Ask HN: Starting a web-dev business on the side? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Starting a web-dev business on the side?

Context: I'm a student who regularly (4 times per week on average) gets approached to make websites and apps for people. I have the skills and I'm willing to work. Note that I'm disregarding 'idea guys'. The people who've approached me all say they're willing to pay. My degree is non-trivial - Pure/Applied Math and Statistics so I still need to give time to it. I definitely want to create a revenue stream for myself and do web development part time.

I've thought about it and have a few questions:

1) Do I start a company and be the sole employee or work on a consultancy basis (individual)? 2) Should I have a set pricing plan or quote individual clients based on their needs? 3) What are some (non-obvious) things to watch out for?

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Daniel,

First off, good on you thinking about this! It's great to see entrepreneurial spirit. Just don't lose sight of school :) But, I'll try and answer your questions as best I can.

With regards to consultancy or individual - I think the best thing (to start) is do the work yourself, and make sure that your clients are aware that you're a student, and that you might have a friend pitch in if there's too much work. It's like having the best of both worlds. Always say that "even if X is working on the project, I would never release it without looking it over fully". People really respond to that personal touch - it's like having a consultancy, without having one.

2) Don't ever do a pricing plan, quote clients based on needs. If someone asks me for a price for work - I give a range. It lets you gauge the client based on body language, without being laughed out of the water at the onset. Also, don't be afraid to use the phrase "for you I'll...." while you're starting out. It builds great relationships.

3) GET A CONTRACT. PUT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IN WRITING. I can't emphasize the above enough. I have various clauses with regards to ownership that I use with clients - clauses involving late penalty payments, things like that.

Bonus: Have you read The freelancer's Bible? You should.

If you'd like to chat more - you can always e-mail me. chayim at lyricalsoftware dot com.

Some food for thought regarding pricing. If you have a set pricing plan, it's easier for customers to know how much things cost and if you can get things completed quickly, you could benefit from the set pricing plan. However, if things are really difficult to implement, you could be doing a lot of extra work and not being compensated for it.

Quoting based on individual client needs will bring your compensation closer to the work amount but may take time to negotiate and estimate. However, I recall there was a post a week or two back regarding charging based on value-added to the business.

Things to watch out for would be contract details, compensation details, delivery details, expectations, etc. Also look out for customers expectations and behaviours - you'll have to try to spot people to see if it's easy to work with them or not. Compensation isn't the only factor when accepting a contract. How your schooling schedule fits into this is also important. Because you're still in school, I would recommend picking up clients who aren't going to demand your time for every second of the day.

Good luck!

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