Coffee Shop Websites
Nathan Swartz, a freelance web designer in Pittsburgh PA, is a lucky fellow.
Straight out of school, he landed himself a graphic design job at a small Public Broadcasting Station, getting to live a geek’s dream of being paid to play with Photoshop all day.
However, when commuting, meetings and wearing a tie became too much, he then succeeded in ditching the corporate world to work for himself. The 28-year-old now designs websites for a variety of clients from a medical software company to a whisky maker, all from the comfort of local coffee shops.
In this interview, we discuss the joys and downsides of freelancing, outsourcing tasks and web design issues, like content management systems and using Dreamweaver as a glorified text editor.
RJ: I guess my first question would be, why work freelance? Do you prefer it to say, working for a design firm or as an in-house web designer for a company?
NS: Well, fresh out of school and looking to amass my fortunes, I landed a job as an in-house designer for an itsy bitsy little PBS station in Erie, PA and good times ensued for the next several years. As they were such a small station, I was simultaneously in charge of their print, web design and all of their on air graphics and animations, so the experience of it all was quite definitely the bees knees, and I smiled all the way in to work on a fairly regular basis. It’s great after years spent pumping gas, digging ditches, pushing coffee, etc – how pristine a job playing around in Photoshop all day seems.
But even as glamorous a life as a small town graphic designer is afforded, I still disliked having to play along with all of the absurdities of the modern day business world. The contradictions of the old world business model just quit making sense to me – why was I waking up at 7:30 just so I could make it into work by 9am, when I could have easily have rolled out of bed at 8:30 and got on a machine at home? Why did I need to sit in hour long meetings about the latest fund raiser when all they wanted from me was to order another crate of envelopes from the printer? And what about wearing a tie was it again that somehow made my animations more interesting? So one day I decided to quit my job, start my own freelancing career and change the world of business forever.
Just kidding about that last bit. Actually, I fell in love with this girl in England, flew over there and couldn’t find a job, so I increased my “side jobs” until I realized I was wasting valuable time going out on interviews that I could’ve been spending building websites. So I just decided to go full time on the freelance scene.
And now I work 4 days a week, about 6 hours a day, and find myself smiling a lot more often. I make just enough money to keep the bartender in tips and can run my son to the doctor at 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon if he suddenly breaks down with scurvy, without having to give up any precious sick days or vacation time or whatever they’re calling it these days.
RJ: Those are the perks of freelancing, but what are the downsides for you?
NS: Health insurance. I hate that it’s so expensive, and the whole idea of insurance just doesn’t sit well with me regardless. Why pay for something that you may never have to use? I would love to see something happen with health care in this country that wasn’t so option-less.
When I first started freelancing though, making the transition from steady paycheck to random spurts of money took some getting used to. And when I was working out of my home, I missed the buzz of an office, so I just started shacking my laptop and I up in various coffee shops around Pittsburgh. That also gives me more to blog about – just writing short descriptions of the people who come in and out of them, what they’re doing, how they look from my little corner of the world.
RJ: Could you describe an average workday for you, as a freelance web designer?
NS: Well, I try to get out of the house everyday, so I ride my bike to one of various coffee shops in Pittsburgh’s east end. As I mentioned before, I like the buzz of working in a busy environment rather than sitting at a quiet desk in my own house – it makes me feel like I’m part of some type of office space. And I love to hear all of the various stories people are telling all day long – mother’s showing off their checker-toothed children or the local eccentrics ranting over the politics of pastries or just really whatever people are talking about, it gives me a closer connection to my city and the people who live in it, which is actually a pretty big part of what I do. I’m in a very global business, and I have clients all over the world, but I love Pittsburgh and I prefer to work for local clients, if for nothing else than to just get to know more of my neighbors. So basically, I’m sitting around drinking coffee, drawing pictures in Photoshop or writing up code. I do a lot of work with WordPress, I try to give all of my clients a CMS so that they can have more control over their own sites, so I spend a good deal of time reading up on blogs about plug-ins about WordPress, etc. Throw in an hour or two of emails and I’m usually out the door by 3pm, for another bike ride home and then to spend the evening living life. All in all, it’s a pretty good system I think.
RJ: Tell me about how you market yourself, how do you hustle for gigs?
NS: When I first started, I’d hit up places like Guru.com and bid on projects. My girlfriend’s a freelancer too, and has been for a good few years, and she would always tell me how the right website could bring in a ton of work. I never really thought it was likely – with the plethora of websites out there, what’s the likelihood of someone stumbling across mine right?
But I eventually put a bunch of time into my site and now I get about 50% of my work through people just finding me that way. Another great thing to do is find mailing lists, especially if you can find a niche and get on a list like that – the WP Pro list is a good one, and I get a ton of work from that. The rest is word of mouth and having a network of developers – I feed them the coding work that’s over my head, and they send design work my way. A big happy circle of HTML all around.
RJ: So you outsource some of your coding work, could you elaborate a bit?
NS: Well, I’m a Web Designer, not necessarily a Developer, and I’ve chosen to focus on that aspect. For awhile I was looking into learning PHP, and I know a good bit of it, but when it comes to writing intense applications like full on e-commerce suites or hardcore plug ins for a content management system, I tend to leave that up to the people who know how all of the ins and outs of the programming language. Basically, I stick to design, XHTML, CSS, copywriting and helping clients with the marketing and copywriting aspects, maybe even a little SEO. When that’s all said and done, I’m glad to farm a few hundred lines of code off to someone else.
RJ: Your website describes your work as “handmade” and “from scratch”, does this mean you’re the type of web designer who codes in Notepad and throws the other tools by the wayside?
NS: Well, I don’t use Notepad. People are always knocking Dreamweaver but it has one of the best color-coding systems I’ve come across, and the convenience of having an ftp client built right in makes it my program of choice. That being said, no I don’t use the “Design view” and yes, I do code everything from scratch. I just sit down and type up all of my XHTML, then type up the CSS. You get infinitely better at CSS every time you do that, because you’re actually thinking it all through rather than relying on Dreamweaver to fill in the gaps. The result is code that is valid, search engine friendly, more stable and because you have all of the control over it, it’ll serve up more quickly to users.
But yeah, the Dreamweaver issue is always a big one – people are like “You use Dreamweaver, pfft.” As though they’re somehow better than me just because I use that program, but I’ve tried various other coding / ftp programs for Mac, both free and paid, and it’s simply put the best. Plus, I’m already forking out the cash for CS3, I might as well use the tools that come with it. It doesn’t matter what program you use, in my mind, but whether or not a site validates. “Passed validation” is the real test.
RJ: How do you handle dry periods in business?
NS: Luckily I haven’t had any yet, so I feel pretty blessed for that. I’m usually booked a few weeks out, and sometimes a couple of months. It’s nice to be able to decide which projects you’ll take on, and I try to stay “ethical” with the types of sites I’ll build. Small businesses, particularly local ones or those I think have something special to them are my favorite types. For example, I recently built a site for this small whisky bottler out of Ohio. The guy was a one man operation trying to do something different in an industry that is very much run by the big brands, and so he was helping me out by using my services and I felt I was doing the same, saving him a few dozen grand over what his ad agency was trying to charge.
And that’s what I see happening, almost certainly due to the Internet and how it makes the world so much more accessible, where people used to need to rely on big ad agencies to do a lot of this type of work, freelancers can fill the gaps. And when you go with a freelancer, you’re only paying for him – not for the secretaries and accounting departments and company cars and office space of an agency, not to mention the big screen TVs and coffee bars that those places seem to think is essential to keeping them hip.
RJ: You’re big on content management systems (like WordPress), what the pros and cons of working with a CMS and how do you explain it to customers who are less tech-savvy?
NS: Well the pros are just pouring over: so much code that’s already been written for you and tested, such as search features, member logins, etc. which is key in what I do. I do claim to make handmade websites, but having the right tools to make the job work is so essential. And I can only test so much as an individual, but when you’ve got a community behind you like the WP folks, well, you can really make a superior product for a low cost. Shopify is another great CMS, though it’s really more e-commerce based and has its own downsides. As far as cons go, the biggest one is that you don’t have complete control over what a site will become, so though you may build a beautiful site that’s completely up to Web standards, there’s nothing to say that a client won’t go in and add a bunch of really horrible pictures and tags or something. But I think that when someone pays for a website they should be able to have control over what it does. I mean, if you bought a brick and mortar store, you wouldn’t have to call in a contractor every time you wanted to sell a new item or move a coat rack around the floor – why should a website be any different? It’s all about educating them on what the site can do vs. what it probably should do, but from then on it’s there baby to play with.
As far as the “less tech-savvy” customers go though, I just tell them that they’ll be able to edit the text and images on their site about as easily as editing a Word document – typically they’ll be familiar with Word so that helps them with that transition. Though I do have some clients who still pay me to update their sites, even with a CMS, which makes my life easier in the end, too.
RJ: Anything else you’d care to share with readers about web design and/or the freelance lifestyle?
NS: I’d love to see a world where everyone who wants to could go freelance. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to be tied down to a specific set of hours, have a boss, or any of the other downsides to working for an employer. But I’ve seen a few people try to go this route and not be able to do it, sometimes because they just don’t seem to be able to find the work, sometimes because they really just prefer getting that steady check and having someone tell them what to do and when to do it.
But my family and I just ran out our lease, packed up a rental car and are headed out to Portland, Oregon for the summer. No vacation time to take, no real necessary plans to make, just make a decision and go – we can work from anywhere there’s a WiFi connection and when it’s time for our son to go back to school, we’ll just head back to Pittsburgh and get back into the swing of things. That’s the kind of freedom I really dig from this whole lifestyle. It’s so unreal sometimes though.
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Great article, for a week last year I spent every day for a week doing all my work with my laptop at a local coffee shop. I can definitely relate.
Excellent – for someone who is working out of coffee shops like myself, it was a great read – nice to know I’m not the only one who enjoys the atmosphere
Can’t do it in coffee shops, too many people stop by to say hello, local library is the place – quiet.
This might be the best article I’ve read on the freelance life. I envy Nathan, and I look forward to the day when I can work from the coffee shop every day.
Great interview! I’ve been on Nathan’s website a few times being that he’s only a couple hours away from where I am. I can definitely relate to the coffee shop. I have a great office here at home with everything I need, but sometimes I need the “buzz” as Nathan describes it. It’s then that I pack up my laptop head in to an area coffee shop.
I’ve been freelancing now since 2002 and can’t imagine doing anything else. Like Nathan, one of the biggest cons for me is health insurance. But it’s definitely a great feeling when one of my kids has a field trip and I don’t have to ask “the bossman/lady” for the afternoon off so that I can go with them.
I’m a new reader here, just found the site a couple days ago. I have to say that it’s a great read and I honestly feel “at home” around other freelancers.
Thanks!
Vernon
Thanks for sharing the experience. I am in outsourcing business for the last 10 years. I started as freelancer and now I run a company of 35 developers. I know the pain and joys of freelancing. Most of the freelancers have got almost similar stories.
Great Post!
Rajesh Shakya
Good call on Dreamweaver. There are so many things that they did right with that program, and it’s easy to just hide everything that they did wrong. I’ve never found a find and replace feature that I liked more than Dreamweaver’s. Here’s a good Dreamweaver tip: get content from clients as a Word Doc, strip out all the formatting, and then paste it into design view. When you switch back to code view, 9.5 times out of 10 you will see very clean, intelligent markup–always better than what you would get pasting directly into a cms.
Unfortunately, I don’t drink coffee, so working from a coffee shop is out of the question for me, at least in the summer when it’s too hot for hot coco. : )
This is an excellent article/interview. It’s infinitely better getting insight from someone “on the front lines”, as it were. Bravo and excellent job Nathan!
…sip…
The thing I like about coffee shops is that it’s just enough distraction to keep my attention. Sometimes when it’s too quiet, I find hard to concentrate. Yeah, go figure that one out, maybe it’s just me
That was an inspiring piece. Keep up the great work Nathan.
wow, well this article/interview really makes me want to and wish that i could just go freelance ft all the time, maybe one day
great interview! I agree with everything nathan says about the freedom and flexibility of freelancing. for me, it’s the only way to live.
Thanks for this. I’m just about to start my internship at a company in a couple of months and I am always curious to hearing about other people’s experience in the industry and freelancing.
Is there anyone hear who is actually trying to avoid freelancing?
I like his tip about getting out of the house and being around people. I think if you’re working freelance, if you’re home too long… it might get you lazy and complacent. Get out, get juiced by the people around you.
Thank you so much for the interview, it was a real pleasure – and everyone’s comments were so cool. I really enjoyed this whole experience.
This month my girlfriend and I have moved to Portland and are working from there, yet another great benefit of this lifestyle.
Thanks again and good luck to everyone out there in / breaking into the freelance lifestyle.
“That being said, no I don’t use the “Design view” and yes, I do code everything from scratch.”
Try Quanta+ (linux/unix only until the release of KDE 4, maybe is already out for macs)
This was a terrific article. I liked the format, and hope to see more like this. Keep up the good work!
Great article!! Do you have any tips on how to get the job on guru? it seems like either no one likes my proposals, or somebody puts in a lower bid (even though i only charge $45 an hour)
Great to see someone who’s doing it and succeeding. I especially like the part where he said he enjoys working with small local businesses.
I completely agree that it feels good to help out a small businesses. Otherwise they’d either get shafted by some big expensive agency or waste a bunch of time/money on a high-school kid who doesn’t really know what he’s doing.
Keep up the great work Nathan.
Breaking away from the day job and into freelance is tough, yet do-able. I congratulate you for your success. It is inspiring.
Interesting read and I am so looking forward to coffee shops were I live that have Net connections…
Keep the girl happy as well
Oh man. That sounds exactly like the sort of schedule I’m looking for. I’ve been freelancing for the last year or so, but have only recently begun really seeking new business, and I want to get to the point that I can work twenty hours a week or so and live comfortably. So, this is inspiration.
Robert, the link to the Bike Pittsburgh site in the captioned screen shot doesn’t work. One too many HTTPs.
Just a heads up.
Great interview, great attitude!
I WISH I could get out of the house more often. I’ve got a great office setup, but I DO desire that interaction with people that we so often lack working freelance. IM can only do so much.
I just wish there were more LOCAL coffee shops around. Unfortunately, the big beast *bucks rules and they don’t offer free WiFi. At least I can get outside on my balcony here
Congrats on making freelance work for you and for your dedication to small business. It’s a great feeling.
Thanks for sharing such a great success story.
Could you do a follow-up interview/article on Word Press and how he uses the CMS feature?
Does he use WP to host client sites and use the CMS feature for managing it?
I have clients who could benefit from some of the things he talks about; i.e. updating text and images on the website.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I have been full-time freelancing for just over two years. Prior to that I was doing “side jobs” since 1996. I had two jobs that let me go because of downsizing and I thought, what am I doing? I’m working my butt off for someone who isn’t even going to give me notice and send me off to go find another job?
Well, it’s now much better without the day to day office grind and gossip. I do miss people and jokes that take you away from the stressful moments in work life, but it’s also nice not wondering if today is the last day or not.
With freelancing at least I see what’s down the line and as long as I have work coming in, I’m not going to let myself go.
I agree with the medical part too. Insurance for my family is expensive and we’ve been bless with good health so far, so we don’t even use it. There’s a lot of complainer’s ( I’m one ) about gas these day’s, but insurance is the real killer.
I’m wondering myself about programs like WP, Joomla, Drupal, etc. I’ve messed around a little bit with the three and maybe I’m so used to DW that I just don’t get it, but it seem hard to make your site the way you wanted. Isn’t it easier to lay it out in PS and then cut and export the images and then rebuild it in DW with your own tables?
Anyway, I could ramble on for hours. I love this site so far and am glad I found it. Keep the articles coming and freelancers keep your heads up!!!
@Raj,
I believe he uses a hosting company whose servers are compatible with WordPress. That’s what I’ve been doing for my recent clients–using shared hosting and manually installing WordPress/MySQL.
Basically, I create a custom WP theme for them, and give them documentation explaining exactly how to use their site. (I’ve written up a nice how-to document on WordPress and its capabilities, but only the basic ones, in the hopes that clients don’t mess up the site.) The how-to and consultation is included in the cost of the site. At least, that’s how I set it up. No WordPress.com accounts, except for their new stats plugin.
Great Stuff Nathan!!
I also work every day from my favourite cafe here back in Cape Town South Africa.
It’s called Vida e Cafe (coffee is life!)
I spend up to 5 hours a day there.
Maybe when you visit us you can office there as well!
Unfortunately living in Houston, TX means that the local coffee shops stay crammed full of people, so trying to work in one is downright impossible.
I do however, meet with prospective clients at coffee shops. I have a tradition where I treat the prospect to a coffee and a danish while we discuss the possibility of them hiring me for their project. I feel it really lets my clients open up to me and consider me not only their web designer but a person they can call a friend as well.
Thanks for the post… I’ve freelanced for 1 1/2 yrs now, and its a bit of a different animal trying to navigate video production and directing through it, but its a process! And I’m glad to see it actually does get relatively more stable. I’ll drink an espresso to you tomorrow nathan.
I totally loved this profile! Great work on the interview, and excellent work on your business Nathan! Your website reflects your personality, and I think you have a great, warm, open brand.
My brother lives in Pitt — he teaches at the university and loves it there.
Enjoy your time in Portland!
Great write up – very interesting interview!
Nathan – if you like Dreamweaver, you’d absolutely LOVE Coda … nice syntax highlight, built in FTP, preview and a lot more.
You should check it out if you haven’t already.
http://www.panic.com/coda/
(No, I don’t work for the company, but I love the app
mmmm….coffee. Just kidding. Nathan I really am proud of what you’ve done. I know that you are very successful with your business and every aspect of your life. Can’t wait until you and ms wakame get back…
Great write-up…very inspiring!
I’m a starter freelancer. From the beginning I’ve always liked to read histories like this, they cheers me up a lot to continue with my adventure.
Thanks!
Lovely and awesome work he does. His work really caught my eye in my research of the web design industry. Very impressive and he’s got talent. I like the well-rounded consistency of his works and he kind of struts this same vibe in all the sites he’s worked on. It doesn’t bore the eye.^^
Thanks for the interview. =D
Nice designs… good to see another Pittsburgh web designer!
Great article!! Do you have any tips on how to get the job on guru? it seems like either no one likes my proposals, or somebody puts in a lower bid (even though i only charge $55 an hour)
Checkout http://www.cafehunt.com/browse/ for listing of Independent Coffee Shops around you.
Interesting read and I am so looking forward to coffee shops were I live that have Net connections…
Keep the girl happy as well
This was a great interview. It’s good to meet another freelance designer. I love freelancing and would like to network with others.
Looking forward to more of your interviews with other graphic designers.
Cheers!
Excellent read. Thank you so much for the inspiration. I have been a graphic designer for the past 20 (+) years and now going web design and develop.
It is great to read those interviews and to see how other designers are working and what their creative mindset is. It is interesting to see how they got into design and what their motivations were and still are. I also liked that Nathan pointed out that the life of a designer is not as glamorous as it appears to some, especially when working for a company. Thanks for sharing.
Great interview and very useful experience from a 28-year-old web designer, thank you