How to become a Freelance Developer?

Freelance work, salary in USD, trips around the world and complete freedom are the dreams of a lot of beginner developers.

But for a lot of devs freelance stays just a dream, and for some of them it even turns into a nightmare.

Reader, I found quite a unique way how to succeed as a freelance developer, and very few people talk about it.

In this email, I will share everything that I've learned about Freelance Development Work throughout the last few years.

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Is Freelance Worth It?

A lot of people talk about freelance because it just sounds great 😅.

The word "Freelance", has the phrase "FREE" in it, how cool is that?

Well, reality isn't that bright ☹️.

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Everyone who tried freelancing knows that starting there is a nightmare.

It's almost impossible to land a project, as you have 0 experience, 0 reviews and nobody trusts you.

There is insane competition there, and people from cheaper countries are setting insanely low rates, so if you live in a more expensive country, you are just not able to compete with them on the price.

And even after a ton of hard work, when you finally land a project, it can end in just 2-4 weeks, and you will have to start hunting for a project all over again.

With every new project, you have to learn a new code base and build new relations.

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But if you go through those hard times, and build a successful freelancer reputation, you'll be able to charge $50-$200 per hour, have clients come to your doors and have full control of how much you work per week.

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So how to actually succeed with freelance?

Let's cover that!

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Freelance Success Plan

Let me now walk you through the exact plan of how you can succeed as a freelance developer.

It will take some time and experience to make it work, but that's what worked well for me.

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1. Get Real World Experience

Instead of starting freelancing as a complete newbie without any industry experience and name, it's way easier to start there as an experienced developer.

You can fill up your portfolio with cool real-world projects, and you can make your LinkedIn profile look way more credible by including some real-world experience.

So my biggest recommendation is to START WORKING IN A COMPANY, and after 1-3 years of experience there, you can start your freelance journey way smoother.

Yes, it will take time, but in that way, you will be able to become a Senior Developer way faster by working in a team and learning from others.

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2. Apply for a closed freelance platform

Having good experience solves the problem of credibility and helps you to build trust faster.

But it doesn't solve the problem of huge competition with people from cheaper countries for the lowest rates.

That's why the best freelance advice I can give to you is:

Apply for a closed freelance platform!

So instead of competing with thousands of people on the UpWork, you can apply to a closed freelance platform and compete with just 3-10 people for a project.

Moreover, some closed freelance platforms will even search projects for you, so the only thing that will be required from you is to pass an interview with a client.

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To get into a closed freelance platform you will have to pass the interview process which takes 1-4 weeks.

Yes, more work upfront, but after you'll pass it, you'll be able to stay there forever and land projects way easier for quite good rates.

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3. Work well and build relationships with a client

After getting into a closed freelance platform and landing your first client, you need to build a great reputation.

So be nice, work well, and slightly overdeliver to build a good first impression.

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4. Discuss transitioning to a long-term contract or switching client

If you don't like this client or project, consider switching it, that's quite easy to do on the freelance.

But if you like the client, and like working with this client, it's time to build long-term relations.

So after 6-9 months of cooperation, ask them if everything is great and if they would like to start working with you directly.

If they are satisfied with you, and they have the budget, they will pay a one-time fee to the freelance platform to buy you out of it.

And you will be able to sign a contract and work directly with them.

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You gonna ask: "Andrew if I'm signing the contract, it's not a freelance anymore, is it?".

And you will be right.
But the whole point of a freelance is to have a great salary, flexibility and freedom.
If you have all of that with this client, it's worth switching those relationships to a more long-term one and still have all the benefits of freelance, but on top of that receive vacations and days off, that you don't have on a freelance.

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Bonus Tip

If you still want to try out working on an open freelance platform like UpWork, the best tip there is to choose a niche.

For example, don't be just a Frontend Developer, but be a 3D Frontend Developer.

It will take just 1 extra month to learn how to do 3D things on the Frontend, or any other niche things, but it will allow you to stand out and have fewer people to compete with.

(Bonus tip was inspired by this YouTube Video, so kudos to it!)

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Conclusion

There are a lot of ways how you can go with freelancing.

Like niching down to very specific technology to reduce competition, or looking for clients across your your city.

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The approach that I personally suggest is to go with the closed freelance platform, build good relations with a client, and sign a direct contract with them after 6-9 months.

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Today, I've shared the proven path to a 6-figure US job on the freelance that worked well for me, so feel free to steal it.

Good luck!

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