How to make
it works as a contract software developer
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post from a member of the Freelancers. If
you’re curious about sharing your expertise, your story, or some advice you
think that will help a fellow freelancer out, be happy to send your blog post
to us here.
Freelance
developers aren’t born – they’re decided. Anyone with the inclination can
quickly become qualified for entry-level gigs via online courses, and more and
more coders prefer to go freelance because, for them, the advantages outweigh
the risks.
On one hand,
you stand to earn the maximum amount as 2x the pay of a full-time developer and spend some time, however (and wherever) you would like. But you furthermore
may wear more hats. You have become your
own boss, accountant, and sales team.
Is freelance
for you? It depends on how you build your business. Here’s how top freelance
coders make the foremost of working for themselves.
How to find
work as a contract coder
The greatest challenge for many freelance developers is finding enough work. within the
past, the surefire way for developers to seek out paying projects was through
their network. Friends referred their colleagues, or previous employers took
them on contract. this is often still an excellent route. But have new freelance marketplaces have also
emerged that specifically serve coders and offer a limitless supply of gigs.
Take
Subspace, a piece platform that hosts projects where any coder can contribute.
The community polices itself and developers are purchased advancing the code –
not just writing it. So, as a replacement coder, you'll participate in projects
and build your skills by voting on others’ code. For fast-paced simple
projects, freelancing platforms like UpWork and Freelancer offer thousands of
low-barrier gigs for everything from iOS development to debugging, and on the
high-end, placement agencies like TopTal and 10x Management will match you up
with companies.
Here is a couple of strategies that have worked for me:
Don’t apply
indiscriminately: Copying and pasting your resume to use to as many roles as
possible may be a waste of your time. Clients can sense the insincerity
instantly. much better to require some time, find projects where you've got a
competitive advantage, and write a singular covering letter.
To begin
many lures: You never know what work platform is best for you. Create many
profiles and see which of them earn you consistently, paying work.
Say yes and
find out how to try to to it later: Many frameworks and languages are often
learned on the fly. Don’t assume you aren’t qualified – take projects where
you’re essentially being paid to find out.
How to land
paying clients
Once you’re
in conversation with prospective clients, it’s time to sell. Which, for most,
doesn’t mean what you think that it does. True sales about matchmaking – not browbeating someone
into signing a contract. Convince someone to shop for something they don’t need
and you’ve only set them up to regret their decision and created tons more
trouble than the pay is worth. much better to consider yourself as a
repairperson who fixes a couple of specific appliances and appearance for
people that need exactly what you are doing . once you find that match, they’ll
be happy to listen to from you.
Sales often
involves sending a written pitch, possibly, a talking on the phone. People want
to understand they’re buying from someone trustworthy. to face out from other
applicants, send a private video together with your pitch (I use GoVideo, a
free Chrome extension).
Never begin
work without a signed agreement. Contracts keep both parties civil, and a few
of the few disputes I’ve ever had with clients occurred once I thought there was
no way anything could fail and that I neglected to invite a signature.
Tools for
locating contract templates: Google it. Or, if you filed as a business with
services Rocket Lawyer or LegalZoom, ask them for free of charge templates.
Tools for
getting your agreement signed: you'll send a PDF and ask them to print it out
and sign it, but that takes time. I find that it’s worthwhile to buy an
e-signature service like DocuSign or EchoSign to urge things settled quickly.
Do I want to
include freelance within the US?
Nope. Anyone
are often paid by a business as a 1099 contractor, you only need to claim that
income on your taxes. But, if you’re curious about the legal protection an LLC
provides, creating one may be a good idea. (I did.)
How to get
paid
Accepting
payments from clients are often very simple – all you would like maybe a
checking account. I email PDF invoices to clients and cc their billing
department. The invoices include my bank routing and account number, also as my
address. Clients either directly deposit the funds and cut a check.
To make
those payments, companies may have your completed W-9 form on file and
sometimes, a signed non-disclosure agreement. Send those once they’ve signed
the agreement.
Some advice
for getting paid:
Don’t work
for free of charge. For me, any client that’s ever asked for a “freebie” test
project has never evolved a stable,
paying client. If you're employed for free of charge, you’re devaluing your
work and broadcasting that it isn’t worth anything. My best clients never asked
for a freebie – they’re real companies with real problems who won’t hesitate to
pay real money for a fix.
Always
charge 1/2 deposit up-front, especially
with new clients. This protects you from clients that don’t know what they need, or who change their mind. If a client is hesitant to pay a deposit, you ought
to be hesitant to figure with them.
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