Being a freelance web designer can be great – there’s plenty of opportunity to earn a good buck if you’re skilled and creative enough, you get to talk to interesting people and work on interesting projects from time to time, and the work is generally relaxing and allows for a lot of freedom in the scheduling. However, many people who go into this business soon find themselves stuck in one spot, unable to progress any further. There are some things to keep in mind unless you want to remain at the same income level for too long.

First and most importantly, value your time and think big – those small gigs that earn you a few extra dollars can be great in the beginning, but they can easily eat into your time too much and prevent you from getting any real work done. Limit those small projects as much as you can and fill up your time with as many large-scaled projects as you can.

Also, you should rely on your clients for references as much as possible – whenever you complete a deal and the client is happy with your work, throw them a line asking them to refer you to their partners who may need similar services – you’d be surprised how well that works and how much extra work it can score you!

Last but not least, don’t be afraid to try out something new – the job of a freelance web designer can be a very varied one if you let it!

Originally posted on November 24, 2010 @ 11:24 pm