Re: FN-FORUM: Freelancing - Top ten tips

date posted 21st January 2004 11:09

I was lucky in that I had some money to fall back on having been made
redundant followed by working as a contractor for a few years. I was also
lucky in that I given permission to put the sites that I did for the firm on
my portfolio.

Pam

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carla Boulton" [EMAIL REMOVED]
To: [EMAIL REMOVED]
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 11:38 AM
Subject: Re: FN-FORUM: Freelancing - Top ten tips


>
> on 21/1/04 10:36 am, PAMELA WHITTAKER at [EMAIL REMOVED] wrote:
>
> > I worked for a firm of Developers unpaid for 10 months to get a
portfolio.
> >
> > Pam
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Paul Cooper" [EMAIL REMOVED]
> > To: [EMAIL REMOVED]
> > Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 11:12 PM
> > Subject: RE: FN-FORUM: Freelancing - Top ten tips
>
> >>> Its seems to me to be a bit of a catch 22 situation
> >>> for people starting out in freelancing.
> >>>
> >>> Since, people want to see examples of your work before
> >>> giving you a job and you can only get examples of your
> >>> work once you get work.
> >>>
> >>> Have you guys got any top 10 tips on starting out at
> >>> freelancing?
> >>>
> >>> Mike
> >>
> >> Get a job, build up a skillset and portfolio, go freelance.
> >> Paul.
>
> I agree that you must build up skills but it would be unethical and
against
> the terms of most employment contracts to tout work around as your own
when
> it was done as part of a 'job' so your portfolio must be work done outside
> of the 'job'
>
> In the past that a lot of IT bods supported their freelance work with
> lucrative short contracts, with the market not so flush now this is
harder
> but the contracts are there is you look, albeit not at £50 an hour now,
this
> is a good way to get money in the bank to tide you over whilst you
establish
> your business.
>
> To work unpaid for 10 months to get a portfolio together would be a luxury
> that most people could not afford. Be very careful working cheaply to
start
> with' it is hard to hike up prices later, best to start with less work
paid
> properly than lots of cheap work. It is hard to justify to a client why
you
> charged them £500 for a site when you were starting out then quoted the
> person they referred to you £1000.
>
> Go to networking meetings, get some leaflets done offering a loyalty
> discount on a website to anyone who refers work to you for the first 12
> months.
>
> If you want to be your own boss, there is no real alternative but to take
> the plunge and do it. I can guarantee that the first year or so will be a
> bit difficult at times. Your average earnings may bomb but then once you
> establish yourself it should even out. Quality of life compared to wads of
> money wins (most times)
>
> Carla
>
>
> --
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