How freelancers should get paid

[@Joseph-qb1es]

The 33 percent split is genius. My last client was so kind and such a breeze. It was a pleasure working with him a d he paid promptly and we both walked away happy. My current client is not getting the message. I am not starting work until I get my first payment. This is why I left freelancing 20 years ago but now I have more balls to stick to my demand. No money down, no work. I'm not running a charity here. Thanks Stefan.

[@StefanMischook]

Welcome.

[@Techiesse]

Just spend nearly all my FU money and then I discover this channel. I have to say thank you for sharing your experience as a freelancer. I've learned a bit from struggling the last 2 years. But finally I'm comming to my own conclusions and finding your content is just enforcing some lessons. I'll be here more often. Thanks for the good stuff.

[@mtwata]

Lol looks like you wrote my story

[@ravenandthecrow]

Your channel is a gold mine. I am a failure as a professional developer because I let my emotions (depression and low self-esteem) rule over me. I also jumped from one "great" idea to another without having the persistence to finish and it was never good enough so I kept redoing the work I did to make it better. This year I got a lot better with my emotions and I no longer seek perfection and I am ready to be successful. I always had a hard time figuring out the price of my work. I usually look at other people pricing but I never was sure how to talk about price or how much should I charge. Do you cover these things in your courses?

[@StefanMischook]

Thanks for the kind words. I have covered the business end of development for years - I learned the hard way when I started in the 1990's. I was thinking of putting out an updated version of my Business of Web Design course ... and your message is giving me more reason to do it.

[@StefanMischook]

Pricing is part looking at the local market, part judging your skills and part feel. I will cover it in a video. Don't give up ... a 10% hit rate is good!

[@ravenandthecrow]

Thank you for your words of encouragement. I find your videos inspiring and I often realise that you are on point. I see what is in demand but I do not realise it until you spoke about it. I am often to caught up trying to figure out what I should do to succeed to pay attention to what is in front of me. You bring an objective view about the current state of the market and what we coder we should focus on. Thank you again.

[@ravenandthecrow]

***** I totally agree with Mihai Sorin. Any ideas or tricks from someone who is successful will be appreciated.

[@StefanMischook]

Good list of questions.

[@_neuromanser_]

Stefan, I have started my work a bit later than you, but through your videos I see that we have very similar paths. It’s always good to hear this kind of confirmation.

[@pthomasgarcia]

33/33/33, I like that. I was 50/50 before. Thanks for the great advice, Stefan!

[@StefanMischook]

Thanks

[@patrickmutuku]

How about 40/40/20. Worked with some clients who really drag the last bit of the project with numerous minor revisions

[@bravehotsauce]

Great advice! Thank you, Stefan!

[@StefanMischook]

A classic video on mine!

[@codeChris]

I had to learn the hard way in the beginning. Without that deposit I also noticed clients would be slower through out the entire process. So waiting to work or continuing to work has saved me alot of time. I also adopted a similar payment structure. Sometimes, I do milestones if the duration of time to complete a project would mean huge segments of time between payments. Great input!

[@yisraelsveryown3932]

Really good

[@ysites]

Great advice. Thank you. What are your thoughts on making the 1st 33 percent non refundable?

[@StefanMischook]

Of course it isn't refundable. The time you take to come up with the first draft is worth money. You can't get that time back. If they cancel after the first draft (and you were paid, as you should) then give them what you got. The next developer will be able to work off of that.

[@ysites]

Thank you for replying. When you say the first draft. Do you mean just the wireframe? Or the actual code with the wireframe?

[@ChrisSmith-oc5hc]

Another great video with more priceless advice! You're a great mentor and I love your relaxed style and way of explaining things - it's very genuine! Big question: when you present your 33/33/33 is it always verbal or do you use a signed agreement?

[@StefanMischook]

signed agreement!! :) Memories tend to play tricks on people. But at first present it verbally of course.

[@jakestewart7079]

I agree with the first comment. This is the best channel for info on learning how to become a web developer. I've learned a ton of info that I can't find on other channels. One question though... When is a good time, based on skill set to apply for a junior developer position? ASAP?

[@alexisaddicted]

Really good tip!

[@mariannem8419]

You are the best!

[@StefanMischook]

Appreciate that.

[@Mickey_McD]

If you're using an Agile development process would this approach need to be modified?

[@ianrhys]

I do the 30/40/30

[@cryptochips9720]

wow, very useful

[@nevinkuser9892]

What happens to the remaining 1% ?

[@JussiTuukkanen]

thank you

[@StefanMischook]

Welcome.

[@cla1814]

When do I charge them the other 1%? 33% x 3 = 99% tell them is a discount ? How about 25-50-25%

[@chickenballs-balls]

I think only desperate people will agree to what is essentially 75/25 before project completion.

[@possumcode]

This is true at any time)

[@NoahNobody]

Do you ever charge hourly? What do you think of hourly based rates? Thanks.

[@StefanMischook]

Hourly is the holy grail of billing since you don't have to worry about clients changing their minds all the time - and they will! Problem is most clients will want a fixed price ... especially if they don't know you. This all falls under client management, which is a big part of being a successful developer.

[@ChipLinck]

I'm a healthcare IT consultant, and I bill hourly. I work one client at a time since I'm brought in for large projects. So it's similar to full time work. I also get travel reimbursement since I'm on-site frequently. If you get travel reimbursement, always negotiate full reimbursement plus a per diem ( like $62 per day) for meals vs a flat rate for travel. I'm currently on a $1600 a week flat rate for travel (not my pay that's separate ) and it is not always enough. Some weeks I have extra, but some weeks I don't. I'll never do that again. Always get full travel reimbursement. Always negotiate travel separately from your pay. Always knowyour tax liability on your pay. Its not worth making a higher gross rate than full-time work if your net is less after taxes. I don't know how hard it is to negotiate hourly for a developer, but even my small side jobs are hourly. I'd never do it any other way.

[@SargsyanGagik]

clicked on Like then clicked on play :)

[@StefanMischook]

LOL. You can see the future!