How does one get started freelancing coming from a 9-5 job?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7417747

by lastofus • 12 years ago

16 15 12 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

For the past 7 years I've done nothing but work for companies doing everything from video game dev to writing various network and web services. I will be moving out of the Bay Area to an area of the US with far less opportunity for tech jobs.

I would very much like to learn how to get started finding remote work to do, either through companies or directly with clients. I'm also more of a backend dev, and probably need to find someone great at UI/UX/front-end dev to partner with.

What is the best way to go about finding both clients and partners to start a freelance web dev business with?

jperks• 12 years ago

You can start with either people you know well who are willing to hire you or try out odesk.com or elance.com, craigslist can also be an option. The main thing is to Start.

bliti• 12 years ago

Talk to people you know. Your social and work circles will be the biggest source of work. You may also try contacting companies that have job openings and offering your services instead. The trick is not getting clients. Its getting good clients. Good luck.

jbrooksuk• 12 years ago

I'm after a similar job too. I work 9-6, Mon-Fri with a spot of overtime, however I'm looking for something to pay our debts off before we can save for a wedding.

I've started giving my business cards out a lot more recently and have picked up a bit of work, but that's all coming to an end now.

So, if anyone has any work going please contact me :) jbrooksuk@me.com

killnine• 12 years ago

Can you update your profile to provide contact info?

lastofus• 12 years ago

I updated my profile w/ my email address

Mz• 12 years ago

Here is one I have not seen listed in this discussion:

https://grouptalent.com/welcome/

dgrigg• 12 years ago

Approach web dev companies about doing freelance work. Most are always looking for good help.

momedalhouma• 12 years ago

i think if you have great github,stackoverflow profil , the people and the great company wil be interesting in your services , there is a lot of website to offer remote job like weworkremotly or freelancers .i think it depends in your skills

itengelhardt2• 12 years ago

+1 for building a StackOverflow/github presence. I don't have many points (about 2,500) on SO - back from when I spent a solid hour or two on the site every day. This eventually allowed me to create a profile on SO careers. I get about one lead a month now.

allsystemsgo• 12 years ago

Always be selling.

ceeK• 12 years ago

I didn't come from a 9-5 job, but did want to get into freelancing from being a CS student. The trick for me was to build my portfolio of paid client work by doing significant discounts for HN members (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6382405). I got about 15-20 replies to this, and got to choose the most worthwhile clients. Fast forward and I'm now working for them at a normal rate. The portfolio has also allowed me to gain new contracts pretty easily.

As someone else said in this thread, the trick is to find good clients who know the value of your work. I generally find ODesk, Elance to _not_ be those places. Try to find them through other means, like HN freelancer threads or local businesses.

ulisesrmzroche• 12 years ago

There's a book called 'Get Clients Now' which details a step-by-step sales & marketing plan that I found pretty invaluable. I went without nothing for a year or so, and now I get leads every day.

timparks• 12 years ago

Agree with the comments here but in particular 2 things, one go to your network and people who can vouch for your work - ask them for recommendations and contacts. two, build up your web presence / profiles where you can so that people will understand the quality / level of experience you have. not sure you interest in teaching in order to gain leads, but creating a free online course on what you are good at could be a good way to start gaining a following. also, i've spoken with some SF based developer recruiting companies and I think there is a general trend towards working with remote talent, in particular in US cities that are NOT SF, NYC, Boston, etc - places where the cost of living is much more reasonable. best of luck

itengelhardt2• 12 years ago

I don't know if this was inspired by your post, but Brennan Dunn( of Planscope.io) just published a blog post about that same topic: http://planscope.io/blog/quit-your-job/ - might be worth a read for you.

eswat• 12 years ago

I recently took this plunge. I quit less than two weeks ago and now do occasional design freelancing.

My goals might differ from yours; I want to contribute to more open-source stuff before I make freelancing a full-time thing. But what has helped was just making use of the current network I have - mostly based on a startup incubator that my last company was a part of - and letting them know I was looking for work.

And +1 to the “Always be selling.” advice. I hadn’t done freelancing in many years while working at my last startup, but I always let people know that if an opportunity arose, I would work with them in the future. May seem like a shallow commitment, but in a few months, or years, you may sign up a new client this way.

How does one get started freelancing coming from a 9-5 job?

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