Freelance Website Designer

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T BECOME A FREELANCER IN 2016

I can cite 100 reasons why you shouldn’t become a freelance web designer, but no one would actually read that list, right? So, here are the top reasons why you shouldn’t be a freelance web designer. For now, at least!

Your goal is to answer NO!

1. YOU ARE INDECISIVE MOST OF THE TIME.

An office mate once asked you to take the lead on the company party, set it all up and bring it to life, and you managed to pause for over a minute without talking, when you should have simply said “Let me think about it”, “Yes” or “No” depending on how you felt at that moment.

Now, why is this grounds for you not to become a freelance web designer?

When web designers work with clients, it’s all about how smooth communication goes for every aspect of the business. From proposing a design, down to signing of contracts or wrapping things up.

2. YOU ARE QUICK TO DECIDE ON THINGS.

Contrary to the point above, being too quick to make decision can hurt your career as well. I’m talking mostly about saying yes to every request, accepting every revision request, and basically being a slave to your client’s wishes.

3. YOU THINK IT’S EASY MONEY.

No, just no. Freelancing is not easy money, nor is it as advertised, “be your own boss”. You know what makes it harder for freelance web designers? It’s not just about satisfying prospective clients with their designs, it’s also about how they market themselves, how they manage their financials, how they outplay several thousands of active competitors, and how they make people want to get them to design for them no matter what the cost.

That is totally different from freelancing, especially for freelance web designers who have to always be in the “mood” to be creative or even more challenging, putting out client fires.

4. YOU DON’T HAVE AT LEAST 5 WEB DESIGN PROJECTS YOU CAN BE PROUD OF.

I know that starting out as a web designer is already hard, but you can’t really hope to be successful if you don’t have at least five great web designs in your portfolio.

If you have been delaying on building that dream portfolio of yours, you should altogether quit the idea of becoming a freelance web designer.

5. YOU HAVE LOTS OF BILLS AND NO SAVINGS.

Dipping yourself into the world of freelancing is a great risk. Without the proper skills, tools, and guidance you won’t probably get any client at all for months.

6. YOU THINK WEB DESIGN MEANS ONLY PHOTOSHOP

If you define web design as simply designing a web template using Photoshop, then you should reconsider your title, that’s just called graphic design (to stretch the term).

If you’re thinking of entering the world of freelance web design, you should have decent skills with HTML and CSS because this is the current standard.

7. YOU HATE REVISIONS

You thought that being a freelancer means no boss, right? Unfortunately, that’s totally off the mark. Someone pays you to do work for them, and they’re the boss.

8. YOU DON’T LIKE TALKING TO PEOPLE

Being a freelance web designer is different than being a freelance writer and web developer in many senses. Freelance web developers and writers operate in a more systematic manner, while freelance web designers don’t, they operate 50% objectively and 50% subjectively.

9. YOU’RE NOT COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

If you are used to saying, “I guess it’s already okay” or “that’s good enough” then freelance web design is not for you.

10. YOU DIDN’T READ EVERYTHING ON MY LIST

If you are seriously thinking about becoming a freelance web designer, and if you are here to learn just that, then why did you skip to the end?

9 STEPS TO STARTING YOUR FREELANCE WEBSITE DESIGNBUSINESS

So, you want to be a freelance web designer? Ah, the glamor of it all.

Your own boss, answering only to the call of your creative muse… get up, feel inspired, do some work, go for a walk, laugh knowingly with other freelancers who have also discovered The Secret of: high profile projects, the big bucks, expensive coffee, conferences in glamorous European cities, laughing at the corporate rats you’ve left behind… enjoying the high life that you so richly deserve. Hurrah!

Or… welcome to a world of uncertainty, of irregular income, of blurred lines between work and home. Where, instead of having just one boss telling you what to do, you have 20 bosses across 3 different time zones who want their logo bigger now, dammit!

The truth lies somewhere in between, of course – but you’re more likely to achieve the success you would like (and the balance you strive for) if you can create a plan and structure for your freelance business early on.

In this post you’ll learn the main issues you need to consider to set up your freelance website design business. Up front though, I’m going to make some assumptions about you – I’m going to assume that you’re motivated to do this. It’s not something you want to fall into by accident.