<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0kps7ENLspygKnJqncCyEl?si=EMaZefxIQcqPaS-q9u_V_A">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>As a freelancer, it can be difficult to separate work and the rest of your life. Freelance work is commonly depicted as working at home from your couch, bed, or kitchen table. However, for most people, this is not the most productive or ideal situation. Being in a space that is utilized for other purposes can create unnecessary distractions. Your workspace should be just that: space where you work and nothing else. Clearly delineating this area can improve both your work and personal life. So, what factors should you take into account?</p>
<h2>Deciding Factors</h2>
<p>When considering a freelance workspace I think of the three C’s: convenience, comfort, and cost.</p>
<h3>Convenience</h3>
<p>When it comes to freelance, you should have as few barriers as possible between you and your work. Therefore, you’ll want a workspace that is convenient for you to access. If your workspace is only available for a few hours or is far away then you will be less likely to get your work done. Think of the gym. If your gym was 30 minutes away and was only open for an hour would you go? The same can be said for your freelance work. Make sure your area is convenient whether it’s at home or a nearby co-working space.</p>
<h3>Comfort</h3>
<p>Make sure you are comfortable in your space. One of the main benefits of choosing where you work is setting your own comfort level. You can control the aspects of your space, such as the temperature or the type of chair sit in. The freedom to go on walks when you’re sick of sitting down is part of this. If you are comfortable in your space you are more likely to be focused on your work. Just don’t get too comfortable, working in bed is a guarantee for me to fall asleep and not do any work!</p>
<h3>Cost</h3>
<p>As with almost anything cost is a big factor when considering your freelance space. This not have to mean renting an office or co-working space. Costs can include increasing your internet speed, buying a new monitor, the three cups of coffee, and a pastry you buy while sitting at Starbucks. There are always costs involved so be sure to assess your costs and make sure they’re at an amount you are comfortable with.</p>
<h2>What Are Your Options?</h2>
<p>So, we’ve determined the factors that come into play when deciding on the workspace you want to create. Now let’s go over a few of the location options that are available.</p>
<h3>Working from Home</h3>
<p>This is of course the most common location for freelancers. It costs nothing in terms of additional rent and the commute is amazing! However, working from home involves an almost endless amount of distractions if not executed properly. Kids, housework, TV’s, food availability, the list goes on and on. The most important factor to consider for any of these spaces is to <strong>know yourself</strong>.</p>
<p>For me, I know my weaknesses at home: the TV, cleaning, playing with the dog. I can be a very bad procrastinator especially if the options are constantly in front of me. So, I need to minimize this weakness. I created a home office in its own room of the house. If I had the option of moving it outside of my house in a guest house or room over a garage I would ideally take that route. But for me, this is not an option, so I created my own space with the resources I have.</p>
<p>I made sure not to put a TV in this room and I minimized the number of distractions. My office has a plain Ikea desk with as much free space on it as I can get. I only have a monitor, laptop, podcast microphone setup, and a few toys to fidget with. My desk is against a wall to remove any visible distractions in the room, which I try to keep to a minimum anyway.</p>
<p>This is how I work the best, with minimal distractions to reduce my procrastination. Of course, your space may be different. Perhaps you work best with a TV playing for some background white noise. Again, know what creates an optimal workspace for you and what doesn’t. Eliminate distractions and create a separate space to work. These are the keys to a successful home office.</p>
<h3>A Coffee Shop or Other Public Place</h3>
<p>An obvious next step from the house is to go to a public place with free wifi, typically a coffee shop. It can be great to get that dose of a social aspect without being in a space where you see the same people every day (most of the time). This also creates a further separation between work life and personal life.</p>
<p>A coffee shop also does not have to be an everyday workspace. Maybe you go a couple of days a week just to get a fresh perspective that differs from your home office. Working alongside other people without the obligation of interacting can provide a needed boost of productivity on those difficult days. Not being inside your house provides a refreshing change of scenery.</p>
<h3>Co-Working Space</h3>
<p>Co-working spaces are a great option for freelancers. They give you the benefits of office space with a lower price tag. They are usually set up as multiple small-sized office rooms that companies or freelancers can rent out. The terms can be like a lease either annual or month to month so they are a bigger investment. But you’ll be able to take the space and make it your own.</p>
<p>Co-working spaces come equipped with everything you’ll need to start working: desks, chairs, an internet connection, and more. A lot of these spaces come with added amenities as well. They can have shared conference rooms that you can utilize for client meetings. Or a shared kitchen space to give that real office feel. Plus, it can be great to interact and network with the other freelancers, startups, and small businesses that are also renting in this space.</p>
<p>(For anyone near me I recommend the <a href="https://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/">Charleston Digital Corridor</a>)</p>
<h3>Short-Term Office Rental</h3>
<p>These are a version of a co-working space. Short-term office rentals are typically found in bigger cities but you are starting to see them crop up all around the world. Essentially, you rent the space for a short amount of time, a couple of days or even a couple of hours. They can be a great substitution for a coffee shop if you find them to be too noisy. Do a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=short-term+office+rental+near+me">local search for short-term office rentals</a> to see if there are any near you or check out a service like <a href="https://www.regus.com/">Regus</a>.</p>
<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>There are many places and ways to create a solid freelancing workspace. Remember to define your needs for convenience, comfort, and cost. These are different for everyone. The most important part is to determine how you work the best. Decide if you need a more public or private space, or somewhere in between. Then set up your workspace in a way that produces the best work results for you. Maybe you need 100 action figures and knick-knacks around because it helps improve creativity. Perhaps you’re like me and you need to have minimalist space to eliminate distractions. Find what puts you in that creative mindset and helps you be the most productive that you can be.</p>


Creating Your Freelance Workspace

<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZGZNewNVFE09liT0Cwo11?si=6KQItElMTQy0253h5DFtbA">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>So, you’ve decided to start your own freelance business. Great choice! Freelancing can be very rewarding as an extra source of income or as a full-time job. You will gain a lot of experience on each side of freelancing: business and creative. But how do you get started? Today, we will learn how to name your freelance business.</p>
<h2>Your Name vs a Company Name</h2>
<p>The big choice when starting a freelance business is typically between whether you should use your name or a company name. There are pros and cons to both which we will explore below. Just remember that the name you go with can be difficult to change in the long run. Make sure you are ok with using the name for many years. This will be your brand that you are promoting and will be directly attached to your successes.</p>
<h3>Pros of Using Your Name</h3>
<p>Your name will provide recognition, especially if you are already established as an expert. If you have built a personal brand, whether locally or nationally, you can leverage that brand equity for your business.</p>
<p>Associating your name with your business shows a commitment to it. Customers and clients will know that your business is something that you will literally put your name behind.</p>
<p>If you have a unique name you’ll be a large way ahead on SEO. This means that if anyone searches for you there is a high likelihood that your business will come up. This could be a good way to start your business if you want to be found easier online.</p>
<p>People typically like working with other people and not a faceless company. Putting your name on it tells the clients exactly who they will be working with.</p>
<h3>Cons of Using Your Name</h3>
<p>If your name has no brand equity the impact may fall short. Seeing a company with a random person’s name does not provide any information or clarity for the potential client.</p>
<p>If you just use your name it can be difficult for people to understand what you do. It’s best to make sure you include what you do in the name as well.</p>
<p>If you intend to sell your company in the future having your name directly attached could make that problematic. Your name would be on something you no longer own. Yikes!</p>
<p>This could also limit the amount of privacy you will have because everyone will know your name. It pushes you more into the limelight rather than being the owner of XYZ Company.</p>
<p>Just as I mentioned people like to work with people, there could be larger clients that don’t abide by that. Some clients or companies might think that a company with someone’s name does not take it seriously.</p>
<h3>Pros of Using a Company Name</h3>
<p>You could potentially attract bigger customers with a unique company name. Some feel like they want to work with another company and you could use that to your advantage.</p>
<p>It can be easier to hire employees with a company name for a couple of reasons. A company name looks better than a random name both on a resume and on a job posting. Also, with a company name, the employees may feel like there is more opportunity to advance internally.</p>
<p>Additionally, it may be easier to secure intellectual property rights for a unique company name than a more common personal name.</p>
<h3>Cons of Using a Company Name</h3>
<p>Smaller businesses may not want to work with a “company”. They might be looking for another local small business and mistake yours for being bigger than it is.</p>
<p>It can be difficult to come up with a unique and creative company name. If you’re like me you don’t want to waste time thinking up a name. If you want a company name but are having trouble coming up with one check out a few of these business name generators. They don’t give perfect names but they could at least generate a few ideas for you!</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.shopify.com/tools/business-name-generator">Shopify Business Name Generator</a></li>
<li><a href="https://businessnamegenerator.com/">businessnamegenerator.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://namelix.com/">namelix.com</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Ultimately, determining your business name comes down to knowing what customers it will serve. Your business name will become an important part of your marketing strategy. Make sure you put a lot of thought into it. Speaking from experience, switching names is not that easy.</p>


How to Name Your Freelance Business

<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rvOB1VekaI923ribcDOAA?si=RzANa2aYSviTPbPlXLxWVg">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Podcasting is one of the top modern channels to connect with people. At first, it may seem less engaging than a video or other form of content, but in reality, it connects with your listeners on a deeper level. Your followers can listen to your episodes almost anytime because audio is not restricted like a video is. They can listen while actively doing other tasks: grocery shopping, running, driving, etc. No other media form allows for this kind of engagement.</p>
<h2>Voice Trends</h2>
<p>Over the past several years there has been a large movement towards voice. We’ve seen it all around us from Siri to voice-assisted devices like Alexa and Google Home. These voice devices come out of convenience. Some tasks that we ask them to do could be done in the same amount of time ourselves. But we don’t have to which is the attraction. We can do other tasks while our devices do it for us. And the capabilities of these devices are only improving to accomplish more complex tasks.</p>
<p>The growing trend in voice has also shaped how we consume content. In a world that seems to get busier by the day, we typically can no longer sit down and watch a one-hour informational video. However, we can listen to a one-hour podcast episode while we complete our to-do list. Podcasting has also shown a deeper connection to the end-user. They feel like they are having a conversation with you.</p>
<h2>Podcasting and Business</h2>
<p>With a trend that is growing with this much speed, there are of course people that want to capitalize for business purposes. However, in my experience, there is a fine line. No one wants to listen to a podcast that is all about self-promoting. It just is not interesting! People want to learn or be entertained, they don’t want to be sold something in the podcasting space. That is not to say you cannot sell, but it must be done correctly and strategically.</p>
<p>When creating a podcast you should set forth clear goals for it and the main one should not be to promote your business. That is a secondary outcome, not a primary goal. For example, my primary goal for my podcast, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0YBqtNJ4TLAqUEUZ3qkv6O">Business for Designers and Developers</a>, is to teach creatives the business side of freelancing. I share my experiences and knowledge without self-promoting. Let the podcast promote for you by presenting you as an expert. So, here are some ways you can utilize podcasting to grow your business without directly self-promoting.</p>
<h2>Podcast for Your Clients</h2>
<p>By this I mean create a podcast that your potential clients would want to listen to. If you are a realtor, create a podcast that talks about the ins and outs of buying or selling a home. Design firms can discuss the benefits of good branding as well as current design trends. This is providing listeners with the information they want and presents you as an expert. If you give accurate and useful information maybe when they are looking for a house or a new logo they will think of you. You’ve already built a relationship without even meeting the person.</p>
<h2>Interview Ideal Clients</h2>
<p>Another great way to podcast for your clients is to podcast WITH your ideal clients. This involves interviewing previous clients, potential clients, or other relevant people in your clients’ space. These types of interviews provide your listeners the value of hearing your work with someone just like them. Getting interviews is not as hard as it seems, especially in a local market. Just ask, you never know who you might get.</p>
<h3>Be a Guest on Another Podcast</h3>
<p>Alternatively, you could choose to be a guest on someone else’s podcast. Again, this promotes you as an expert in your field. Just make sure that it is a relevant podcast to your industry. A lot of podcasts are looking for guests, so it is similarly not so hard to find one to be a guest on.</p>
<h2>Leverage Your Current Audience</h2>
<p>Your podcast is a great resource and takes effort to produce. Make sure that you don’t forget to promote to your existing audience. Include social media posts about new episodes. Send an email to your mailing list. Keep yourself on top of mind for people that already follow you in some capacity. I cannot stress enough how important referrals and repeat business are to sustain a business. It will be easier to convert someone who already has a relationship with you.</p>
<h2>Final Tips</h2>
<p>There are several methods to gain new clients but it is important to reiterate that you should not go for the hard sell. No one wants to hear self-promoting content. Make sure that your podcast is interesting and not a dry podcast about your business. Remember that organic podcast growth takes time but even one client gained from podcasting can make an entire year worth it.</p>


Podcasting to Gain New Clients

<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zTwpoqrbfwrrU9kdsvhLh?si=zr7eDapBQ6KqiC6m5Bfiuw">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Communication is key to a successful freelance project. In the past, you would need to call and visit with clients frequently to maintain lines of communication. Now we can easily and quickly get in touch with clients around the world from the comfort of our homes. This luxury can have its pros and cons so it is important to have efficient methods to convey information. The primary ways are through calls, emails, and online forms. I’m going to go over the latter and discuss an online form to use for each phase of a project.</p>
<h2>1. Contact Form</h2>
<p>The basic contact form is the most obvious of the three but is completely necessary. This form allows people that are interested in talking to you or working with you to get in touch. These are your future clients. Anyone that has been in touch with you before should be able to reach you by phone or email. However, this form allows new opportunities and prospects to reach out to you.</p>
<p>A contact form should at least include four fields: <strong>name, phone number, email address, and a comments box</strong>. These are the necessities to establish a good line of communication with your future client. You can also add more fields here, but <a href="https://www.ventureharbour.com/how-form-length-impacts-conversion-rates/">research shows</a> that the more fields you have the lower the conversion rate. Keep it simple to maximize conversions, you can always get more information from them later.</p>
<h2>2. New Client Questionnaire</h2>
<p>This is where you can go deeper into the information you will need from the client to make a project a success. You’ve already been in contact with the client so now you can start to ask all the details you’ve been wanting to know. There are many types of questionnaires that can be asked at varying times during the project.</p>
<p>I personally use a basic discovery one towards the beginning to help gain insights on the current state of the client’s website, the scope of their project, their budget, and their wants for a new website. This is sent after the first contact before any contract is signed. I use the information to get an idea for what kind of project this will be and it helps form the contract. I send this form in an email and also set up a discovery call once the form is complete so I can go over the answers with the future client.</p>
<p>Again, try to get as much information as possible but don’t send a 100 question form, no one will complete it. That is what the accompanying call is for. This form will be a constant adjustment as you tweak questions and refine predefined answers. You’ll learn not to use industry jargon that clients won’t understand and remove options that might send the wrong message.</p>
<h3>Learn from my mistakes</h3>
<p>When I started out I had a question that asked the client’s budget. I did have the foresight to not make this a fill-in box but rather a dropdown with a few different ranges. The first one said “$0 – $1,000”. I promise you that almost everyone will choose this option, which is exactly what happened to me. I then adjusted by finding my minimum charge for a project and having that be the lowest option.</p>
<p>So, for example, if you don’t want to do a project for under $1,000 set the lowest option to be something like “1,000 – $3,000”. This will set the baseline for your projects and has the added benefit of weeding out clients that do not have that budget. (Hint: those clients were probably not the clients you wanted anyway. Your work is valuable, never be afraid to charge what it is worth or turn down a client that won’t pay that price!)</p>
<h2>3. Follow Up / Recommendation</h2>
<p>The follow-up form might be the most important of the three, but also the most often overlooked or forgotten. This form should be sent out after every project is completed. If you already have it set up it becomes very easy to send in an email. This form serves a dual purpose: it provides feedback and gets recommendations.</p>
<p>You should use this form to gain feedback on what worked well and what could be improved on future projects. For example, your client may have liked quicker responses to emails. Without anyone telling you this you might not have known that it was an issue so you could then adjust for the next client or project. In this example, you could respond to client emails faster or you could set expectations upfront: “I only respond to emails between 9 and 5 on weekdays”.</p>
<p>The second part is to ask for a statement of recommendation. You have a few options here: you can flat out ask for a recommendation or you can ask questions that can create a quotable snippet. I usually choose the latter because I know how hard it can be to write a recommendation from scratch. Would you rather be asked “Write a recommendation for us” or “if you were to recommend us to your colleague or best friend, what would you say?” The second one provides more of a prompt for the satisfied client to write from. Also, make sure you <strong>ask permission</strong> before associating their name or company with their recommendation on your website or social media.</p>
<h3>Pro-Tip</h3>
<p>Don’t be afraid to ask if they know anyone that might need your services. <a href="/learn/marketing/more-clients-during-holidays">Referrals</a> are undeniably the best way to gain new clients. Asking after a satisfied client has just gotten a great deliverable from you is perfect!</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Online forms are incredibly helpful for saving time and money when it comes to your business. Below I’ve linked to each one of the forms I have for my business to help you get an idea of what these might look like.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://creativecachemultisitenetwork.kinsta.cloud/contact/">Contact form</a></li>
<li><a href="https://forms.gle/CaLJ6r8AUA5veCqM6">Questionnaire</a></li>
<li><a href="https://forms.gle/CLq4RmzQY3yH4w2V6">Follow up</a></li>
</ul>


Three Forms Every Freelancer Should Have

<p>Query strings are great for saving and generating data through a URL. There are many different applications and you have probably seen them before. Below I’ll explain exactly what they are and show you some use cases for them.</p>
<h2>What is a Query String?</h2>
<p>A query string is a string of code that is attached to the end of a URL. It allows the web page to dynamically pull data from it without passing it through a database. For example, if you search my name in Google you can see that it attaches a query string for the search term to the end of the URL: <code>google.com/search?q=morgan+m+spencer</code>.</p>
<p>This creates dynamic content that fills in the search information on Google. If I refresh the page or send the link to a friend the page will always search “Morgan M Spencer”. Google takes the search query and runs it through the search function automatically.</p>
<p>The query string does not have to pass data visibly either. One of the most common query strings is one for tracking analytics campaigns and ad traffic. By passing a value on the end of the ad URL Google can track the analytics for that ad and pass additional data through the query string. Query strings are also commonly used to track affiliate data. So, if you click on an affiliate link on someone’s blog, the data is passed to the destination to recognize that the user was referred from the blog.</p>
<h2>Using Query Strings</h2>
<p>How can we apply this to our own websites? I personally have used this several times, typically to create a more advanced search functionality.</p>
<p>For example, let’s say we have a search page with a list of options that filters as we type. So, as the user types in the search box, the list filters to only show matches to the input.</p>
<pre><code class="language-javascript">$('#search input').keyup(function() { // as user types
	var entry = $(this).val(), // get what user types
		url = window.location.protocol, // get current url
		newURL = url + '?s=' + entry; // append the search query
	window.history.pushState({ path: newURL }, '', newURL); // change the url without reloading
	filterListing(search); // run the function to filter the listing by the search query
});
</code></pre>
<p>This function will generate a search query at the end of the URL in real-time as the user types it. It then uses whatever function is desired to filter the listing on the page.</p>
<p>This is great but if we refresh the page the search field resets and so does the filtering. All we have done is stored a value in the URL but we haven’t done anything with the value.</p>
<pre><code class="language-javascript">if (document.location.search.length) { // if there is a query
	var search = document.location.search.replace('?s=',''); // get the query without the key
	$('#search input').val(search); // autofill the search field
	filterListing(search); // run the function to filter the listing by the search query
}
</code></pre>
<p>Here we checked to see if there was a query on the URL. then got the query value without the key. We then added the value to the search field. This would not filter the listing by default so we run the filter listing function to filter with the value provided.</p>
<p>Now if we refresh the page or send the link to someone the function will realize that there is already a default value and apply it to our search!</p>
<h2>More Advanced Applications</h2>
<p>We can also add multiple query strings to a URL to auto-populate a form. This involves adding multiple query strings. To do that use the ampersand (<code>&amp;</code>) for additional queries.</p>
<p><code>example.com/my-form?first_name=Morgan&amp;last_name=Spencer&amp;location=Charleston</code></p>
<p>You could then write a script to pass the data to the appropriate fields. Note that there are many different form plugins and features available and each one might process queries differently. For example, Ninja Forms has some <a href="https://ninjaforms.com/docs/querystrings/">documentation on how to properly call queries</a> that do not involve writing a script.</p>
<p>There are a wide variety of uses for query strings and you’ll soon find that they are incredibly useful in web development. My most recent example is using it on a page that users can report website issues to me. I use a query string to get the last page they came from and pass that to the form submission. When I get the submission from the user I can see which page they came from to report the issue so I don’t have to go searching!</p>


How to Use a Query String to Pass Values Between Pages and Forms

<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jXUnJKYU74hGWytPo0Jhx?si=1CAtqp7NRYWPpYxtcVindQ">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>It is now easier than ever before to sell products online and nearly everyone is doing it. E-commerce is one of the biggest drivers of revenue for modern businesses and the technology behind it continues to improve. The biggest barrier to entry for someone starting out is creating the infrastructure for their supply chain. Managing buying materials from suppliers, managing inventory, and shipping are some of the main considerations that come to mind. However, with dropshipping, it is no longer necessary to have your own supply chain. Let someone else do it for you!</p>
<h2>What is Dropshipping?</h2>
<p>Dropshipping, in its simplest terms, is the process of having someone else produce and ship your products. Of course, this becomes very enticing to e-commerce shop owners because they do not have to worry about where to store inventory and running to the UPS store to ship products. Every part of the supply chain is offloaded to someone else.</p>
<p>It is important to note that dropshipping providers come in all shapes and sizes. For example, some may require an initial purchase of products to create an inventory reserve that they can ship from. Amazon uses a form of dropshipping where sellers can send their inventory to be managed by Amazon. When a product is ordered from the seller on Amazon’s website the company ships to the product through their incredibly fast and efficient distribution channels.</p>
<p>The type of dropshipping I have used the most and that I think will be most useful for other designers is print-on-demand (POD).</p>
<h2>Print-on-Demand</h2>
<p>Print-on-demand dropshipping is probably the easiest and most hands-off form of selling. Essentially, the seller creates a design and uploads it to the dropshipping portal. They can then apply it to any of the products the service offers, the most common being t-shirts. When a customer orders the product the service prints it and ships it to the customer on your behalf. Easy, right?</p>
<p>This form of dropshipping is great for designers and, when paired with the right service, can open up many doors for you as a seller. All you have to do is create the designs, apply them to your desired products, and start selling.</p>
<h2>Get Started</h2>
<p>There are several options out there for print-on-demand services. I have used several, but at the time of writing this, I use <a href="https://www.gooten.com/">Gooten</a>. They have a wide variety of products and they integrate with Shopify and Etsy. Integrations are the most important part of choosing a print-on-demand service as most do not allow you to sell directly from them and you want to utilize the top platforms on the market for e-commerce.</p>
<p>In your desired service you can pick a product you want to create and upload your design. Then you can place it as desired and some services have advanced editing features. Then you can choose variants (colors, sizes, etc.) of the products you chose. The most important step is to set the pricing. The service will tell you how much the product will cost you to print. Include the shipping cost in that price, unless you are charging the customer for shipping. Once you have this cost you can adjust the selling price anywhere above that to get your profit on the product.</p>
<p>And there you have it, you’ve created your first print-on-demand product! When the product sells the service will print it and ship it to the customer and you will get the profit.</p>
<h2>Drawbacks to Consider</h2>
<p>There are a few drawbacks to this method that you might have already picked up on. The first being that to your customer it appears they are ordering from you but the package will most likely be from somewhere completely different. There are some services that offer white labeling and premium upgrades to include your branding on the packaging that could help with this.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that if people order different products they might ship separately. This is usually not a big deal (Amazon does this sometimes too), but make sure to let your customers know upfront before they buy that this may happen. This is not usually the case for different variants, just different products. So, when a customer orders the same shirt in three different colors and five different sizes it is usually shipped as one order.</p>
<p>Also, ship times are usually a bit longer for these services. From what I’ve gathered the average is 7-10 business days, but most services have an option to expedite shipping. However, this usually comes at a wildly outrageous cost. My recommendation is similar to the previous: be upfront with your customers about the ship times.</p>
<p>You could solve most of these pain points by doing a hybrid version of print-on-demand. In this scenario, you would create your products through the service and then order in bulk from them to yourself. This would have a lower shipping charge and you would be able to get the products to customers faster than 7-10 business days. You could also have your own custom packaging. Of course, this is more hands-on and would negate the time-saving capabilities of dropshipping.</p>


Dropshipping to Supplement Your Design Business or as a Side Hustle

<p>I go through the top 10 tools, services and software that I use to run my design business, Spencer Creative Co. Leave me a message on other tools you use!</p>
<p>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3yKTF1YLsAIR4plkwhST2K?si=Jp6PmscOTBezX-s8C-hV2Q">podcast episode</a> to find out more.</p>
<h2>Links</h2>
<p><a href="https://bit.ly/mms-kinsta">Kinsta</a> (affiliate)<br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mms-wp">WordPress Hosted</a> (affiliate)<br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmswporg">WordPress Self-Hosted</a><br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmsmailchimp">Mailchimp</a><br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmsasana">Asana</a><br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmshb">Honeybook</a> (affiliate)<br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmsgooten">Gooten</a><br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmsbuffer">Buffer</a><br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmsqb">Quickbooks</a><br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmsanchor">Anchor</a></p>


The Tools and Services I Use for My Business

<p>Today, I stress the importance of setting up a website for your freelance business. Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0OtXdn7zWff7x2oJ6UJBuN?si=PXz80yIQTDi-CFag9WVi4Q">podcast episode</a> to learn more!</p>
<h3>Links</h3>
<p><a href="https://bit.ly/mms-wp">WordPress Hosted</a> (affiliate)<br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmswporg">WordPress Self-Hosted</a><br>
<a href="https://bit.ly/mmsqspc">Squarespace</a></p>


Setup a Website for Your Freelance Business

<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/73Geen6xP539RHCjKEWxEC?si=f6169G8AQySJK6qxVISVfQ">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>This post is a follow-up to my previous post, <a href="/learn/business/wordpress-multisite-new-clients">Earning New Web Design Clients with WordPress Multisite</a>. In that post, I outline how to utilize WordPress Multisite to quickly prototype a website to send to a potential client. The process involves using a multisite setup to quickly create a new website with a personalized link that you can send to the person. This is all great and you can certainly stop there and achieve huge success. But you could also provide even more value to the client and money in your pocket.</p>
<h2>The “Easy” Way</h2>
<p>Let’s say you followed along with my last post and set up a quick prototype website for a prospective client. Now, they are interested in working with you. You could up-sell them when you start the process of a contract by saying that you will host and maintain the website for an additional fee. You would then just need to make any edits they request to the existing site you made and point their domain at it.</p>
<p>Multisite provides the option to map an existing domain to the sub-site. What does this mean? I could domain map the client’s website, new-client.com, to my subsite so that the sub-site content is what shows up on the client's URL. So, what used to appear to be a sub-site of mine now looks like their website.</p>
<p>This is a crazy next step because after the project is complete you can now offer an additional service: web hosting. At the close of the project, you could offer to host the site for a monthly fee. You could include maintenance in the price or charge for that as well.</p>
<h3>Words of Caution</h3>
<p>It is important to note that you will need a great hosting plan yourself and some back-end knowledge to maintain the system. But if you can do that you’ve not only secured the client by providing value, but you’ve also given additional value and some extra ongoing cash in your pocket.</p>
<p>I call this the “easy” way because the path to get the client’s website up and running is fairly quick and painless. However, be aware it’s not an easy thing to host a website and maintain it as well. There is a lot that goes into it and although I talk about it in this post I don’t necessarily recommend it. Unless you are a well-established company that can manage a more sophisticated structure or only hosting a handful of small, local websites.</p>
<h2>The Recommended Way</h2>
<p>As I mentioned hosting the websites can be a great additional revenue stream for your company. If the website goes down the client is coming to you and you have to find and fix the problem. If the company wants to move its website elsewhere there is an additional hassle. Personally, I prefer to offload this plethora of problems that may arise to professionals.</p>
<h3>Hosting</h3>
<p>Find a good hosting provider to send your clients to. Make sure they have great customer service and are both affordable and reliable. You wouldn’t skimp on hosting for your website so don’t send your client somewhere bad. It will reflect poorly on you. Find a solid host and set up their website for them there.</p>
<h4>Additional Revenue</h4>
<p>While in this scenario we won’t be getting the recurring hosting revenue there are a couple of opportunities to tack on some additional income. You could potentially add an additional fee for hosting setup. Also, a lot of hosting providers have affiliate programs where you could get a small cut for your client’s signup. Again, make sure it is a quality host for your client. Don’t just go where the biggest affiliate cut is. Once the site has been handed off you can offer a maintenance plan. This can involve updating plugins, themes, and software. Or a holistic approach of managing everything including interactions with the hosting provider.</p>
<h3>Export the Theme</h3>
<p>If you’ve developed the prototype website with a theme (or child theme) you can export it to their new website. Just download the theme file, zip it, and upload it to the new site. An added bonus here is because your multisite environment is a live site you can use the WordPress export feature for any posts, pages, and images.</p>
<p>I would highly recommend hosting your custom theme and plugin files on GitHub. This allows you to have a place where your code lives and you can make changes for the client from a remote source. I use the <a href="https://github.com/afragen/github-updater">GitHub Updater</a> plugin to maintain these plugins and themes. It creates an update notification when you change the version on your code. The update notification works like the native update options from the WordPress repository. So, there appears to be no difference.</p>
<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>
<p>If you took the advice from my last post and use a live prototype to gain new clients remember to charge appropriately. You may have done the mock-up for free but you still took the time. Include the time you took in the proposal for the client. Never undervalue the cost of your time.</p>
<p>Soon you’ll be gaining new web design clients left and right!</p>


Host Client Websites with WordPress Multisite

<p>This is the first post in my <a href="/learn/tag/business-ideas">business idea series</a>. I wanted to use this as an avenue to put forth some of my random business ideas as they pop into my head. So, they may not be fully thought out or may not work at all. But I figured I would share them because they may spark something in you as you read it. This idea revolves around helping startups.</p>
<p>In Charleston where I live there is a big tech boom, with a lot of startups cropping up. I have continually thought about finding a way into this space while utilizing my current skill set as a designer and developer. The problem is that most startups unless they are far along or funded, have very low budgets. Creating a solid brand or website is not typically at the top of their list. But they also realize the impact of these elements. So, how can we create a mutually beneficial relationship?</p>
<p>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hmA3O0nbAvJtfoqhUkhnk?si=To2Yu2txRFGaS2JWeGVFrQ">podcast episode</a> to find out!</p>


Business Idea #1: Helping Startups

<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SoO9fQAvJCQnSBOqcAqUI?si=7YZEhoigS4yafA7dSPTWxA">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>WordPress Multisite (WPMU) allows website owners to create a network of sites on a single WordPress install. It’s great because it allows you to create a new website by simply clicking a button. The pure simplicity of this makes it ideal for providing unique value to clients. You can the following information the get new clients or impress the ones that have already signed a contract with you.</p>
<p>What do I do exactly? I created a WPMU setup for my business, <a href="https://spencercreative.co">Spencer Creative Co</a>. Now, I can generate new websites quickly and the URL is even created using my business’ URL as a base. This enables me to quickly create a website that I think the prospective client will like. I can then send them the link and now I’ve provided value to them as I introduce myself.</p>
<p>Let’s go through a more in-depth rundown of this process!</p>
<h2>The Multisite Setup</h2>
<p>Most of you will either know how to set up a Multisite install or already have one. If you don’t know how to please check out the <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network">WordPress documentation for creating a Multisite network</a>.</p>
<p>As I mentioned earlier, I set up my network on my business website. With WPMU you need to have a main or home website that everything on the back-end can be based on. When the Multisite network is established you can choose between subdomains and subdirectories for your new sites. What this means is each new website created will be based on the URL and the choice between these two. So your website’s URL would either be spencercreative.co/client-business or client-business.spencercreative.co. This can be changed, but I’ll get to that good bit later on.</p>
<p>Because WPMU is actually just a single install of WordPress all the sub-sites you create share themes and plugins. This is great for managing multiple sites because you only need to update the plugins and themes once across the whole network.</p>
<h2>The New Client</h2>
<p>Once WordPress Multisite is enabled you are ready to start creating a website. Start by creating the new subsite with the business name. Then utilize an existing theme or download a new one to the network that you want to use. This enables the creation of a quick mock-up of the website.</p>
<p>For prospective clients, I do some quick research into their current website and some competitors. For clients that are already interested in my services, I have them fill out a quick form to better understand what they are looking for in a new website.</p>
<p>This makes it easier for you to provide some value to the client or give massive value to a prospective client who has no idea who you are. What looks better: me reaching out to just tell you that you need a new website or reaching out and showing you what your website could be.</p>
<p>Many people like to give static mock-ups, but why not give them a real working website when it can be made at the press of a button. Putting the four hours in upfront to secure the client pays off in a big way. Especially because that’s four hours less than you have to do after you get hired.</p>
<h2>Taking It a Step Further</h2>
<p>Want to take this to the next level and make some additional income while doing it? Check out the follow-up post, <a href="/learn/business/host-client-wordpress-websites">Host Client Websites with WordPress Multisite</a>.</p>


Earning New Web Design Clients with WordPress Multisite

<p><em>Listen to the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4DI6k2GiakTgGxMKCyr2nD?si=z1E-bnoWRoyNLhovgv1ZNQ">related podcast episode</a> for this post.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>So, you’re a freelancer, either just starting out or you’ve been at it for a while. What you’ll come to notice, if you haven’t already, is that some clients may be turned off by hiring a solo entrepreneur. This can be for several reasons, including the perception that one person can’t do all of the work that the client requires (usually a wrong thought) or that you aren’t as reliable as a firm (also not necessarily true).</p>
<p>How can we change these perceptions? I’ve compiled a list of a few (mostly) simple changes that you can make to seem bigger than you are.</p>
<h2>1. Establish a business</h2>
<p>For most this is a given: if you want to freelance you should have a business. Why? Having a business makes it easier to get paid and is better for legal reasons, plus you can expense certain purchases to the business. Make sure to come up with a great business name that preferably isn’t just your name (we’re trying to change the freelancer perception here). Now a client will see a business name rather than your name on all the invoices. We didn’t really change the structure of your business, it’s still just you, but outwardly a client will look at it as doing business with another company.</p>
<p>Not sure where to begin on forming a business? Check out <a href="https://howtostartanllc.com/">How to Start an LLC</a> to get started.</p>
<h2>2. Multiple email addresses</h2>
<p>This is one of the easier changes to make. Simply create more email addresses for your business. When I started out I made different “departments” for my company and each had an email address. I had my own (<a href="mailto:morgan@spencercreative.co">morgan@spencercreative.co</a>), a business one (<a href="mailto:hello@spencercreative.co">hello@spencercreative.co</a>), and several others set up for other departments (returns, sales, etc.). I had each of these emails forward to my personal email, so I only had to check one inbox. Plus, when replying to them, it appeared very personal for an actual person from this “larger” business to reply to any requests.</p>
<p>I use <a href="https://gsuite.google.com/">GSuite</a> for my business and in the beginning, did not want to pay for extra email accounts ($5 per email per month), so I set the emails up as forwarders in GSuite, rather than creating new email accounts and new costs. These forwarders all pushed to my main email account so that I could view them all in one place. From an outside perspective, it appears that you have quite a few people working when in reality it’s just you.</p>
<h2>3. Don’t use your home address</h2>
<p>When you are starting out as a freelancer you might not be able to afford an office space. Most of the time you are working out of your home or a coffee shop. However, when you’re setting up your business you should use an alternative address because it can be unsafe for your address to be out there.</p>
<p><a href="https://poboxes.usps.com/">Set up a box at your local post office</a> that any mail can get directed to. Or utilize a virtual mailbox service, which can forward everything to you.</p>
<p>Perhaps the biggest benefit of having a separate address is if you move. When you change houses, not only do you have to change your address on personal accounts, but all business accounts as well.</p>
<h2>4. Get a business phone number</h2>
<p>Similar to the home address, you don’t want your personal number to be on business documents. As soon as you start a business almost anyone can get access to the business contact information, and by anyone I mean telemarketers.</p>
<p>Do yourself a favor early on and get a business number through a service, such as <a href="https://voice.google.com/">Google Voice</a>. This is what I use because of the great features, like call forwarding, text messaging, and missed call notifications, but mostly because it is a free service. Plus, in the age of cell phones, your area code might not be where you are doing business from. Google Voice allows you to pick an area code for your number.</p>


4 Tips to Make Your Freelance Business Seem Bigger

<p>While I was developing the <a href="https://spencercreative.co">Spencer Creative Co.</a> website I worked through a few basic struggles. I thought it would be beneficial to teach fellow web developers, especially beginners, some basic practices that we found useful. The first is setting up a local PHP website to run on your web browser.</p>
<h2>Before We Begin: Understanding PHP and HTML</h2>
<p>Why is setting up a local PHP website any different from an HTML one? The biggest difference is that an HTML website does not need a server to run. This means that the web browser can open the HTML files directly. PHP on the other hand requires a server to process the files first. These files are actually snippets of HTML combined with basic and complex lines of PHP codes to bring the website together properly. This is where the server comes in. The server takes these files, processes them, and spits them back out as a regular HTML website.</p>
<p>This sounds like way more time and effort, why would I want to do this? Although it does sound more complex than traditional HTML, this method actually saves the developer a ton of time. With a PHP file, the developer can separate the files into snippets of code and call the snippets into files. For example, a developer can put the website header navigation in its own file and call it into every page they would like. Now that they have a separate file the developer can edit the single header file and the navigation would change site-wide.</p>
<p>This can be a powerful method to utilize as you call snippets of HTML with PHP to create a final website.</p>
<h2>Navigating the terminal</h2>
<p>Now that we understand the benefits of using PHP we will start to set up our local server. Like most people, I’m sure you don’t have a server lying around to do the hard work for you. We also do not want to have to re-upload our files to our website server every time we want to see a minor file change. This is why we will learn to create it locally using just our computer’s Terminal program.</p>
<p>I know that the Terminal can seem like an intimidating monster, so I’m going to show you only three commands to set up the PHP server. So let’s open our Terminal program!</p>
<p>We will start with the <code>ls</code> command. This command lists all the folders and files at the current level of your computer’s file tree. When you initially type this command and hit Enter you might see something like:</p>
<pre><code>Applications
Desktop
Documents
Downloads
</code></pre>
<p>These are all the folders at the main level of your computer. Now we want to navigate to the appropriate folder so we will use the <code>cd</code> command. Let’s say our website folder is in the Downloads folder, we would type:</p>
<pre><code>cd Downloads
</code></pre>
<p>After which we hit Enter. Now we have navigated into the Downloads folder of our file tree. You can use the <code>ls</code> command to see what’s in this folder if you would like. We will then navigate to our website folder:</p>
<pre><code>cd spencercreativesite
</code></pre>
<p>We are now where we want to be to run our final command. If you get stuck remember to use <code>ls</code> to see where you are in the file tree. What if you go into the wrong folder and want to go back? Simply type <code>cd ..</code> and hit Enter. This brings you back up a level in the file tree.</p>
<h3>Pro-Tip</h3>
<p>You can also navigate through multiple levels at once. We could have typed:</p>
<pre><code>cd Downloads/spencercreativesite
</code></pre>
<p>This also brings you to the same place.</p>
<h2>Setting up the local server</h2>
<p>Our next command will be the one that establishes the server at our current folder (our website). Type the following code then hit Enter:</p>
<pre><code>php -S localhost:8000
</code></pre>
<p>Yes, it’s that simple! Now that we have done this you can navigate to your web browser and type:</p>
<pre><code>http://localhost:8000
</code></pre>
<p>If you’ve done everything right you should see your locally hosted website! If you then make any changes to the files you can refresh this page to see the changes instantly. This is great for editing files and building your website before putting it up on your public website or server.</p>
<h2>Quick Recap</h2>
<p>Open the Terminal program and navigate to the website folder. Then type:</p>
<pre><code>php -S localhost:8000
</code></pre>
<p>Hit Enter, then go to your web browser and type the following:</p>
<pre><code>http://localhost:8000
</code></pre>
<p>And now you are running your PHP website locally!</p>
