He realized he was working to fulfill someone else’s dream instead of his own. The writing was on the wall, but he had ignored it for so long. Dave finally realized that, as an employee, it does not matter how hard you work—the results are always going to be the same. (Location 70)
If you want to become a business owner, it’s essential to view freelancing as a temporary stage in your professional career. (Location 189)
So how do you play the freelancing game to win? One thing you need to know right from the start is that you do not want to get stuck in freelancing forever. (Location 195)
The challenge as a freelance web designer is you are the business. If there is work to do, it’s up to you to complete it. (Location 198)
Freelancing is great at the start—you do all the work and get all the profits. But the better you sell, and the more work you get, the quicker you will reach your limits. Your success can crush you. (Location 200)
After a few years (or less) of this, you will realize that freelancing does not make you free. (Location 202)
So what is a better goal than just freelancing forever? Become a real business owner as soon as possible. The difference: a business owner manages a business, while the freelancer is the business. (Location 204)
Learn to think like a business owner from the very start. You still begin with freelancing, but your focus is much different. Instead of freelancing with only the next paycheck in mind, you carefully plan how to use every opportunity to transition to being a business owner as soon as possible. Think of your freelancing time as a paid education in becoming a real business owner. (Location 209)
There is a common trend with the successful people that I have met, studied, or personally known—they were able to create an amazing life through owning and managing a successful business. Why? Because business owners get rewarded for the value their business creates. They build something that can operate and generate profit without them being physically present. (Location 256)
This means they often only have to work when they want to. (Location 259)
Working as an employee or a freelancer also means that, no matter how talented you are, the moment you stop working is also the moment you stop earning more money. (Location 266)
The way to become a successful business owner is by first learning to solve problems and provide value. (Location 278)
At its core, when it is done the right way, web design is creative business problem solving at work, which means that a few months of web design freelancing can give you valuable business experience and skills that can take you years to obtain elsewhere. (Location 303)
After building yet another standard website for a low-paying client, it finally hit me—I am making nothing because these websites are worth nothing. (Location 382)
Every business has issues, challenges, and pain points. These are the toothaches. When you are trying to sell a website to a business owner, you need to show clearly how it can solve a problem or make the pain go away. (Location 502)
To land clients who are willing to pay you more than the going rate on Fiverr, you need to be doing more to help their business than just creating a basic website. You need to be able to help them tackle and solve their top business problems. (Location 526)
Basically, if you want to persuade a business owner to do anything, you need to make sure it addresses a top business problem. (Location 540)
Business Needs Come First. Everything Else Comes Second. (Location 650)
Since people no longer live in caves and hunt for food, we can spend money on things purely for fun or entertainment. We are often motivated by our desire to feel good, rather than our basic needs. Simply put, there are a lot of things we as people might find valuable—it isn’t just about survival. Businesses, though, see things differently. For them, it is often just about survival. (Location 719)
Businesses Have Plenty of Problems (Location 913)
Solving Problems Is Your Mission (Location 941)
Side Note: Problem Solving Makes You Rich (Location 982)
The pattern is always consistent—if someone is a big name in business and has amassed a lot of personal wealth, it’s very likely because they are expert problem solvers. (Location 988)
Get Your Information Directly from the Source If you want to solve problems, you need to find problems. This is obvious. But how do you start to go about finding them? (Location 1009)
The lesson? The best way to learn a business’s problems is by speaking directly with the business owner—never by making assumptions. Before trying to sell a solution, you need to first fully understand the situation. (Location 1016)
Chapter 8—Leverage Your Past Results to Land Bigger Projects More past results = more future sales. (Location 1203)
Let Your Past Results Speak for Themselves (Location 1219)
Reinvest in Skills that Help You Create More Value Don’t get stuck as a freelancer forever. (Location 1299)
