As a freelance developer, completing over a quarter million dollars of WordPress projects in a year and a half will certainly change your life. Throughout your journey towards reaching this milestone you’ll experience (at least a few of) those amazing things you’ve been daydreaming about for so long… Like quitting your day job, traveling Europe, or maybe even the sound of your new sports car’s engine revving up?
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Well, I suppose your dreams probably look a whole lot different than mine, but hey, these are just a few of my own dreams that have already come true, and yours can too. Now, as I’ve eclipsed the $250,000 mark as a freelancer, I think it’s more important to talk about what has gone into this to make my income rise so quickly: namely, consistency and persistence.
If I could have said the magic words and snapped my fingers 18 months ago I would have; unfortunately, no such freelance wealth wizardry exists. Instead, I did what anyone can do if they’re disciplined enough and became an expert in the field of WordPress development.
You see, when I first started this freelance journey, I wasn’t even a freelancer yet. I was still holding down a nine-to-five job that locked me into a livable but tremendously underwhelming salary. I knew my earning potential was much higher than what I was currently making, I just had to build my street cred first.
Now, if you’ve read any of my previous posts about Codeable then you’re already familiar with the life-changing opportunities they’ve provided me. But, just in case this is your first time visiting my blog you can also click here to watch a dozen of these changing lives interviews and get yourself up to speed.
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Anyways, while I was still working my office job, I set my sights on becoming part of Codeable’s network of certified expert WordPress developers. However, I also realized that if I were to just knock on their virtual door saying “hey, hook me up with some clients”, they probably would’ve laughed me off the internet.
Okay, that was probably a little harsh… But it’s true, the world’s very best network of WordPress developers has extremely high standards that might seem a little intimidating at first. I mean, for starters you have to prove yourself to be among the top 1% to 2% of developers in the world. No biggie, right?
Although when you really think about it, there aren’t too many fields where you can earn so much in so little time without being at the top end of the spectrum, right? So it certainly makes sense that developers from all around the world are chomping at the bit to join the team over at Codeable.
Each member of Codeable has individually earned their certified expert developer status. They’re truly the best of the best when it comes to WordPress, and I’m extremely fortunate to call myself one of them.
Here’s a little secret though… There really isn’t much, at least not skill-wise, that differentiates the top 1% of developers from the top 5% or so. We can all demonstrate our ability to develop kick-ass websites, right?
However, solely being an awesome developer isn’t going to cut it. Just because you possess some wicked awesome development skills isn’t going to land you among the top 1% automatically. The biggest thing separating the top 1% of developers from the rest lies in their customer service skills.
Can you write top-notch code and talk to clients in plain English? Do you understand that most clients aren’t developers themselves which means you can’t always have uber-technical conversations with them? One of the main reasons I attribute to getting my ticket on the Codeable train is my mastery of customer service.
I’m always an advocate for quitting your day job if it’s not making you as happy as possible. People often ask me when I knew it was the right time to make the transition, and I tell them it’s when I became an expert at developing websites and making customers smile.
I didn’t quit my nine-to-five right away though, even after I’d passed the 30-day test with Codeable I wanted to make sure they were legit. Well, after six months of burning the candle at both ends it was clear to me that Codeable was indeed the real deal so I fired my boss and walked out of the office for the very last time.
My advice here is simple, if you’re working a nine-to-five development job and making less than $200K per year, then you’re leaving money on the table. Start joining freelancing networks that will actually pay you what you’re worth. If you’re still a skeptic, take a look at my income reports from the last 18 months here.
My journey to completing a cool quarter million bucks worth of WordPress development projects was filled with a ridiculous amount of hard work. And it was my everyday nose-to-the-grindstone diligence that helped pave the way for me. But, let’s not forget that a small portion of my income was “easy money” which came my way without me having to do much of anything at all.
I’m talking about earning passive income through affiliate programs I’ve joined.
I’ve written about joining these programs before, but in short, I’ve made a little under $10,000 in about six months by sending new client referrals over to WP Engine and Codeable. I’d certainly encourage every new freelance developer get involved with both of these programs right away.
Let’s be clear though, the road to $250K wasn’t always smooth or glamorous. There were plenty of days on which I earned a bit fat zilch. I never panicked or questioned my decision though, because I set reasonable, daily goals for myself that I could track in real time. I’ve also made my daily accountability spreadsheets available for you to use, you can download them completely free by clicking here.
Daily accountability is a huge part of whether or not you’re going to be successful as a freelancer, especially because now there’s no boss telling you what to do. That’s the key takeaway of the freelancing speeches I’ve been giving at WordPress events all over the world.
Are you guaranteed to make a quarter million bucks in a year and a half as a freelance developer? Not necessarily. But, the good news is, you won’t be standing on shaky ground for long if keep your head down and focus on making yourself great, every single day. Let’s continue our journey on towards $500K now!
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