[consulting] Freelancing, Finances and Finding Work

[Elvis McNeely]

>
> > I am looking for more work, but, as usual, not entirely sure how to find it.
>   
I have found that getting to know a few other developers who "do not" 
have your skills, is the best solution. For example, when I first 
started working with Drupal, I hired a guy who could theme around Drupal 
(back in the Drupal 4.3 days). I was new to Drupal but knew it was the 
right platform. Over time, I kept giving him design work and he kept 
giving me dev and admin Drupal work . It has worked out nicely. We don't 
always give eachother's work away but we do unload as needed. So network 
with others who would compliment your services and vice versa.

That works in the community too. If you are a rad XML ninja, contribute 
some work to the community. Others who don't get XML stuff might use 
your services for a small job / feature. I think it is weird but a good 
thing when a total stranger calls me up, with no real introduction, and 
ask me to do some work. It happens, and usually are those projects that 
need immediate attention which translates into emergency rates - we all 
love those paydays. :)

Get a client or two who wants you to maintain their website / content. 
You may not like updating content or adding small features but the hours 
add up and normally they keep work coming your way if you respond well.

I found that by working with a few web development shops that aren't 
familiar with Drupal, you can stay quite busy. For example, I have a 
client who has their own proprietary CMS solution. It is no where near 
Drupal's excellence but, it does the job for their market. From time to 
time they get clients who have heard of Drupal OR my client knows their 
CMS just won't cut it for the next project... That is when they call 
me... Just 2-3 relationships like this will keep you busy.

If you don't have any relationships with other non Drupal web dev shops, 
just start calling locally, go meet them and just discus what is 
happening in  your work life (projects), what you are good at, what you 
need to learn more of (honesty is good). I assume some of these shops 
will be cutting expensive relationships (I am not sure how much you 
charge) and are looking for new relationships with cheaper rates. If you 
don't have any local firms, start calling those in the nearby cities.

I am not sure how long you have been working with Drupal (how long?) but 
I would say after a year you should be able to stay steady if you do the 
above. Another thing I do from time to time. I just call up previous 
clients and ask how things are doing. Not to call asking for work, just 
to see how their site is running, if they spotted any bugs etc. If they 
need any work done they will tell you :)

Roshan did a good job explaining how to collect bills. I do have a few 
other ideas though...

- I have not done this but I heard from another Drupal firm that it 
works well. Give the client a 5% discount if they pay in full upfront. 
When this firm started this payment program they had 19 projects in the 
queue and a 6 - 8 week lag time before a new project would get 
started... And new clients were still willing to pay 95% upfront.
- Give a discount on consulting or future work if client sends a 
referral that ends up using your service
- I find that I waste a lot of time just reviewing RPF's and scopes... I 
now charge for that time. Most of the time the client wants to know if 
their project is suited for Drupal. I consider my time to review their 
spec as Consulting...
- I rarely give the final product to the client until they have paid in 
full... I will give them a demo on my server but I won't push it to 
theirs until they have paid in full.
- I found that regular communication is really really important to the 
client.... Do this throughout the project and in the end they will less 
likely "not" pay you... It is a physiological thing I think...

Saying all of that.... From time to time I need a good programmer to 
work with. I can program but I am not super efficient at it... I would 
consider myself a Drupal Expert, regarding how Drupal works, what needs 
to be done where etc. But code a 1000 line module in a day or two... I 
can't do... At times it is better to pay someone who charges more than 
to do it myself... Feel free to drop me a line and maybe we can share 
some work...

====================
Elvis McNeely
office: (765) 463-6221
skype me: elvis.mcneely
blog: http://elvisblogs.org
Web Developer / Freelancer / Drupal Specialist
Recent Work: http://elvisblogs.org/drupal-work
What is Drupal? http://drupal.org



> To respond to the thread about quitting the day job to freelance, I could
> also add that I have been freelancing for 10 years and aside from the issues
> mentioned, there are two which, for me at least, are prime. One is getting
> work and the other is getting paid.
>
> Getting paid is usually not an issue, but I have had several clients over
> the years who failed to pay. Not only complete deadbeats who never paid
> anything but I twice had long-term gigs where I was basically telecommuting
> part time for someone (a small firm) and after a year, or 3 years in one
> case, of steady pay, the last month's paycheck never came. While this is not
> a major issue (in the long run), it *is* an issue.
>
> The other is finding work. I am a good programmer and I know Drupal well,
> but I am a lousy salesman. People who can read my resume and appreciate my
> talents are happy to pay me a very good hourly rate. But for others who
> don't have an understanding of programming, I think they wonder why on earth
> should they give me such a rate when some other bozo is only asking for $30
> an hour and he also claims to know how to program.
> On the same note, I wanted to ask people if anyone has any advice on how to
> get new work. This is for sure my weakest point. This year has actually
> been, thus far, very good for me--a few small gigs here and there and two
> fairly large gigs which pay on time and are interesting work for me--and all
> at a good rate. But those two gigs are slowing down and ending soon and I am
> looking for more work, but, as usual, not entirely sure how to find it.
>
> Thanks,
> Sammy
>
>