Do you have your own website? You really should, of course, I would recommend getting a WordPress.org self-hosted site as I have written quite a lot about it already on this blog.

So, thanks for your comment, thanks for coming (come back anytime) and well done for saying “good luck to all freelancers out there”. I echo that!

Spoke with you the other day on the telephone.
Like I said, great articles on the site and I really like this one about us freelancers vs agencies.

I too started out as a freelancer after being quoted a large amount of £s for a 5 page driving school website when I was a driving instructor 5 years ago.

I had a go at my own (it was bad) but carried on for about 3 years learning raw xhtml/css coding, flash and php and for the last 2 years have been getting paid to do it.

6 months ago I gave up my full time steady job of over 15 years and have not looked back since, ok the works not piling in but I’m getting by and loving every challange.

Good luck to all freelancers out there, it’s the way to go.

I know what you mean, I have done plenty of work I wouldn’t let anywhere near my portfolio. Unfortunately some clients are just too stubborn so it doesn’t always work, but when it does it’s definitely worth the battle.

Keep up the good work mate.

Hello Paul, I’m so glad you are confident about the future. We are in similar positions at the moment and I agree with you – if we’re busy at the moment, hopefully when the economy improves things will get even better. Also I have found the quality of my work vastly improving since I started working on my own.

I think you’re right to take me up with my “the client is always right” statement. I think my lack of confidence has caused me to go along with the client’s wishes when I perhaps should have disagreed with them. I can think of a few cases that I have websites that I’ve done but don’t want to link to from this site as their design was, in my opinion, “messed up” by the client. However, what I don’t like is the agency-types always thinking they know better than the client.

I’ll take your comment on board. Good luck!

I find the quality of my work has improved drastically as I’m designing directly for the client rather than trying to please the client as well as please agency heads as well.

Only one thing I disagree with in this article though. “The client is always right.” Without meaning to be arrogant, I think you need to be pushy with clients to get better results. You need to be charming with it of course but I generally find clients are very appreciative when you push them in a direction they never thought of.

Clients will usually have a set idea in their mind of how they want to do things. Which is fair enough, it’s their business and they will have more knowledge in that field than you. But I believe a big part of why you get hired is to bring your expertise and knowledge to the table. If you genuinely do it with their best interests at heart, they will feel they are getting their moneys worth.

And account managers/handlers, no, not always a bad thing. Of course, they are essential to have in a large agency. Unfortunately, just as you’ve had bad experience with freelancers, I had bad experiences with account managers. I found they were too involved in the creative side and not communicative enough of the client’s wishes. And when I asked to speak to the client they were always reluctant to “give away power” and give me the client’s number! I love that in my job at the moment I have a close relationship with the client so I have absolutely no doubts about their creative wishes.

Thanks again, Charleston Marketing and Design, for the comment.

Quoted for truth. This is something that many people don’t seem to know.

Best of luck for your business future! And finding your market position – I think that’s really important.