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Not wanting to blow my own trumpet but I like to think my business website (see my profile) is pretty good. At least I got some positive feedback on it and it h

Not wanting to blow my own trumpet but I like to think my business website (see my profile) is pretty good. At least I got some positive feedback on it and it helped me secure a few deals already. Testimonials are a great way of building trust in you and your ability to deliver. Talk about the benefit you bring to the table. Don't (just) list TLAs. Regularly writing about your area of expertise and publishing source code is great, too. If you're an expert in something very visual like D3.js, a showcase is an interesting approach as well. Just don't turn your complete website into a showcase.

k__ 10y ago
You seem to have the right idea :) My problem with freelance work was mostly, that I started it when I wanted freedom, but don't lose any safety. Like, freedom to work where I want and when I want, but the safety of a steady income. Often this led me to getting permanent contracts with my customers, which started my freelance career, but when they thought now they need a inhouse person for what I do, they simply dropped me. Which was okay, but then I had to search for new customers after years of not doing customer acquisition. Now I want to do this the right way, but don't know where to start.
- BjoernKW 10y ago
  The 'secret' - as in almost any business - is to get the word out: Talk to a lot of people / businesses that might need your help and expertise. Go to conferences and relevant industry meet-ups. Which ones depends on your niche and focus, your USP if you will. If you don't have a USP already: Find it. Generic Java / C# / JavaScript coders are ten a penny. Finding either a business niche ("I solve problem X for industry Y"), offering services complementary to mere coding skills (e.g. teaching, coaching, business process analysis) or a very specific technological niche that's in high demand and low supply (beware though, that tends to change rather quickly) is key to differentiating yourself. If you have personal contacts from businesses in your target market already you'd want to talk to those to see if you can help them with a current problem they're having. Other than that it's really all about continuous and consistent networking. It can take some time to build a sustainable business so long-term contracts via recruiters might help to make up for occasional dry spells. The trick with these is to negotiate a workload of less than the usual 5 days a week (I'd go for 3 days at the most), so you can take up additional work at any time.
  - k__ 10y ago
    Sounds good. I had the experience, when I talked to the right people, the word got around rather quick, but it's hard to find those "right people". I'll look that I get this 2-3 days a week stuff fixed the next months and then I'll look further :) Thanks for your advice.

k__ 10y ago

You seem to have the right idea :) My problem with freelance work was mostly, that I started it when I wanted freedom, but don't lose any safety. Like, freedom to work where I want and when I want, but the safety of a steady income. Often this led me to getting permanent contracts with my customers, which started my freelance career, but when they thought now they need a inhouse person for what I do, they simply dropped me. Which was okay, but then I had to search for new customers after years of not doing customer acquisition. Now I want to do this the right way, but don't know where to start.

BjoernKW 10y ago
The 'secret' - as in almost any business - is to get the word out: Talk to a lot of people / businesses that might need your help and expertise. Go to conferences and relevant industry meet-ups. Which ones depends on your niche and focus, your USP if you will. If you don't have a USP already: Find it. Generic Java / C# / JavaScript coders are ten a penny. Finding either a business niche ("I solve problem X for industry Y"), offering services complementary to mere coding skills (e.g. teaching, coaching, business process analysis) or a very specific technological niche that's in high demand and low supply (beware though, that tends to change rather quickly) is key to differentiating yourself. If you have personal contacts from businesses in your target market already you'd want to talk to those to see if you can help them with a current problem they're having. Other than that it's really all about continuous and consistent networking. It can take some time to build a sustainable business so long-term contracts via recruiters might help to make up for occasional dry spells. The trick with these is to negotiate a workload of less than the usual 5 days a week (I'd go for 3 days at the most), so you can take up additional work at any time.
- k__ 10y ago
  Sounds good. I had the experience, when I talked to the right people, the word got around rather quick, but it's hard to find those "right people". I'll look that I get this 2-3 days a week stuff fixed the next months and then I'll look further :) Thanks for your advice.