As a freelancer, you know how challenging it can be to juggle your time between marketing your services, managing your budget, and tracking invoices – not to mention actually working on client projects. Being a freelancer means being every department in one, and many freelancers fail to reach their potential because they make crucial mistakes that consistently hold them back. I know, because I’ve committed the same mistakes.

The following highlights the five biggest freelance mistakes you can make and how to rectify them.

1. Charge too Little

When you’re breaking in to the business, nearly all the advice regarding what to charge indicates you should settle for less to get established. There is some truth to this, as it definitely pays to have a solid portfolio, but it can be a double-edged sword. Consider what happens if two or three of your first clients become long-term customers at a nominal fee. You could end up spending the majority of your time on their work for little pay off.

Image Source: Vector Set of Wooden Tablets via Shutterstock

To avoid that trap, double your fees. Yes, it will be more difficult to find clients. And yes, you’re likely to lose a few you already have. But you’re far better off working for a handful of clients who pay you well than dozens of clients who amount to two or three times the work for the same pay. Charging more lends a sense of legitimacy to your skills, and therefore enables you to land higher-quality clients and focus more on the quality of your work rather than the quantity.

2. Refuse to Delegate

As your freelance business grows it can become increasingly difficult to give up control over any aspect of your work. Keep in mind that the more work you have, the more paperwork you have. You could easily find yourself devoting ten to twenty hours each week on non-paying “business stuff” that would be better left to other business professionals.

Image Source: Handwriting Blackboard via Shutterstock

Let’s say, for example, you spend five hours per week on bookkeeping and invoicing – all non-paid work. If your fee is, say, $90 per hour, you’re losing $450 each week to maintain your business records and make sure you get paid. I’m willing to bet you could find an online bookkeeper to handle those accounts on a part-time basis for less than $200 per week, thus allowing you to earn an additional $250 in weekly income. Over a year, that adds up to $13,000 – a pretty significant chunk of change.

3. Ignore Your Local Market

One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first set out as a freelancer was to ignore the local market. I thought I could find all of my clients online and never have to bother with face-to-face meetings. Of course, I could have and probably would have done just that if not for an opportunity presented to me by a friend in the design industry. My friend introduced me to a local client who had a need for ongoing work, who in turn introduced me to other local clients. Now, nearly half my client stable is comprised of local businesses.

It’s important to understand that despite all the advantages of services such as LinkedIn and Facebook, people still trust those they shake hands with – or have a beer with, for that matter – more than anything they read online. If you can get a foot in the door of your local market, and do a good job, I guarantee you will increase your client base easily.

4. Ignore Networking Opportunities

This goes hand-in-hand with your local market. A large portion of B2B business is acquired via referrals, not overt marketing, for the same trust-related reasons I’ve mentioned. When you are not an active member in your community, online or off, you’re are undoubtedly missing out on opportunities to grow.

Image Source: Network Definition Magnifier via Shutterstock

Join your local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and BNI. Attend the meetings and get to know your business community. Attend open houses and business cocktail parties. Volunteer to help. Online, be an active part of communities your customers are members of. Don’t pitch – such sites likely have paid ads for that – just be helpful and cordial. In a few short months, such networking opportunities can begin paying huge dividends.

5. Fail to Take Breaks

Breaks are necessary for efficiency and creativity. The science backs it. You need breaks during the day to relax and refocus. Some say you should work in 90 minute bursts with a 15 minute break between sessions. I don’t know if it’s paramount that you follow such strict guidelines, but when you notice yourself slowing down or hit a block in creativity, take a few minutes for yourself. A walk around the block, a mile on the exercise bike, or even a few minutes picking at my guitar seem to work for me; find a brief distraction that works for you.

Image Source: Man on the Beach via Shutterstock

Not only should you take breaks daily, a weekly lapse in work – most call them weekends – can work wonders for your stress levels. And a couple of vacations during the year can essentially hit the “reset” button on the grind of hard work so you return refreshed with an abundance of creative ideas. For a stress-free trip, get ahead of your work and give clients advanced notice so you don’t have to worry about playing catch-up when you return. Better yet, delegate someone to handle your calls while you’re away.

If you’re struggling as a freelancer or you simply feel as though you haven’t realized your potential, incorporating these suggestions into your business will allow you to work more efficiently, more creatively, and more profitably.

You may also like…

Good Old Static HTML Sites Aren’t Dead Yet. Should They Be? →
Should You Keep Your Website Open Source? →
Should Designers know how to code? What do you think? →
Is a Design House-Style Really Necessary? →
Ode To a Wooden Spoon – How The Right Tool Can Help You Design Better →
10 Things Designers Can Learn From Pastry Chefs →
Apple Pie Appeal: How Simple, Classic Design Works →
Repeat Work and the Search For The Holy Grail →
Thoughts and Considerations for Freelancing on a Part-Time Basis →
Is Working Freelance Really Worth It? Pros and Cons →
Tips for Converting Your Freelance Operation into a Business →
Thoughts on why Spec Work is Bad and Why You Shouldn’t Do It →
Technostress – The Freelancers Disease? →

One of the things which characterizes WordPress is its broad use of PHP and “PHP-like” variables throughout its template files. These variables have remained unchanged for the better part of a decade since WordPress was developed, and so too has their placement. Since the very first WordPress release, PHP code could only be used in a raw template file which was stored on the server. This was (and is) largely done to protect a website’s security, as it was theorized that allowing PHP code in the body of entries, within a sidebar widget, or even in the body of a dynamic page that was maintained in the WordPress Dashboard, could lead to malicious PHP scripts and variables which would allow for information and identity theft. That is basically still an ongoing problem with including PHP code into things like entries and pages, so users should be aware of that fact before they proceed.

Even with all of the security risks that come along with enabling PHP to be activated within entries and pages, the simple fact of the matter is that these codes and variables are most often used by website administrators to simply perform advanced tasks and display WordPress content in areas where it might be a bit more helpful, albeit a bit less conventional. When entrusted to a website administrator who knows the best practices for site security and information integrity, enabling dynamic PHP code parsing in all aspects of a WordPress site enables truly dynamic and advanced designs and functions that can really give a website the competitive edge over those sites which publish similar content and cater to a similar audience. Here’s how to enable the parsing of PHP code in dynamic website elements using WordPress and a simple plugin.

Step 1: Enabling Dynamic PHP Parsing the Right Way

It’s important to understand that PHP code parsing must be enabled by the installation of a third-party plugin. This type of advanced feature cannot be done by simply editing the “functions.php” file for a number of reasons. The most important of these reasons is that this file gets overwritten every time a WordPress update is released and installed to the server. That means the ability to parse this PHP would be removed after every update until a user elects to re-edit the “functions.php” file to enable its parsing once again.

For minor functions, this is not a big deal. For PHP functions, this is a security risk. If it is not able to be parsed on a page, post, or sidebar widget, PHP will be displayed in all of its raw, code-y glory to readers. They’ll be able to use that code to their advantage, compromising a website’s security in the process. When a plugin is used, this ability disappears and the PHP is parsed regardless of whether or not a WordPress update was recently installed.

Furthermore, parsing PHP code “on the fly” in dynamic website elements isn’t something which is either encouraged nor supported by the WordPress development arm, and for this reason any plugins which serve to enable this functionality will be found outside of the typical WordPress Extend gallery of plugins. Rather than go to these websites, the relevant plugin can be found on a developer’s nonaffiliated plugin page. It will work just as well, and perform the same functions, but merely lacks the endorsement of the Automattic team.

Step 2: Getting the Right Plugin and Installing it to the Server

Now that it’s been established that the PHP parsing functionality must be completed by a plugin rather than a “functions.php” file hack to the WordPress installation itself, and that the plugin must be collected from a site other than the WordPress Extend community, it’s time to make sure that each user gets the right plugin. The plugin can be found here: PHP Exec.

The plugin is provided for download at the site mentioned above in the form of a text file, mostly because web servers don’t typically allow readers to download a PHP file directly. This file must be renamed to a .php file. Typically, the file downloads as “phpexec.txt.” Changing the file extension to “php” will solve the problem and the file will be ready to go and act as a typical WordPress Plugin.

After “phpexec.txt” as been renamed to “phpexec.php,” it’s time to open up your FTP client and commit the file to the server. Using this FTP client, browse to the following server path where plugins are stored (although any developer installing a plugin this advanced should not need this added direction):

/home/public_html/wp-content/plugins/

The “phpexec.php” file can be installed directly into the “plugins” folder and does not require its own containing folder for operation. No other files are required or created for this plugin to work at its highest level. Once it has been uploaded to the plugins folder, the FTP client can be closed. Everything beyond this step will be completed using just the WordPress Dashboard and other tools available via a standard web browser.

Step 3: Activation and General Use of the WP Exec Plugin File

As with any other plugin manually uploaded to the WordPress installation, the “phpexec.php” plugin functions must be activated manually through the Dashboard. Simply log into the WordPress Dashboard and then browse to “Plugins” in the Dashboard sidebar. There, a complete listing of all uploaded plugins will be listed, with the activated ones listed first. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and search for the uploaded plugin. Click the “Activate” link and wait for the process to complete.

When the plugin has been successfully activated, most of the work is completely finished. The activated plugin requires no added settings or customization on behalf of the user, as it only enables the parsing of PHP. Basically, PHP parsing is either on (with the plugin activated) or off (with the plugin deactivated) and that’s the extent to which users can customize its functions. So, with the plugin activated, what do users do to take advantage of this new PHP parsing ability? And where do they do it?

Step 4: Executing PHP Wherever, Whenever, and However (As Long as it Doesn’t Cause Errors)

Without this plugin installed, WordPress parses PHP code only where it is considered to be “static.” That includes parsing any PHP included with the site’s template files (indeed, all WordPress variables are PHP code), and throughout files like “functions.php” and other core files within the WordPress installation folders like “wp-includes.” After the plugin has been activated, all of those locations can still parse PHP code but are now joined by so-called “dynamic outlets.” That includes the WordPress sidebar via the use of customized widgets, the page body content box located on each page’s “edit” panel, and within the body text of every entry posted to the site. Luckily, this PHP parsing ability does not apply to the comment submission form that is appended to most entries published through WordPress, avoiding a major security hole.

The primary motivation for adding the ability to parse PHP code to dynamic outlets like the entry content box is to enable the pulling of WordPress information from the database via standard variables rather than otherwise messy methods. Adding PHP parsing to these fields means that virtually any variable can be executed on the site, including anything that would normally be placed within the WordPress Loop. Remember, all entry content is published within the Loop by default, so a PHP variable placed within an entry body would be treated as just another Loop-dependent variable.

The great thing about publishing PHP code and parsing it in the site’s sidebar widgets is that this can enable all kinds of new content to be treated like a widget, even if the plugin does not support this functionality. It’s important to keep in mind that WordPress plugins did not always ship as “widgets” and they used to require a custom WordPress variable to be placed within the sidebar in order for their content to be displayed.

With the PHP Exec plugin installed with a WordPress installation, site administrators can now create custom widget boxes right alongside those which are produced by their installed plugins. The content in those boxes can be the same custom variables that are supported by plugins which do not yet place their content into widgets. This allows the content to be dragged and dropped freely, just like any other widget, and spares web designers the somewhat awkward challenge of placing static content in the sidebar “on top” of the area where widgets will be placed.

In a sense, enabling the parsing of PHP code throughout the dynamic outlets of a WordPress installation allows advanced WordPress developers and designers to take the site’s functions out of the temples and treat them as dynamic content, bridging the gap between the variable and the reader. That’s an important function, especially as WordPress continues to engage in the transition from a “static” content management system to a more user-friendly, drag-and-drop, dynamic portal for information management.

Step 5: Bug Test, Be Safe and Secure, and Enjoy

After the plugin has been installed and the first bits of PHP code have been placed into dynamic elements like the entry content box or a sidebar widget, it’s time to navigate to the website’s homepage and test the plugin’s output. Be on the lookout for any PHP errors (although these are often user-initiated within the parsed code), and make sure that everything is functioning normally. If the installation has been a success, there will be no discernible difference from the PHP code parsed in a dynamic element and the code which is parsed as part of a WordPress template or “functions.php” file. If this is case, relax and enjoy the fruits of this hard-fought labor!

You might also like…

WordPress Plugins to Help Make Your Site Responsive →
10 WordPress Plugins to Help Optimize Performance →
Mobile Toolbox for WordPress (Tutorials, Plugins and Themes) →
Useful Plugins and Resources for Improving User Interactivity with WordPress →
15 Free WordPress Themes with a Responsive Layout →
30 Grid-Based WordPress Themes →
20+ Free and Stylish Typography WordPress Themes →
Essential WordPress Plugin Development Resources, Tutorials and Guides →
20+ Powerful WordPress Security Plugins and Some Tips and Tricks →
20 Helpful WordPress SQL Queries Snippets →
20 Plugin Replacing Tutorials, Tips, Snippets and Solutions for WordPress →
10 Useful WordPress Search Code Snippets →
20 More WordPress Code Snippets and Hacks →
20 Plugin Replacing Tutorials, Tips, Snippets and Solutions for WordPress →
Dummy Content Filler Resources for WordPress, Drupal and Joomla Developers →

Or, you could browse our extensive WordPress Archives.

You see them every time you go to the supermarket. Chances are, you’ve used one recently. Shopping carts have been a matter of course for supermarkets, grocery stores, and many retail outlets for decades, but did you know that Sylvan Goldman, their inventor, struggled with some of the exact same problems you yourself face as a designer? Today we’re going to explore the history of the humble shopping cart, taking lessons from its design, marketing, and even the psychology of use, that you can start applying to your own design process today.

Revisions Are Key

Image Source

A couple of ordinary folding chairs were the inspiration that spawned the early prototypes of today’s shopping cart. This was an invention that helped revolutionize the retail grocery business. But it wasn’t perfect at first. Sylvan Goldman and his associate revised the design of the shopping cart many times before it began to resemble the modern cart we know today. They had to work through safety issues – the little space up front for children was developed after observing how mothers would put their children in the early carts, which was dangerous and which also left little room for their groceries (and thus defeated the entire purpose of using the cart in the first place).

I know designers love to complain about client-initiated revisions (and I’m definitely including myself here), but designer-initiated revisions are extremely important to the design process. Vital, even. Many designers often rely on the first or second idea that comes to them, which may get the job done and be “good enough” for the client, but it’s terrible for fostering true innovation and creativity. Challenge yourself to be your own worst critic for each job you take on. Begin training yourself to look for areas you can improve on and ideas that could be developed further, and you’ll start to see glaring errors you wouldn’t have noticed before.

Determine Your Selling Points

Nowadays, shoppers are most likely to complain about inefficient steering on their shopping carts, making it nearly impossible to turn corners or pivot to avoid other shoppers or freestanding food displays. But back in the 1930s, grocery store owners were very interested by the small amount of space Goldman’s new shopping carts took up. Before Goldman’s invention, people placed their groceries in heavy, bulky baskets made out of wicker or wire. Once filled up with groceries, they got so heavy and cumbersome that store clerks would approach struggling shoppers and provide them with a new, empty basket, taking their full basket to the check stand for them. These baskets took up a lot of room in the stores as well, so Goldman’s upright, foldable carts were a very welcome boon to store owners.

As a designer, it’s always important to consider the selling points of your designs, not just to your clients, but also to your client’s eventual users, audience, or consumers. The shopping cart solved a problem both for the store owners (took up less space) and for customers (were less heavy and cumbersome). If you make your client happy, that’s a good thing. They will pay you and send you on your merry way. But if your design fails to make your client’s users happy, your client will be calling you back, possibly demanding a refund. Goldman experienced exactly this phenomenon firsthand when his client (the grocery store) attempted to sell their customers on the idea of the shopping cart.

Know Your Audience

Image Source

Believe it or not, Goldman and his associate had the most difficulty not with developing the shopping cart model itself, nor with perfecting its functionality. The biggest problem they faced was in getting store shoppers to actually use them. Female shoppers of the day thought they too closely resembled baby carriages – they refused to push yet another cart on wheels and add to their daily drudgery. And male shoppers were too macho to use a dainty little cart on wheels when they could just use their “big strong arms” to carry around one of the old-fashioned baskets. Who knew shopping carts weren’t considered manly in the early 20th century? The only people who actually liked the idea of shopping carts at first were old people. Not good.

So, how did Goldman get around this marketing obstacle? If you guessed ‘use plants to manipulate shoppers into using the new carts via peer pressure,’ give yourself a prize! Goldman hired several “pretend” shoppers of various age groups to use the carts in the store. He then proceeded to suggest to real shoppers that “everyone” was using the new carts, which created a social imperative to fit in. Almost instantly, the new shopping carts were a hit – everyone began using them within a few weeks.

Is it unethical to persuade your target market to consume your products or information by appealing to their need for social acceptance? Absolutely not. Companies as well as everyday people do it all the time. When you and your friends are deciding where to go out to dinner, and one friend is holding everyone up by not making a decision, what’s the first thing you do? If you’re anything like me and my friends, you’ll appeal to the “majority rule” and try to persuade your friend to choose what everyone else has chosen. This is exactly how companies have persuaded people to have televisions in every room of their house, or purchase hideously ugly shoes that no sane individual would ever spend their hard-earned money on. The power of social persuasion is nearly limitless, and as a designer, you should definitely be using it to your advantage whenever appropriate. If you have to resort to an obvious persuasive tactic or two, that means you’re using your power as a creative professional to sway public opinion and generate profits for your client.

Either that, or you’re just a big jerk. Who knows, really?

Never Stop Innovating

Image Source

First came the “folding basket carrier,” the initial prototype for the shopping cart perfected by Goldman and his people. After ten years of successfully marketing this cart to stores, there came the “nest cart,” a cart that included the new mechanism of being able to nest itself inside the next cart in front of it. This mechanism should be familiar to you if you’ve seen those long lines of “nesting” carts at cart kiosks or drop-offs. Shopping carts have gone through many, many changes over the years. You may have been grateful for the shelf underneath your cart which allow you to select heavy objects without having to lift them up too high, or irritated at the security measures stores have taken in recent years to prevent theft (the carts in my neighborhood store automatically lock down the wheels of any cart that wasn’t cleared by the system, which has taken me by surprise more than once). Sylvan Goldman died in 1984, but his innovations have lived on in the imaginations of countless product designers, and there are now more versions of the shopping cart than even he lived to see.

Just because you finish a design job with one client, that doesn’t mean the research and testing you conducted for that project has no further use. If you work to narrow down your focus to a particular market or two, you can collect research data from each future job you take on, accumulating a database of knowledge and experience which will allow you to innovate faster and more efficiently with each passing year. In a couple years’ time, you’ll have far surpassed those designers who ignore the goldmine of business, marketing, and psychological insight they have at their fingertips through their clients and their clients’ users.

What Do You Think?

How has testing and innovation helped you in gaining understanding of your clients and their markets?

You may also like…

Good Old Static HTML Sites Aren’t Dead Yet. Should They Be? →
Should You Keep Your Website Open Source? →
Should Designers know how to code? What do you think? →
Is a Design House-Style Really Necessary? →
Ode To a Wooden Spoon – How The Right Tool Can Help You Design Better →
10 Things Designers Can Learn From Pastry Chefs →
Apple Pie Appeal: How Simple, Classic Design Works →
Repeat Work and the Search For The Holy Grail →
Thoughts and Considerations for Freelancing on a Part-Time Basis →
Is Working Freelance Really Worth It? Pros and Cons →
Tips for Converting Your Freelance Operation into a Business →
Thoughts on why Spec Work is Bad and Why You Shouldn’t Do It →
Technostress – The Freelancers Disease? →

This is our weekly selection of our favorite web designs from the past week. Thanks to everybody for their recommendations and please feel free to comment and let us know what you think.

Pure Pleasure Design

Pathwright

ABA design

Stry.us

Pagoda Box

Elliot Jay Stocks

Ludlow Kingsley

You may like to browse our previous Weekly Inspirations

Weekly Web Design and Development Inspiration Archives →

Collaboration and education are two key words intrinsically associated with hackathons (the third being ‘free pizza’!). Hackathons promise a chance to meet other coders or designers, network with influencers and industry experts, and even find recruitment opportunities. It isn’t surprising that, with the spread of startup culture across geographic boundaries, hackathons too have started mushrooming in the likeliest – and the unlikeliest – of places.

There are certain rules – both said and unsaid – that apply when attending hackathons. While most hackathons remain informal, free-wheeling affairs, you can learn a lot more from them if you follow a few tips:

1. It’s not about competition

Barring a few headlining hackathons such as TechCrunch’s TC Disrupt, most hackathons are noncompetitive. As a coder, it can be difficult to refrain from launching into an intellect-measuring competition; but to be successful at a hackathon, this is exactly what you must do. These events are opportunities to learn from others and make new connections, perhaps even find co-founders for a startup. To treat them as competitive code-slinging intellectual wrestling matches would be a terrible waste of the platform.

Image Source

Even in competitive hackathons, remain open to overtures from other participants and keep all competitive hostility in check. You never know when the perfect opportunity might drop in your lap, and it could come from anywhere.

2. Do plan ahead

Most events have pre-decided themes – mobile, consumer web, data, etc. Acquaint yourself with the theme beforehand and prepare a flexible road-map for the actual hack day. At the same time, don’t straitjacket your creativity with an obsessively planned-out hack day project. It helps to know what you might build; it helps even more to be receptive to ideas and lessons from other participants at the event.

3. Attend the right hackathon.

Different hackathons attract different hackers. Some, such as Rewired State, are geared towards open data with a more relaxed atmosphere and plenty of socializing. Others, such as TC Disrupt, are entrepreneurial in spirit and attract startup founders, would-be entrepreneurs looking for co-founders, and even odd VCs looking for the next big thing.

Image Source

Pick a hackathon that fits your ideology, skills and interests. But at the same time, go beyond your comfort zone by attending a few events diametrically opposite to your domain of knowledge. Open-source, non-profit enthusiasts can learn a lot from for-profit startup founders, and vice versa.

4. Do socialize

The very point of a hackathon is to get coders out of their coding dens into a comfortable space to enable sharing and collaboration. If you are stooped before a solitary computer in a corner of the room on hack day, you are misinterpreting the method and the meaning of hackathons. Move around. Socialize. Hack events are filled with people whose interests and ideologies align. Don’t hesitate to chat up random strangers – it’s what you both are there for.

Image Source

5. Take care of physical necessities

Eat, drink, sleep: three words that are often tossed out of the window at hack events. Mountain Dew, Red Bull and beer are often the drinks of choice at hackathons; skip them for a bottle of water and make sure that you stay hydrated throughout the event (which can stretch from a day to a whole week). Likewise for food: eat to fuel your body, but not beyond it. Sleeping is rare at hack events – part of the fun is late-night coding sessions – but don’t let that stop you from taking a few hours off to catch your forty winks.

6. Discuss, analyze, interpret, reconnect

Once the hackathon is over and the excitement and nerves have worn off, reconnect with your newfound friends and acquaintances over Twitter, Facebook, and email. Discuss the event, analyze what you learned and interpret your findings. The lessons from one hack event often carry over into real-world projects. Many even find co-founders for the next hot startup in the post-event follow-up (GroupMe was hacked together over a weekend, for instance).

Image Source

7. Don’t get addicted

It’s easy to get hooked on hackathons, especially if you live in a tech mecca like San Francisco or New York that abounds with them: the chance to meet like-minded individuals, hack for fun, and possibly build something useful is alluring. However, there is a very real danger of getting addicted to the simple highs of hack events, especially if there is a potential of a bigger pay-off in the foreseeable future (an interview with a VC, a spot on TechCrunch, etc.). Too many coders and would-be entrepreneurs end up chasing these improbable rewards in lieu of doing actual work, which rarely works out.

Conclusion

Treat hackathons as what they are meant to be: informal platforms to build, connect and collaborate with like-minded individuals. You’ll make new friends, learn new things, and perhaps even profit from them. Above all, have fun!