How long should your initial consultation be?
Unsurprisingly, most prospective clients want at least a brief chat before deciding whether to hire me, and likewise I want to know a bit more before working for them -…
What are your niches and how did you find them?
I have four niches or specialisms: Sector: IT for financial services Programming language: PHP Type of work: Bespoke/legacy applications Working arrangement: Retainer-based These make up the majority of my business,…
Why and how do you set client financial exposure limits?
A financial exposure limit is the maximum amount of work I allow to be outstanding for a single client at any one time, which I've currently set at £1500. I…
How do you find clients as a freelancer?
Probably the most frequently asked question I get asked from other freelancers - especially those just starting out - is: how do you find clients? There are two aspects to…
What mix of work types does your freelance business involve?
My work is a mixture of: Per-project value based pricing (up 30% of my time, and probably a similar percentage of turnover - this has gone up significantly since I…
How do you retain your independence as a freelancer?
I work for lots of different clients, so perhaps it's a bit easier than if you’re working for one (e.g. as a contractor), but the things I’ve done to make…
Would you buy an existing business?
I was offered a business for sale a few years ago, but after looking into the risks and costs I wasn’t convinced it was worth the hassle. The things I…
What office chair do you use?
I have a GGI chair which I bought 20 years ago for £95 which has followed me to multiple properties and I’m still using today. I don’t know if they…
Would you consider working for a profit share or equity?
I don’t work for a profit share or equity unless I’m expecting to be heavily involved in the business or it's in addition to cash remuneration (I have co-founded a…
What payment methods do you accept?
I only accept payment by bank transfer, for several reasons: Everyone I work with has a bank account. It’s the cheapest method for me to receive money (‘free’ as it’s…