[thelist] Freelance Web Designer

[Alastair Murdoch]

I'd have to agree with putting a price on what you do.  I made the mistake
when I started off six mionths ago after I graduated of doing sites 'on the
cheap' or free for local businesses.  Now I find it difficult when they
refer someone to us to justify the 'real' cost to a new client who's been
told about 'how good (read: cheap) we are'.

Another point.  I also thought that the best way to get a good portfolio was
to offer a good site to clients for free/not much.  Downside is that smaller
clients aren't always clued up about the internet, can't always run the
wonderful e-commerce idea they suggested to you (as I painfully found out),
and getting information out of them can be like pulling teeth.

Result for me.  Six months down the line, a portfolio of sites that don't
show what (i think) I'm capable of, and not much cash to show for it either.

I liked the idea of working for myself, but I also viewed it as a means to
build a portfolio for myself to move into a proper paid job (my background
is in engineering, so no design degree etc. to help me)

Still, I'm slowly getting more work/bigger clients.  Also learning how to
put proposals together properly (stops me losing out) and hopefully I'll get
a job or a few big sites nefore all my cash runs out  :)

Cheers

Alastair

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