hi! I hope you enjoyed this article.
With a few tweaks, this article can apply to you as well; find a developer who knows what they are worth and is willing to work with you on your project; don't just find the cheapest or someone who can sell you a bottle of air, but find someone who enjoys what they do and has a good chemistry with you. The last thing you want is someone who will end up being a waste of time.
((Psst, if you are looking for a developer, just send me an email using the form below))
Well, this really depends on what you want to recover in case of an emergency.
For most websites, I'd recommend a backup of your files and database.
With a typical WordPress site, the WP Content folder would be a good place to start. This is what essentially makes your site your site. The plugins, themes and media folder are all stored in there, so keeping a backup of that will quickly enable you to get your site back online if the worst happens.
A copy of your database (I prefer in .sql format) is also a good idea, because this will allow you to quickly import all your site settings, posts, and everything else when your site goes down.
If you do use a repo of some kind then you practically should have a backup of your site's files and folders there; that's half the job done.
So, with that in mind, you have two things to think about with backups - files and database.
There are many different tools you can use to run backups and checks. Scheduled/automated backups will always be your friend, because when set up correctly, you will have a regular backup ready. I personally like the manual approach, such as using the repo and running a database export, but that does take time.
You can automate this manual process, which is what it should be like anyway, but it does take some time and know-how to understand what is going on; it shouldn't be too difficult for a seasoned developer.
There are also plugins you can use which will create a backup of your site, with varying results, as well as third-party sites which can create a backup and/or cache your site (think, short term memory).
However, without a doubt, I would recommend something that runs on the server-side of things. This can be done through your hosting (a weekly backup or snapshot) or indeed something you can set up yourself.
I personally offer free weekly backups with the hosting packages I provide; so if something goes wrong (which is very rare with sites that I've set up), we can quickly restore the site to the last backup. You may have to redo some work, but it should be a quick job for relatively small sites.
It also helps that all the projects I work on have a repository which has all the files used in development.
Of course, the bigger the project, the more redundancy you need (I would recommend daily backups to the database for data-heavy sites).
In a previous post, I said I'll talk about "Toxic Clients". This is that article, except I'm going to tweak it to something more positive.
I'll be writing about all the different types of clients I've had the pleasure of dealing with, from the delightful to those who make me want to tear my own hair out, and then there are those who make me question everything.
How odd that it's already seeming negative.
Disclaimer: I know everyone is human. To us, our thinking makes sense, and when we meet people who do not think like us, we get worked up. That is why we need patience and to know how to handle each situation. This article isn't about what to do when it's easy.
Working with individuals is a tempting prospect. It's easier talking one-to-one, ideas and tweaks come faster and more precise.
However, I've found working with a single person on a project can be overwhelming, when they are simply focused only on themselves.
This could mean your client is one person, part of a team, or the appointed representative for the business. If they have their own agenda, then it can be a nightmare.
I've worked with small companies, sole-traders, charities, large businesses, you name it. It is certainly easier having one person to talk to about the project, but if they themselves do not know what they want, or tell you what is wanted which isn't a part of the original spec, then it's time to re-adjust.
I've had clients who literally send me a string of emails, texts, or are constantly on the phone with me. I understand the need for communication, but there are times I've spent more time trying to figure out a task than actually doing it.
Job boards or summary emails are great to tackle this problem, as they can be updated as and when needed, and able to be referenced when you forget something or wondering what to do next. It really does help to stay organised.
These clients... oh these clients are fun.
Now I've not had much experience with these clients... maybe I've just forgotten, but these are the type who get in touch every now and then, ask for a job doing, and then disappear into the ether, only to return days, weeks, or months later. They're near impossible to get a hold of.
Now you're thinking, "well it's not too bad if they only get in touch every now and then", but remember, you're a business and cannot drop everything when the prodigal client returns. You have deadlines and need to manage your time effectively.
Everything is a matter of life and death to these clients. They expect everything to be done now, or five days ago. They have little regard for your own planning or timescale and expect you to be at their beck and call.
Now, I think these type of clients are the fewest I've dealt with. I've had a few potential clients who want jobs done immediately, but if it's not possible to do their work when they need it doing, they go find another solution.
This article is only a brief look into some of the clients I've come across. By no means is this exhaustive, nor do clients have to fit into one of these types; some are a mixture, and some are none.
My only advice to you is to manage your own time effectively. Set time apart for specific clients, working on their projects at certain times, and giving yourself time to focus on other projects or even yourself! You're no use if you're being pulled in every direction.
You don't need to answer the phone whenever someone rings; sure have it next to you and see who is calling, but if it can wait, let it wait as it takes fifteen minutes to get focused on a job, and stopping to answer a call or get distracted from the work is more time wasted.
The same applies to emails and messages; don't get distracted by work.
Do not be afraid to talk about money.
I'm not alone in this area, but I don't like to deal with money. If I could, I'd work for free because I enjoy what I do.
However, there are times when sometimes you need to be direct with clients, which I know is scary if you're starting up. I've had my fair share of timewasters, as well as those who are trying to get me to work for free.
I understand the value of a good deal, but when clients ask more of you for the same price or essentially question the work you've done for them, you'll need to calmly explain to them the situation. More often than not, they will understand and you can then work something out, but if the client is more hassle than they work is worth, then don't be afraid to cut them loose.
There will be other clients out there.
At the end of the day, you are running a business, and you need to do what is best for you and the business.
It's a scary process, but if you find the right clientele and get a healthy working relationship going, you'll find yourself loving your job more and more.
