How can a freelance coder survive?

Question

Freelance

Hello. How can a freelance layout designer survive if there are about 20-30 reviews on average for one project. If there are no reviews, then the chance to get an order is 0. Also, in addition to layout, I put on layouts on WP or Joomla. I don’t even try to advance in this direction, because there the competition is even wilder.

Answer 1

No way. I left freelancing two years ago and am extremely happy about this event.

Answer 2

The whole reason is the wrong positioning of yourself and your craft.
By itself, a layout designer is needed not so often, the amount of his work in the total cost of the site is extremely small. At the same time, the work does not require such qualifications as programming, for example. Therefore, just a layout designer is usually not needed by anyone.
Learn to offer people not a service, but a product. For example, you know how to "dress" skins on wp and joomla. But you can't draw or write code. You can sell a product (turnkey website) if you master simple things - choosing a design on teamforest, buying hosting and installing wp / joomla on it. Here is the finished product - you are not only making up, but you are issuing a turnkey website - a thing in demand among novice businessmen. The next step is to learn how to convey to people that they would rather pay you a fiver a month, and you will take care of their site, than they will do it with their crooked rakes. And then wp won't be updated on time - and hello, backdoor. This is how you get regular customers.
I have been doing business (which can be called freelancing) for 14 years, it all started like this, now regular customers bring the main profit. Entrance from the street starts at 150,000.

Answer 3

What you are talking about is the risk of a freelancer. Everyone has risks: for those who are permanent, it consists in the fact that they can rest against, not develop, despite all their knowledge and speed of work, receive the same salary. The freelancer bears the risk that he may be out of a job, and out of a job for a long time.
So I don’t understand why such a question was asked, as they say - it’s worth thinking about a constant (and, unfortunately, perhaps not only in the it sphere). Yet we live in the real world.
Perhaps it will work and develop in parallel.

Answer 4

I notice constantly that even freelancers with a plump portfolio have few initial orders from the exchange. That is, this is not only a problem for beginners. I think a successful freelancer is one who is unique in his own way and works with customers directly, not through exchanges.

Answer 5

PORTFOLIO, PORTFOLIO, PORTFOLIO! This is what determines the cost of the work of each freelancer, and also the level of trust of a potential client! No portfolio - no work!
P.S. In October, I opened a studio with a partner, before that we worked for an uncle, during the work we accumulated a good layout portfolio for two and there are consistently many losses of work, clients find us themselves. In January, a client from AUSTRALIA contacted us and offered to work with him, providing a large flow of work at normal prices! And in the beginning there was a PORTFOLIO!

Answer 6

Many programmers hate marketers and managers, but this is the moment when such competencies can pull you out of the swamp by the hair.

Answer 7

@Sergey750il there are a couple of tasks, if you are interested, knock on the door

Answer 8

The freelancing market is very similar regardless of the industry.
At one time I decided to indulge and went to the exchange of copywriters. There is one big plus: they pay for 1000 characters (X RUB / 1000 characters). A ruble is a ruble, not 1000 rubles)
I had to start with 5 rubles/1000c. It was dumping. But! While in this way I was getting my hand (+ resume), I understood my speed of generating articles, weaknesses in grammar, nuances of communication with the customer, etc. Found a bunch of resources automating the routine.
Second stage: raised the bet to 10 rubles / 1000 symbols. "Nonsense" - you say. And I agree, and yet ... This is an increase in income up to 200%. Why didn’t I immediately take orders for 10 rubles? I tried, but there was no portfolio and they immediately rejected me. The portfolio appeared, the speed of order execution was increased -> the terms were reduced. It turns out now we have time for more + get more.
Stage 3: regular customers appear! They pay a penny, but they give orders regularly! Those. We can spend less time searching for orders. The free time we spend pumping our skills. We also have a good list of positive reviews in our profile, which is no less important (if not more) than a portfolio.
IV stage. You understand the bet up to 15p. The most daring step. You are afraid of losing your customer base, and finding orders on the exchange with such a rate will become more difficult (fortunately, we already have a really good portfolio and a dozen other positive reviews). And ... About a miracle! Some regular customers are ready to raise your rate and keep in touch with "a person who has proven himself" (I'm talking about us).
Stage V5: you are already beginning to be found by acquaintances of regular customers ...
And then I left. For me it was a game. But she taught me a lot.
Bottom line: from 5 rubles per hour (those very first orders, when more time was spent on inventing an article) to 60 rubles per hour, it took a month. Please note that everyone can write, so the competition is huge.
The layout is slightly different, but the principles are the same.
Writing articles for money and writing not for money are very different.
So start with orders that are absurd in price than look for normal ones without having a portfolio or reviews.