My First 414 Days As a Freelancer

A RETROSPECTIVE
MY FIRST
414 DAYS AS A
FREELANCER:
@kyle_unzicker
kyleunzicker.com
Thursday, September 5, 13

WHO AM I? **I DON’T MEAN THIS IN AN EXISTENTIAL WAY.

MY NAME IS KYLE UNZICKER, AND I’M FROM SMALL TOWN ILLINOIS.

I’M A WEB DESIGNER AND DEVELOPER.

I’M A WEB DESIGNER AND DEVELOPER.
I’VE BEEN A FREELANCER FOR 414 DAYS.

WHAT’S MY STORY?

WHAT’S MY STORY?
➡ WHY I STARTED FREELANCING

WHAT’S MY STORY?
➡ MY INITIAL GOALS

WHAT’S MY STORY?
➡ HOW I GOT MY START

WHAT’S MY STORY?
➡ HOW’S IT’S BEEN SO FAR

WHAT’S MY STORY?
➡ WHERE I’M GOING

WHAT’S MY STORY?
➡ WHERE I’M GOING
* WILL NOT BE FULLY COVERING: RATES, HOW TO GET CLIENTS, WHAT BUSINESS TYPE YOU SHOULD CHOOSE,
OR HOW TO BEAT MIKE TYSON IN MIKE TYSON’S PUNCH OUT!!

THE FIRST
-1095 DAYS

THE FIRST -1095 DAYS

THE FIRST -1095 DAYS
➡ AGENCY EMPLOYEE FOR 3 YEARS
➡ BEGAN ANSWERING PHONES, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT BY THE TIME I LEFT
➡ WENT FROM ZERO EXPERIENCE WITH WORDPRESS TO BUILDING DOZENS OF CUSTOM
THEMES AND PLUGINS
➡ PAYIN’ BILLS
➡ BEST PAYING JOB OF MY (YOUNG) LIFE
➡ PAY RAISES ON THE REGULAR
➡ GROWN UP STUFF
➡ BOUGHT A HOUSE
➡ BECAME A DAD

WHY I QUIT
MY JOB

WHY I QUIT MY JOB

WHY I QUIT MY JOB
➡ I STOPPED LEARNING

WHY I QUIT MY JOB
➡ I WAS NO LONGER PROUD OF THE PROJECTS THAT I
WORKED ON

WHY I QUIT MY JOB
WORKED ON
➡ FRANKLY, I WAS NOT PROUD OF THE BRAND I WAS PAID
TO REPRESENT

WHY I QUIT MY JOB
WORKED ON
➡ FRANKLY, I WAS NOT PROUD OF THE BRAND I WAS PAID
TO REPRESENT
TL;DR- I OUTGREW MY POSITION

GOALS

GOALS
➡ CONTINUE TO PAY MY BILLS #BENJAMINS

GOALS
➡ CREATE WORK THAT I’M PROUD OF #PROUDPAPA

GOALS
➡ LEARN A TON OF NEW STUFF #KNOWLEDGEISPOWER

GOALS
➡ LEARN A TON OF NEW STUFF #KNOWLEDGEISPOWER
➡ MEET OTHER DESIGNERS & DEVELOPERS TO WORK WITH
AND LEARN FROM #NICETOMEETYOU

THE FIRST
414 DAYS

HOW I GOT STARTED

HOW I GOT STARTED
➡ CREATED A BRAND TO SHOWCASE MY SERVICES AND
WORK (A PORTFOLIO)
➡ WINDFARM CREATIVE // WNDFRM.COM

HOW I GOT STARTED
I MADE A BUDGET

HOW I GOT STARTED
I MADE A BUDGET
➡ HOW MUCH ARE MY BILLS?

HOW I GOT STARTED
I MADE A BUDGET
➡ WHAT’S THE ABSOLUTE BASE MONTHLY INCOME I
NEED?

HOW I GOT STARTED
I MADE A BUDGET
NEED?
➡ WHAT MONTHLY INCOME AM I COMFORTABLE WITH?

HOW I GOT STARTED
I MADE A BUDGET
NEED?
➡ HOW MUCH DO I HAVE SAVED UP AS A CUSHION?

HOW I GOT STARTED
I MADE A BUDGET
NEED?
➡ HOW MUCH DO I HAVE SAVED UP AS A CUSHION?
➡ WHAT STARTUP COSTS CAN I EXPECT?

HOW I GOT STARTED
I ASKED FOR HELP
➡ MY #BESTFRIEND HAD BECOME A FREELANCER THE YEAR
BEFORE
➡ PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH HIS OVERFLOW CLIENTS
➡ PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH HIS FREELANCER FRIENDS
➡ ASKED MY PREVIOUS EMPLOYER FOR FREELANCE WORK
➡ I DIDN’T BURN MY BRIDGES!

HOW I GOT STARTED
I HOOKED MYSELF UP

HOW I GOT STARTED
I HOOKED MYSELF UP
➡ NEW COMPUTER! NEW DESK! NEW SOFTWARE!

HOW I GOT STARTED
I HOOKED MYSELF UP
➡ NEW CPA! (SORRY, DAD)

HOW I GOT STARTED
I HOOKED MYSELF UP
➡ WENT OVER ALL THE PRO/CONS OF CORPORATIONS/LLC’S, S-CORP, TALKED ABOUT
PAYING TAXES, ETC ETC

HOW I GOT STARTED
I HOOKED MYSELF UP
➡ BOOKED A TRIP TO WORDCAMP SF 2012

HOW I GOT STARTED
I HOOKED MYSELF UP
➡ NETWORKING! SALES! AFTERPARTIES!

HOW I GOT STARTED
I HOOKED MYSELF UP
➡ NETWORKING! SALES! AFTERPARTIES!
➡ (ALSO ATTENDED GRAND RAPIDS 2012 AND CHICAGO 2013)

HIGHLIGHTS

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ DAY 1.

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ DAY 1.
➡ SERIOUSLY.

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ DAY 1.
➡ SERIOUSLY.
➡ I FELT LIKE A NEW PERSON.

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ DAY 1.
➡ SERIOUSLY.
➡ (A HAPPY SCARED PERSON

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ DAY 1.
➡ SERIOUSLY.
➡ (A HAPPY SCARED PERSON
➡ BECOMING THE OWNER OF A LEGITIMATE COPY OF
PHOTOSHOP

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ OKAY THEMES

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ OKAY THEMES
➡ REFERRED BY MY #BESTFRIEND

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ OKAY THEMES
➡ GAVE ME A BASE INCOME TO LAUNCH FROM #BENJAMINS

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ OKAY THEMES
➡ STARTED AS SUPPORT GURU, MY FIRST NON-RETAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE
EXPERIENCE #KNOWLEDGEISPOWER

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ OKAY THEMES
➡ DEVELOPED 1 THEME, 1 PLUGIN, COMMITTED LOTS OF BUGFIXES TO ALL OF
THE THEMES

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ OKAY THEMES
THE THEMES
➡ FORMED A GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP AND FRIENDSHIP WITH THE
HEAD HONCHO, MIKE MCALISTER #NICETOMEETYOU

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ OKAY THEMES
THE THEMES
➡ FORMED A GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP AND FRIENDSHIP WITH THE
HEAD HONCHO, MIKE MCALISTER #NICETOMEETYOU
➡ GAINED SMALL THEME CUSTOMIZATION JOBS

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ WORDCAMP SF 2012

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MET SO MANY TALENTED PEOPLE #NICETOMEETYOU

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ FIRST TIME I TRULY "GOT" WORDPRESS AND THE COMMUNITY
#KNOWLEDGEISPOWER

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ FIRST TIME I TRULY "GOT" WORDPRESS AND THE COMMUNITY
#KNOWLEDGEISPOWER
➡ MY MUSTACHE GOT ME A GIG #BENJAMINS #MUSTACHE

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MODERN TRIBE

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MODERN TRIBE
➡ JOINED THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM FOR THE EVENTS CALENDAR, A TOOL I
LOVED AND HAD USED DOZENS OF TIME BEFORE #PROUDPAPA

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MODERN TRIBE
➡ ENABLED ME TO WORK WITH BRANDS SUCH AS MOZILLA AND HARVARD
LAW SCHOOL #PROUDPAPA

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MODERN TRIBE
➡ JOINED A TEAM OF SOME OF THE SMARTEST MOFOS I'VE EVER MET
#NICETOMEETYOU #KNOWLEDGEISPOWER

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MODERN TRIBE
➡ PARTICIPATED IN DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORT, UX DESIGN,
PROTOTYPING, INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE #KNOWLEDGEISPOWER

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MODERN TRIBE
➡ PARTICIPATED IN DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORT, UX DESIGN,
PROTOTYPING, INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE #KNOWLEDGEISPOWER
➡ TRAVELLED TO CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO FOR A TEAM RETREAT, MEETING
MY TEAM FACE TO FACE #BENJAMINS #NICETOMEETYOU

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ CG COOKIE

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ CG COOKIE
➡ WAS A REFERRAL BY MY #BESTFRIEND TO TWEAK SOME CSS HERE AND
THERE

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ CG COOKIE
THERE
➡ FORMED A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OWNERSHIP THAT TURNED THE SMALL
JOB INTO A 6 MONTH REDESIGN AND REBUILD PROJECT, LED BY YOURS
TRULY. #BENJAMINS

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ CG COOKIE
THERE
TRULY. #BENJAMINS
➡ WORKED WITH PIPPIN WILLIAMSON OF PIPPINS PLUGINS, WHOSE WORK
AND WRITINGS I'VE FOLLOWED AND LOOKED UP TO #NICETOMEETYOU

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ CG COOKIE
THERE
TRULY. #BENJAMINS
➡ WORKED WITH PIPPIN WILLIAMSON OF PIPPINS PLUGINS, WHOSE WORK
AND WRITINGS I'VE FOLLOWED AND LOOKED UP TO #NICETOMEETYOU
➡ REBRANDED AND RE-LAUNCHED THE CG COOKIE NETWORK #PROUDPAPA

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ SPEAKING AT WORDCAMP

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ CHICAGO 2013

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ CHICAGO 2013
➡ GRAND RAPIDS 2013

HIGHLIGHTS
➡ MOVING BACK TO THE BOONIES
➡ AN ALL-IN COMMITMENT TO FREELANCING
➡ (OR, AT LEAST AN ALL-IN COMMITMENT TO REMOTE WORK)

LOWLIGHTS

LOWLIGHTS
➡ DISCOGRAPHY - THE LOST THEME
➡ COMMERCIAL THEME I DEVELOPED THAT HAS YET TO LAUNCH
➡ (BUT STILL PLAN TO?)
➡ 70 HOURS WITH NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT SO FAR

LOWLIGHTS
WEEKEND PLANS
➡ YOU MEAN WORK?
➡ WORKED A LOT OF WEEKENDS. TOO MANY WEEKENDS.
➡ MY INCOME IS DIRECTLY TIED TO MY TIME.

LOWLIGHTS
IS THAT IT?

BY THE
NUMBERS

BY THE NUMBERS

BY THE NUMBERS
➡ 14 CLIENTS I COMPLETED WORK FOR
➡ 1 CLIENT FIRED AND REFUNDED
➡ 3 CLIENTS TURNED AWAY
➡ SCHEDULING CONFLICTS, AND ALL REFERRED TO SOMEONE ELSE
➡ 1 FULL-TIME JOB OFFER

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
65% OF MY TIME IS BILLED
➡ 28.5 HOURS BILLED A WEEK, ON AVERAGE

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
65% OF MY TIME IS BILLED
➡ 28.5 HOURS BILLED A WEEK, ON AVERAGE
THE OTHER 35%:
➡ MANAGEMENT STUFF (FINANCES, TRACKING TIME, ORGANIZING/PLANNING
WORKFLOW)
➡ REFERENCE (BLOGS, NEAT TUTORIALS, ETC..)
➡ SUPER DISTRACTING STUFF (FACEBOOK, TWITTER, IMESSAGE, GAME OF
THRONES MEMES)

HOW I SPENT MY TIME

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
➡ I HAD 12 WEEKDAYS OFF

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
➡ I WORKED 19 WEEKENDS

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
➡ I WORKED 19 WEEKENDS
➡ (MORE THAN 2 HOURS BILL ON EITHER OR BOTH DAYS)

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
NOTABLE AND/OR EMBARRASSING TIDBITS

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
➡ I SPENT MORE TIME IN SKYPE THAN SUBLIME TEXT

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
➡ (FACEBOOK + TWITTER + REDDIT) TIME == PHOTOSHOP
TIME

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
➡ (FACEBOOK + TWITTER + REDDIT) TIME == PHOTOSHOP
TIME
➡ MY MOST PRODUCTIVE DAY OF THE YEAR WAS A
SATURDAY.

HOW I SPENT MY TIME
11 others
7%
Okay
15%
CG Cookie
38%
Modern Tribe
40%

WHERE I SPENT MY TIME

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES
➡ 3 AIRPORTS

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES
➡ 3 AIRPORTS
➡ 2 PLANES

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES
➡ 3 AIRPORTS
➡ 2 PLANES
➡ 2 DONUT SHOPS

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES
➡ 3 AIRPORTS
➡ 2 PLANES
➡ 2 DONUT SHOPS
➡ 1 TRAIN

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES
➡ 3 AIRPORTS
➡ 2 PLANES
➡ 2 DONUT SHOPS
➡ 1 TRAIN
➡ 1 HOSPITAL

➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES
➡ 3 AIRPORTS
➡ 2 PLANES
➡ 2 DONUT SHOPS
➡ 1 TRAIN
➡ 1 HOSPITAL
➡ 1 MCDONALD’S

I TRIED WORKING IN A CAR ONCE, BUT I GOT MOTION SICKNESS
➡ 10 COFFEE SHOPS
➡ 6 OFFICES
➡ 4 LIBRARIES
➡ 3 AIRPORTS
➡ 2 PLANES
➡ 2 DONUT SHOPS
➡ 1 TRAIN
➡ 1 HOSPITAL
➡ 1 MCDONALD’S

SO, HOW
DID I DO?

SO, HOW DID I DO?
#BENJAMINS
#BESTFRIEND
#KNOWLEDGEISPOWER
#MUSTACHE #NICETOMEETYOU
#PROUDPAPA

WHERE AM
I GOING?

WHERE AM I GOING?

WHERE AM I GOING?
A BOY WITHOUT A BRAND
➡ AGENCY-TYPE BRANDING DOESN’T FIT THE WORK I DO
➡ I DON’T WANT TO PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING I’M NOT
➡ WNDFRM.COM IS REALLY HARD SAY OUT LOUD

WHERE AM I GOING?
A BOY WITHOUT A BRAND
➡ AGENCY-TYPE BRANDING DOESN’T FIT THE WORK I DO
➡ I DON’T WANT TO PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING I’M NOT
➡ WNDFRM.COM IS REALLY HARD SAY OUT LOUD
FREELANCING, OR, WHATEVER.
➡ I WILL CONTINUE TO CHASE MY GOALS, WHEREVER THEY TAKE ME.
➡ SERVICES AND PRODUCTS

FINAL
THOUGHTS

FINAL THOUGHTS

FINAL THOUGHTS
HOW TO START, LIKE I DID
➡ KNOW YOUR GOALS
➡ BE(COME) A PROFESSIONAL
➡ ASK FOR HELP
➡ MAKE FRIENDS
➡ TWITTER
➡ WORDCAMPS
➡ MEETUPS
➡ KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING
➡ GIVE YOURSELF AN EMPLOYEE REVIEW

FINAL THOUGHTS
RESOURCES
➡ FREELANCE TOOLKIT
➡ FREELANCE.TRI.BE
➡ RESCUE TIME
➡ RESCUETIME.COM
➡ TWITTER
➡ GOOGLE TOP WHATEVER WORDPRESS PEOPLE TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER
➡ ASK THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU WHAT THEIR TWITTER HANDLE IS

(AND NOT FALLING ASLEEP)
THANKS
FOR
LISTENING!
Thank you to The Noun Project for the following icons: “Desk” by Jason Thoburn, “Airport” by Joris Hoogendoorn, “Airplane
Internet” by David Brossard, “Doughnut” by Julia Soderberg

My First 414 Days As a Freelancer

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My First 414 Days As a Freelancer