c/abq-local-freelancers

That networking event at the South Valley Tech Hub was a mess

Went to that monthly mixer at the Tech Hub on Coors last Wednesday. Fifteen people crammed into a room with bad AC and someone spent 20 minutes pitching their MLM side hustle. Realized I need to vet these events better or just stick to the ones at the library on Eubank. Anyone else find the smaller meetups more useful for actual freelance work?

Checked out that new coworking space on Central last week and the WiFi was actually solid

Got chewed out by a client for using too many stock photos in my portfolio, so I started shooting my own work with my phone camera

Pro tip: I stopped reading client emails until 10am and my invoices actually started getting paid faster.

I was waking up and jumping right into inbox chaos, answering questions before I even had coffee, and realized people were treating my replies like free consulting. After three weeks of this delay, my hourly rate clients started booking extra sessions instead of picking my brain for free. Anybody else try ignoring morning emails and see a weird shift?

Got burned by scope creep until a writer in Santa Fe showed me her simple trick

I was always saying yes to extra revisions for free until I met this freelance copywriter at a coffee shop on Central. She told me to put a clause in my contract that caps revisions at 3 rounds, then charge per additional round after that. After I tried it on my next 2 projects, I stopped losing money on nitpicky clients. Has anyone else found a way to set better boundaries without scaring off new people?

Showerthought: my old mentor told me to always double my time estimates for ABQ clients back in 2017

I laughed it off then but after a $300 web dev job in Rio Rancho taking 4 weeks instead of 2, I finally see why he said that - has anyone else had a local gig balloon way past what you guessed?

Hot take: Stop emailing me a PDF of your invoice and just send a payment link

I spent 45 minutes last week hunting down a client's check because their PDF invoice had the wrong routing number and now I'm out $850. Why are we still doing this in 2024 when Wave and Square exist for free?

Why does nobody talk about the freelancer meetup at Humble Coffee on Central

I swung by last Tuesday and noticed maybe 8 people there, but the wifi was solid and they had a back room with outlets everywhere. Is that thing still active or did everyone move to a different spot?

Used to think proofreading services were a scam, then I hired one

A client dinged me on a $2,400 contract because of three typos in the final deliverable. Paid a local freelancer named Jenna $60 to go over my next draft, and she caught 12 things I missed. Anyone else eating crow on something they swore they'd never pay for?

Finally tried raising rates on a repeat client in Albuquerque

I had this one client I'd been doing social media posts for at $25 an hour for like 2 years. Last month I worked up the courage to ask for $35 and honestly expected them to say no. But they just said 'okay' and now I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Has anyone else found their regular clients are more flexible than they assume?

Last month I switched from hourly billing to project-based pricing for web design

I was freaking out about losing a $75 an hour gig I had for 2 years with a real estate agency here in ABQ. But after running the numbers on a few smaller brochure sites, I realized I was spending more time tracking hours than actually working. So I gave flat rates a shot for a coffee shop website last week a $600 project that should have taken me 10 hours tops. Turned out I finished it in 6 hours and they loved it. Has anyone else had better luck with project quotes over hourly for local clients?

Took a chance on that $20 logo gig on Craigslist and it actually worked out

I was sure it was gonna be a scam or some super weird request, but dude paid me $20 upfront via Venmo for a simple logo. He sent back a revision request and then actually used the final file on his taco truck last week lol. Any of yall had a random gamble pay off like that?

Can we talk about the 30% cut freelancing platforms take from ABQ clients?

I just found out that some of those big freelancing sites take a 30% cut from local clients here in Albuquerque. I was working through one of them for a graphic design job and the client told me they paid $300 for what I got $210. That $90 difference blew my mind. I checked their fee structure again and yep, it's buried in the terms. Small businesses in the Duke City are already tight on cash, and losing almost a third to a platform hurts. I switched to direct invoicing last month and my regular clients actually prefer it. Has anyone else found a better way to get hired locally without giving up a chunk like that?

I hit $500 on a single gig last month and almost cried in my truck

I've been doing graphic design for local shops around Albuquerque for about 8 months now. Last month I landed a small branding project for a new coffee spot on Central and they paid me $500 flat. That was more than I usually make in two weeks and it hit me that this freelancing thing might actually work. Has anyone else had a milestone that felt way bigger than the number itself?

Swapped my pricing after a chat at Flying Star on Central

I was at Flying Star last Tuesday grabbing coffee and overheard two freelancers talking about how they charge per project instead of per hour. One of them said she nets way more because clients don't watch the clock, they just want the work done. I've been doing hourly for 3 years and always felt rushed, so I tried it on my last graphic design gig and made $200 more than my usual estimate. Has anyone else switched away from hourly pricing and seen a big difference?

My invoicing system was a mess until a fellow freelancer sat me down

I used to just send a PDF invoice whenever I remembered, usually 2-3 weeks after a job was done. Then I met a graphic designer at the Flying Star downtown who showed me her setup. She uses QuickBooks and sends invoices the same day she finishes work, with a 3% late fee after 30 days. I switched to that system 6 months ago and my average payment time dropped from 45 days to 18. Has anyone else found a billing trick that actually worked?

Spent 90 minutes tracing a network issue that was a loose ethernet cable the whole time

I was about to rebuild the router config for a client's home office before I noticed the cable just needed a firm push into the wall jack, has anyone else wasted a whole afternoon on something this dumb?

Used to bid jobs based on gut feeling alone, now I run actual numbers for every quote

Back in 2022 I quoted a whole deck rebuild by just looking at the photos and guessing 15 hours. Lost $200 in materials because I forgot to account for the weird angle cuts that took twice as long. Has anyone else had a similar wake-up call with how they price their work?

That freelancer at the coffee shop said he charges $50 for a logo and I couldn't hold back

Overheard a guy at Satellite Coffee last Wednesday bragging to his friend about landing a logo gig for $50. I told him he's screwing all of us and he just shrugged. Has anyone else had to bite their tongue when someone prices way under market?

Stumbled into a coffee shop discussion that fixed my client onboarding

I was at Humble Coffee last Tuesday waiting for a meeting that got cancelled. Sat next to two freelancers arguing about contracts and one of them said something that hit me. She said she sends a simple welcome packet before even talking scope. I had been jumping straight into project details for years. That little step of setting expectations upfront has cut my revision requests in half. Now I spend about 20 minutes making a clear list of what I need from the client before we even start. Has anyone else tried a pre-project checklist that actually works for them?

Bought a $600 freelance software bundle and half the licenses were expired

Last month I dropped $600 on a bundle of design tools and project management apps from a deal site. Turned out 3 of the 5 licenses had expiration dates from last year. Contacted support and they said 'coupon bundles are final sale no refunds.' Now I'm stuck with half-working software and a bad taste in my mouth. Has anyone else gotten burned by these bundle deals from online marketplaces?

Finally stopped using PayPal invoicing after 4 years of headaches

I used to just send invoices through PayPal because it was easy, but I kept losing like 3% on every payment and clients would complain about the fees. Switched over to Wave last month after a client in Santa Fe sent me $450 and I only got $436 after fees. Anyone else switch invoicing tools and actually see a difference in what you keep?

I watched a freelancer's whole approach flip in 6 weeks flat

I had a buddy who used to charge $35 for basic logo work and he was always scrambling for gigs. Then he switched to a niche market - pet businesses specifically - and started charging $175 per project. He got 3 clients in the first week after updating his portfolio, and now he's booked out for two months. Has anyone else seen a big change after narrowing their focus like that?

Debate: Should you quote a flat rate or hourly for web work? I changed my mind after a year.

For the first two years freelancing in ABQ I always charged hourly. Felt safe. Then I took on a site rebuild for a local coffee shop that went from 20 hours to 45 because they kept adding features. I made like $12 an hour on that project. A buddy told me flat rate protects your time and sets expectations. Now I'm split. Some clients want hourly for transparency. Has anyone else switched and regretted it or found it works better?

Overheard some kid at Indigo Crow yesterday say freelancing is just 'side hustle culture'

Told him I‘ve been doing this since 2009 when it was just called 'being broke between paychecks' and he looked at me like I had two heads, anyone else feel like the whole vibe shifted from survival mode to people acting like it's a lifestyle choice?