“You’ll never make real money on Upwork. People only go there for cheap, poor quality work.” Those are the things I was told when I first started building a portfolio on Upwork. And, here we are now I’ve made over $80,000 from Upwork alone. Oh, and don’t forget about all the projects that came as […]

Pricing is scary as a freelance web designer. Ask for too much and you run the risk of losing the project. Price too little and you might get taken advantage of by a client and miss out on some serious “dough.” Before we dive too deep let’s talk about some principles Time-Driven vs. Value-Driven Pricing […]

I was on vacation with my fiance. We’re married now. So, things went well. But, at the time, we had just gotten engaged actually. We were out in California at a church conference I was a part of. In case you didn’t know, this was my life before web design. The conference went great and […]

Don’t want to read over 1,000 words about how to avoid nightmare clients? I got you. Here’s a podcast: The world of web design freelancing is filled with amazing clients. I’ve had quite a few. But, at the same time, I’ve had a few nightmare clients that were unpleasable, unresponsive, or plain un…… When you’re […]

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 […]

Most people begin to build a web design side-hustle without thinking much past the “How do I get started?” phase. There are a ton of resources out there all about how to learn web design or development, how to land your first client or build your portfolio. And, all of that is super important to […]

Don’t want to read 1000’s of words on how to find web design clients? I got you. Here’s a podcast instead: Or if you prefer, there’s a YouTube Video. Ahh, the timeless tale of finding freelance web design clients. It’s a tale as old as time, really. And with that tale comes a certain amount […]

After you’ve had a bit of success as a side-hustler the question that always comes next is, “When is it time to go from side-hustle to full-time?” After all, things are starting to pick up. You’re starting to be a bit more confident in your skills and in your ability to make money with this […]

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, […]

It’s pretty tough to know how to price your services as a freelance web designer. There are so many people that will tell you something different. Some say you should charge hourly while others say a flat rate is the only decent thing to do. Some will tell you to charge a minimum of $5,000 […]

It’s crazy to think that only a few months ago having a remote job wasn’t the norm. Now, almost the entire world is working from home. And, while a remote job as a web designer might be a dream come true, it comes with its fair share of challenges. Being on a remote team makes […]

“How do you have time to work on a web design side hustle?” I get that question a lot. And, I understand where it’s coming from. The older you get the more responsibilities pile on and the less time you have to take up new hobbies or even build skills that make you money. But […]

Don’t want to read 1000’s of words on getting good web design clients even with a tiny portfolio? No worries. Listen to the podcast. Here is the conundrum: good clients are looking for web designers with a strong portfolio before they hire them. But, how do you add to your web design portfolio if no […]

Most of us think that starting a side hustle will give us a little extra money to buy things we probably shouldn’t with our normal salary. With the money we earn, we imagine we’ll be able to splurge on a night out or slowly save up for an epic vacation. Not Josh Burns. Josh spends […]

The world is crazy right now. Entire cities are shutting down. Businesses are being bankrupted. All from a virus we call COVID-19. In the wake of what’s happening around the world a lot of people are questioning what their next move is. They just lost their job or their income has drastically decreased. And, some […]

I’ve talked to a lot of freelancers over the years. After a while, a few common issues started to pop up. It turns out a lot of us are struggling with the exact same issues but no one is talking about it with one another! That’s the topic of this week’s episode on the Self-Made […]

One of the first questions that comes to mind after you’ve had a bit of success as a freelance web designer is: “How big can I build this thing?” It’s pretty easy to get sucked into grandiose daydreams of having a full staff of employees, maybe an office, and best of all plenty of money […]

There has never been a better time to start a side hustle in a tech-related field. There are so many opportunities out there to find work you can do right from the comfort of your own home. Best thing? You don’t have to have a ton of experience to get started. In fact, you can […]

I am so excited to announce that on March 3rd, 2020 I will officially be launching a podcast to go along with selfmadewebdesigner.com! Let me tell ya, I’m excited about this. For months I’ve been quietly working in the background interviewing people that I have looked up to for years. People like: Laurence Bradford of […]

Not many college students can say they make $120 an hour. But, that’s not the case with Josh Ahles. Josh started freelancing as a web designer only a few short months ago. But, in that time his success has skyrocketed. Here’s the crazy thing, only 8 months ago, Josh was afraid of freelancing as a […]

As a freelance web designer, it’s easy to go from feast to famine. One month you’ve got more work than you can handle and the next month you literally have nothing. Zero, zilch…it’s depressing. You get to the point where you’d be willing to do just about anything tech-related for just about any amount of […]

Let’s be real. Project management for web designers can be a bit of a sore spot. A lot of us are super creative but lacking a bit when it comes to keeping track of the details. Is that just me? Anyone else relate? ?? When I first started I quickly learned that being a good […]

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. […]

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’d like to tell you an all to common story about an average web designer and their client. Our first scene begins with the initial conversation. And ACTION! Client: “I’ve got a really short timeline. Can you get this done quickly?” Web Designer: “Well, it won’t be easy. I’ll have to push some other things […]

The landscape of the workplace has changed drastically. That’s probably a huge understatement, right? And, it hasn’t just been within the past decade. We’re talking about within the past 3 years. It’s not just businesses that are driving the change but the EMPLOYEES as well. People are wanting more freedom and no longer anticipate being […]

There are tons of ways to make extra money online these days. You don’t have to go too far before you hear how someone sits around all day just clicking links on a website and earns $100k per year. Not buying it. While there are a lot of fake folks out there trying to sell […]

Pricing is one of the biggest sources of anxiety for web designers. There have been so many times in my 5 years of freelancing that I came to the end of a project only to realize I had way underbid. And, I’m not talking about scope creep where the client keeps adding features we hadn’t […]

I talk to people almost every day now who tell me they’d love to learn web design they just don’t have enough time! I get it. Life is busy. BUT….(you knew it was coming) You probably have more time than you think you do. I remember the season of life when I didn’t have any […]

It finally dawned on me. My wife of 10 years, 3 kids and over a year of her battling mental illness was done. She left me. Life as I knew it was over. Then came the realization that I had not only lost my wife but I had lost a tremendous amount of income.  You […]

It’s tough to know how much to charge someone. Especially when you’re first getting started. Charge too much and you run the risk of getting passed up. Charge too little and well, you know…you won’t make as much. And, that really sucks. When I began Self-Made Web Designer I couldn’t keep up with all the […]

Don’t get a degree to be a web developer. Are those fighting words? Good. I hope I can help as many people as possible avoid debt, wasted time and a 4+ year pause in experience in pursuit of a degree they don’t need to be successful. I’m sorry if you got a degree in computer […]

The one objection I hear most often about starting a web design business is the fear of not being able to deliver what you promised to clients or majorly screwing up on something important. Let me put your mind at ease with 6 simple words: “You are going to screw up.” It’s inevitable. It’s going […]

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 […]