Learn proven strategies, tips, and tricks you can use to launch your freelance web development career and build a successful business from scratch.
Don’t get me wrong, freelancing is amazing. It’s allowed me to work with an array of incredible clients, expand my horizons beyond what would have ever been possible in a traditional 9-5 job, and create a life I love on my own terms…
But freelancing is also hard, and there have certainly been many hurdles and bumps along the way.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was knowing how to actually get started as a freelancer in the first place!
It’s a situation I see so often…
You know you’re a great developer, but the whole freelancing thing feels pretty damn scary to say the least.
How do you…
It feels like there are a million different problems - and no clear solutions.
After all, freelancing isn’t something that’s really covered in schools or universities, and most advice out there is geared towards freelancers in general, not specifically web developers.
It’s just so hard to make the leap when you feel like a total imposter!
If you’re thinking about dipping your toe into freelancing in the evenings or weekends, there’s also the small matter of juggling everything while working your 9-5 job…
This was something I really struggled with when I first started out.
I was bringing in more money than I’d ever earned in my entire life (which was both amazing AND somewhat surprising to me) - but I was also stressed and constantly exhausted.
By the time I’d done a full day’s work and then come home to work on freelance stuff, I had precious little time for anything else.
After eventually making the decision to go full-time freelance, lots of fresh challenges appeared - like keeping myself disciplined and motivated. After all, when you’re a freelancer you don’t have a boss to keep you in check. I often found I was procrastinating or focusing on the wrong stuff (I think they call that procrasti-working!), leading me to doing work later in the day to catch up.
Eventually, I learnt to find my way, and slowly but surely my freelance business really started to take off - but the truth is that things could have been so much easier if I was equipped with the knowledge I have today!
For example, finding clients and securing regular work can be a real struggle when you’re starting out. At times, it feels a bit like you’re shouting out into the void - and it’s hard to know exactly what you should be doing on a day-to-day basis to build those leads and enquiries.
But soon I began to find my tribe and developed an arsenal of techniques and strategies that meant the clients actually started coming to me.
Let me tell you, that makes a real difference to your business and income - and once you know what works (and what doesn’t!), you’ll rarely go hungry for work.
I’m regularly contacted by other developers who are struggling with similar challenges.
They want to try and do a bit of freelancing on the side (or even start doing it full-time), but they don’t know where to start…
And that’s why I decided to put all my knowledge and experience into a book that shows web developers exactly how to start freelancing and make the leap with more confidence.
Seven years, 40+ clients and many additional income streams later, The Web Dev’s Guide to Freelancing is the book I wish I’d had when I first started out as a freelance web developer.
Whether you want to freelance on the side or start doing it full-time, let me take you by the hand and show you how to build a successful freelance web development career from scratch
Ashley Allen
Author of Battle Ready Laravel and Consuming APIs in Laravel
What's Covered in the Book?
There are many (great!) books out there on freelancing - but there aren’t many that are designed specifically for web developers.
The Web Dev’s Guide to Freelancing pulls back the curtain on exactly what it takes to launch your own freelance career and build your own successful web development business from scratch.
With 6 chapters and over 200+ pages (estimated at the time of writing) of hands-on, practical information, it’s packed full of tips, tricks and strategies you can start using immediately to kick start your freelance web development career and create your own successful business.
Everything contained in the book is designed to be actionable and aimed specifically for web developers. For example, I’ll mention different software you can use, how to attract web development clients, pricing of web development services, etc.
What’s more, all the content is taken from my own personal experiences. No vague theory or impractical advice!
By the end of the book, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and confidence you need to make the jump from your 9-5, or start freelancing at the weekend.
I highly recommend making notes as you go through the content and keeping a copy of the book handy so that you can dive back into the information as you need it.
What Will You Learn?
In short, you’ll learn the exact steps you can take to become a successful freelance web developer. I’ll show you how to get started, find clients (and keep them!), diversify your income, manage your projects, and much more.
You'll learn about the different types of work and clients you can expect to find as a freelance web developer.
Uncover effective ways to attract your ideal clients using a variety of methods and channels.
Discover exactly how to find and approach clients to land new work.
Learn how to price your services to ensure you're making a profit.
Master talking to clients effectively, managing expectations, and communicating your ideas to keep your clients happy.
You'll learn about contracts, invoices, and specifications, and other documentation you'll need to keep your business running smoothly.
Understand how to build and nurture long-term relationships that keep your clients coming back for more.
Uncover ways to create multiple income streams and diversify your income to protect yourself from financial instability, and increase your earning potential.
You'll learn about the different pieces of software you'll want to use to help you run your business more efficiently.
Learn about what freelancing is (and what it isn't!).
Understand the differences between freelancing and contracting so you can decide which is best for you.
Learn about the different types of clients you might work with over your freelancing career.
Discover the different strategies you can use to take the leap from 9-5 to freelancing full-time.
Master the different approaches you can take to minimise the risk of freelancing and improve your chances of success.
Overcome your imposter syndrome and learn how to have the confidence and discipline you need to succeed as a freelancer.
Discover how to build a personal brand that makes people want to hire you for work.
Learn how and where to find clients and then building successful working relationships with them.
Master how to use multiple channels to increase your reach and attract clients rather than you looking for them.
Learn about how to price yourself to be competitive and still make a profit.
Discover how to diversify your income streams to increase your earnings and protect yourself from financial instability.
Learn how to handle downtime between projects and reduce the chances of unstable cash flow.
Master how to effectively communicate with leads and clients to build strong, long-term working relationships.
Learn how to gather requirements and set expectations so you always deliver what the client wants.
Have a quick look at what types of documents you might want to use, such as: contracts, invoices, statements of work, specifications, and documenting progress.
Learn about why you'll want to use accounting and invoicing software to improve your business processes.
Understand why you should use analytics software (such as Fathom Analytics) to drive your marketing and help to attract more clients.
Learn the importance of using error and uptime monitoring software (such as Honeybadger) to keep your client's project working.
Up to $190 of Included Discounts!
The Web Dev's Guide to Freelancing comes with up to $190 USD worth of discount codes* to help you on your freelancing journey!
Thanks to the generosity of Aaron Francis, Caleb Porzio, Inspector, Honeybadger, and Harvest, if you purchase The Web Dev's Guide to Freelancing you'll get limited-edition discount codes for using with Honeybadger, Harvest, High Performance SQLite, Livewire screencasts, and Inspector!
The book includes a 20% off your first 3 months discount for the error and uptime monitoring service, Honeybadger.
The book includes a $25 USD discount for the High Performance SQLite video course by Aaron Francis.
The book includes a 20% discount so you can learn how to master Livewire directly from it's creator, Caleb Porzio.
The book includes a 20% lifetime discount for the application performance monitoring (APM) service, Inspector.
The book includes a 15% discount on annual plans for the time tracking and invoicing service, Harvest.
* - Based on the exchange rates at the time of writing this (25th August 2024). The actual value may be different when redeeming the discount codes.
Table Of Contents
Please note: As I'm writing the book, the table of contents may change around a bit. But the content mentioned above will be covered in the book.
About the Author
Hey there! My name's Ash Allen
!
I'm a freelance Laravel web developer
from the UK.
For the past 8 years, I've worked with many companies around the world to help build and improve Laravel applications they can be proud of!
I wrote "Battle Ready Laravel" and Consuming APIs in Laravel which have sold over 1,800+ copies
and are available as PDFs, EPUBs, and paperbacks. I've also written "The Clean Coder's Guide to Laravel" which has been downloaded more than 7,000 times
, and I have an active blog where I write about Laravel and PHP. I've also had articles published on the Laravel News, Vonage and Honeybadger blogs, and in the php[architect] magazine.
I have several PHP packages (such as Short URL and Laravel Exchange Rates) which have been installed over 1.3 million times
. I also love working on other open-source projects and have contributed to the Laravel framework.
Ash Allen 🚀
Web Developer
Pricing
Pre-order Discount!
$59
39
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What's included:
PDF (Light & Dark Mode)
EPUB (for E-Readers)
Access to The Web Dev's Guide to Freelancing as soon as it's released
Perfect for web developers who want to become a freelancer
Pre-order Discount!
$137
69
Ready to kickstart your freelance career and level up your Laravel development skills?
Grab my great value bundle which includes The Web Dev's Guide to Freelancing + my two best-selling web development books Consuming APIs in Laravel and Battle Ready Laravel.
What's included:
All 3 books in PDF (Light & Dark Mode) + EPUB (for E-Readers) formats
Perfect for Laravel developers who want to level up their skills and become a freelancer
Discounted price
Instant access to Battle Ready Laravel and Consuming APIs in Laravel
Access to The Web Dev's Guide to Freelancing as soon as it's released
Past Testimonials
Stephen Rees-Carter
@valorinIt's clear Ash has poured years of experience into Battle Ready Laravel. It's full of great tips and recommendations that every Laravel developer really needs to know. My personal favourite is the auditing chapter, which is a topic I wish more developers would pay attention to! So if you're looking to improve your dev skills (and even if you're not) you really need to grab a copy!
Jae Toole
@jaetooledevWhat a read... Whether you're a junior developer or a senior developer, anyone that reads Battle Ready Laravel will learn something new .
Anthony
@4DegreesWestA battle plan that gives you the upper hand - a great reference to revisit time and time again .
Saif ur rehman Awan
@awannsaifI find your content (blogs) very informative .
Christian Olear
@chrolearI'd definitely recommend your content. I'm reading a lot of it and find it really valuable .
Africa Gatsby
@he_is_uniqueThis is a complete guide that can help a middle level Laravel developer transition into a senior effectively.
Sam Carré
@carre_samThis book is a treasure trove of knowledge and practical ways to integrate with third party APIs. Ash has a brilliant skill of breaking down complex integration methods and RFC specification into beautiful, readable and testable code .
JD Lien
@jdlienAsh conveys copious experience in this book to show you what you need to know to make your Laravel applications robust, professional, and maintainable. After reading this book, I better understand many concepts that will make me a much more confident and capable Laravel developer .
Marc Hampson
@marc_hampsonAsh brings together a wealth of personal knowledge and experience for auditing and maintaining Laravel apps . As a seasoned developer, I wondered how much I’d learn. A lot! This should be required reading for anyone building or maintaining modern web apps.
Helge Sverre
@HelgeSverreIt's very good , buy it!
Häz
@haztakkiAn excellent resource for developers who want to learn about webhooks. The book provides clear and concise examples, and breaks down complex concepts into bite-sized chunks , making it easy to follow and understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of webhooks.
Jon Purvis
@CriticalRespawnIf you work on a Laravel application and that application hooks into an API such as Stripe, GitHub, HubSpot etc... then this book is absolutely for you. There's a lot of great content and it's changed how I plan on approaching handling APIs in the future
Nick Wilkins
@whatisnickuptoThe book has a plethora of great advice and snippets that have really helped me already not only in my current projects - where I can instantly implement some tips , but also for future ones where I can start from a stronger base. Highly recommend
Matt Kingshott
@mattkingshottIf you’re gearing up for a launch, or you are about to dive into the challenging world of code auditing, then be sure to have Battle Ready Laravel at your side. Following its clear, comprehensive, and well-written content will leave you feeling so much more confident about your apps .
Aleksander Bless
I loved the course. I'm now able to use Saloon to create the integrations I wanted .
Dwight Watson
@DwightConradIt was super helpful in making sense of all the different types of APIs I’ve reckoned with in the past, properly understanding the differences and the conventions of each standard. Also great to learn better approaches to testing my API integrations going forward .
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the book be released?
There isn't a date set in stone yet. But I'm aiming to release it between November 2024 and January 2025.
What format will the book be available in?
The book will be available to download as a PDF or as an EPUB. You'll get both of these versions when you purchase the book through this site.
Where can I buy a printed copy?
The initial release of the book will be digital only. But I'll hopefully be able to offer a printed version in the future.
Will you offer PPP or a student discount?
Yes! I'll offer PPP (purchasing power parity) and a student discount. You'll just need to drop me an email at mail@ashallendesign.co.uk and I'll provide you with a discount code that you can use.
Can I get an invoice?
Of course! As soon as you purchase the book, you'll be sent an email with the invoice.
Can I get in touch with you?
Sure! If you have any questions at all, you can get in touch with me at mail@ashallendesign.co.uk
Join the Community
Join the free Freelance Web Dev Hub community on Discord.
It's a free-to-join community where you can ask questions, share your wins, and get help with any problems you're facing on all things freelancing.
Landed a new client? Share it with us! Struggling with a project? Ask for help! Just want to chat with other freelance web developers? We're here for you!
Join the Community on Discord Now!
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