Sandi and Nick Batik lead this Austin WordPress Meetup Deep Dive Discussion about starting and building a successful WordPress-based, freelance business. We looked at how to to find and on-board clients for your freelance business, even if you are an introvert, by focusing in those specialized services you are best suited to offer.
2. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Austin WordPress Meetup
Monday, March 14, 2016
Presenters:
Sandi Batik
Follow her at:
@sandi_batik
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsandrachevalierbatik
http://HandsOnWP.com
Nick Batik
Follow him at:
@nick_batik
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasbatik
http://PleiadesServices.com
3. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
The Wordpress Ecosystem Offers an Amazing
Diversity of Freelance Opportunities for:
• WordPress back-end developers
• WordPress front-end developers —
UX /UI
• Plugin developers
• Theme designers
• Graphic designers
• Content creators, curators, managers
• Information architects
• Inbound marketers
• SEO managers
• Social medial managers
• Photographers
• Illustrators
• Site security specialists
• Site maintenance heroes
4. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Becoming a Full-Time
Freelancer
• The choice to become a full-time freelancer in the
WordPress Community needs to start with some
serious soul searching
• Freelancing sounds friendlier and a bit more
approachable than entrepreneurship —its not
• Building a successful (read profitable) freelance
practice is the hardest jobs you will ever have
• Done right, being a successful freelancer can be the
best professional experience you have ever had
6. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Introvert or Not, in the Final Analysis Your
Freelance WordPress Practice
IS ALL ABOUT YOU!
You can't communicate to a client, either within
your site's content, or in person, what you have not
yet clearly defended in your own mind
8. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
What is your Personal
"Super Power"
• The things that come to you easily, you may
tend to under value
• But in reality that innate skill or passion is your
personal superpower
• It is the differentiator that makes a client want
YOU instead of another Freelancer
9. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
What is Your Personal
"Super Power"
• The business management name for your
personal "Super Power" is your "Value
Proposition"
• It describes your target client, the problem you
solve, and why you’re uniquely a better choice
than other freelancers.
10. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
What is Your Personal
"Super Power"
• Your value proposition is your
personal positioning statement that explains:
• what benefits you provide
• for who
• and how you do it uniquely well.
11. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
What is Your Personal
"Super Power"
• You are the core of your Freelance Practice's
value proposition.
• What problems do you understand uniquely well?
• What unique solution can you deliver?
• What kind of personal super power can you bring
to solve a client's problem?
12. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
What is Your Personal
"Super Power"
• Your personal talents and abilities make you a
thought leader in your part of the WordPress
Ecosystem.
• Being an introvert does not mean lacking
confidence in our skill set
• It’s just hard for us to talk about ourselves
13. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
How to Define The Value Proposition
For Your Freelance Business
Build your professional value proposition by
answering the following questions
1. Why would a client choose you?
2. Who am I best suited to help?
3. Why would clients choose me over another
Freelancer in my field?
14. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
How To Define The Value
Proposition For Your Freelance
Business
4. What business problem or issue am I uniquely qualified to
solve?
5. How do I proceed? (Your action steps to solve a problem)
6. Which area should I focus on, based on my current skill
set?
7. What results can I deliver?
8. For what improvement?
15. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
How To Define The Value
Proposition For Your Freelance
Business
• Develop a simple, concise sentence that states
your unique value proposition as it relates to your
current skills.
• Review it once or twice a year to keep it current
as your skill set and client base evolves.
16. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
What Is Your
Compelling Vision
• Invest the time it takes to define your compelling
vision
• You are a self-identified Introvert who has
chosen to pursue a WordPress freelancer's life
• What is the compelling vision that is driving you
to build a full-time business?
• What is your personal “why”?
17. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Your Compelling Vision
Should ...
• Make you willing to live on the edge of income
insecurity during your startup
• Help your friends and family understand your
commitment to building your business
18. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Your Compelling Vision
Should ...
• Inspire you take action even when you are tired
• Give you the focus and energy to you pull an
occasional all-nighter
• Drive you out of your comfort zone to build your
‘Tribe of Supporters’
• Help you clearly articulate your life goals and
objectives
19. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Questions You Need To Address
About Your Compelling Vision
• How will your WordPress Freelance Business help you
achieve the goals and dreams in your Compelling Vision?
• How much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve those
goals and dreams?
• How does your significant other feel about your
compelling vision as it relates to your freelance business?
• Is that personal partner "All-In" to support your dreams
and help you reach those goals?
20. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Before You Answer…There Is
Somethings We Need To Examine
Closely
• Really knowing and understanding your personal strengths
and weakness is crucial to your success as a freelancer
• You need to set your goals based on your current skill set,
your experience, and your compelling passion
• Online tools to assess your personality, passions,
strengths, skills and expertise
• Personality kiersey.com
• Skills, Expertise & Experiences StrengthsFinder.com &
stanout.TMBC.com
21. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
What Specialized Services
Are You Best Suited to
Offer?
• What do you do best?
• What do you love to do?
• What experience and training do you have?
• What type of client fits your unique set of skills?
22. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
A Smart Start For Your
Freelance Business
• The best way to start is part-time and build your WordPress
Freelance business on the side with the safety and security of
your day job.
• Before You Quit Your Full Time J.O.B — Get your finances in
order
• Know to the exact dollar — your REAL monthly expenses
• Ruthlessly cut unnecessary expenses
• Honestly assess and strengthen your emotional support system
• Honestly assess and sharpen your skill set
23. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
A Smart Start For Your
Freelance Business
• Identify the ideal clients that match and need
your current skill set
• Research your ideal client base — where does
this type of client hang out online and IRL?
• Work to build and enhance your skills everyday
24. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
So What Happens If You Didn't Leave
Your Job, But Your Job Left You?
• Do all of the above only FASTER!
• Think like a Gazelle!
• Run like your life depends on it - because it
does
25. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
How Introverted Freelancers
Can Land Their First Client
• Start by building the very best site you can — for your self
• Apply the Dave Ramsey' Debt Snowball' to building your freelance
business — start small and steadily build up to big jobs
• Look around for your first clients
• Make a list of who you know and who needs a web site or a design
• Non-profits
• Beginning Bloggers
• Small business you love and want to support
26. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
How Introverted Freelancers
Can Land Their First Client
• Start somewhere — Anywhere —but get that first freelance client
• Build on that first client job — It’s you first small snowball
• Use it to get a happy customer testimonial, an example for your
portfolio — which will you get addition and better work
• With each small job, build on your client snowball to learn more, get
better and be paid more
• When you are starting out — take whatever you can get
• Design and promote your own pet projects
• Put those projects in your portfolio
27. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Building A Professional
Portfolio From Scratch
• Your portfolio sells your services
• The quality of your work determines:
• How much you get paid
• The type of clients that are attracted to your
freelance business
• Repeat business and client referrals
28. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Best Way To Build Your
Marketing Funnel
• The goal of your content marketing strategy is to
create a demand your work
• The more demand — the higher your fees
• The most successful content marketing funnels
focus on your identified niche clients
29. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Best Way To Build Your
Marketing Funnel
• Identify and reach out to those target customers
that best fit your experience and skill set
• Invest the time to build a powerful online
presence — your site will consistently bring you
opportunities to help new clients
• Build your website content strategy completely
around attracting those folks that have problems
you are uniquely positioned to solve
30. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Building Your
Personal Brand
All in-demand freelancers in the WordPress space
have three things in common:
• A powerful, unique personal brand
• A reputation for great work
• A powerful online presence that guarantees a
steady flow of new business
31. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Building Your
Personal Brand
How do successful freelancers attract clients
online?
• A website that sets them apart from other
freelancers in their space — that very specifically
states what they do and how
• An impressive portfolio
• Testimonials from happy clients
32. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Use Your Portfolio To
Reinforce Your Personal
Positioning
Your portfolio is your opportunity to boost your
personal brand by:
• Practicing your niche skill
• Building your own ideas
• Exhibiting your technical chops
33. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Use Your Portfolio To
Reinforce Your Personal
Positioning
Your portfolio is your opportunity to boost your
personal brand by:
• Representing your very best work
• Defining your “place” in a crowed marketplace
An effective Portfolio helps clients self-select,
saving you from getting proposal requests for work
you are not interested in, or cannot do
34. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Provide Easy-to-Find Contact
Information On All Your Site's
Pages
This may include your:
• Contact Address
• Phone Number
• LinkedIn URL
• Twitter Handle
• Any other social media that your clients use
35. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Testimonials
Testimonials can give your reputation as a freelancer a major
boost
• After completing a project, get a testimonial from your client
• If given permission by client include the client’s name and
company
• Prospective clients want to know more about your
experience
• Ask for and include testimonials received from your
volunteer and charity projects in your portfolio
36. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
The Introverted Freelancer's Favorite Tool
The Content Marketing Sales Funnel
• Build your content funnel to attract your target-
market clients
• Blogging is an important tool to help you establish
a unique presence online
• Blog about your area of expertise and show off
your best work samples
• Write solid ‘Cornerstone’ content pages and link to
them internally
37. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
The Introverted Freelancer's Favorite Tool
The Content Marketing Sales Funnel
• When you write, reveal your personality, have an
opinion - you have unique mixture of quirks, and
interests. Let your clients know you!
• Make sure you have a picture of yourself as part
of your blog bio or on your about page
• Use social media to promote your blogs
• Twitter and LinkedIn are great in our market
39. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Here Is A Fast Content
Development Process Review
Structure your content development plan
• Install a content calendar plugin and use it
• Create an editorial plan (what you will write about
and why)
• Start with headlines that solve your target client’s
problems
40. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Finding Inspiration About Problems
That Are Plaguing Your Target
Clients
• Google Alerts (by topic): Set a key term for each
of your important and secondary topics
• Google Analytics (keyword traffic section): This
has proven to be an invaluable tool for inspiration
• Twitter (with Hootsuite help): Within Hootsuite
search for a specific key term and then save the
search to a separate feed
44. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Track Your Successes and
Your Failures
Follow your analytics like a hungry
hawk looking to snag lunch
Seriously, those clients are your lunch, also
your mortgage and car payment - focus folks
47. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Develop ‘Content Goodies’ To Encourage
Clients to Register or Subscribe To Your
Site’s Special Offers
• The content you offer has to specifically address the
issues of your targeted client
• eMail newsletters
• eBooks
• Video tutorials
• Free webinars and seminars
• Discounts and special offers for ‘Your Tribe’
48. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Building Your Tribe
Be an Online Contributor
• Take part in online discussions related to your
area of expertise
• Interact online by answering questions on forums
and sites like StackOverflow, Genesis forums,
WordPress Slack channels etc.
49. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Contribute To Open
Source Projects
• While many potential clients don’t have a
WordPress development background, others may,
so might prefer freelancers with cool-code
experience.
• Working on an open source project establishes
your credibility
• Contributing to open source projects, can be part
of your Value Proposition, and can give you an
advantage over other freelancers.
50. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Here are a few open source contribution pointers
• Start with newer projects that have fewer lines of code and
less complexity than more mature projects
• Once you’ve selected a project, look through the project’s
issues list, then pick a small bug and try to fix it.
• Create a personal project or utility and open source it on
GitHub. If it appeals to other developers, they’ll request
new features or updates. As your project gains recognition
- so do you
• Be sure to mention your open source achievements in your
portfolio and your LinkedIn Bio
51. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Attend Meet-ups
• Contribute to the WPATX meet-up as a volunteer,
answer questions at WPATX Office Hours or on the
WP Forum
• Attend technical meet-ups outside the 'WordPress
Bubble'
• Interact with people — Let them know who you are
and what you do
• Meet-ups give you a chance to share your knowledge
as well as learn new things from fellow attendees.
52. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Use Social Media
• Social Media connections can have a drastic
impact on the growth of your Freelance business
• The better connected you are, the more likely
you are to get projects.
53. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
How Can An Introverted
Freelancer Get Better Connected?
• Most of us are more comfortable connecting on-
line than IRL
• Our Tech-Tribe and likely client base is most likely
using one or more of the big Four:
• Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook
• Scouting your social media is probably a way that
buyers might quickly and easily check out a
perspective contractor
54. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
• Most business use LinkedIn as a way to connect
and vet fellow professionals
• We in the WordPress Bubble tend to use Twitter:
Follow me at @sand_batik
• Google+ is also popular with WordHeads for
publishing technical posts
• There are numerous private FaceBook pages for
WordPress Special interest like WProsper and
PressNomics
55. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Why All Introverted Freelancers Need
To Spend More Time Learning LinkedIn
• LinkedIn is overwhelmingly the dominant source
to evaluative prospective business associates
• LinkedIn’s professional focus and the range of
relevant information, makes it important to your
Freelance strategy
56. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
On LinkedIn, you can:
• Check out a client’s LinkedIn page
• Peruse the profiles and updates of possible team
members
• Explore their contributions to relevant LinkedIn
Groups
• Reach out to folks you need to know
57. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
LinkedIn a particularly important place for Introverted
Freelancers to make their expertise visible
Don't think about LinkedIn as a 'marketing
channel' — it is a business environment, very
much like an ongoing, online professional
conference
58. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Look For Partnering And
Joint Venue Opportunities
Find members of the community that might need your skills for a
client project
Offer to ‘White Label’ your services to them
61. HandsOnWP.com @nick_batik@sandi_batik
Make Your Proposals
Professional And Your Invoicing
Prompt
Review my February Deep Dive Discussion Tools and Processes
for Freelancers Notes and Slides