So you want to join forces and make something together? I’ve put together a little guide on getting the most out of our working relationship. It goes through a little bit about me, how I typically like to work and communicate, billing options, and where I’ve had the most success so far.
TLDR;
I have a preference for written, asynchronous communication.
Straightforward communication styles are best. We can still be friendly, I’m just autistic and take things very literally!
I can be online between 12-9pm (UK timezone).
Preference for meetings between 12-2pm and 6-8pm.
I’m typically available 2-4 days a week, but the days may vary.
Different billing options based on your project needs.
You own the deliverables throughout the project, and I can assist with ongoing maintenance if it’s needed.
a little work history
I’ve been doing some form of design and engineering now for the last 10 years or so. I like to think of myself more as a generalist with a couple of special interests. Historically I’ve worked as a product designer, but I’ve always written code both in and outside of work. This has allowed me to “speak both languages”. If I’m doing design work, I’m very comfortable working with an engineering team to make the designs a reality, and if I’m doing engineering work, I can usually help designers know what’s needed, what states we need to think about etc.
Right now I’m having the most fun building websites with a focus on frontend and web3. I love writing smart contracts in the Ethereum space and I’m learning a lot more about backend e.g. simple database setups, enough to be dangerous. I’m in my fullstack engineer villain arc at the moment!
a little about me
I recently discovered I’m autistic (if you’re interested, I wrote about it on my blog). At first, it was a very emotional experience, but as I’ve come to terms with what that means for me, it’s made me more aware of my work habits and how I can feel most comfortable. It’s very easy for me to feel burnt out and over stimulated, but I’ve found that I work well in short bursts, a bit like 2-3 day sprints. Sustained work intervals can make it hard for me to remain focused, and I need ample time to recover. This is basically why freelancing has worked well for me so far v.s. the standard 9-5 work week.
I also have some ADHD tendencies as do most autistic people. This means if I find something really interesting, I can get sucked in. This sometimes results in working on a personal project for 12 hours without even realising I’ve spent that long sat at the computer. I often need my partner to nudge me out of it and force me to have dinner.
communication
I have a preference for written, asynchronous communication, either via email or chat like Slack and Discord. I feel a lot of anxiety around real-time calls, and find it harder to read social cues. The mental processing of written communication is more straightforward for me.
Because I speak literally and honestly, I can sometimes come across as quite blunt, so I apologise in advance, I promise it’s not you!
my work week
My work week at the moment doesn’t necessarily look like the typical 9-5 work week. Here’s how I’m finding the most success at the moment:
I usually work from 12-7pm (UK timezone), with deep work between 2-6pm.
I do all my progress updates and emails later in the evening. If you get a message from me late at night, please don’t reply unless you’re also online and happy to do so.
I typically spend 2-4 days a week on client projects. I love to have my own art practice so I dedicate the rest of the week to that.
The actual working days change a lot depending on deadlines, the clients I’m working with at the time, and syncing schedules.
project billing options
I offer three billing options depending on the type of project. We can talk about which one is best for you, or if you have another idea you’d prefer.
fixed price
This is my preferred method, and it’s best when the project is more on the exploratory side, or if there’s more than about 10 days work. We’ll work with regular milestones to make sure we’re still on track.
day rate
This is best used when the scope is well defined and it’s a relatively small project, think 3-10 days work. Days are billed in 8 hour blocks.
retainer
We would work together for a set period of time, the minimum being 3 months, and the retainer would be for X days of my time each month. Overages can be flexible and offset in future months. It should be flexible and fair for you!
post project
I prefer for you to own the deliverables outright, and I don’t offer any hosting of code or designs. It just allows you more control once the project is over, for example if you need to work with someone else, you don’t have to ask me for access etc. If you don’t have your own GitHub, Vercel, or Figma accounts, I’m more than happy to help you set them up before we start working together, and assist with any ongoing maintenance once the project is done.
If you have any questions, or want to know a bit more about the process, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Sam