So I was researching some great new code snippets for my forthcoming WordPress Tutor website when I came across an advert for a Freelance Mac App Bundle. As I’ve fairly recently made the switch to using a Mac, and I offer freelance services, it seemed like a no-brainer to go and check out what the offer was at least, besides I was still looking for a few mac app alternatives to PC software I’d previously been using. Now I don’t know about you, but when I clicked over there were already a few familiar icons. Here’s what I found…

• 1Password – This is password management tool that you can use to automatically store secure logins to all of your websites across the web. You can have a different (and complex) password for every site you visit and then you create one powerful master password which unlocks them all and fills out forms for you online. I’d previously been using Roboform and even paid for an extended Mac license but unfortunately Roboform doesn’t seem to integrate as well on a mac and as such I’d be eyeing up alternatives. 1Password was at the top of my list as it appeared to have a beautiful GUI and integrated seamlessly with the Mac experience. The only reason I hadn’t bought this yet was my stubbornness at having already bought a years Roboform license. 12 hours into my purchase and I only wish I’d made it sooner…
• Billings – Potentially the least enjoyable part of my work is logging and the hours, creating invoices and managing the admin and bookkeeping side of my business. I already use a service called Freeagent online but if this software lives up to the hype that I’ve been hearing since I got a mac then it might be time to make the switch. It’s definitely the cheaper option of the two!
• TextExpander - If you are a web developer then it’s likely you already know the power of snippets. I’ve been searching for a simple way of storing the many commonly used pieces of code for my website and so far have been pretty much using a plain text file. TextExpander promises to not only store these snippets by context but automatically input them for you when you start to type their specific combination. This is bound to save me countless hours in my workflow!
• LittleSnapper – Truth be told I’ve already been using the demo version of this for a couple of months. It’s a utility that allows you take entire (or partial) screenshots of websites and edit/store them on your computer. The images captured via LittleSnapper are great for adding images of sites you’ve created to portfolios, creating step by step tutorials or even capturing cool web elements you’ve seen on other peoples websites for some added inspiration when yours is taking a break I’m extremely happy that I no longer have to try and keep my image database below the demo limit!
• WriteRoom – This is an app designed to give you focus in your writing. It blacks out your entire screen and is made so that you can just get your words out and ignore any distractions. I’ve not used it just yet but with it’s auto-save feature it’s likely to be great little app for when I need to create a blog post or perhaps finish a report on a tight deadline but I have hundreds of tabs open in my browser (ok maybe not that many…), with Facebook & Skype both screaming for my attention.
• Radium – This from what I understand is a digital radio player. I almost without fail, play all my music through Spotify on my phone Mac and PC so I’m not the best person to comment but it’s probably fair to assume that if you are someone that does listen to online radio station this will probably offer you some value. Rather than trying to make something up and profess myself as an an expert in something I’m not you are probably best checking out their site if you want to know how this app benefits you!
• Arq – This is an online backup solution for your mac that utilises Amazon S3. You can quite literally back up the entire contents of your hard drive to a private “bucket” online where it’s stored securely in case you ever have any mishaps such as your mac being wiped, stolen or worse… I guess maybe if it exploded that could be worse! Either way I was using a solution called JungleDisk on the PC and this is looking like an almost seamless replacement so I’m very happy to discover it!
• Alarms – This is an excellent app for all you GTD (Getting Things Done) fans out there. It’s like a ToDo list with built in alarm notifications so that you can make sure you are always on task and keeping the pace. I’ve used basic ToDo lists in the past  but none seem to have the power of an alarm reminder on my iPhone so I can only assume that this power will transfer to the desktop environment as well!

So there you have it; a pretty impressive array of mac apps by most peoples standards and when you factor in the fact that it only costs $49 this is a genuine steal. I would talk more about the Freelance Mac App Bonuses but the truth is if you’re not already salivating then this probably isn’t for you. Though having said that I will give a quick mention to the fact that one of it’s several bonuses is a premium WordPress theme that I will probably be adding to my development arsenal.

The Freelance Mac App Bundle is only available for less than 4 days as I write this (yes I was late to the show this time) so don’t walk, but run over to get your hands on this incredible offer and make sure you come back to let me know how you are using these apps within your daily schedule!

Freelance Confidential is the latest book released by the highly acclaimed Rockable Press group. I’ve previously read and enjoyed books from these guys on blogging and creating WordPress themes so when this came out I was excited to see if they could hit another home run and bought the book straight away!

My Freelance Confidential Review

The books starts out with a simple introduction and references the fact that the book is based on solid research from approximately 3200 real and active freelancers. This is a great refection as it shows you that when they mention statistics throughout the book they are based on real facts rather than the authors ideas or one of the infamous 95% of all statistics that are made up on the spot The survey is actually a 2010 update on a survey that they also ran in 2007 so you get to see how the freelance world is evolving.

Freelance Confidential is not designed as a step by step guide on how to become a freelancer and it admits that from the outset. This book is great for anyone that is already involved in freelancing that wants to get an idea of the landscape; what other freelancers are charging per hour (hint:I’m still not charging enough!) based on averages, where to find great clients (there is a difference, believe me!) and how people are estimating jobs etc.

Interestingly the book also touched on the location independent aspect of many freelancing roles; something i am very passionate about and part of what attracted me in the first place! The book also reinforces the idea that you don’t need to have college or university education in your field to be a successful freelancer, just good up to date skills.

The second section of the book starts to focus less on statistics and what they mean for us as freelancers. How we can improve our working conditions and make sure we get paid appropriately for our efforts. This section alone will easily pay for the entire book within your few days if you make adjustments based on the information shared.

Freelance confidential also reveals the truth about a few myths surrounding freelancing and presents the reality of the situation in a clear and concise manor; often in coordination with easily understood graphs. It even goes beyond this and shares not only what is happening now but a few emerging trends within the freelancing world that you will want to take notice of if you want keep a steady stream of clients for the foreseeable future.

And what modern business book would be complete without a section on social media Inside it touches on how top freelancers are using social media to engage with a wider audience, become more likable and in turn get more profitable work. Whilst there is nothing revolutionary in this section it is certainly food for thought if you are just getting started and might even shed a few realisations for those that thought they were doing it right.

Suprisingly for a book dedicated to freelancing it does make a recommendation to diversifying your business. This is definitely something i agree with and it was refreshing to see that it made the cut even though some of the ideas presented don’t directly relate to freelancing itself. This section is coupled with a chapter on building a support network (probably not what you think it is!) and shows that author really does care about your life as a freelancer; not just the nuts and bolts of it all.

Finally Freelance Confidential closes with some candid advice on how to both get into freelance if you are just starting out and how to become more successful if you are already up and running. The book is accompanied by all the raw data from the survey which is presented concisely at the rear of the book making this the complete package. Overall the book is well written and easy to read therefore I would feel happy recommending this book. It won’t give you the skills to become a freelancer but if you already have skills that are in demand then this book will help you realise their worth!

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that if you buy Freelance Confidential within the first 5 days of it’s release you also save a further $5 on the price. There are no confusing Freelance Confidential Coupon Codes, just head on over to the official site and the savings are waiting for you there!

See the Freelane Confidential book here

Just a quick post to share a little something with you. It’s true that Freelance WordPress Development has it’s ups and downs like anything. But besides the obvious fact I do actually enjoy helping others to create their vision online and the happiness I get when seeing a clients blog full of posts weeks later, there is one more hidden benefit that I get out of it.

You see, almost without fail I get the most random requests. Clients ask for functionality that I wouldn’t have even considered let alone researched and found possible through a few simple tweaks. Every time I work with a new client I get to see WordPress through fresh eyes.

I know a lot about WordPress (I guess you’d expect that since I work with it daily ) however, clients still catch me off guard and ask for new things. I take their concept and turn it into a reality, suddenly their idea has evolved into onto the web and into the public eye. I’ve created membership directories, news sites, sales pages and even the trusty old blog.

Here’s a few of pretty cool things you can do with WordPress:

• Create a Membership Site
• Sort Posts Alphabetically
• Secure Against Hackers
• Create Multiple Page Layouts
• Display Your Twitter Messages

Please feel free to share the things you love about your work, or perhaps even some WordPress tricks that you’ve learned yourself in the comments section below…

If you are interested in hiring me as your web developer why not head over to the contact page and shoot me a message.

Alternatively you can check out my profile on Elance and if you’ve registered a job, invite me to bid.

To some degree everyone tends to get that feeling of dread when handed a huge contract to crawl through. Some of us suck it up and read it all, others scan and often the majority have grown so weary that they’ll just sign and agree straight up.

Trust me I understand that it’s not the most glamorous subject in the world but that’s also why it’s so important. Not everybody is talking about it, apart from maybe lawyers but they are in it for the commission. When you are acting as the consumer it’s all too easy to dismiss the contract, however once you step into the world of the business owner it becomes unavoidable (or at least it should do).

One of the very first things you should be doing with any project you decide to undertake is, create a contract so that all the parties involved have an understanding of the agreement. Here are just a few examples of the times you will almost definitely need a contract on the web or otherwise:

• Freelance Projects – When taking on a freelance project the specifics will obviously fall back to whichever area you work in.
• Joint Ventures – In this case I’m discussing the kind where you work in co-ordination with another party to create a product or provide a service etc.
• Affiliate Relations – Whilst promoting other peoples products you will have almost definitely come across “affiliate agreements” so when it comes to paying affiliates the situation is no different.
• Selling Products – You will obviously have the initial exchanging of money but you will also need to think about things like return policies. The kind of contract you’ll require on subscriptions and recurring payments is likely to be even more in depth.

Now don’t get me wrong, that was by no means an exhaustive list but you will find that all of these different situations require a contract of some sort. While for many of these a contract is best left to the professional, if you can’t do that you definitely shouldn’t skip this step. At the very least you will want to create a basic contract touching on things like the scope, payment terms, deadlines and responsibilities for all parties involved.

Contracts can save you hours of unnecessary work, unhappy customers, failed business ventures and even protect you in the case of a lawsuit. With a bit of luck once the contract is signed and out of the way you won’t need to refer to it. However when the sh!t hits the fan it’ll be your ass that’s covered.

More businesses than ever are waking up to the fact they can hire freelancers online to complete the things they don’t necessarily need or want to do themselves. I haven’t got any impressive stats on the value of this industry but I can tell you that on just one website where I offer my services, there are currently 11,000+ jobs up with openings.

As some of you may know I recently started offering WordPress blog development services through various online channels. The work has been coming in steadily and as such I’ve managed to make a few observations that I thought I would share for people considering getting into or just starting the freelance game.

1. It takes money to make money – Even when offering services you are still going to make an initial investment. Some of the things that may help you out are listed below. Although you don’t need them all, more is better:
   • Professional Website Showcasing your Skills & Services Offered
   • A Topical Blog Showcasing your Knowledge Within Your Area
   • Business Cards (Only if also working for offline clients)
   • Paid Membership to the Major Freelancing/Outsourcing Sites
2. Choose a Niche to Focus On – If you’ve followed my interest in Internet Marketing you’ve probably heard that choosing a niche is an important part of your business planning and it’s no different for freelancing. As an example I have been mainly working with people developing WordPress Powered Membership Sites and setting up fresh Optimised WordPress Installations with follow up tech support. Is this the only thing that I can do? Not at all, I can program all sorts of websites using a mixture of PHP, xHTML & CSS borrowing ideas from my marketing experience, however when you have a specific focus it will allow you the following:
   • Build a Targeted Portfolio Very Quickly
   • Keep up to Date on The Latest Developments in Your Niche
   • Save Time by Running Very Specific Searches
3. People want to trust you – The Wild Wild Web can be a daunting place especially if you are looking to hire someone online to work with your business. You are essentially letting someone into your dreams and relying on them to create your vision. With all the spammers and people looking to make a quick buck, you can easily stand out above the crowd by actually taking your time to read through clients requirements and responding to them personally. If they mention a specific piece of software why not link them to some work you’ve done with it in the past. I’ve even linked potential clients through to reviews that I’ve written of the very software they are considering using. You just need to demonstrate that you are serious about your job and want to do the best by them.
4. Apply for More Work than You Want, but Less than you Can Handle – Whilst I’m sure we’d all love for every proposal that we submit to be accepted this will likely never be the case, especially when working through outsourcing sites with hordes of bidders on multiple projects. This part of the job is definitely an art that takes a little time to perfect. You need to send out so many proposals that you will acquire at least the minimum amount of jobs that you need to get by. Whatever you do though, you simply cannot apply for more jobs than you can actually handle. If you wake up to see all of your proposals have been accepted and you just don’t have the time, you are in dangerous territory and risk losing that hard earned trust.
5. Select your Clients Carefully – When I look at a job description I am not only looking at what they need but the way this information is put across. Even in something as ‘neutral’ as a job description a lot of a persons personality and work ethic will shine through. Trust your intuition on this one and if you get a bad feeling when reading a project there is usually a good reason.
6. Show That You Understand the Project – This not only builds trust but will ensure that you do actually understand the project and that nothing has been lost in translation. Whenever possible I will not only repeat back to the potential client in my own words what I believe they require me to do but also sometimes offer them solutions that they may not even have thought of. Occasionally they may go with someone else and get them to use the very ideas that you shared but often this act of interest even if it’s decided against will be the thing that makes someone decide to work with you.
7. Don’t Under-Value Your Time – This was probably my main set back when I first started working through these outsourcing sites. When there are people all around you offering incredibly low bids it can sometimes seem like you should be matching them. This is wrong! You will not only be very skilled in your area of work but also be heavily invested in the niche and always up to date on the latest developments. Although you may wind your way through a WordPress installation like a walk in the park, people are paying for your experience, time spent communicating back and forth and sometimes even the urgency of a project. It’s important to remember that people will want variations. Certain needs that they’ve overlooked may become apparent only half way through the project, it;s important that you are both knowledgeable and flexible. If this means that the client pays a small premium for peace of mind, the majority of people won’t mind.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few of the more prominent things that will perhaps help new freelancers get into the game a little smoother. It will be a learning experience for sure and there will undoubtedly be ups and downs but you probably will find yourself growing and developing through the experience. It’s not an easy role of responsibility to take on but it’s most definitely a rewarding one. I wish you all the best!

Got some tips you’d like to share with the world? Why not leave a comment below…