Building Your Own Freelance Business Around WordPress
February 1, 2011
Recently I gave up my day job :) In fact, there are loads of people who have given up their day jobs to work solely with WordPress. Being your own boss in one of the best things in the world – and WordPress makes it possible for hundreds of people to take control of their own lives. My boss is great. She often tells me to stay in my pyjamas all day long, work whatever hours I feel like and drink endless cups of coffee at Starbucks. I wish she would stop leaving her shoes all over the house though. I keep tripping over them :(
Are you one of those people who’d love to take the plunge into being self-employed? It’s a big step to take but it is one of the most satisfying steps in the world. If you’ve been tinkering for WordPress for a while and think that you might be able to make money with it, maybe you should try. As someone who has made the shift from workhorse slogging away for the man to happy, shiny, My Little Pony, here’s my advice on making WordPress work for you.
1. Find your niche
There are loads of ways that you can build your business around WordPress, more than you might think.
Theme Developer
This is an obvious place to start – WordPress is all about the themes. There are always people out there who want a new look for their website. You may be put off, thinking that you need loads of web experience in order to develop WordPress themes. This isn’t the case. Just get a book, or start reading some tutorials, and get on it. The sooner you start the sooner you’ll be a web ninja.
There are a few ways you could approach theme development.
- Create bespoke themes for clients. There is a big market for businesses looking for theme developers to create custom themes for them
- Create a commercial theme and release it to the world! You could try a service like Theme Forest or Theme Garden for selling your themes.
- Both!
Who else is doing it?
Theme Designer
Prefer pixel poking to PHP? If working with Theme functions and MySQL databases isn’t for you, you might prefer to start designing themes rather than developing them. The great thing about WordPress that it is well set up for people who would prefer to design rather than develop. This is becoming even more the case with the proliferation of theme frameworks / parent themes which provide all of the functionality that you’ll need, letting the designer work with a child theme. Check out a framework like:
You could also try out a parent theme like TwentyTen which is a great place to start with your child themes. There are many people out there working on themes who don’t have an IT background. My own background is in Philosophy, so I figure if I can do it anyone else can.
Who else is doing it?
Plugin Developer
Another obvious one but equally important. Sarah posted last week about how the WordPress community is less amenable to commercial plugin developers than it is to commercial theme developers. And while this may be the case, things do look like they are changing. Developers are putting all of their efforts into one super-plugin – like Gravity Forms and Event Espresso – and it looks like it is paying off, with developers able to base an entire business off one plugin.
Plugin development is more difficult than theme development (or, at least, it is to me!) But that doesn’t mean you should be put off. There is no reason that you can’t learn to develop a plugin – all you need is an idea, some determination and some guidance. Lucky that three plugin development experts – Brad Williams, Ozh Richard, and Justin Tadlock – have put together Professional WordPress Plugin Development. It’s out in a few months and should be an excellent way to get to grips with plugin development.
There are a few ways to make money from your plugins:
- Sell it! You could use a site such as WP Plugins to sell your wares.
- Offer support. A good support forum can be invaluable for particularly complex plugins.
Who else is doing it?
WordPress Consultant
A WordPress Consultant can help with a bit of everything. Many companies using WordPress will want to employ a third party to give advice on the best way to operate their WordPress website. This could include:
- Which plugins to install
- The best themes to use
- How to best use WordPress as a CMS
- Search Engine Optimization
- Creating custom functionality
If you’re going to be a WordPress consultant you should have a good overview of everything WordPress. You may not be a hot shot plugin developer but you should know your way around a plugin, and know which hot shot plugin developers to bring in for the job. Same goes for themes. A good way to build up your reputation towards this is to release free, useful plugins and themes to the WordPress community.
Who else is doing it?
Installation and Customization
Have you lost count of how many WordPress websites you have installed and customized for yourself, family and friends? You might not be ready to make a theme from scratch but you can install WordPress and customize it with your eyes closed. There are businesses out there who will want to use a specific commercial theme but need someone to:
- Install WordPress and the theme
- Customize the theme to their needs
This can be a good way to start to develop your business around WordPress. It gives you both more confidence in using WordPress and also teach you the ins and outs of running your own business.
Who else is doing it?
Support Expert
Commercial Theme and Plugin developers are often looking for support experts to help them run their support forums. WPMU DEV puts the occasional call out for support pros, as do other commercial sites. If you’re into helping people and finding the right solution for any problem then providing support could be the niche for you.
Who else is doing it?
- James Goodbrad (our WPMU DEV Support Pro <3 )
- We Fix WP
Teaching & Training
I am all about the training. I love it! There are few things more satisfying than showing someone just how easy WordPress is to use. There is a big market for people who want to be taught how to use WordPress. While there are loads of tutorials and how-tos out there, not everyone finds reading to be a good way to learn. Many people want to be shown practically how to do something. If you’ve got great people skills then this could be a good route to take.
Who else is doing it?
Writing
Yes, you can make money writing about WordPress. Whether you are a blogger, write support documentation, tutorials or articles, there are people out there who would like you to write for them. Developers will often want to be developing, not writing, and commercial WordPress businesses may want someone to produce documentation or website copy for them.
Who else is doing it?
- Lisa Sabin-Wilson (again!)
- Lorelle van Fossen
Of course, you’ll probably end up doing a mixture of all sorts of different things but those are some great places to start.
Can you think of any other ways to make money out of WordPress? Let us know in the comments!
2. Build a reputation, and your confidence
Before you actually start your WordPress business you will need to think about ways to build your reputation, your confidence and to get testimonials. Testimonials and reputation fuel your business. Hiring a freelancer or small business is often about trust and prospective clients will often look to references and testimonials before hiring you. There are some ways you can build up a reputation before starting your business:
- Release a free WordPress Theme
- Release a free WordPress Plugin
- Contribute to WordPress. This could include:
- Contributing to Core Development
- Helping on the Support Forums
- Helping in the IRC Chat
- Contributing to the Documentation
- Translating WordPress
- Offer some free training
- Build some WordPress websites for family and friends
- Write a blog
These are all ways that you can build your reputation and, importantly, learn.
3. Do it
A lack of confidence is often the thing that holds people back from working for themself. It’s easy to prevaricate. Perhaps you think that other people are better than you, or you’re not quite sure how to position yourself. Taking the first step, looking for the first job, is the most difficult thing to do. It’s that first job that gives you the confidence to keep going. I started out on a freelancing website – I started looking through hundreds of jobs and spent days thinking that no one would hire me. First job I bid for I got – I was given a break by a developer who wanted me to write some tutorials for him. I’ve worked ever since. Believe me, I am still surprised about it!
The point is, you’ve got to take that first step.
If you are looking for your first gig, you could check out some of these freelancing websites:
Tip: Bidding sites may not be the best way to maintain your freelancing career but they are a great place to start building your portfolio and your reputation. While you’ll be earning less than you deserve, many of the jobs can lead to ongoing, better paid work. And as your reputation grows you’ll be less and less reliant on bidding for jobs. Freelance Switch has a great post on how to successfully use bidding sites.
4. Things Take Time
The movement from being employed to being self-employed does not happen overnight. Don’t just give up your job and assume that you’ll get work. The first freelance work that you do will be in the evenings, at the weekends, any spare moment you can get you’ll be scrabbling away at your projects. I spent six months working a day job and then working until midnight every night, and all day at weekends (having an understanding and supportive husband helps). You need to build up a reputation and, of course, some cash reserves should work dry up.
Tip: Calculate how much money you will need for two months without work and have that in reserve. Don’t give up your job until you’ve got that – especially if you’ve got people who are financially dependent on you!
The first few months will be some of the most hardworking of your life. But it’s incredibly exciting to see that hard work start to pay off. You’re likely to do a happy dance when the first person cold-calls you for work.
5. Keep on Top of Your Business
It’s important to keep on top of your admin, your finances and your business. This is particularly important when you take the step from semi-self-employed to 100% self-employed. Keeping good records is actually very easy and it is important to be able to show your income and expenditure to the tax man. A blog like Freelance Switch is a good place to go for general freelance tips. However, remember that tax legislation differs from country to country so make sure you check out the law specific to your country.
Further Resources
- 20 Useful, Free WordPress Plugins and Themes that are Perfect for Freelancers
- 101 Essential Freelance Resources
- Disclosure Now Required for Blogs, Twitter and Other Social Media Sites
Later this week I’ll be featuring some interviews with successful WordPress freelancers and business owners. Be sure to check them out!
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