UI + UX Designer for Web Mobile New York
When a client says your rate is too high, it feels personal. You put real thought into that number and someone just told you it isn t worth it. Few moments in your early freelancing career will create more doubt than a pricing objection from a potential client. They tell you the project is out of [ ] The post The Real Reason Freelance Clients Say Your Rates Are Too High appeared first on Matt…
I was sitting in my accountant’s office debating whether I should start an LLC, an S-Corp, or an LLC taxed like an S-Corp. I was earning a healthy income as a freelancer, but I was also paying a lot in taxes under the 1099 model. An LLC doesn’t offer tax savings on its own, but [ ] The post Why I Chose Gusto to Run Payroll for My Freelance S-Corp appeared first on Matt Olpinski .
Admittedly, cold outreach has never been part of the strategy I used to grow my business. I’ve always focused on attracting the right clients through my website, writing, and positioning. These clients are already in the right mindset. They’ve seen my work, read something I ve authored, and they believe I can help. That kind of [ ] The post How to Cold Email Freelance Clients (Without Damaging…
The tech industry has been absolutely gutted over the last three years. Companies that once prided themselves on hiring top talent are now cutting teams by the thousands. An estimated 500,000 people have lost their jobs since 2022. Over 2,000 tech companies have downsized. Entire teams were wiped out overnight. High-performers were laid off with [ ] The post Freelancing Through Economic Turmoil —…
Ten years ago, on May 15, 2015, I left my job to start freelancing full-time. Over the past decade, I’ve led high-impact design projects for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Marriott International, Bloomberg, DHL, Porsche, American Express, and most recently, Instacart. Along the way, my work and insights have been featured in [ ] The post 10 Years Since I Started…
It’s true that being a freelancer gives you the freedom that most office workers yearn for. Once you’ve experienced the freelance life, it’s hard to imagine giving it up. But there are some unspoken truths about working solo versus working alongside others. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, 25% of remote employees [ ] The post The Subtle Benefits of Being Around Others…
Freelancing isn’t just about delivering great work — it’s about running a sustainable business. As a new freelancer, you need to learn how to price your work appropriately and manage project scope. When you set clear rates and boundaries, you protect your time, ensure you’re paid fairly, and build a reputation for reliability. In this [ ] The post Pricing Scope Management (A Beginner’s Guide to…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept — it’s here, and it’s rapidly changing how freelancers work. From automating tasks to generating content, AI is changing the way work gets done. For freelancers, this shift is both exciting and unnerving. AI can help us work faster and more efficiently, but it’s also lowering [ ] The post How AI is Reshaping Freelancing (and What You…
2024 was the year I became a father — nothing else can define a year quite like that. My wife and I welcomed Henry Robert Olpinski into the world on February 28th, 2024 at 8:37pm. He arrived 5 days early and just 3 hours before the leap year. My son was born 6lbs 10oz, 21 [ ] The post 2024 Year In Review appeared first on Matt Olpinski .
You ve done the hard work of attracting a new freelance client, learning about their business needs, and writing a proposal. Everything is going great so far. You attach the proposal to a well-written email and hit send. The client politely responds, Thanks! We ll review everything next week and get back to you! You send a [ ] The post How to Stop Freelance Clients from Ghosting You appeared first…
Unless you ve been living under a rock, you know that AI has recently revolutionized the way we work. While the public adoption of artificial intelligence has been slowly been increasing for decades, the market exploded in 2023 when ChatGPT took the world by storm and acquired over 1 million users in just 5 days. Since [ ] The post How to Use AI to Revolutionize Your Freelancing Career appeared…
2023 was a memorable year. My wife and I spent two weeks in the Outer Banks, celebrated our 7-year wedding anniversary, and renovated 3 bathrooms in our house. We also converted one bedroom into a nursery after finding out that we re going to be parents! Henry Robert Olpinski is expected to join us in March [ ] The post 2023 Year in Review appeared first on Matt Olpinski .
Like 75 million other website owners, I ve been using Google Analytics for years to better understand my visitors and track my website s performance. I even post my website statistics in my annual year-in-review articles. But my loyalty to Google Analytics wasn t exactly by choice — it was just the only decent option. I only use [ ] The post Why I Switched from Google Analytics to Plausible…
Pricing freelance projects can be a confusing and even contentious topic. If you ve been freelancing for any length of time, you ve probably heard about various billing strategies such as hourly rates, weekly rates, fixed pricing, and even retainers. You might have also noticed that many experienced freelancers and consultants strongly oppose hourly billing. Instead, they [ ] The post Hourly Rates…
Unfortunately, many freelancers encounter clients who delay payment, ignore invoices, or simply refuse to pay altogether. If you haven t navigated a situation like this yet, you likely will at some point in your freelancing career — and it s important to be prepared. If you search the internet for what to do if a client refuses [ ] The post What To Do If Your Freelance Client Refuses To Pay…
We ve all been there — you re on the phone with a potential new freelance client. The conversation is going smoothly until they inevitably ask about cost and timeline. Suddenly, your anxiety kicks in (if it hasn t already). Because you don t know what to say, you either freeze or nervously ramble. You were just collecting information. [ ] The post How to Prepare for Client Calls (and Avoid Nervous…