Freelance Web Designers Forced to use Web Builders!

Your web design clients keep asking you to build their sites with a web builder like Wix or Squarespace, ... what do you do as a freelance web designer?
... Are your coding skills (HTML5, CSS3) going to waste?
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Thanks!
Stef
#freelance #freelancing #webdesign

[@anthonykatongo9684]

I have always loved Steffs videos and materials since 2003. I am actually experiencing most of what you have shared. I am running a Website Designing and Hosting company. I have clients that pay for monthly services in 3, 6 and 12 months. It helps a lot when one falls off i have others to work with. Great tips there.

[@gdj777]

Get the client by giving them the plain potato they want. Then make more money later when they see how much better it is with sour cream, cheese and bacon...which you provide.

[@baref0ot455]

Giovanny De Jesus lol

[@C-commerce]

You nailed it on this one!! I do this to build relationships. When it evolves with thier business they need more then I convert them to other structures, platforms and packages as needed.

[@joshuagainey9669]

Man- a buddy showed me one of your videos recently - now i watch and listen to you very often. Much appreciated your new setup = crystal clear audio!

[@mikes.1946]

I love the FU money analogy. My dad has preached that since I could comprehend English I swear

[@tariqqureshi9243]

Sometimes you kind of know things, but when an expert puts a finger on it it gives you confidence. Greatly appreciate your taking time to make these videos and imparting your experience to us. Priceless! And yes, as Steve suggested in comment below, if you can dim the background a bit, might be better. Cool.

[@juan-carlosmartinez9044]

Love your content Stefan. You show us how to actually do things and get things done. I appreciate the education

[@Ibiscyclist]

Nice new setup, great sound.

[@SlinkySlonkyWaffle]

This setup you're running suddenly looks very good! defenitly makes your videos look more professional

[@vladimirkuryanov5242]

"....brand new houses, BMWs...". Sounds encouraging!

[@ReneKubicka]

Thanks for your great lessons, Stefan. Highly appreciated. It is agreat thing you do. Not everyone has "balls" to reveal his hard-earned knowledge.

[@vladimirkuryanov5242]

Talking about format: the format is perfect!

[@baref0ot455]

I like the new set up, display and sound quality are always nice, but I hope you don’t abandon your morning coffee vlogs or spur of the moment vlogs that always have a more personal feel to them. Those are great as well. As always thanks Stef for all you do, I bought your course on killersites.com, though I have pretty strong understanding of Java JDBC JEE, it’s always great to review refresh and go over basics, and you do an amazing job of going in depth in your programming courses, I love that you not only go into the hows behind code but you go so far into the why to smallest detail. I appreciate that. Until your next vlog...

[@slawekjurczyk4397]

Setup is really cool now. Great sound and pro colours!

[@MathinusG]

Thanks, answered most of my queries about web builders etc.

[@Maxxamande]

Always good advices! 👌

[@milenfrom]

New set is great, format is awesome, keep going!

[@LukeAvedon]

Like the new setup!

[@tehf00n]

I quit web development when Bootstrap became popular. It was apparent that the model was heading towards CMS systems. Which is cool because you can extend them, but the jobs were just design with Bootstrap style systems. Just front end graphics added to the same backend. That's why half the web looks exactly the same these days. Sure the reasoning is good, mobiles are the dominant browsing devices now and you need normalisation across the sites, but as a coder, it makes me feel redundant in my skills. So I moved into game development where I can do some actual coding.

[@charlie64x2]

Love the new setup!

[@pixelmartyr8532]

The video's keep getting better looking Steph.

[@dillonfosa]

Looks and sounds good thanks for the useful information!

[@pixelmartyr8532]

The off-center composition makes a big difference. Nice soft lighting that shows shape better and the background look great. The better things look, the more people will notice and listen. Presentation is everything.

[@Alex-by4zv]

good setup, bad setup... You just keep talking, Stefan. Most of us we are here for that precious content you provide. It's a solid like and sub from me as well. Every little bit helps, right :3 Hope you hit that 100k in no time. Thank you for what you do!

[@Larry-qz2fw]

Great Video, Great Advice. Thank you

[@davidbasil2727]

Wisdom, pure wisdom

[@kosmic000]

thanx for the sincere advice's

[@DylanLepore]

At 6:29 to the end is some of the best points you made. Thank you!

[@Mickey_McD]

It seems like there is still a lot of change taking place on the client side of web development with the different frameworks like Angular, React, Vue, Polymer, etc.

[@lucasrodriguez3345]

Awesome, I would love a podcast

[@neptronix]

Wordpress with an editor like oxygen or divi is a nice middle ground between crappy web builder and building it from scratch. Best thing about oxygen is that you can insert PHP wherever.

[@mohamedannajar3140]

Thank you Stef ^^

[@wintereh4818]

Great advice

[@pixelmartyr8532]

One thing that would help is if the lines from the window frame were parallel with the edges of the window sides. Its a pain in the ass but it makes for a better presentation set and equipment permitting. If you are not able to get those things to line up then embrace that. Force them to be way out of line so you have diagonals. If you don't embrace one of those two approaches it just looks like you are too lazy to level the camera. Go with one extreme or the other and you got it. Architectural element can make your camera look like its not level very easily.

[@pen8142]

I agree with everyone in favor of your new setup.

[@billwayzata]

You are going to be a 100K KZbinr soon. Let me be the first to congratulate you! (In advance). I think you will have to make room on the wall for another award plaque. Have a beer on me! Or, many between now and then-

[@vladimirkuryanov5242]

".....,they can smell it...". So true!

[@drednac]

Hi Stefan, quite inspiring video. I am freelance developer and I am doing this for 8 years already however just this last year I have realized that I am still struggling and just been on the wrong path all those years and I am thinking into switching to web development. It's pretty easy to me and a lot more suitable for a remote freelance developer. I love the freelancing life style and the freedom it provides. I am basically a 3D graphics developer but I did all kinds of stuff, I program since age of 12 so I have been thru many things. However it seems that there is just no market for freelance 3D developers. I just always followed my passion and in my mid 30s I am starting to rethink my direction. When I look to my poor portfolio it's just bunch of big project that never got finished. The work that I do takes usually months to finish sometimes even years. I lost my last client a year ago we worked together over two years on a big project but they run out of money before the project was finished now I had to get back to search for some new projects and I am struggling. There is only a very small fraction of project suitable for my specialization that look somewhat serious .. I really like web design so maybe I could turn to web development I have already did some stuff .. but still pretty much beginner. I guess I will have to build some fake websites to get something to work with. It's quite terrifying to imagine that I will have to crawl back to the starting point and start somewhere else .. My first 2 years of freelancing were so hard and I couldn't afford to make so little money now.

[@StefanMischook]

Well. Put up your site showcasing your new web skills and then leverage your network. Since you've been out there for a while, you are ahead of the game - hardly some noob. You might find some of your old contacts who liked working with you in the past, might need some web work done.

[@drednac]

@@StefanMischook My networking is poor as it always was, not because I leave my customers deeply unsatisfied but .. it wasn't that many of them as I mentioned the projects usually takes ~6 months and sometimes even more. I am working on something with my last client, but I will need build some new actual network .. I was doing a lot of major mistakes in my life (like not building my network) these can easily happen when you focus on your passion and consider money making secondary .. you forget to do the things the proper way and build your future as freelancer .. since I wanted to build a bigger business I just didn't paid enough attention to proper development as a freelancer (I have been working on my own app for years) .. This year I hit the ground badly and I have realized that I always need a backup plan .. like being able to easily get a job as a freelancer. If you build a website in two weeks in 8 years I would have such a big portfolio and big network .. but i just wanted to keep doing what I was good at even if there wasn't good market for my skills as a freelancer. With my skill-set I would fit well into a company but I love being a freelancer and now it seems I have to switch to thinking more about money and my future and become a web developer. I never wanted to make websites it seemed to me that there is no way how this could be personally satisfying work for me.. but I change my view since websites is something that I can actually finish in a reasonable time and do it really well which is what I always want to do .. create great software. I am tired of doing big projects that are either not finished or not as good as I wish them to be. It took me years to swallow this that simply what I always wanted to do it just not real in this time .. you need quite a team of people for that, I am just a small gear into a big machine but I don't want to be that gear I want to be a whole machine. It's funny how I always preach about being honest to ourselves and be real and I was struggling with such BS for so long.

[@silversolver7809]

​@@drednac One of the quickest ways to build a network from scratch is to volunteer. Check out local charities, clubs etc and offer to help with their XYZ work. The larger the group, the better the networking opp. But don't skimp because it's free, it MUST be your BEST work so make an extra effort. It's your best marketing tool, and if you wow those folks, affinity towards 'one of their own' plus word of mouth will do the rest. Don't fret about having to change tack and start afresh. Remember, those who can adapt are those who handle change best, are those who survive and evolve best. There are huge changes coming within your working life-eg automation, robotics, AI-so adaptability is going to be so important next decade.

[@drednac]

@@silversolver7809 I cannot afford to do projects for free. I totally get how this can be useful but nonprofits don't usually have a lot of money or plenty of web development needs so not necessarily a good network. I am thinking about building some fake websites maybe couple of useful free web apps if I have a time and build a brand ... a good brand attracts customers without you moving a finger. When I got my websites up (they are down now) I got people emailing me all the time, companies asking if I would like to join their team and so on ... I didn't need to look for a jobs .. but now I see how big of a difference it is when I don't have my project website running. It's all about selling yourself ..

[@christianlanoire7541]

Hi Stephan, can you talk about the importance of encoding and decoding your project, I mean your work done in html css and JavaScript? I am new in this, and I think nobody wants his project to be copied by anybody. I will be glad to hear your comments, thank you.

[@sergiuupop]

Much better setup !!

[@StefanMischook]

Thanks. Since I can sit at my desk, it makes is a touch more comfortable to answer questions too.

[@AlbertoRivas13]

Thats interesting man

[@VideoServicesLI]

Good luck with the new setup. What mic are you using?

[@StefanMischook]

My trusty EV RE27 ... voiced many courses with that mic over the years.

[@MichaelThomasDev]

Hey Steff, heads up, in your 'Some of the topics covered' you've listed 'Managing extra requirements, how to charge for them?' twice...

[@StefanMischook]

Thanks. After 1500 videos ... I might double up on topics by accident.

[@augustoliver351]

Love your videos. What’s the link for the freelance course?

[@StefanMischook]

Thanks! Here you go: www.killervideostore.com/video-courses/complete-freelancer.php .. People tell me it's one of my best courses.

[@augustoliver351]

Thanks!

[@drednac]

Hi Stefan, I am looking around what is being used today for web development and I really don't like JavaScript. I used to work with languages with strong structure like Java, C#, C++ and JavaScript seems to be only suitable for very small projects .. I just don't feel comfortable using it, it could be hell for debugging. What do you think of TypeScript ?

[@MrMikomi]

I always stayed away from web design (front end development) because I figured that you had to be arty farty, good with design etc to do it well. I believed, if you could not be a graphic designer, you couldn't be a decent web developer. But I'm wondering now, is that a reasonable thing to believe? It could quite possibly be bollocks, thinking about it.

[@Decimo10X]

First, new set is awesome btw.

[@ickimadrasi8965]

I am looking for a python with data analysis course, any recommendation

[@wintereh4818]

A lot of local businesses in my area use Go Daddy builder

[@Cognitoman]

Nice :).

[@intcomaz]

I am a web developer and I got a client who asked me if I could build his site on squareSpace site. So instead of losing the client, I agreed to help him for $30 an Hour. So I don't mind helping clients with their Wix or Godaddy builder. As long as they pay!

[@varcvinsmoke8759]

just wanna ask what type of freelance projects should a beginners with no experience take?

[@StefanMischook]

Simple websites.

[@druidwtf]

i prefer the great balcony :D

[@dasa-brainwash850]

I wonder how long it will be before large tech companies are able to develop website creation tools which are so sophisticated that they effectively make web developers unnecessary for the majority of SME business websites. It's a sobering thought.

[@straight6604]

Would you say that a web dev could make a basic site as good as the web builders using core tools in about the same time? In other words, in 2-3 hours using HTML/CSS/JS he could make a site as good as he could with using Wix? In that case no need for the dev to get up to speed on the builders.

[@Bluehawk2008]

I got a Wix ad before this video.

[@StefanMischook]

Wix has big ad budgets!

[@baref0ot455]

Bob’s your uncle

[@nandfednu3502]

it's called wisdom!

[@janrafflim9139]

Thanks, sir, it says in the title "web builder" but most of the thing you said is how to manage your life as a developer. I do like the content sir and I learned a lot but the title and the content are not hundred percent aligned.

[@AMPProf]

It's more and more infuriating...especially when you started your education with "Hello World" written with only notepad.exe. {insert Defamatory word here} Squarespace Man.

[@Aetucre]

I'm a waitress looking to start freelancing. You struck a chord when you said that you need many small clients, instead of one or two big ones. It's the same as taking many small tables vs taking one or two large parties. The large parties may not tip well or at all whereas you have a better chance of making more money if you take 3-5 small tables. The more tables you take, the more money you make. And though it is a lot more work to juggle the small tables, the payout is usually better than one large party. Nice to know that I can use my skills as a waitress in running a web design business too. Who would have thought?

[@Seekingtruth-mx3ur]

Update? How did it go?

[@Stevethesearcher]

I find the background a bit too bright. Great content though. Just giving my two cents.

[@StefanMischook]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@kandysman86]

@@StefanMischook maybe just wear a shirt with more contrast in this setting

[@noahwinslow1]

Lesson: Don't get married.

[@vladimirkuryanov5242]

Scott James, or don't get devorced, if you actually got married!

[@rubenverster250]

She says marriage, I say prenup

[@HappyManStudiosTV]

rip techlead

[@calmsh0t]

To the guy that wrote the letter in the video .... my advice: don't work with the webbuilder guys, if you can afford it!! Sure, it gives you a quick buck but it does not let you grow as a developer and it does not give you stuff to show on a portfolio. If you can afford it and you are starting out, create cheap/ free high quality web apps for these people that are BETTER than webbuilder stuff. This way you will more likely get recognized by more interesting clients (that pay you several thousand for their page) and you bind the people you've built the stuff for to you and your work. Sure, hook them up with a CMS like Netlify or whatever and it is equally comfortable for them to use your react app, than it is for them using their GoDaddy page. If you are in dire need for clients or have the extra time, sure, slap them their GoDaddy page together. If not, I would stay away from it. And if you do get people with their webbuilder stuff - try to convince them to let you create a custom page for them. There are many arguments that should convince any serious business, from a technical, image and branding standpoint.

[@nsambataufeeq1748]

Thats very funny, i prefer fewer big clients. Finance is almost never a problem, i dont have to compete with guys using elementor ,webflow etc

[@pixelmartyr8532]

I've never had FU money. Sucks to be me.

[@Avianion]

Hey, what camera are you using for these videos? I love the way it looks, especially in this video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZOoY6B_acqDm7c Would be greatly appreciated if you could provide some detail :)

[@StefanMischook]

For that video and most of the new ones outside of the car, I use the Canon C200.

[@toddboothbee1361]

Sample question from a business IQ test... Single Big Client is to Many Small Clients as Marriage is to ?

[@StefanMischook]

LOL. No comment!

[@mavrosyvannah]

I hate clients. They don't deserve me 90% of the time. I get to say that because I save save save.

[@Eltopshottah]

Wish someone would review my portfolio 💼 :c

[@Longshot_NYC]

Please don't say "vlog" ever, ever, ever again. Just say video or blog. Thank you. That is all.

[@DidiGrooves]

Love the Idiocracy theme & Not Sure pic. haha.

[@emailjough]

Ads in the middle of your videos = lame. Poor experience for your viewers.