I have a confession to make. I haven’t always had a great Job Success Score on Upwork. In fact, there was a season when my Job Success Score got all the way down to 78%. In Upwork world, that’s the equivalent of a huge sign that says, “Worst Freelancer Ever. Do Not Hire.” But, despite […]

What makes someone destined to become a truly successful web designer? I get asked that question a lot. People are trying to figure out if there’s some secret they can tap into that will help them know whether it’s worth it to pursue web design as a career. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts. There’s no […]

Don’t want to read over 3,000 words on how to find your first freelance web design clients? Listen to the podcast OR watch the YouTube Video. The first time I tried getting potential freelance web design clients was not pretty. I had just finished the very first site I had ever done. It was for […]

One of my favorite quotes is from Richard Branson founder of the Virgin Group. He says: “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!” This was my philosophy when I first got started as a web designer […]

Don’t want to read over 3,000 words on how to stand out as a freelancer? Listen to the podcast OR watch the YouTube Video. It’s tough to stand out as a freelancer when there are currently 57 million of us in the US, and that number gets bigger every day. In a lot of ways, […]

No one starts out as a freelancer hoping to one day be mediocre. We are all determined to become a successful freelancer maybe even one of the better freelancers out there in our field. The problem is being TRULY successful as a freelancer isn’t easy. It even feels impossible sometimes. After all, if it were […]

Okay, you’ve decided it’s time to start a web design business. All the signs are pointing to it. You’ve got a decent eye for design maybe a bit of code know how It’s a growing market It’s fairly easy to get into AND, every business/blogger/influencer/whatever needs a website, right? Great! Now what? Start a Web […]

Don’t want to read 1000’s of words on career change? Listen to the podcast instead! I was pretty much a full-time musician for about 13 years. To be fair, I was the worship leader of a church. Which is probably a lot different than what you’d think of in the usual sense of a “full-time […]

Don’t want to read 1000’s of words on how to recover from mistakes with freelance clients? I got you. Listen to the podcast below OR watch the youtube video. Making mistakes with freelance clients is inevitable. You’ll do your best to keep it from happening, but one day, when you least expect it…WHAM! Out of […]

Don’t want to read a few thousand words on how I got out of debt with web design side hustle? No worries! Listen to the podcast OR check out the video: My wife and I were married in February of 2018. With our marriage came love, joy, excitement and about $30k of debt. And, listen, […]

Most high school seniors automatically think their next big life decision is choosing which college to go to. They graduate dreaming of the fun they’re about to have from dorm life or fraternities or the general “college experience.” But, not Michael. Michael knew that even if did go to school for computer science he would […]

Don’t want to read 1000’s of words on how to accomplish freelancing goals? Here’s a podcast! It seems like we start every year with high hopes for making huge progress on accomplishing freelancing goals.  We sign up for new goal setting systems. We read new books and swear to ourselves that this year will be […]

Making 6 figures as a freelance web designer is kind of like a rite of passage. When I was first introduced to the world of freelancing I was kind of shocked at how freelancers would just openly tell me they made over 6 figures a year without me asking. When I asked a friend about […]

There are probably a lot of reasons why someone would want to become a freelance web designer. There are motivations like being in control of your time, having flexibility in your schedule, or being your own boss. But, one that probably trumps them all is earning more money. That was one of my biggest motivations […]

Being unhappy with your job is pretty much a given these days. That’s why everyone posts those stupid memes about how bad Mondays are. A recent study found that over half of all US workers were unhappy with their career. But why are we so content to stay and do work we hate for a […]

If you don’t want to read nearly 3,000 words on 5 important things every web designer needs to know, I got you. Here’s a podcast Well, it’s official. Selfmadewebdesigner.com turned 1 year old! ? It’s been a pretty awesome year. I’ve gotten the chance to help a lot of people up their game as web […]

I have to be honest and say I did not think the Coronavirus would affect us as much as it has. I thought everyone was going a bit overboard. But, things kept getting worse. Then last week the CEO of the company I work for sent out a message telling us that we would all […]

The holiday season can be a mixed bag. Especially if your the kind that tries to find the absolute perfect gift for the people in your life. Let’s be real. Some people are pretty tough to buy for. A web designer whether newbie or seasoned professional is one of those that are tough to peg. […]

Ever reach a plateau? You know what I mean. That place you get after you’ve been working hard at something and what once was excitement about learning a new thing becomes frustration with how long it’s taking. It feels like you’ve reached your limit BUT believe me you haven’t. I’ve hit a number of roadblocks […]

The holidays are such a fun time. It’s everyone’s chance to tear away from work, spend time with people you love and in general take a break. Unless you’ve got a side hustle. Then you’re left wondering how to get the most out of the holidays while still keeping up with your side hustle. For […]

I’ve often wondered why more people don’t jump into web design freelancing or any freelancing at all for that matter! This time in history is arguably the easiest it has ever been to make money.  Never before have you been able to learn whatever you want from anywhere you want. Never before have you been […]