The Business Side of Freelancing: DMIT Presentation 2013

DMIT Industry Series Presentation on the business side of freelancing to outgoing students at NAIT.

Transcript

1. www.agilestyle.com The Business Side of Freelancing Ashley Janssen, Co-Owner at AgileStyle and Code and Effect 1
2. www.agilestyle.com Topics to Cover • How do I know if freelancing is for me? • Getting Your Business Started • Managing Clients • Some Things I Have Learned 2
3. www.agilestyle.com Who here is interested in freelancing full time when they graduate? 3
4. www.agilestyle.com DON’T 4
5. www.agilestyle.com • Make mistakes on someone else’s dime • Gain invaluable learning opportunities to polish and expand your skills • See how your employer runs their business • Gain confidence in your skills Why Not? 5
6. www.agilestyle.com How do I know if freelancing is for me? • Are you self-motivated? • Do you love what you do? • Are you organized? • Are you a very good communicator? 6
7. www.agilestyle.com Your Roles • Sales • Marketing • Bookkeeper • Project Manager • Customer Support • Designer • Developer • Writer • Researcher • Custodian 7
8. www.agilestyle.com Getting Your Business Started • Setting Up • Client acquisition • Managing your money • Establishing project & business processes • Building a Solid Contract 8
9. www.agilestyle.com Setting Up 9
10. www.agilestyle.com • Get incorporated • Get a lawyer • Get a business license • Get an accountant • Get a bank account • Get business cards If you are going to be a professional, act like one 10
11. www.agilestyle.com What should my starting rate be? Freelancing Freelancing Freelancing Freelancing $/hr 3 hrs/day /wk /mo 50 $150 $750 $3,000 60 $180 $900 $3,600 70 $210 $1,050 $4,200 80 $240 $1,200 $4,800 Otherwise Employed Otherwise Employed Otherwise Employed Otherwise Employed $/hr 8 hrs/day /wk /mo 15 $120 $600 $2,400 20 $160 $800 $3,200 25 $200 $1,000 $4,000 30 $240 $1,200 $4,800 11
12. www.agilestyle.com Client Acquisition 12
13. www.agilestyle.com • Kijiji.ca • Craigslist.ca • FreelanceSwitch.com • DigitalMediaJobs.ca • Twitter.com • AdClubEdm.com • DigitalAlberta.com Some Freelance Job Sites 13
14. www.agilestyle.com Don’t waste time on your own website • Get it up as fast as possible • Show your 3-4 best pieces of work • For speed: • http://www.squarespace.com/ • http://www.behance.net/prosite • https://about.me/ 14
15. www.agilestyle.com Managing Your Money 15
16. www.agilestyle.com • Always get paid up front • Never start work without payment • Never do anything for free • Do not rely on cheques coming on time • Explore other sources of revenue • Keep a nest egg of cash built up Words to Live By 16
17. www.agilestyle.com Why do I need a nest egg? Potential Initial Costs Potential Initial Costs Incorporation $900 Business License $300 Hardware $2,000 Software $1,500 Office Chair $350 Office Desk $200 General Office Supplies $100 Business Cards $150 Total $5,500 17
18. www.agilestyle.com Why do I need a nest egg? Potential Annual Costs Potential Annual Costs Hardware $2,500 Software $720 Professional Fees $500 Internet $720 Hosting $250 Domain Renewals $40 Office Supplies $350 Merchant Account Fees $400 Phone $720 PO Box $120 Bank Fees $180 Misc $500 Total $7000 18
19. www.agilestyle.com Establishing Your Own Project & Business Processes 19
20. www.agilestyle.com Examples of Project vs Business Processes Project Processes Business Processes User Stories Launch Checklists Wireframes/Prototypes Quote Meeting Questionnaires Monthly Task Lists Design Style Guides Weekly Task Lists 20
21. www.agilestyle.com Sample Monthly Tasks • Bookkeeping • Paying Bills • Invoicing • Monthly Newsletter • Check Community Events 21
22. www.agilestyle.com Sample Weekly Tasks • Answer Email - Daily • Twitter post - Daily • Track your time - Daily • List & Prioritize tasks for the week - Monday • Review meeting schedule - Monday • Check if any bills are due this week - Monday • Any overdue invoices? - Monday • Check job boards - Wednesday • Write a blog post - Wednesday • Send project summary updates to all clients - Friday 22
23. www.agilestyle.com Nobody is going to remind you to do these things 23
24. www.agilestyle.com Building a Solid Contract • Exit clauses • Items the contract includes • Items the contract does NOT include • Under what circumstances will additional fees be applied • What the client is responsible for • Who has ownership of what, and when 24
25. www.agilestyle.com Managing Clients 25
26. www.agilestyle.com Manage Expectations • Under promise, over deliver • Always be clear about what will and will not cost extra • Over-estimate how long something will take • Don’t burn yourself out 26
27. www.agilestyle.com Some lessons I have learned 27
28. www.agilestyle.com 1. Your clients will value your work as much as you do 28
29. www.agilestyle.com 2. A jack of all trades is a master of none 29
30. www.agilestyle.com 3. Trust your gut 30
31. www.agilestyle.com 4. Learn to say no 31
32. www.agilestyle.com 5. Get involved in the community 32
33. www.agilestyle.com • With great power comes great responsibility • Be careful which bridges you burn • You are the master of your own fate Some Things to Think About 33
34. www.agilestyle.com Questions? • Ashley Janssen • www.agilestyle.com • ashley@agilestyle.com • @ashleyjanssen 34