This is why I charge 100% up front. I know I can guarantee my work, but I cannot ever guarantee the client is going to pay in the end. This is why having a quality website, with a good portfolio, reviews and case studies is so important. I have NEVER had a client even question paying up front for my services because I built that trust and authority in from day one. My clients pay anywhere from 10-50k for websites too so its not like I am building cheap websites.
@joinfullstack I'd be interested to know where or how you find your clients. Do you have an agency? I'm a .NET consultant in Europe and I charge by the hour and I invoice weekly. This is how I mitigate risk and also allow the client to change directions on a project midway, several times. I use JIRA for documentation and Kanban board to track tasks, dependencies and blockers. This allows the client to change their direction mid way and I get to continue billing. I don't see many projects nowadays where the project description and requirements report are all done before the start of the project as technology and the economy moves so quickly. What could work for a market today may not work tomorrow. And AGILE methodology permits for this. Not Waterfall.
@@sigma_z This is a great question! When I first started my business, and stepped away from my full time gig, I had already been doing freelance for about 6-7 years. Initially, I was partnering with agencies as a white label solution and I still do this as part of my business. But learned quickly that I cannot always rely on another agency to consistently bring in work. So I was also doing my own outreach to clients, and working through building my own network. I spend a lot of time with high profile individuals in a personal setting, whether that be camping, or networking events in the specific industry I want to work in. Last year 70% of my business came from other agencies and towards the end of 2023, I began realizing that this was not the way for my future growth. I began planning to switch so at least 50% of my business is generated through referrals or outreach. So far this year, 56% of my business has been my own, no outside parties involved. My situation is a little different than most because during 2023 I spent 60 days camping with different families and very successful business owners, building personal relationships, not trying to sell them but really just building relationships, and educating them with info that could help their businesses grow. I know this is super weird.. CAMPING? but yeah, turns out you can build a lot of trust with people when you have that personal relationship, and it turns out that wealthy people hang out with other wealthy people, and this in turn has become my bread and butter. I know its very unconventional, but so far this year I have generated over 50k+ in revenue ( and more on the way ) from those relationships I built through personal activities. Surrounding yourself with people that are smarter than you, and make more money than you, is the best referral method I have found. Once you build a few websites for big players in a specific industry, reaching out to their competitors and saying "hey, see what we have done for this client? We can do the same for you..." and if your client is a big enough player in that area, chances are the people you are reaching out to know who they are, and will end up wanting you to work with them as well. I had to get out of the developer mindset of I am going to sit in my basement and code and code until something clicks, and instead become a sales person and build a network with meaningful relationships is the only way forward. I am not saying to drop everything and go camping for 60 days this year, but I am saying find something (a hobby, networking events, etc), and use that to your advantage. Don't be shy, and TALK TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE.
It’s crazy right?!😂 luckily these courtroom shows are different that the regular justice system. I think you have to get consent from all parties in order to go on the show
@@PaytonClarkSmith They're technically binding arbitration. And the loser doesn't actually have to pay, it comes from the show, so it's a good deal. They look for interesting suits in small claims courts around the country and invite them to move their case to arbitration on TV instead.
There was actually at least one case of people scamming the show because the show pays the award instead of the loser, where friends filed fake outrageous suits against each other to get on the show and get the money, which they did.
The importance of business sense in addition to skill set. Creatives run into this too often. I highly recommend everyone who wants to be their own business to do sales for at least a year (the turner the better). It teaches you a lot.
Loved this video! My 3 year old daughter has an obsession with Judge Judy, Judge Mathis and Hot Bench, so I specifically remember seeing this one. But you bring up a great point about not even dealing with the client because he doesn't want SS to find out about this extra income... He's showing snake capabilities. Not all money is good money!
Hey Payton, big fan of your background and your channel mission, I recorded a personalised video for you on how you can possibly add +50k in rev with the audience you have, would you mind if I sent that over?
Huge red flag client from the get-go, ANY dishonesty is an immediate reason to refuse service. I've walked away from clients when they insisted I use stock photography that they didn't have the rights to.
Can you recommend how to make a good contract? And when to present it to the customer? As well as where to specifically present it? Do you email them it? Attach it to terms and service on a website you own? etc
Payton, these videos are great. I think if you keep posting these whether the web designer is at fault or not. We could all learn from videos like this. Thank you!!!
Ahah. we can feel the pressure on the client side. To bad for Marcus, just write and sign a contract and set ut deliverable dates, that will cover you!
You have to be more entrepreneurial to become very successful as a service provider / web designer. Think of your client's business as if it were your own. Help your client as much as you can, don't just passively wait to receive information months later. And yeah, work with honest people only.
Hats off Payton! Idk what it is .. but your type of content is so wonderful in a weird sense. I didn't know I would ever wanna watch this type of video as a designer. Your earlier video about 'How much I charged' for websites was great content too. Are you following some design thinking/ux design process to come up with ideas that your viewers would love?
You do realize that this is not a real court, right? Judge Judy is actually an arbitrator, not a judge, on the show. She helps resolve disputes between parties who don't want to go through a lengthy court case. The courtroom on the show is not a real courtroom, but a well-designed set. It adds to the authenticity of the show, but it's not an actual courthouse. Both parties are paid to come on the show. Look it up.
My problem is that it's usually me behind on time and schedules. I'm too busy usually or things always take longer than I estimate due to the weirdest dumb issues that crop up that I never thought of. So I'm the one late, and how does that enter the contract?
It is technically not an official court case, but they are real people and real disputes as far as I understand it. But there is extra compensation for people who are willing to go on the show, so who knows 🤷
I've been considering doing webdesign now for months and just learning different platforms. My question is as a freelancer would you create the website under a hosting site that you would open for a client then have them manage it or would you manage it under one's personal account to charge monthly maintenance then migrate of needed?
you've answered your own question. The whole point of a contract is to provide you legal protection. So yes, of course you can if you don't have a signed contract.
@@filetmignon9978 Im really new into this I love web design and development and would like to expand my business and wanted to know the risks that’s why I asked
Even before the video started I was on Web Designer's side. 😂😂😂
😂😂
🤣🤣
Same 😂
This is why I charge 100% up front. I know I can guarantee my work, but I cannot ever guarantee the client is going to pay in the end. This is why having a quality website, with a good portfolio, reviews and case studies is so important. I have NEVER had a client even question paying up front for my services because I built that trust and authority in from day one. My clients pay anywhere from 10-50k for websites too so its not like I am building cheap websites.
Love it 🔥 you are spot on!
@joinfullstack I'd be interested to know where or how you find your clients. Do you have an agency?
I'm a .NET consultant in Europe and I charge by the hour and I invoice weekly. This is how I mitigate risk and also allow the client to change directions on a project midway, several times.
I use JIRA for documentation and Kanban board to track tasks, dependencies and blockers. This allows the client to change their direction mid way and I get to continue billing.
I don't see many projects nowadays where the project description and requirements report are all done before the start of the project as technology and the economy moves so quickly.
What could work for a market today may not work tomorrow. And AGILE methodology permits for this. Not Waterfall.
@@sigma_z This is a great question!
When I first started my business, and stepped away from my full time gig, I had already been doing freelance for about 6-7 years. Initially, I was partnering with agencies as a white label solution and I still do this as part of my business. But learned quickly that I cannot always rely on another agency to consistently bring in work. So I was also doing my own outreach to clients, and working through building my own network. I spend a lot of time with high profile individuals in a personal setting, whether that be camping, or networking events in the specific industry I want to work in.
Last year 70% of my business came from other agencies and towards the end of 2023, I began realizing that this was not the way for my future growth. I began planning to switch so at least 50% of my business is generated through referrals or outreach. So far this year, 56% of my business has been my own, no outside parties involved.
My situation is a little different than most because during 2023 I spent 60 days camping with different families and very successful business owners, building personal relationships, not trying to sell them but really just building relationships, and educating them with info that could help their businesses grow. I know this is super weird.. CAMPING? but yeah, turns out you can build a lot of trust with people when you have that personal relationship, and it turns out that wealthy people hang out with other wealthy people, and this in turn has become my bread and butter. I know its very unconventional, but so far this year I have generated over 50k+ in revenue ( and more on the way ) from those relationships I built through personal activities.
Surrounding yourself with people that are smarter than you, and make more money than you, is the best referral method I have found. Once you build a few websites for big players in a specific industry, reaching out to their competitors and saying "hey, see what we have done for this client? We can do the same for you..." and if your client is a big enough player in that area, chances are the people you are reaching out to know who they are, and will end up wanting you to work with them as well.
I had to get out of the developer mindset of I am going to sit in my basement and code and code until something clicks, and instead become a sales person and build a network with meaningful relationships is the only way forward. I am not saying to drop everything and go camping for 60 days this year, but I am saying find something (a hobby, networking events, etc), and use that to your advantage. Don't be shy, and TALK TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE.
Going over stuff like this is honestly very good to hear just to help spread awareness of best practices.
It’s definitely a good reminder for all of us!(me included)
As a European, I am mostly surprised you managed to turn your justice system into a television show...🤢
It’s crazy right?!😂 luckily these courtroom shows are different that the regular justice system. I think you have to get consent from all parties in order to go on the show
@@PaytonClarkSmith They're technically binding arbitration. And the loser doesn't actually have to pay, it comes from the show, so it's a good deal. They look for interesting suits in small claims courts around the country and invite them to move their case to arbitration on TV instead.
There was actually at least one case of people scamming the show because the show pays the award instead of the loser, where friends filed fake outrageous suits against each other to get on the show and get the money, which they did.
The importance of business sense in addition to skill set. Creatives run into this too often. I highly recommend everyone who wants to be their own business to do sales for at least a year (the turner the better). It teaches you a lot.
somebody give this man a free Pait Pro subscription!
😂 favorite comment
Loved this video! My 3 year old daughter has an obsession with Judge Judy, Judge Mathis and Hot Bench, so I specifically remember seeing this one. But you bring up a great point about not even dealing with the client because he doesn't want SS to find out about this extra income... He's showing snake capabilities. Not all money is good money!
Hey Payton, big fan of your background and your channel mission, I recorded a personalised video for you on how you can possibly add +50k in rev with the audience you have, would you mind if I sent that over?
Huge red flag client from the get-go, ANY dishonesty is an immediate reason to refuse service. I've walked away from clients when they insisted I use stock photography that they didn't have the rights to.
100% agree 🙌🏻
The web designer did nothing wrong here 😂 I’m a web designer by the way
Can you recommend how to make a good contract? And when to present it to the customer? As well as where to specifically present it? Do you email them it? Attach it to terms and service on a website you own? etc
What if they planned this as a marketing strategy?
Payton, these videos are great. I think if you keep posting these whether the web designer is at fault or not. We could all learn from videos like this. Thank you!!!
Thanks for the feedback! Glad you found it helpful 🙌🏻
Ahah. we can feel the pressure on the client side. To bad for Marcus, just write and sign a contract and set ut deliverable dates, that will cover you!
Amen to this 👊🏻
Always show updates, leave a paper trail
Amen 👆🏻
A good follow up video would be everything to include in an agreement
I have a pretty thourough video here: th-cam.com/video/jRerueLiY08/w-d-xo.htmlsi=fb3LlIyEUyh4Us3p
I'm new and building an Web Design Ageny, do I need a lawyer to build up these contracts? Great videos, I just subscribed.
You have to be more entrepreneurial to become very successful as a service provider / web designer. Think of your client's business as if it were your own. Help your client as much as you can, don't just passively wait to receive information months later. And yeah, work with honest people only.
Hats off Payton! Idk what it is .. but your type of content is so wonderful in a weird sense. I didn't know I would ever wanna watch this type of video as a designer. Your earlier video about 'How much I charged' for websites was great content too.
Are you following some design thinking/ux design process to come up with ideas that your viewers would love?
Excellent episode, Payt. Really enjoyed that.
Thank you for watching 🙏🏼
You do realize that this is not a real court, right?
Judge Judy is actually an arbitrator, not a judge, on the show. She helps resolve disputes between parties who don't want to go through a lengthy court case. The courtroom on the show is not a real courtroom, but a well-designed set. It adds to the authenticity of the show, but it's not an actual courthouse. Both parties are paid to come on the show. Look it up.
My problem is that it's usually me behind on time and schedules. I'm too busy usually or things always take longer than I estimate due to the weirdest dumb issues that crop up that I never thought of. So I'm the one late, and how does that enter the contract?
I thought it's just a scripted TV show
It is technically not an official court case, but they are real people and real disputes as far as I understand it. But there is extra compensation for people who are willing to go on the show, so who knows 🤷
I've been considering doing webdesign now for months and just learning different platforms. My question is as a freelancer would you create the website under a hosting site that you would open for a client then have them manage it or would you manage it under one's personal account to charge monthly maintenance then migrate of needed?
Can I as web developer be sued by a customer without a contract for the website design or development?
you've answered your own question. The whole point of a contract is to provide you legal protection. So yes, of course you can if you don't have a signed contract.
@@filetmignon9978 Im really new into this I love web design and development and would like to expand my business and wanted to know the risks that’s why I asked
So what about “jottful” ?for example they say on their website no contract required
@@Miltonhn when signing up, you agree to their T& C's at a minimum which I believe is contractual.