Episode 90: How To Get Started As A Freelance Software Developer

When I was in my early 20s and someone told me to prioritize freedom and flexibility, I’d cringe and think, “Yes but how?”   Over the past fifteen years, I’ve asked this question to people I’ve met. Through trial and error, I’ve learned to incorporate or tweak parts of their how to fit my needs. As a result, I’ve learned there is more than one how, and to be wary of those who claim there is only one!   One approach we explored earlier this year was building a Company of One. Paul Jarvis and I explored how he went from being a freelancer and providing a service to scaling his business to create products. In the Build episode, we shared some of the common themes. If you missed the episode, you can check it out here.   This month, I want to rewind and explore the first part, becoming a freelancer.   Becoming a freelancer is one approach to gaining more freedom and flexibility. And while it’s easy to glamorize being your own boss, it can take time (many years) to get a business off the ground.   You have to figure out how to market yourself, manage clients, price your service, and still have enough hours left in the day to do the work!   All of these tasks can leave you feeling overwhelmed. To help you think about the transition, gain some perspective, and most importantly, work through the overwhelm, I’ve invited Gregg Goldner, who is a freelance developer and President of Two Sun Traders, LLC to share his experience.   Whether you are a freelancer, want to be one, or are just curious, I’d highly recommend tuning into this week’s episode to learn the following from Gregg:   Why Gregg wanted more flexibility in his life and chose to transition from being a music teacher to a software developer How he made the transition to becoming a software developer The skills he learned from having been a school teacher and how they applied to software The experience that led Gregg to choose to be freelancer instead of a startup founder How he initially priced himself, then changed his pricing over time The importance of honing your craft How he interviews clients and picks projects   I loved this quote from Gregg because it showcases how you need to focus as a freelancer:   “Putting on every single hat and then realizing I don’t like half those hats. Wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to do those things? What are my strengths and weaknesses, and how can I find people who have different strengths and weaknesses?” — Gregg Goldner, President of Two Sun Traders, LLC   In the episode, Gregg mentions a number of resources, here are links to them:   The Mythical Man-Month, Anniversary Edition: Essays On Software Engineering by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert C. Martin Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler Code Complete by Steve McConnell iOS Development Tutorials by Ray Wenderlich A weekly video series on Swift programming A hands-on guide to learning Swift Subscription learning platforms Packt and Lynda.com   If you’ve been following Build for a while, you may recall I did an episode with Jessica Hische who is a letter, illustrator, and type designer a few years ago on a similar topic: How To Prepare To Strike Out On Your Own And Pursue Your Creative Calling. Listen to the episode here. I always find it helpful to revisit a topic and compare notes, plus some people’s voice resonates more than others, so I’d highly recommend you check out that episode too! -- Build is produced by Femgineer.