How I May Have Sabotaged My Freelance Career
Sunday, August 31st, 2008
One thing I’ve always wanted to do, is write more on topics pertaining to my work. From design techniques to WordPress tips, and even the business side of freelancing. I just never get around to it, and usually attribute my hectic work schedule to this short-coming. But I find myself in a situation I never thought I would be in, and I only have myself to blame.
Client Handling Know-How
Handling clients can be tricky business. There are many different breeds of client, and identifying them early on is key in how you handle them moving forward. I’ve heard of some people taking the “all clients are equal” approach, but I really don’t understand how that would work. You wouldn’t handhold a client who is well informed in the area you’re dealing with. And at the opposite end of the spectrum, you wouldn’t skip over the basics with a low-tech client. Determining what type of client you’re dealing with and addressing their needs accordingly can make our break your relationship.
There may very well be certain clients that you don’t want to deal with at all. Personally, the “always urgent” client really gets under my skin. But unfortunately, they’re probably the hardest to feel out in the beginning. It’s usually not until the project is live that you start hearing from them at all hours of the day (or night) in a panic. Generally, I’ve been open to working with people of all flavors and haven’t discriminated against those that might not be ideal.
Picking & Choosing Projects
Being a web designer with front end development skills, I’m able to take on projects of all shapes and sizes. From design jobs, to churning out (awesome) standards compliant XHTML/CSS templates, to full-blow blog design from start to finish. I can do it all, which gives me the flexibility to take on whichever I’m feeling most inclined to work on at the time, or arrange my calendar in a way that gives me a nice variation in the type of work I’m doing.
Like clients, there are projects that are less desirable and realizing which aren’t your favourite is just as important as sniffing out a potential problem client. For me, I avoid start-ups and larger corporate jobs like the plague, which are often very similar when it comes to paper work and politics. Being a solo freelancer, smaller projects work best for me - anything that would require more than a month of my time needs to be seriously considered. And this isn’t due to the workload - regardless of if I’m working on a single project over a couple months, or 2 or 3 smaller projects, I’m working all the same. Simply put, I need variety. Every time I’ve been on a project for more than 3 or 4 weeks, I’ve started to lose interest toward the end, which drags down motivation in a big way. So what is normally the most exciting part of the project, turns out being borefest and something I can’t get away from soon enough. The odd time it has worked out and I’ve enjoyed my time on a larger project right to the end, but I steer clear from them for the most part.
Another down side to taking on bigger projects, is having to miss out on many projects with short(er) timelines. Or even worse, not being able to help a previous client in a time of need.
Premature Panic Attack
Nearly 6 months ago I made a triumphant return to freelance web design. I had been working with a design studio for a year prior and was eager to jump back into some exciting projects with previous clients. Right out of the gate, I was booked for 2 months solid, and within a week of making my announcement, I found myself with no availability until the middle of the summer. This was great! I was excited to have so many people eager to have work done by me, and my calendar was full of projects that I was really looking forward to being a part of. During that time, I continued to receive work inquiries, but since my availability was so scarce, not many of them panned out. Regardless, I always sent a fully detailed reply with my rates and an estimate for the job in question.
A couple months in, leads started to slow down and I found that I was getting more “tire kickers” than anything else. Many people would write just to ask my rate and availability and that was the end of it. But again, I continued to send detailed replies to each and every one. It got to the point where I was starting to get nervous about not having enough work lined up. Granted, at the time I still had 5 or 6 weeks booked, but I have always been used to 2 or 3 months of projects lined up in my calendar at any given time. In this situation, I ignored my better judgment in an attempt to line up some new work, and it came back to kick my ass like I feared it would.
Making Mistakes
A rather large project for one of the world’s leading car manufacturers came my way. It was a big project, with a big budget, and it was just what I needed to fill my calendar for a couple months to come. Mistake number 1. I setup a call with them to get all the details and line up some dates. It went very well and I was lead to believe we would be starting the project on September 1. Since this was a decent sized project, I wanted to get a formal outline of all of the required components so I could prepare a comprehensive time estimate and quote. They needed some time to get that together, so I agreed to give them 2 weeks to sort things out. In the mean time, I would keep September 1 through October open for them. Mistake number 2. During that 2 weeks, I had several new leads come in, all of which I had to inform that I didn’t have exact dates open as I had a large project pending. Mistake number 3. Unsurprisingly, I heard back from very few of them.
July 31 rolls around, which is the deadline I had given this client to produce their specs. I actually touched base with them a couple days prior to ensure they were on track to deliver, to which I was assured they were. I didn’t hear from them. I gave them 24 hours leeway, but they failed to come through. I followed up and was met with a half-assed apology, a mediocre excuse, and a promise that the specs would surface within 24 hours. At this point, I wrote them off and began to kick myself for ever having dealt with them. I’ve checked in with them a couple times since, and even just last week I was reassured that I would receive the specs - still nothing.
Once I realized that things weren’t going to pan out with this client, I started trying to fill the rather large gap I had left for them in my calendar. Another large project came along with a near identical scope and budget. “Perfect!” I thought. Mistake number 4. This time around, I identified the client as being low-tech and proceed with caution. There were many email exchanges, which were mostly of the question and answer variety. Very time consuming and a little on the frustrating side, but I was determined to land this project. A couple weeks passed, when all of the sudden communication stopped. I followed up asking what had happened, assuming that they might have been talking to a few designers and had decided to go with someone else. But instead was told that the client had actually “given up” on this phase of the project and had passed the torch to her partner, whom I haven’t heard from to this day.
Hanging in the Balance
I’m at a point now where I’m doubting that freelance work is going to cut it. I’m down to only a couple weeks of work lined up, and only a handful of potential projects pending. The really strange part of all this, is how exchanges between myself and potential clients have gone. It’s pretty easy to pick out the copy-pasters, and I’ve had my share of those. But even the people that have clearly written directly to me and seem genuinely excited and ready to move forward on their project have been falling flat. In many cases, I’ve been able to accommodate their timeline and my quote has been within their budget. I can’t help but wonder where the disconnect is?
With my freelance career hanging in the balance, I decided to crank out my redesign in hopes of re-igniting the flame. I realize that my blog has been feeling stale, with a nearly 3 old design. And with my side projects all having been shut down or sold off, I don’t have a lot on the go to get people excited about. So again, it’s my own fault that things have gone the way they have, and no matter how awesome my redesign is (fuck, I love it!), it may be too late.
Normally, I hesitate to be so open about things like this. Especially when it leaves me vulnerable. But I’ve dropped some hints that the waters are choppy on Twitter, and people have expressed genuine concern. I also felt like a douche for being all dramatic with cryptic messages, so here it is. How I may have sabotaged my freelance career. Learn from my mistakes, and don’t be a Twitter douche.
88 people have had something to contribute so far.
I’m sorry to hear you’re having some troubles. Clients can be a real pain in the ass in any field and I feel for you. I hope everything gets better.
-Sam
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I don’t have a lot of freelance experience, just a couple of years and that was very part-time. Still, as I read through this post I was thinking, yup been there.
I suspect there are a bunch of factors that are leading to this dry spell. They economy in the world isn’t doing great. People get excited about starting projects, then realise what it will take to accomplish and back off.
We had a client like the car company you described. Same deal. Got nothing for 2 months then out of the blue they asked us, “Are you guys ready?”
Ready? They had no thought that the world outside their company had been doing anything but waiting for them.
Okay. Just realised I don’t have a specific point other than I feel ya. I’ve steered (and will keep steering) a couple of people your way but never heard if anything came of it.
Good luck man. It was good to read this post and I don’t see it as being vulnerable in a weak way. Quite the contrary.
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You know, it had crossed my mind that I might suddenly hear from these clients that have been flaky when they’re ready to go. Regardless of the situation I’m in at the time, I’ll be turning them away.
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Good idea. Even if it led to a big pay-out, you’d pay for it in dealing with them. Which isn’t to say people have to be 100% ready to work with you, but they shouldn’t be a tease about it.
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I know the feeling of impending clientlessness. I do have a steady corporate job as backup so I don’t have the financial burden you do, but I know the feeling.
My trick is asking family members if they know a friend or friend of a friend that needs work. I can usually get one project that way.
Freelance is so rewarding and I hate not knowing what’s going to happen. I’ve been following your blog for a while now and your work is excellent and varied. I’m sure you’ll bounce back and have work lined up again.
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I was talking to a close friend of mine about this a couple nights ago and he suggested I go the route he often does. He’s a developer and will spend a few months back-to-back on contract with the government. There are many, many down sides, but it’s amazing money and gives him the flexibility to take weeks, if not months off to work on his own projects. I think that’s something I should look into - having a steady contract position I fall back to every couple months just to keep things regular.
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The other nice thing about this strategy is it gives you plenty of time to line up projects. When you came back to freelance you were booked for months and having a period where you are under contract can give you time to line them back up.
I still haven’t hit the point where I can just give up my steady job for good. Hopefully I will be able to sometime.
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Sorry to hear that, I know how that can be. Had a client drop a project while we were 60% of the way through and then demand their deposit back. Really messed with things and forced me to evaluate how to deal with things.
I’m sure it’s tough right now, but I’m also sure that .you’ll bounce back just fine. Don’t give up!
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Yikes, haven’t had any experiences like that, thankfully. I think I’m prepared to handle it if necessary, but I should probably make sure I’m fully covered.
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No longer a twitter douche… yay!
I think you left out something about the larger corporations. They have marketing douches with no real marketing / technology.
I’ve sworn off the larger companies because they are (mostly) not educated (but they think they are), they like to be educated and take credit for looking smart to their superiors… and they love to ask you to “move this here and move this there, and maybe make that a silvery grey button with gradient” without really understanding what they are changing…
hahaa *sigh* sorry for ranting on your post… I’m sure you’ll be fine with your freelance career just go out and enjoy the rest of the summer =D
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Clearly, you’ve had your share of negative experiences with larger companies. I got my share as well, when I worked for Graphics.net.
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Oh yea and like the posters above… I’m going to a cushy / flexible / decent paying government job as I go back to school and keep the freelance works on the low… it’s not a bad option if you need it.
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I discovered for myself this past summer that freelance work is dodgy at the best of times, frustrating at the worst of times, and unpredictable pretty much all of the time.
Best of luck to whatever comes your way. Just remember to always do what you love, and love what you do. Everything else will fall in place.
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It’s not so much the work I’m doing that’s in question, but who I’m doing the work for and where I’m doing it. I’ve really grown to love working from home, especially now that the baby is around. I can’t imagine being away from home for 9 or 10 hours a day. As long as there’s no clause stating that I can’t do work outside of work hours, I’m pretty certain I would be content working just about anywhere.
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[...] seems that he’s hitting a rough spot in his freelance career, though. His latest blog entry vocalizes some of the growing concerns and issues that he’s been running into recently, and [...]
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Hi Matt,
I really hope things work out well for you. I know I don’t have as much experience as you do in the freelance side of things, but clients are dicks, and there’s some angelic ones too. I’ll just say that you have done great and outstanding work. I don’t really have anything else to say, but I hope I can at least encourage you. Hope things only get better for you, as I am sure they will. All the best.
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This must have been a tough entry for you to write. Thank you for your honesty and for sharing this.
Part of the problem is that many clients don’t understand the work of a web designer. They think you “play” on a computer all day the same way their 13 year old kid plays Halo on his Xbox.
They think designers push a few buttons on their mighty workstations, turn a few knobs, say some magic words and…PRESTO…out come amazing websites like an assembly line of tasty Willy Wonka candy.
Creating a first-class site isn’t just slapping together code and graphics with a few mouse clicks. It takes an awareness of web standards and new technologies as the Internet evolves. That awareness requires a lot of reading and experimenting to keep your skills sharp.
Jeffery Zeldman once called web design “The profession that dare not speak its name” in an April 2007 blog post. You might want to check it out if you haven’t already.
http://www.zeldman.com/2007/04/25/the-profession-that-dare-not-speak-its-name/
It sounds like you’re trying your hardest to get things done and be fair to your clients. You have amazing talent and you show maturity for not trying to pass the buck on your mistakes.
Good luck to you! I wish you the best.
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That’s a pretty interesting article and I don’t recall reading it, so thanks for sharing. He’s totally on par, too. When I started working at the corporate job I held for over 5 years, the websites were managed by a mix of graphic designers, IT, and Sales/Marketing staff. So bizarre.
That right there, is what bit me in the ass. I gave people the benefit of the doubt, instead of sticking to my guns. Not once, but twice. It just goes to show you, that you can’t do people favors. Not until you have a deposit, anyway.
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I’ve had similar circumstances come up with ASO Web Design. We haven’t ever had months of lead time built up. You’re actually in a better position than we are right now in that area!
But what has made it work for us for the past 2 years is that we keep some buffer space in there financially. Make sure you’re pricing to account for the time spent doing sales work with potential clients. Get maintenance contracts with your clients to provide residual income. Sell some WP templates that you’ve made over the years to template directories.
One thing you can do to really ensure a good buffer is to find a freelancer you can share projects with. So that if either of you is overloaded, you know you’ll have someone to refer them to. It doesn’t hurt either of you because you weren’t able to take the project anyways, but you make sure both of you are doing good business. Actually, that would be an interesting little thing to set up (if someone hasn’t done so already): a design co-op. A select group of freelancers who collectively share incoming projects. The Freelance Cartel™ ^_^
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Over the years, I’ve had a few freelancers approach me in hopes of collaborating on projects and sharing the load. But I had always been too busy to accommodate them.
The idea you proposed, a design co-op of sorts - that was actually my plan returning to the freelance game. I was going to start a business which would act as a hub that handles freelancers covering all corners of the market. Different people would be pulled into each project depending on the requirements and availability of the individuals. But as usual, I lacked the time to see it through.
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Matt,
Hope things pick up real soon, your work is outstanding and very classy. I love your blog redesign by the way.
My son is embarking on a freelance career as we speak, and about to deal with a major company, so your tips are very timely. Hearing your story will help him make the right decisions hopefully.
Good luck with everything, and I look forward to hearing positive news soon!!
Hang in there….
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It seems to me the position you are in is this: You enjoy freelancing but need more stability (understandable with a growing family) so a full time gig appeals to you for the guaranteed paycheck if nothing else; A paying gig solves the problem of stability but leaves you lacking the freedom, flexibility and personal fulfillment that you find in freelancing.
Perhaps you should consider setting up your own shop. Setting up a business structure is easy enough assuming you’ve an accountant. You have plenty of industry contacts to reach out to as needed, and you definitely have the experience needed to bootstrap an operation.
Creating a start up provides a structure for reaching out directly to businesses, professionals, etc for whom you would provide your services. It also gives you the ability to leverage your existing network and contacts to fill the gaps between your abilities and what would be provided at ’studio x’, through contracting and outsourcing while you build a business income to allow you to hire on.
You could handle the business end of things your self as well as the creatives, send the xhtml/css to a coding firm (there are a couple that push out good code), and any backend work could be handled by any number of freelancers, preferably ones with whom you’ve already had successful dealings. If you’re lucky, you might get your wife to take one some of the business and client end of things while you get started.
On the other end of things maybe you really just want to be a one man show. That’s great, do that. You could look into productilizing (?) your services, perhaps some consulting work, or providing on site training for firms. Maybe you could wrangle some speaking engagements, write a book. Hell, you could jump on the ‘Premium Wordpress theme’ band wagon and push out one of those every month to give you a baseline income.
My story is a bit of all the above. I went from freelancing to a one man shop to handling a small staff at my own shop, and the future is looking great. I followed the above give or take and things worked out, admittedly due to -very- hard work, prayer, and more than my fair share of luck. Now instead of worrying about my next client, I worry about finding qualified staff (very difficult btw). Running a shop is a happy mix of freelancing and ‘working for the man’. We’re virtual so I still work in my boxers from time to time
Freelancing is great, it provides freedom, open avenues for creativity, and so on. Unfortunately it’s a short term solution to a long term problem. I mean, can you see your self freelancing at 45?
I’ll not pull out trite phrases such as “it’ll all work out” or “keep your chin up”, instead I’ll pull out the high school counselors age old stand by… “Where do you see your self in 5 years? 10? Can you get there on your current path? What do you need to do to get there?”. I’m not one for pinning down ones life, I pretty much have a fly by the seat of my pants approach to everything, but it helps to have a goal and an idea of what it will take to get there. To me the ‘how’ is secondary to the ‘what’.
Perhaps what you need is a break? If you’ve got the savings to do it, a month away from the keyboard may do you some good, maybe help you gain a new perspective.
Anyway, I’m sure it’ll all work out (crap, there it is).
Cheers.
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Starting my own shop has definitely crossed my mind on numerous occasions. But the huge hurdle I can’t seem to overcome is finding time for all of the extra things that would go along with managing a business and contractors. Over the past few months I’ve done a good job of getting on top of (and staying on top of) all aspects of my freelance work. Previously, I would leave things like replying to new leads and follow-ups until I had some down time. That might have been a couple times a week, it might have been once every 2 weeks. It wasn’t great, and I’ve since realized the importance of client relationships. So I have dedicated time for sort of thing every day if necessary.
You touched on another topic I’ve been giving a lot of thought to recently - productizing my services. I have a few avenues I would like to explore and plan to do so in the coming weeks. That is, if I recover from this slump.
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Damn, I hate clients like this. Luckily I’m contracted in to a design agency for a set number of months so I know I’ve got a solid pay check, but finding freelance work in those off months can be a real pain.
Working with several large companies we’ve found they often have to put every request and design decision through at least one meeting if not a dozen or more. Even worse, they’ve come back to us 60% of the way through projects and changed everything around.
I hope you can find some more work, it’d be a shame to see you give up what you love because of a few problematic (non) clients.
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Being a freelancer, working with large companies and corporations is nearly impossible. You’ve just mentioned a couple more of the many reasons why it simply doesn’t work. It’s an absolute nightmare when it comes to scheduling.
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Really sorry to hear about this, Matt. It’s a cliche, but you live and you learn, eh? Only last year I lost my business £18,000 in the space of two months. That may not seem a lot, but when it’s a small business it is! I know it’s an entirely different thing, but sometimes you do fuck up, but you get better because of it. Maybe you can use this time to launch a project of your own? I’m sure you’re full of good ideas. But then again, I know that doesn’t pay the bills. I hope things pan out; stay positive and I’m sure they will.
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Totally. And no matter how much you read and take in from others that have already been down the road ahead of you, it’s almost as if you have to make those same mistakes just so you can learn for yourself.
Yeah, this whole thing has got me thinking more about passive income and ways to support myself financially on the side while I continue to do the work I enjoy. I’d hate to switch things up now, but it might come to that. Regardless, unless I end up in a position where I’m making enough money that I don’t have to worry about passive income any more, I’ll still end up pursuing some of those side projects.
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Personally I’ve given up on freelance web design long ago. I just had too many “tire kickers” and panic people coming to me, and the odd, ideal client were way too few. I’ve had more fun when I was handed down projects fro a web design company when they were overbooked, and they clearly had better luck finding those ideal clients.
Besides, I’m too picky. I’ve had too many clients tell me to do this, do that, don’t do this, use this, use that. It’s like telling an architect how to build a home, or an artist what colors to use in a painting. I try to educate clients, helping them realize that their decisions is going to hurt their websites, but it always fell on deaf ears.
These days, I just design for myself, and nobody else.
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This is where I believe I’ve been extremely lucky over the years. I’ve only had a couple clients that I really didn’t work well with. For the most part, I ended up with clients would found me via showcase sites or the like. And as such, had an appreciation for my work and knew what I was capable of. You don’t get that sort of advantage when you’re on contact with someone else.
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Dude, every freelancer, and I do mean E-V-E-R-Y freelancer goes through this. It sucks I know, but realize that you are not alone and that everything will turn out OK.
Large companies do often act like that, and I believe its because that ultimately the people you’re dealing with don’t have a lot of skin in the game.
I wish I could offer more advice or something like that, but the truth is, I don’t think you really made any mistakes. You handled your end as best as I see possible.
I’m sure that everything will work out fine. Your skills are too good, another client will come along. I’m sure of it.
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I’ve sort of forced myself to take the “everything will be okay” attitude as of late, as I would have fallen into more than a few panic attacks had I not. But it’s getting down to the wire now and I’m not seeing the light just yet. It’s close enough now that I can’t just sit here and wait for something to happen. I need to move and find something to fill the gap while I work on productizing my services and explore those other avenues I’ve mentioned.
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The first thing that comes to mind is the route that Adii and Brian Gardner have went. Premium Themes. Adii and Brian have been wildly successful.
It’s not to late to jump on that business model. As a matter of fact, I would love to see you do it, I would be the first to buy one of your themes. Selling $79 - $129 licenses can sure add up.
Best of luck to you Matt.
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That’s actually a really good point. You have a good enough reputation and name already, I’m sure they would sell. Also it’s a good idea to have some form of other revenue coming in other than just client work.
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Totally. I know for a fact Adii still does client work on top of WooThemes, his Premium theme service. Diversification is the name of the game.
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For the longest time, I had a hard time accepting premium themes. WordPress’ strength comes from the massive open source community that founded it. To turn around and capitalize off that just didn’t seem right. And I’m sure this business model is partly to blame for the decline on the custom design front.
That said, I do see where Adii and those other premium theme guys are coming from, and clearly people are digging it since they seem to be doing very well. At this point, I’m not interested in trying to compete directly with them. They own that space and I respect that. But that’s not to say that I won’t release some “premium” themes of my own. At the same time, I will without a doubt toss some freebies out there.
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I like the open source sentiment, Matt, and I know Automattic likes to take a similar stance… but they’ve built a multi-million dollar company on the back of open source software so I think the argument is a bit silly.
I’ll second the idea of you selling a theme or two as a means of passive income.
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I’ve been using WordPress since 2003, long before the days of Automattic. As I said, it took me a while to accept Premium themes, but I definitely have. It would be foolish to resist change and growth in this industry and would like be my undoing.
As a matter of fact, I actually suggest to clients that approach me with low budgets, that we start with a premium theme and customize from there, instead of doing a full blow custom design. I haven’t had anyone go that route yet, but it’s on the table.
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That is a sad sad story. The worst part is that it’s so common. I understand why some people think “screw you, I’m booking double clients” mainly because people pull out and leave you stranded.
Best thing to do is charge more and have a ‘buffer’ of cash.
God willing everything pans out ok for you and your family man.
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Finding the right client is normally hard. I’ve had several clients like the car company who even set their own deadlines and no contact then (as Matthew said) would contact me several weeks later ready to start the project.
I freelanced full-time for just over two years and finally had enough of the client problems. I had some really great clients that were amazing to work with but I ended up with some bad clients back to back which made me want to try working for a firm. So, I started an office job doing design/development on August 1. We will see how it goes over freelance.
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At least you get to play Wii at the office!
In all seriousness, though, it’s tough not having a steady income. Getting a job at a design studio isn’t half bad as long as you’re working on projects you enjoy and are being treated well.
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haha, that is true. It has been great working at an office and lots of perks (like them paying to send me to conferences, etc). But it is a change after so long of working from home.
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I’m not completely opposed to working for a studio. It definitely has its benefits. But the commute is what I’m worried about. Most studios are in Toronto, which is over an hour away when you factor in rush hour traffic. That means I’m looking at 10 hour days, and I simply can’t be away from my family that much. Not now, with Addison being so young.
I hope things are going well for you though, James. It’s a hard switch to make.
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Just read through your entire post. I really hope you don’t give up on freelance work; I worked with you about 18 months ago and had a tremendous experience. There are choppy points of being self-employed, but you just have to fight through it. I know it’s tougher for you with having a wife and two kids to take care of, but if you can just get over this hump then I think it’ll be worth it.
Please, anyone that is looking for work: hit Matt up. He’s a freakin’ amazing guy and deserves your respect.
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Thanks Spencer! It’s a shame that project never saw the light of day. Looking back at it now, it turned out quite well. I may get in touch with you on that topic, actually. I have a little idea up my sleeve that some of my past clients might be into.
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Sounds good! Yeah, I had to sell the rights to my ex-partner.
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Any update on this?
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Oh, I’ve been there, where I’ve said no to an opportunity(ies) because I was waiting on a larger _possible_ opportunity that hadn’t quite closed. The only way I’d ever dealt with it after I learned my lesson, is to be clear to everyone I speak to that I always schedule first come, first served, no matter what size of the project it is. As someone who’s married with no dependents, I can weather the dip times (inevitable) a bit better but I can understand the stresses that a growing family can place to make sure there’s constant income.
I won’t be a shaman and predict that you will be fine. I cannot predict the future and what decisions you or potential clients will make. But I will say that if your freelance kick-off was any indication, and that large clients DO ring your doorbell, that there will be more Matt Brett projects to come.
Good luck, man. Whatever you decide; though, of course, I’m pulling for you to stay freelancing or running your own business.
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Funny thing is, I’ve always told people up front that I work on a first come, first served basis. I just bent the rules for this one client, when clearly I should have stuck to my guns.
Things are particularly hard right now, as my wife is still on maternity leave, so I’m covering a lot more of the bills and other expenses than I’m usually accountable for. She’ll be going back to work very soon, which will take a bit of the pressure off me financially, but it will disrupt my work day on the other hand. It’s going to be interesting.
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Although I’m not a freelancer, I can definitely sympathize with everything you’ve described. My company goes through the same exact hoops, gets burned in the same exact way, and wonders what we’re doing wrong the whole time.
One thing I’ve learned: it’s not our fault. The real trouble is that the only people who really “get” what’s going on are those doing the work.
I can understand you feeling a bit discouraged, Matt, but don’t doubt yourself. Your redesign is going to ignite a massive response once it filters down from the design community, you’ll book a few more gigs, and all will be right with the world.
It’s not just freelancing that proves to be stressful; it’s just working in the creative medium that is the Web.
Either way, you’ve got a huge network of supporters pushing your wares, be confident in all the work you’ve done thus far.
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Unfortunately, it’s not like things are going change on the client handling front. The only thing I can see that would make it at least tolerable, is working for someone else who handles that end of things. But even then, I would still hear about it, no doubt. That’s always been the case at previous jobs anyway.
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Hi Matt,
The exact same thing happened to me after 7 years of successful freelancing, the work just stopped being there. I started looking for full time work right before the finale and was fortunate to find a great gig in Nashville. (we even have a wii in office)
Unfortunately along the way I lost my home in Idaho and have a big tax bill I can’t afford.
Freelance work has started to pick up again after a 9 month dry spell, but it’s still very speculative and I’ve had quite a few excited prospects that just disappeared.
So know that you’re not alone and that things will eventually get better for all of us. We do what we have to to survive.
Hang in there.
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I know I’m definitely not alone. I recall your Twitter updates on this subject months ago when things were tough. I’m glad things worked out in the end, at least on the job front. That whole deal with your house is a drag, to say the least.
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I have two things to say:
1. Amazing post, thank you for writing it; you’ve nicely articulated many of the feels I’ve had on freelancing in the past.
2. I feel like all of us that have freelances full-time have been there; you are definitely not alone.
I don’t know if this is true or not for others, but I often have more than I can handle; interesting work too (not just some small BS project looking to pass along to someone else). And finding a good trust worthy freelancer to pass it on too (or work with) is hard; they all seem to be booked. I just don’t reach out to you or others simply because I don’t want to be a nag; I just always assume great talent like yours is always booked.
Again, awesome post and perfectly said.
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You know, with what you’ve mentioned here and what was said by Tim Dorr above, I think there’s a missing community element that could bring us all together.
We’ve spoken about a couple projects over the past few months, but as you said, I’ve always been busy and nothing ever panned out. I did reach out to you at one point, but then booked up a few weeks immediately following. It’s almost as though we need a way to let each other know when we’ve got availability, without manually sending out emails each time. That said…
Hey Martin,
I’ve got some availability coming up if you have any projects that could use any extra pair of hands.
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I’ll definitely reach out soon. Also, I just re-read my comment — I am never commenting via iPhone again; auto-complete is not good to me.
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I’m the same boat as you, my only work is freelance and that’s whilst being a full time student at University, and I’m sure as a family man it’s a lot harder on yourself.
Sometimes I think it’s only me that experiences these kinds of things when it comes to clients, I’ve had my fair share in only 3 years. I remember when you made the jump back into freelancing after graphics.net and it totally gave me hope at a time when I didn’t have a lot lined up.
With freelancing you never know what you’re going to get, you could have a project lined up for tomorrow and they pull the plug the night before. The credit crunch (over here in London) doesn’t help either, people are scared to spend money, and as you said some clients want overnight success, they don’t realise the work and planning it takes to make a good website, and sometimes you have to steer clear from those who think that way.
I’m very touchy about talking to say client about money, I’m 19 trust me they don’t take me seriously and half the time are constantly calling or emailing me to make sure I haven’t done a runner!
Ahh clients are a pain, but sometimes it works it in your favour and freelancing is a brave and incredible move, it’s your tailored profession, the job that works for you and no one else, and It’ll always be harder because it’s just YOU.
Matt my advice, keep your head down, your a brilliant designer and I fell in love with code when I first clicked your link from Concrete Loop. It made me want to learn HTML and CSS instead of using Dreamweaver’s visual editor (boy I’ve come a long way). You inspired me to do what I now love doing, keep your chin up mate, you’re Matt Brett, you’ll bounce back like Rocky and come out swinging!
Keep at it Matt, you’re the man!
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I’m always amazed when people say they’ve come across my work by way of Concrete Loop. That site was actually looking really nice when I handed it over, but it’s since been butchered and plastered with ads. Truly unfortunate. But for whatever reason, people still seem to think it’s a decent site.
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Yeah I remember what it looked like back then, and what it looks like now. Shame.
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I recently dedicated nearly two weeks trying to land a very large 6 month project, and in the end didn’t get it.
You’ve touched on two things that have also been added to my future playbook. Avoid large projects and avoid start ups ( unless you’re involved in ownership obviosly).
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Yikes! I feel for you, but no matter how the next couple of weeks turn out I’m sure you’ll be ok. Your portfolio and experience should get you in the door should you decide to go the agency route.
As for the situation, damn I feel you. I jumped into freelance too early into my career as the sole source of income and in less than a year I found myself without steady work, and lacking the portfolio to get the attention of an agency. Like any other freelancer out there, we’ve all been there, and going through this does only one thing. Help you decide how you want to spend the rest of your career.
As a one man shop, starting up your own studio, working for an agency, or gasp - becoming the inhouse designer. Which ever it is, it’s decission that every body has to make at some point. Hopefully the decission made is one your happy with 10 years later.
I wish you luck, and thanks for writing such a great post. I don’t think you’ve “sabotaged” your freelance career though. Not at all!
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Wow, the response to this post is a little overwhelming! I honestly didn’t expect so many people to jump in and offer their perspectives, suggestions, and support.
Thanks so much for your words of encouragement. While they don’t pay the bills, they definitely help keep my spirit burning and make me that much more determined to get through this rough patch.
Now, some individual replies are in order…
PS. Aren’t threaded comments great? Can you imagine if I had to do @yourname for each reply I wanted to leave in one big message? Yeah, no thanks.
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Yeah those threaded comments are a big help. I want a display photo on your site
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You just need to get yourself a Gravatar.
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I’m not sure if you have thought of this yet but have you tried advertising?
A little google adwords, some logos on well visited websites could turn this into a minor learning experience of the past.
Justin
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This blog doesn’t need advertising, can’t see it fitting in anywhere at all!
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I think Justin was talking about advertising on sites, not so much as putting ads on mattbrett.com
However, Matt has used text ads on the site before, I don’t think it provided much money. He talked about offering ads hi