Mistakes with freelance clients are kind of unavoidable. But a wise woman named Eleanor Roosevelt once said it’s better to “learn from the mistakes of others. [Because] you can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” This week I sat down with my wife, Sarah, to talk about her experience with her first big […]

What if you could get hours of your day back? What would you do? Spend more time with your family? Start another hobby? Sleep? As a freelancer, you might think it’s impossible to cut down your work day. After all folks like Gary Vee are literally screaming at you to spend more time growing your […]

The idea of having a gig where you only work a few hours a week on the side but still make a decent amount of money sounds good to just about everyone I know. And, that’s kind of the lure of the freelance side hustle. The problem is making good money requires offering a really […]

Nothing has the power to cripple a self-employed freelancer quite like freelance taxes. In fact, I’ve heard of horror stories with freelance businesses shutting down altogether because they didn’t do their taxes right. Everything was going great! They were making money and had plenty of clients. Then, during tax season, they found out they owed […]

Having an efficient web design process that you take your clients through on every project is an essential part of being successful as a freelance web designer. But, sadly, most folks approach every project differently without any repeatable system. They kind of shoot from the hip with everything. Maybe a wireframe here… A bit of […]

If you’ve been freelancing for any length of time you’ve probably heard of or even known someone that has fallen prey to an Upwork scam. That leaves some folks hesitant to even give Upwork a shot. AND, In my opinion, that would be a tragedy. Upwork has been and still is a huge part of […]

A lot of people want to get started with web development they just don’t have any clue where to begin. A quick google search will leave you paralyzed with all the possible options to choose from what types of languages you should learn to how to learn them. There’s: Frontend development Backend development Bootcamps Online […]

Becoming a freelance web developer is actually pretty simple. And, in this article, I aim to show you just how simple it is in a 5 step process. Now, wait! Before you start composing an angry email to tell me you disagree OR checkout altogether, hear me out. I didn’t say it was easy. I […]

Most freelancers approach their sales pitch process haphazardly. Typically, you jump on a call or video conference and just kind of see what happens. Cross your fingers that it goes well, right? And, sometimes it DOES go great. Other times, it straight up bombs. So, the question is, does it have to be that unpredictable? […]

Let’s be honest, web design revisions are painful for us freelancers/agency owners. I’ve got some nightmare stories and a fair share of newbie scars from clients who just couldn’t seem to be satisfied with the designs I presented no matter how hard I tried. I once made about 10 different versions of a logo for […]

Building a web design business isn’t a piece of cake. Add to that a busy life and you’ve got a real conundrum. You feel pushed and pulled in so many directions. It’s hard to tell which one you should make a priority. AND, when it’s all said and done you feel like you’re neglecting EVERY […]

If you’ve really tried to become a web developer in the past but have struggled OR if there are certain areas of web dev that you’re wanting to improve in this is for you. Here is what I’ve found to be the best way to learn web development in 2022. I don’t know if you’ve […]

You’re going to face tough times in your freelance business. How you handle them can make the difference between you coming out on top or having to shut down entirely. Check out this podcast to hear my own personal journey through a tough season and how you can thrive no matter what you’re facing. I […]

Some people take multiple years to scale a web design business to six figures. Then some people do it in 1 year or less. So, what’s the difference between those who are able to do it quickly and those who are able to do it in a fraction of the time? Believe it or not, […]

Austin and Monica had the next few years of their lives planned out. They were recently married and on their way into the Peace Corps. They had sold everything they had, quit their jobs, and ended their lease. They were ready and excited about this new season of life. Then the pandemic hit. And, their […]

There is not a freelancer alive that doesn’t struggle with insecurity. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been freelancing or how good you are. Everyone feels like an imposter. This week I talked with Michael who is having doubts about approaching clients. He’s struggling because he feels like there are a lot of web designers […]

Don’t want to read over 1,000 words about how to get freelance web design clients when you’re just getting started? No worries I got you. Here’s a podcast. It’s hard to know how to get freelance clients when you’re first getting started. In your gut you know there’s a lot of opportunities out there. But, […]

Don’t want to read thousands of words on how to overcome freelancing fears? I got you. Here’s a podcast Want to know the one thing I’ve found holds most people back from getting started as a freelancer? It’s not a lack of ability. It’s not even a lack of opportunity. Plain and simple, most people […]

Typography in Web Design is often something web designers think about last when they’re working on a project. The checklist often goes something like this: Good images? Check ✅ Nice visual balance? Got it ✅ Appealing Color Palette? Done ✅ Typography? Oh yeah…I need to think about that 😂 But, text and typography often take […]

A lot of salaried employees are starting to buck the norm and learning how to become a digital nomad. The truth is a lot of people spend their entire lives devoting most of their energy to their careers. But, something has happened recently. Many are starting to ask, “Why am I adjusting my lifestyle for […]

It’s tough to make a career change no matter what season of life you’re in. But, it gets even tougher the older you get. For 13 years I was a worship pastor for a large church. I had no desire to switch up what I was doing. Then my wife of 10 years walked out […]

Building a side hustle into a million-dollar company is kind of the dream, right? It’s fun to daydream about what life would look like if you had multiple employees, office space OR EVEN an entire HR department.  Okay, maybe you don’t dream about HR departments but all of us dream about having outrageous success.  Well, […]

It’s inevitable. You will one day be faced with a list of objections from a potential client as a freelancer. And, the way I see it is you’ve got a few options when that happens: Act defensive and turn them off from working with you altogether Throw your hands ups and not even try Figure […]

I’m a coach for my 8 year old’s soccer team. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also excruciating at the same time. During their games I’m forced to stand on the sideline while I watch them make really simple mistakes that are super easy to fix and would end up making a HUGE difference […]

There’s not much that strikes more fear into the hearts of freelance web designers than the need for having good web design contracts. I’ve known web designers who wouldn’t even get started freelancing because they were so afraid of getting sued. OR, they feared messing up a contract in such a way that they end […]

Don’t want to read over 2,000 words on why you’re getting rejected on Upwork? I got you. Here’s a podcast: Rejection is never fun especially when it comes to freelance clients on Upwork. You work so hard to craft the perfect cover letter or pitch. You read it and then reread it, and then have […]

Don’t want to read over 2,000 words about why you should freelance on Upwork in 2021? No worries! Listen to the podcast: There are a lot of people who will tell you you should freelance on Upwork. And at the same time, a lot of people will tell you not to waste your time. There […]

When you first begin thinking about becoming a freelance web designer or developer you don’t naturally think of finding a freelancer community as the highest of priorities. But, the reality is finding a community that you can walk with through your journey as a freelancer is one of THE most important things if not THE […]

We’ve always been told that there was really only one way to build a freelance web design business. Step 1: Learn web design/development skillsStep 2: Find clientsStep 3: As you get better you charge higher and higher prices Then for the really ambitious, you start an agency and make really big bucks. Sure, a lot […]

7 years ago, if you told me I’d one day be offered $10,000 to build a website I probably would have laughed at you. At the time, the most I’d ever gotten was a $100 gift card to Amazon. And, that was because someone was just being nice. The possibility of actually making that much […]

Don’t want to read almost 3,000 words on what you need to do to become a top rated freelancer on Upwork? No worries I got you. Here’s a podcast: Becoming a Top Rated Freelancer on Upwork was a game-changer for me. It was like almost overnight I went from clawing and scratching to find and […]

Erin Flynn is not your normal freelance web designer. While everyone else is preaching “hustle, grind, kill yourself until you win” Erin is encouraging everyone to slow down and build a business that supports your life RATHER than the other way around. Erin only works two to four hours a day as a freelance web […]