One of the reasons that freelancing attracts so many people is the ease of entry. With a computer and a few basic programs anyone can learn enough to put together websites and start working as a freelancer. It can be be debated (and it has been) whether this is good or bad for the industry as a whole, but the fact is that there are a lot of freelancers out there, part-time and full-time, that don’t have loads of experience as a designer.

However, just because it’s easy to enter the market as a freelancer doesn’t mean that it’s easy to find and retain clients, do build quality websites, and to make a living from your work. Many freelancers start out with high hopes, only to be discouraged by the reality that they find in their work. With so many other freelancers and design studios out there, one of the most important things that an inexperienced freelancer needs to develop is confidence in themselves and their work.

Regardless of how much we like or dislike the requirements of the business side of our work, running an efficient and legitimate business is essential. While some freelancers have more of an entrepreneurial nature than others, there are plenty of lessons to be learned by all. Whether you freelance part-time or full-time, paying attention to the lessons that you’re learning will drastically improve your chances of success.

WordPress’s CMS capabilities make it an ideal platform for designers who want to display their portfolio and/or maintain a blog. There are an increasing number of themes that have been developed specifically for this purpose, some free and some premium. Here is a look at 15 of the current choices.

The fourth and final part of the networking series. This article looks at the importance of mutual benefit and what you can do to implement it in your business.

Find new clients and improve your business by getting out and meeting some other professionals. Here’s why and how.

Have your own design blog or considering starting one? Here is a look at 10 options that you’ll have to monetize the blog.

The second post in a four-part series. This one takes a look at how designer’s can improve their business with online networking.

Developing and maintaining a strong network can be one of the most productive things you do as a freelancer, even though it will not directly bring in any money for your business. Your network has the ability to improve your business in just about any way you can imagine, and today we’ll start the series by taking a deeper look at the role of networking.

If you’re a freelance designer and looking to get more clients, blogging may be just the right solution.

Web design blogs provide excellent opportunities for designers/developers to use their experience and knowledge and gain exposure to new audiences by writing tutorials and articles.