Life as a Mobile App Freelancer Q&A
Almost every app developer spends their day at work daydreaming about making their own apps or freelancing. But a lot of them don’t know how to get started. Unfortunately, many mobile app freelancers are too busy to share their wisdom.
So we reached out to Rui Peres at Codeplease and asked questions about his daily life as an app freelancer. We wanted to know things like how hard it is to find freelance work and what an app freelancer spends most of his/her time doing.
We’ve already talked about where to find client work as an app freelancer and the secrets the top agencies use to get clients. If you’re thinking about becoming a mobile app freelancer, this is a must read. Heck, maybe you’ll be inspired to start taking on freelance work yourself (even if it’s just part time).
How did you become a freelancer?
I began freelancing because I wanted to move to a different country (for personal and professional reasons). After school I started a nine month internship that gave me enough experience to start looking for a job outside of Portugal.
How long have you been freelancing?
I’ve been freelancing for three years now. Initially, I was extremely busy, but I’ve slowed down to focus on my full-time job and interests not revolved around money.
Are you the only one working on app projects or do you have a team?
Right now I work alone, but when necessary I outsource UI work to someone I trust.
How many clients have you worked with? How many clients do you usually have at one time?
I’ve worked with five clients to date. Usually, I take on one project at a time. I’ve tried working on multiple projects at once. Let’s just say, I’ll never do that again.
How do you find clients?
Oddly enough, all of my clients came from some real life connection (friend of a friend). Lately, a lot of requests for app work come from LinkedIn, but I prefer to stick with people I know and trust. This of course limits my business, but I don’t freelance for the money. I freelance to build my portfolio.
What are the top 3-5 things you focus on everyday?
Everyday I try to focus on things that make my clients happy. When I work for my clients I focus on providing quality, meeting deadlines, and most importantly…client satisfaction.
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What are the three things you are most concerned about?
There are many things that I worry about, but my main concern is if my client likes my work.
What takes up the most time in your day?
Honestly, the things that take up most of my time are my full time job and blogging at Codeplease. I also manage iOS Goodies, but I have help with this so things are easier.
What makes your job difficult?
The thing that makes freelancing difficult is when clients don’t know exactly what they want (the majority of my clients are this way). It’s difficult to create something when there’s no clear and well-defined vision for the product.
What are your client’s biggest concerns and demands?
I’d have to say that my clients’ top concern is getting the app finished on time. Most clients don’t care how it’s done technically, they just want the project done on time.
What are some of your favorite tools/services/products to use on the business side of freelancing?
There are many great tools to make life easier for app freelancers. I like Trello to manage projects because it’s very flexible. Jira is ok for my day job, but in my opinion I wouldn’t say it’s the best tool for freelancing.
What are some of your favorite blogs/books on the business side of freelancing?
That’s interesting. I don’t necessarily have a favorite book or blog specifically for the business of app freelancing. “The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers” is good because it teaches you how to handle unpleasant situations.
What are some of your favorite tools/services/products to use on the development side of freelancing?
Right now, I’d have to say my favorite tools for developing mobile apps are: Testflight (here’s a list of Testflight alternatives) to help me send app betas to my clients, Google Analytics to help my clients track analytics, and Crashlytics to make sure apps are as bug free as possible.
What are some of your favorite blogs/books on the development side of freelancing?
My favorite book is “iOS Core Animation: Advance Techniques” by Nick Lockwood. This is probably the best book I’ve read about the subject. For blogs, my favorites are:
How long does it take to complete a mobile app project for the average client?
This depends of course on the scope of the project, but normally it takes me about two to three months to finish an app project for a client.
What are your goals, personal and business?
I have one goal: I want to work on cool projects. To me, a cool project can be a good idea or just eye candy. If it’s a boring project, I will pass. Money is important, but right now I’m focused on my portfolio and the fun of making apps.
Are you working on your own projects? Tell me about them. How do you manage doing both?
I am working on my own projects. They’re mostly open source projects and blogging, but these projects help improve my skills.
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What are your biggest concerns as a freelancer?
My biggest concern is not having enough time to finish projects. I freelance part-time, so I have to be honest with myself and my clients if I want to deliver X in Y amount of time.
What’s the hardest part about being a freelancer to you?
The hardest part about being a freelance app developer is balancing my personal life with a full time job and freelance work. It can get tough sometimes.
Where or who do you look to for advice on business and/or development?
Believe it or not, I’ve found Twitter to be a great place I can go for business and app development advice. I also rely on my more experienced friends for advice.
What are some things that people aren’t talking about in the mobile space that you think are interesting/concerning/exciting?
Mobile is really trendy right now and iOS gets a lot more attention than Android. Anything that comes out of WWDC (new SDK, new Frameworks) already has a library on Github a few months later. Also, I think developers and companies are finally starting to realize that users are more than just a number.
So there you have it. A bit of advice and insight to help you start your own voyage into the land of freelance app development. If you’re on the fence, start part-time like Rui. If you don’t like it, you still have your full time gig. Just take a leap of faith and try.