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I was browsing over on FreelanceSwitch tonight and saw a thread with the title “Freelancer or Company?”  The question posed was by an individual starting out who has aspirations of having employees.

For me, I personally thrive in freelancer mode.  I could probably make more money transitioning into company mode and building a team of good people around me.  I truly enjoy the experience of working with clients though.

Of course, there’s always those “special” clients… I digress.

At this point in my life a truly value my freelance career.  I have three small children and freelancing gives me the freedom to take them to school, pick them up and spend good time with them.

Sure the four-walls of my office drive me crazy sometimes… but that’s when we hit the mobile office (otherwise known as the coffee shop).

I truly enjoy what I do and my clients appreciate the personal attention.  It’s a win-win for everyone.

My goal is to eventually move to a company environment as the kids grow.  However, six years of full-time freelancing has taken me on an amazing journey.

One day I’ll form a company, but right now I’m happy just doing what I do.

Tags: freelancing, freelancer tips, freelance, freelance web design

First off, let me clear up what I mean by “developing”.  I do both the design and the development of sites, so your thoughts from either perspective are going to be appreciated and heard.

Recently, I posted a thread over on the FreelanceSwitch forums asking for feedback on a CMS system that I’ve developed.  The focus of the system is completely geared towards the user-friendliness. 

I was emailing with a member and kind of summed up my focus, which after I wrote it I really liked!

So I thought I would paste the specific text from the email and then see what you thought.  What is your focus?  Am I off base here?  Love to hear what you think.

… Anybody can find a system that includes a ton of features.  Sadly, those systems are hardly close to being something that an “average” client would want to tackle. 

Like I’ve said, I’ve been freelancing for 6 years now full-time.  Along that time, I’ve learned a lot about focusing on who I am and what it is I can provide.  That has to come from who you are as a person, your character if you will.  I take care of people.  It’s just part of who I am, so that’s what I focus on with work.  I’ve worked on hundreds of sites from start to finish and what I’ve really found out is this:  People want things to work and they want them to work as easy as possible.  

Some peoples focus is geared towards features that include everything and the kitchen sink.  My focus is about providing the features that a client needs in a clean, organized and easy-to-use order.  Whether it’s the CMS or other custom development that consumes a bulk of my time, my focus is always on making it easier.

Tags: web-design, cms, content management, freelance tips, freelancing

FreelanceSwitch has an interview with Jonathan Snook and it’s a great one!  One area really struck home to me; most likely because I relate with it so much.

IBB: What would you say to people who say “bollocks” when they hear someone mention web standards. Is it hard being a web standard conscious freelancer? Do the clients come to you because of it or do you have to sell them on the idea?

JS: Many of my clients come to me because of my visibility in the “web standards” community but some clients don’t know or care. They just want something that works. In those cases, it’s not a selling point. It’s just how I do my business. Most clients really don’t care about how it gets built. I certainly don’t buy my car but ask the retailer about standards. I just ask if it works and if it doesn’t, I go back to them. There are plenty of web standards zealots but for me, it’s just a tool. It’s a way of getting something done that comes with a number of benefits. If somebody comes up with a better way then I’ll switch to it in a heartbeat.

Like Jonathan says, there are plenty of web standards zealots out there.  Like him though, I’m more of an implementer than a zealot.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe wholeheartedly in web standards as the most efficient way to build a website.  However, it’s just a tool.

Many clients don’t know what web standards actually is, and those who actually do will often not truly understand what “web standards” actually mean.  Do they care about “standards” or do they just want a site that works?

I think that most will fall under the, “Give me something that works” heading. I try my best to never “overload” clients with information.  I will explain to them the things that they need to understand and know, and will answer any questions that they have. 

Clients are investing their money in my work because I know what I’m doing.  They’re comfortable knowing that when they do have a question, I generally have an answer to clearly explain the situation.

So where do you fall?  Zealot or Skilled Worker? 

The Freelance Developer Insight — An Interview with Mr. Jonathan Snook - FreelanceSwitch - The Freelance Blog

Tags: webstandards, interviews, freelancer tips, freelancing