I was recently lucky enough to pick the brain of my Codeable colleague, Tom Herudek, on all things Codeable – and I was not disappointed.
Originally from Brno, Czech Republic, Tom is a 12+ year veteran freelancer-entrepreneur, WordPress consultant, and has well-earned his senior full-stack developer status. His insights from more than decade of experience with clients as a freelancer are worth reading in our interview below as he shares the top three best ways for clients to get noticed on the Codeable platform – and more.
If you’re not familiar already, Codeable is an outsourcing platform catering exclusively to WordPress development projects. Their mission is simple: to connect the world’s best freelance WordPress developers with clients and deliver quality without question.
Joining the creme-de-la-creme of WordPress developers on Codeable is no easy task.
In fact, only 2% of WordPress developers who apply to Codeable are accepted to the platform.
Tom made the cut.
Tom knew in order to be on the Codeable team, being proficient in WordPress was not enough. Developers must also “be great communicators, have empathy and be contiencious” of clients needs. As a life-long entreprenuer himself, Tom’s passion is getting to the heart of each client’s business’s needs in order to “propose and deliver solutions that will make sense.”
With five-star reviews across 100% of his projects, I’d say he’s doing something right.
Now approaching his fifth year anniversary with Codeable in 2022, Tom says his time on the platform has helped him “mature as a freelancer,” and has translated into success he’s “eternally grateful for.”
Finally, as promised for potential (or even return) Codeable clients, here are Tom’s top three pro tips on how you as a client can boost your projects to the top of developers’ to-do lists:
1. Keep project descriptions nice and clear, and don’t let them get too lengthy – your developer will go through more fact finding with you once consulting begins.
2. Be responsive and truthful – as developers search for the best projects, you want to communicate in a timely manner and be honest in your expectations.
3. Never say “it will take just 5 minutes for someone skilled” – coming from Tom who has skill abounds, you can trust him when he says “…It’s never 5 minutes.”
So if you’re still searching for a full-stack, veteran WordPress developer to bring your business to its best, hire Tom. He’s who you’ve been looking for all along.
But don’t just take my word for it – you can hear from Tom in our interview below, read reviews on his website, and browse his Codeable portfolio here.
1. For anyone who isn’t already familiar with Codeable, could you describe Codeable to them?
Codeable is defined as the #1 WordPress outsourcing platform. At its core, it is indeed a unique enterprise built on expertise, trust, and truth.
From the view of a developer, you have to be the creme-de-la-creme to make it through their vetting process where only 2% of freelancers are accepted. Being proficient in development is not enough. You have to have other qualities – be a great communicator, have empathy, and conscientiousness.
If you are a client, then you can be sure that close to 100% of projects in Codeable will end up by the desired outcome, so you are actually minimizing your business risk and saving time by connecting with the world-class WordPress experts with just one click.
You can read more about this platform in my Codeable review.
2. How has Codeable impacted your career as a freelance WordPress developer? Is working for Codeable any different than your previous jobs as a developer and if so, how?
It was a life-changing experience. I’m very pro-growth oriented, and Codeable supports this kind of mindset. So in the past few years, I’ve learned a lot, not only about the technical side but also about other qualities that a good freelancer needs to have.
Through my journey here, I’ve been able to mature as a freelancer and I’ve also met a community of like-minded people, many of them in person at various WordCamp events.
3. Do you have a favorite memory, or favorite client, from Codeable? If so, could you tell us more about what set that experience apart from all the rest.
I basically enjoy the moments when the client posts a project which is clearly defined from his POV, But then we go a few layers deeper and figure out his true needs. Then I can tailor a very specific solution for him, which helps him to grow his business.
The last time a client of mine had a very slow e-learning site, I tracked down the issue to one particular plugin. It wasn’t possible to replace it without re-doing his whole business. So I architected a custom-made caching solution, which is reduced the page-load of his site from 11 seconds to 1.2 seconds. The client can keep doing the business the way he wants, and the site is lightning-fast.
4. What are your favorite types of projects to work on via Codeable? If you could pick your perfect project, what (or who) would it be?
I really enjoy raising the revenue of WooCommerce sites by making them faster.
Other than that, I love to work with WooCommerce and various e-learning platforms, making tweaks for my customers, which allows them to grow their business. As I’ve stated in my Codeable Review, there are plenty of projects to work on.
5. For anyone who is considering joining Codeable, what advice would you have to share with them to convince them to join?
If you believe in your competence, apply as soon as possible. Tell the truth in the interview and be very precise. Do your best to make it in. If you don’t succeed in the first round, re-calibrate and then re-engage. It’s really worth it.
6. For anyone who is considering posting their next WordPress project to Codeable, what advice would you have to share with them to convince them to do that?
I really appreciate anyone who is posting their project on Codeable. The last thing I would want to is to sound arrogant, but given the fact, that every developer wants to work on the best project possible and has a limited time, there needs to emerge some kind of hierarchy of projects.
It’s always good to provide a nice and clear description of your problem. It does not have to be short, but by having it too long, you can scare the people too. Be responsive and act truthfully. The common red flag is “it will take just 5 minutes to someone skilled” – it’s never 5 minutes 🙂
7. Some people think we’re robots, but developers are human too… When you’re not writing code for your clients, what do you like to do with your free time?
I want to be a better version of myself at the end of most days. So I’m educating myself a lot currently in philosophy, psychology, business, and development.
My biggest passion is living a healthy, fulfilled, and active life. So I’m a real lifestyle and nutrition freak. I do practice sport on a daily basis, mostly working out with my own weight or free weights and playing beach volleyball.
8. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us about your time on Codeable so far?
I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this awesome place.