Web Hosting Blog

One of the most read posts we have had this year is our interview with freelance designer Evie Milo. In the interview she provides some great advice for those who are thinking about going down the same route. If you are dabbling with the idea of becoming a freelance web designer here are some great resources and software to help you on your way…

Community

http://freelancefolder.com provides regular articles about all areas surrounding freelance work from both a design and a business perspective.

http://www.w3csites.com lets you showcase your work and get feedback from other designers

http://freelanceswitch.com is a community site providing advice and resources as well as a job board and directory to connect you with potential clients.

Getting work

http://www.freelanceuk.com is a UK specific site for creative freelancers which includes a directory to find projects

http://www.peopleperhour.com acts as a middle man for freelancers and clients to advertise themselves and their requirements.

If you feel comfortable bidding for work http://www.guru.com and http://www.elance.com are popular choices.

Contracts

Before starting work, a contract between you and your client which clearly states what work is being done and how much it costs can save a lot of time and hassle later on.

Netlawman.com has a large selection of pre-built contracts to browse. http://www.netlawman.co.uk/bizdoclist/website-sale-agreements.php

http://www.clickdocs.co.uk/default.htm also has a lot of internet related contracts that are worth taking a look at.

Managing your time and invoices

Very active advertising to web designers, http://www.freshbooks.com has a number of pricing models to choose from depending on your size.

A free option to consider (you’ll have to upgrade if you want to process credit cards through it though) is Billing manager from Intuit (https://billingmanager.intuit.com/billing/welcome.url)

Stay in contact with your client list

Two of the most popular Email software providers targeting the web designer community are Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp. Campaign Monitor also offers a reseller package for you to provide an added value or cross-sell opportunity.

http://www.campaignmonitor.com

http://www.mailchimp.com

This entry was posted on Monday, September 7th, 2009 at 1:10 pm and is filed under Web Design, Your Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.