A week in the life let me tell you. Was going to spend a few free hours to work on my site when my server went down. My own fault, need to bring in some new business. Starting Monday let the machine begin. I want to see my brand as many times as I see singlehop (whom I love), whenever I visit any technical site. Give my boys some love at singlehop.

I had an “HR” person from a hosting company drag their feet for months only to invite me a to a new wave of interviews. I’m sorry I don’t have time to wait around to pay bills. I need a company that is nice to work with, and ready to hit the ground running with me. I think I’ll wait a bit before jumping back into the hosting arena in that aspect. Anyone who wants to know I only have a few hosting domains that I’m working on ideas on nothing solid. I got a few hosting customers and some on going wordpress clients.I guess I should have been happy with the automated email ?

For anyone reading this I am that guy writing from a cozy desk, on a breezy afternoon in Chicago. (inside joke.)

Anyways, it was a rough week. I’m deescalating now. Starting an “Web Design Agency” (is that what you call these days ?) is hard enough. Period.

And then there is James. Well, I know new love is great. I seem to have a countdown on it. I think this one will be around awhile. For all of you who still don’t believe in love. You have to love yourself first. I love myself. I love you too if you read this much ranting. Just trying to mix it up a bit. Send your love and register.

Well, Let me tell you how it goes. Get clients, get deposit, finish project, get payment. Right, Wrong! Just kidding guys. It’s not always bad news when starting your own business. Have a few bad weeks in getting something off the ground is not uncommon. For example, paying all your bills, getting the things you need on order to be in the mood to work and getting motivated can often overwhelm you. You need to learn quickly what will work for you and what does not.

How much attention should I pay attention to this client ? What is their technical expertise and what type of assistance will they need to from me. The answer to these types of questions determine how much time and money need to be exchanged for that client. Here is some advice to new freelancers. The first one is about getting organized. Keep track of exactly how much time you spend with each client, and what task you are working on. This will determine your prices. I use two time trackers, and a lot of notes.

Why is this important ?

Each client has very unique needs when it comes to websites and technical support. You need to establish prices that are fair to the task at hand. When you are done with a task, step back see how long it took, how difficult the task or client was and ask yourself. Did I get paid enough to do that again and be happy about the amount of money I made ?

I don’t like to nickel and dime my clients for every minute I spend with them. I know this is a double edged sword but I believe after establishing tust with my clients they will understand when I say how long it will take they will trust me. This is also cross referenced with our time tracking software.

Another issue with getting organized is separating your personal life and your work life. I once had a client tell me that their time was precious, I told them I understood fully. I hate it when clients have to sit on hold forever. I do my best to eliminate the need for phone calls when I can. But the fact is people need to talk to you, you need to be able to shut off your personal life. Keeping to a schedule can help, but in freelance things often come up that need to be resolved for clients. I like to keep a dont call me from this time to this time every week. I also give client scheduled hours in which they can ask questions.

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