Re: Do I need a contract to sell my web design services?

[chrisburton]

is that 50% of an estimated cost?

I think once you’ve been doing this for a while you sort of know how much time a project will take you. A contract helps keep things on schedule but that’s not to say issues don’t come up. Many freelancers ask for 50% upfront. This is also used as a “kill fee”. This way, if the people who’ve hired you back out or have to cancel for any reason, you still get paid for what you’ve done.

As a freelancer, you don’t receive the same perks of a 401k or health benefits that come with a corporate position . You have to provide that yourself. Do you think working for $15/hr will benefit you after thinking about those things? What about rent or mortgage payments? Food? Internet? Software? Retirement? These are all the things that you need to run a business and survive.