About this episode
In this episode Wes and Scott talk about how to find freelance clients — tangible things you can do to position yourself and set yourself up for success. Stackbit - Sponsor Build modern JAMStack websites in minutes. Stackbit lets you combine any theme, site generator and CMS without complicated integrations. Join the beta today by visiting stackbit.com/syntaxfm . LogRocket - Sponsor LogRocket lets you replay what users do on your site, helping you reproduce bugs and fix issues faster. It’s an exception tracker, a session replayer and a performance monitor. Get 14 days free at https://logrocket.com/syntax . Show Notes 1:27 - Question from Andreas Trattner: I am a backend developer with 4+ years experience working on large systems in Europe and am considering moving toward freelancing/contracting. However, I find it difficult to discover quality opportunities. Any tips you can share on how to strategically get projects? There isn’t a secret trove of work, and there’s no one way to do it. 4:50 - Relationships Trust and relationships rule all. The best paying gigs are never advertised. Who should you know? Other developers How? Meetups, Conferences, Twitter, Slack rooms, Friends Tip: Volunteering is a great way to get in to conferences, plus you often get to know people Tip: If you are friends of a friend who gets a lot of work, as for a introduction Designers and marketers You usually work together How? Twitter, Email, Dribbble, Instagram Project managers How? Cold emails, tweets Office managers Life blood of the office - they know everyone Often move into other roles How? Meetups, previous employees Entrepreneurs Lots of connections, often switching gears How? Demo camps, Facebook marketing groups Venture capitalists Have dozens of companies and tons of connections How? Demo camps, introductions, cold email 19:08 - Display of expertise It certainly is an option to just be really freaking good at what you do Speaking at conferences and local meetups Working on open source Helping in chat rooms Posting guides Maintaining docs Offering reviews / Make things public Performance - Harry Roberts from CSS Wizardry Accessibility - HeydonWorks WordPress speed React checking Start a podcast Blogging Volunteering 9:22 - Visibility You need to let everyone know what you do. Your mom’s uncle’s friend’s cousin on Facebook might casually ask for recommendations. Instagram / Photos. Showing people what you are doing and what you are working on will make a mental note in their head that you do that type of work. Facebook / Twitter / Instagram Blogging This makes the “vetting” process much easier Tweeting YouTube videos Slack channels you are involved in 38:02 - Other tactics SEO - Locality (Toronto designer), specific technologies (Redux contractor) Craigslist This one sucks, but it can lead to decent work occasionally You need to be more vigilant in screening, most clients will suck Cold asks - Just ask people what works well “Hey, I’m looking to book a few contracts starting June 2019. I love working with ______ and you can see my work here” Put a phone number on your website. Seriously. UpWork Won’t make as much money here because of competition Local business listings Find online and offline biz listings Old fashioned — putting your card on bulletin boards 47:29 - Maintaining Relationships Check in every few months with non-biz related contact But also just straight up ask for work Christmas / Thank-you gifts Links Canadian Couch Potato ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Google Drive Scanner Wes: Endy Mattress Shameless Plugs Scott’s React Hooks For Everyone Wes’ All Courses Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets