Talk for freelancecampto
by Matt Kantor on Oct 03, 2010
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My talk from freelance camp this year - geting going and making freelancing work.
My talk from freelance camp this year - geting going and making freelancing work.
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not selling nonstick pans
- I have been on both sides.
- Should I do rails or PHP? should I do UX or IA?
- I dont care, but you should. Do what you love.
- Watch Vayderchuck on TED.com
- Story: Trying to work from home writing software for money when you really want to be cooking, and what that feels like to wake up and realize that.
I have a corp. Hire good support
Story - Me and QB
Incorporation? Hire a lawyer if you can. Make sure it’s done right.
Are you organized?
sales
mkt
bookkeeping
The most important thing is that you do it right, not cheap, and not yourself unless you can handle it.
- Story : trying to freelance 2 things at once. Plus wife.
- Story: Quickbooks
seek a solid work env.
- are you a social person? Do you need to be around people? Make sure you aren’t working from home a lot. Coffee shops are also over rated. Take it from someone who does it.
Working from home happens with freelancers. Especially for sales cycles.
- Story: day in the life of matt - starbucks, talking to the cat, starbucks , finding a power outlet, lunch, chatting with my wife, I hate coffee now. My cat doesnt talk much. .
Do good work
KEEP IT SIMPLE
linkedin
remind you customer why u rick
Business cards
Social Media.
Best+worst: word of mouth. Its a small town.
Story - rajeev
Story - Selling in Ambler PA
- keep you sales pipeline overfull
- Expect (at least) 50% of your work to fall through.
- you can always say no.
NDAs - get used ot them if you want to work. So many awful ideas out there, its free to get a peek!
Non-competes : half of them dont stand up in court - but that doesnt mean you should sign them.
Its ok to cross out silliness in a contract.
If you got that far, it means they want you. If they get upset with your terms... well, you might not want to deal with them.
There are companies that will sue you.
Story - you brought them the business
speak your mind
- Nobody likes surprises.
- Remember: everyone makes mistakes.
- Clients love reporting in, and so few people do it. A quick email on Friday detailing what happened this week and project targets for next week give you a lot of credibility.
Story: Find ways to deliver the same on budget.
Lowe Roch story: when ever I complain about something, I remind them why. When ever I say something, I make sure someone paying my bill knows why its in their interest.
but what if you arent getting pid for it?
Project two. “hey someone added a button here. I dont know what it doesnt but it looks like it might take a day of EXTRA work. “
- clients dont pay on time
- some dont pay at all
Go visit your past clients within a month of product launch. Ask how things went. See what went well, get some feedback on the project.
Then figure out if there is more work.
times change. other perspectives are welcome.
Ask for advice. Ask for feedback. Then follow it! Take one thing and do it.
story: billing for interactive work