Tag Archive for: e-Commerce

A Career In WordPress?

Have you ever considered becoming a Freelance WordPress Professional?

Maybe you’ve been thinking about a change of pace, wanting to work hours outside of ‘the norm’, with the intent of creating a better work/ life balance?

A few years ago, one could be forgiven for thinking that the likes of SquareSpace would be the end of WordPress, but like me, you’d be wrong.

There was a period, after a massive push on YouTube [ sponsoring creators ] to try and grow their market share, and one could argue it hasn’t worked how they hoped.

Depending upon a few factors, you can enter a certain niche [ within WordPress ] and if you’re good, and if you can build up your Brand Reputation, you can do extremely well – remember, your Brand, is YOU.

For some, working from home is a non-starter, they just cannot handle working from the same place they eat and sleep, or because of children running around etc. But, if you have an old shed, make it your space – convert it into your work office and ONLY enter it DURING your work hours. I mean, even cleaning – that’s work, so incorporate that into your work cycle. Don’t think to yourself that for every minute on the computer, is a paying minute. You need to stay ahead of updates, learn new things and generally stay on top of trends.

I’ve set myself a target of 25% of my working day into performing everything else that isn’t work, but work related. For example, 40 hours of a working week consist of 10 hours of non-billing work. Thirty hours at my hourly rate, isn’t bad, but the tax…..in a nutshell, set up a Trust. Make YOUR money work for you. I’m quite content only pulling $18K PA in a salary.

At my current pace, now, remembering that I really only wanted to come back as a ‘casual’, if I currently wanted to, I could be working 70 hours per week, the work is there. I’m turning away quite a lot of work, for several reasons, but mainly because I want a life. I’m at that age where balance is more important, and we don’t need anything.

Your Reputation Is Key To Your Brand

If you’re interested in becoming a Freelancer, do your research and be sure it’s what you really want. I have friends that own ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses where they employ people, have huge debt, but take home less than me. They have massive burdens and stress in their lives, whereby I don’t – and I earn more than them.

Options are there, it’s a matter of whether or not you prefer to be a slave and live week to week, or decide to make your own way, at your pace.

My biggest decision today, is whether I want pasta or grilled fish for lunch. What’s yours?

Your future is yours to make. Decide well.

Feel free to give this post a share or seven, it would be appreciated :)

/by

Here we go again – What I charge.

A lot can be said about pandemics.

Some people lose their jobs, others excel. That’s just how it is.

I’ve been questioned, it seems, a million times, about why I charge so much – per hour.

Let’s get this out of the way – again.

For about 15 years now, I’ve specialised in WordPress. I’ve built up my Brand, with theme developers and customers over many years.

The reality is, I could have employed other developers and built a big business, but chose to protect my work and name by doing everything myself. It has worked – Brilliantly. The downside, is that my income is limited to what ‘I’ can do myself.

Just like any business, there is a supply and demand issue that needs to be addressed. I addressed it my way – by increasing my rate, so that ‘demand’ drops to a steady supply. Do my clients wish they’d pay less? Obviously, they would. But, they know they can go elsewhere and pay less, or they can continue paying what I charge, and know their website is in safe hands – because I work when people are sleeping, so their website has no ‘real’ downtime.

I cannot understand why people, after seeing how much I charge (I don’t hide it), they seem to have the time to contact me, complaining about what I charge!

Isn’t it a life goal to get paid what you believe you’re worth? I say it is. People say in their complaints, that they can go elsewhere and pay $25 per hour. Well, do it. Go….it’s simple right? Not so, apparently.

I do provide FREE advice and assistance in some forums, and will continue.

Cheap isn’t always value. Value isn’t always cheap

Some clients that had websites built have told me the timeframe and cost of their ‘old’ website – prior to coming to me, and I’ve almost fallen back off my chair. Some clients have spent $60 per hour for two developers to build them a website, that were billed for about 3 times as many hours as what it would have taken me to build. They paid more, for less.

At the end of the day, if you aren’t happy with my rate – $100 per hour, you are free to go elsewhere. Like I’ve said many times in my blogs, I can get a lot done in an hour – more than most.

I turn 50 this year. and am currently looking at my options, one of which I may decide to give this away, but I’m not sure just yet. I have reduced my hours to around 12 per week, and I am still turning away work.

Demand for my work is not in short supply and I may even increase my hourly rate, if I decide to continue past my 50th.

I am worth what I charge. You may not think so, and that is fine, you don’t have to. To me, I am value for money, and I’m not cheap.

This whole discussion makes me uncomfortable, and will be the last time I write about it. Simply, if you don’t want to pay what I charge, go elsewhere. I really can’t make that any clearer.

/by

WHERE have I been?

It’s already June, 2020. Where has this year gone, and WHERE have I been?

Well, I’ve been busy. Busier than what I’d hoped for, actually. There was an increase in the need for my services due to the uptake in online trading (re pandemic), placing excess loads on websites that I manage, but all has been running smoothly, and I can now begin to breathe again. I’m still working nights, albeit at reduced hours. I need a break now.

We moved into our new house (it was built over 2017/18/19), and we sold our old place, late last year.

This blog post was not meant to be too long, I just wanted people to know that I’m still active on the forums, and providing assistance to theme developers.

I do want to begin stepping back from this a little this year. I want to focus more on living.

Anyway, that should just about do it for the moment.

I’ll be back, soon.

/by