WordPress Freelancing

WordPress Freelancing

Wednesday, October 30, 13

You are a business.

Wednesday, October 30, 13

A Gig A Business

TemporaryHanging Out

“Fun”Passing Time

ReliableWorking“Love”

Building

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The Perception

theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home

Wednesday, October 30, 13

Getting Legit

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Apply for a FEINirs.gov

Quick and freeDon’t give out your SSN

Use FEIN for all legal interactions

Wednesday, October 30, 13

Get a business licenseNeed to apply for city and county

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Get a separate bank accountKeep your church and state separated

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TN Sales & Use TaxRegister to prevent an audit

Filed quarterly even if no tax collected Only applies for code on servers in TN

www.tn.gov/revenue

Wednesday, October 30, 13

What’s your structure?

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Sole proprietor LLC

EasierCheaper

More liability

Harder to setupMore expensiveLess exposure

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Contracts!!Do not work without a contract in place

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Get a depositDo not work without covering your costs

Half up-front is standard

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What’s Your Work Mode?

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Contract Client-to-Client

Single projectFixed duration

More billable hoursDepth

Many projectsVariable duration

Less billable hoursBreadth

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Service-based Project-based

Steady workDifficult

scheduling“Tickets”

IrregularBetter

scheduling“Projects”

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What Should You Charge?

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Hourly Fixed-cost

Hard to estimateInterval billing

All time spent is billed

Always held to time standard

Easy to estimate Start & finish billing

Not all time is recovered

More freedom with your time

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Use your hourly rate to position yourself in the market, but quote jobs on a fixed-cost basis to keep clients

from “running up the meter”.

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To determine your rate, estimate the hours you’ll work in a week (~25 hours

billable) x 50 weeks. Be sure to remember biz expenses and taxes will

take a good portion.

$50/hr = $62,500$65/hr = $81,250

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Clients

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Plant Your FlagOnce you’ve determined your business structure, plant your flag. Stick to it and communicate what you do consistently. This helps people refer clients to you.

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Find your niche.Don’t chase everything. Be sure projects fit your company. Refer

projects that don’t fit back to your network (and they will return the favor).

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Always hone your client listIt’s natural for long-term clients to grow

in a different direction than your company. Don’t hang on to a bad-

fitting client out of nostalgia.

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Build your ecosystemGrow your community

Attend meetupsShare with your peers

Contribute

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Pitfalls

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Self-employment taxesSave at least 20% of every check for taxes. This is the biggest pitfall... it’s

hard to remember when you get that big check.

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Hire an accountantIt will pay for itself

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Use accounting softwareIt will pay for itself

Track your progress, rates and efficiencyAdjust your workflow or rates as needed

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Give clients a realistic expectation of your time

They think their project is the only one you have. Don’t be afraid to push back

and give them perspective on how they fit in your schedule.

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Be honestBe open about scheduling conflicts.

Life happens and good clients understand.

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Enjoy your business!

Wednesday, October 30, 13

@sprclldrkenneth@sprclldr.com

Wednesday, October 30, 13