Earning some cash from web design

Simon Walton

I have a domain and host now (after 4 years finally), and i've been thinking of putting my skills (the ones that don't suck completely) to the test, and also making a bit of cash from them. I was thinking of offering my services for web design, which would cover the design and any basic scripting requirements. Has anyone else ever attempted this? How would you handle the legal side of it all? How do you charge the client? How do you even get clients? I want to offer my services not to companies (to avoid more hassle), just to normal people who want a good-looking site reasonably cheaply. Any stories or advice is appreciated guys. :) Simon Hey, it looks like you're writing a letter! Sonork ID 100.10024

Jon Sagara

I have done several webpages for friends of friends, or family of friends, so I have gotten all of my customers through word of mouth. I'm sure some day I will have to advertise, but I'll deal with that when I get there. I'd ask around. Ask friends, family, coworkers, or anybody else that you know if they need a site developed for them. I lucked out in that every client of mine has approached me because my friends recommended me to them. Let it be known that you have webpage design skills, and good things can happen. Since I'm not doing this for a living, just for extra cash, I tend to undercharge my clients. Since my friends did me a favor by finding work for me, I'm going to do them a favor by helping out their friend. That's not to say that I work for peanuts - I've made some nice supplemental money this way - but I just feel I should return a favor with another favor. Since you're going to go after the general public, you need to construct a website that showcases your portfolio of work, how much experience you have, your skillset, etc... Working for yourself is fun. Good luck! Jon Sagara "There are lies, damned lies and statistics." -- Mark Twain.

Lost User

I've had a bit of luck in this area. Fortunately my brother's boss needed a web page and my brother recommended my services. From that one page I got jobs for four or five more. These jobs also got me busy building/upgrading new systems for a number of people and small businesses. All of this work has been for individuals or small businesses. Those were the groups that could most use my services. I'm new to the whole business side of things myself but have found that the people I'm doing work for are a wealth of knowledge about managing a small business since that's what many of them are doing for themselves. I'm not up on the legal side of it all yet since the work I've done has so far been "under the table". I've been charging a flat rate to set up a basic site. My rates are generally lower than a "Professional" web design company but I wouldn't have gotten any jobs charging friends $75-$100/hr to whip up some HTML. I'm in the process of working out a contract now for one of my clients who wants some ongoing work. Previously being a full-time developer, the concepts of billing and contracts are new to me. I wish I'd taken some damn business courses in school. The hardest part is getting started. Tell friends and family what you're up to, perhaps give out business cards to some of them. That'll at least put you in their mind if they ever hear of any opportunities for you. Of course promoting my skills has earned me a local reputation as a Computer Guy. I keep my family's and neighbors' computers running while providing enlightening technical discourse over beers and at cook-outs. But, hey, now they know who to come to for computer services. Hopefully some day I can quit looking for a "real" job. Anyways...Enough of my rambling. Get the word out about what you're doing and they will come. Good Luck.... Josh Knox that-guy.net

Pros Chum

The first thing to do is to get your site up with examples of your web design work. Then refer potential clients to your site(s) if they're interested to examples of what you've done. Many of the jobs that I've *gotten* were the result of the potential client being impressed with seeing something that I accomplished before they hired me. The hardest part is getting the first few customers. They're also the most important customers that you'll have since they can possibly recommend you to somebody else that is looking for someone to do that type of work. Once you get the ball rolling it's pretty easy after that if you keep up with your contacts and networking. Attend business conferences and events, work the room schmoozing with everyone at parties, let your friends, family members, and neighbors know, etc. You could also try sites like eLance.com and try bidding on a project, but usually the bidding war between contractors results in the winner being paid slave wages. But if you're just starting out then sometimes it's best to work for low wages initially until you get some experience under your belt. As for the legal stuff, make sure you write a contract that specifies the requirements as exactly as possible, otherwise you'll be doing more work than necessary; especially if you're not doing it under time and materials and instead as a fixed-price project. If you're not really familiar with the legal stuff then hire a lawyer and a CPA to set things up. It'll save time and headaches in the long run. Good luck! Pros

Chris Maunder

Jon Sagara wrote: ...so I have gotten all... Just when you think it's safe to come back to the lounge... :rolleyes: cheers, Chris Maunder

Jon Sagara

Sorry - couldn't resist. :-D Someday that's going to come back and bite me in the butt. I'll probably stick that in a white paper or something, and then get canned over it. Jon Sagara "There are lies, damned lies and statistics." -- Mark Twain.