Freelance developers are generally nice, well-meaning people. But if you have a successful website, want to loose all your money, hair, heath, day light hours, youth, friends and possibly your website and business or even your teeth – then yes – you should seriously consider using a freelance website developer.
If however – and something tells me you would choose the latter – you’d rather hold onto any of those things then the answer is definitely a No.
The problem is this – and this ever occurred to me at the time. You see when I was forced to be a freelancer because I was made redundant, I didn’t much like working on my own – even though I could charge double the fee to get out of bed. That’s if I could be bothered (joke:). But I did enjoy the weird hours – meeting new people and staying late to get things done when normally in a 9-5 you would be first out the door.
Getting the job done; now that’s a familiar term to you and me but, well you see a real – what I call natural freelancer, – I mean one that becomes one by choice is an altother different animal to you or me. The term finish, or can you do overtime, or could you break off from the pub, or could you login from your holiday hut and… just isnt in their vocabulary or job description. I mean why do something that’s not in the job description?
Oh and don’t hire one that lives in a cosmopolitan city. Why? Because they live there for a reason and have a lifestyle to keep up and a rent they can’t really afford. YOU will become the cash cow that pays that rent.
Not that I want to tar all freelance web developers with the same job – it’s just that even if they don’t want to fleece you – this is what happens. The reason? Because they have bills, wives, girlfriends, holidays, bills to pay – and a life style to live and keep up.
In any case you’re doing pretty well out of it – why shouldn’t they? As I was told by one fellow. The fact that he hadn’t spent thousands of hours toiling, nurturing, crying and literally bleeding in order to make the the thing work and bring in the meagre amount of cash that was coming in – was not the point. He had spent years learning to code. OK.
But then i had promised hi a steak in it if he did what I asked. I asked for several things – I got something else I didn’t ask for or didn’t know I needed – peace ad security at night. But for that I had to have the locks changed and sleep outside and was not sure if Id get the keys back because I might damage the old house.
So now – onto the big question then.
Who Should You Get To Do Your Web Development?
Find a company – preferably offshore and if you contact me – I will personally tell you who I use and how marvellous they have been!
How To Manage Your Web Development Company
First you need to be prepared to give precise, simple, clear instructions and feed them to the developer slowly. DON’T do this if you can’t get up early or are not organised- it won;t work. If you are hoever – it will be a dream.
