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Thinking about offering my graphic and web design services for free. Is this a bad idea?

by johnnyr860
56 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
Alright well see the problem is I just recently graduated college with a degree in graphic design. I know all about graphic design and learned about web design as well. My problem? Because I am fresh out of college I don't have a portfolio other than the projects I worked on during my semesters in school (which I feel are not enough) and most of these graphic and web design companies that want to hire are saying "must have 3 years experience."

Like how does one do that when you weren't even given the chance to get the experience in the first place? I did an unpaid internship but that was only for 6 months. I looked at the warrior for hire section and realized I can't outsell anyone here they are too good I would be destroyed in moments if I tried to offer services there with no portfolio. Everyone had to start somewhere.

So give me your advice. Is it good to offer my web and graphic design services on here and in my area for free until I have enough projects done to build my portfolio? I would like to think free is good because I mean who can resist free? You have nothing to lose. What is your advice for a person like me? Advice is appreciated.
#bad #design #free #graphic #idea #offering #services #thinking #web
  • Profile picture of the author QueenMelanie
    you could offer your web design services for free to businesses or people, but give them your affiliate link for the domain & hosting so you can actually earn a residual income from then. It won't cost them any extra to sign up with your link so there's no reason they wouldn't accept, just use a reputable registrar and hosting provider!
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    • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
      Originally Posted by QueenMelanie View Post

      you could offer your web design services for free to businesses or people, but give them your affiliate link for the domain & hosting so you can actually earn a residual income from then. It won't cost them any extra to sign up with your link so there's no reason they wouldn't accept, just use a reputable registrar and hosting provider!
      ? Sorry I was unaware that domain names and hosting come with an affiliate link? Did I miss something here? I have godaddy for my hosting and domain. It wasn't until just recently that they started offering domain hosting which is when I switched over from hosting gator just so I could have both the domain and hosting under the same account but in either case I was never given an affiliate link for people to sign up for.
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      • Profile picture of the author medigio
        I wouldn't it offer your services for free as it brings down industry expectations. Then you have businesses that will always expect to get graphic design for free.

        What you could do though, is find really bad design in your community, whether it be magazine ads, business cards or websites and come up with some better design ideas and show them how you could improve their existing design. You can tell them that you are just starting out and trying to build a portfolio and need a place to get started. Then offer your idea at a reduced price.

        If you are good, it wont take long for you to get busy and charging what you want. good luck out there!
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        • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
          Originally Posted by medigio View Post

          I wouldn't it offer your services for free as it brings down industry expectations. Then you have businesses that will always expect to get graphic design for free.

          What you could do though, is find really bad design in your community, whether it be magazine ads, business cards or websites and come up with some better design ideas and show them how you could improve their existing design. You can tell them that you are just starting out and trying to build a portfolio and need a place to get started. Then offer your idea at a reduced price.

          If you are good, it wont take long for you to get busy and charging what you want. good luck out there!
          I tried this method before and it was an epic fail for me. Everyone who contacted me back the first thing they asked was "do you have a portfolio with your work?" the moment I said no and told them I recently graduated from college was the moment I was dismissed or they would say "we'll call you if we are interested in your services." I even did follow up phone calls to see if this could help and no it was the same "we will call you if we are interested."

          Before I knew it some of these companies and local businesses had a brand new website that looks like some of the best work out there. Even when I tried reducing the price substantially I got a few businesses who said "would you be willing to do the job for free?" and since I am still new to this all I mean I had no leg to stand on and if I try to bargain with them on a cheaper price then I get the we will call you response and I never hear from them again. It's as if free is my one and only option without a portfolio and I am stuck now.
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          • Profile picture of the author elevatingyourbusiness
            Create a portfolio. Make it up! They want to see your work. Give it to them.
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            Maria Marsala,
            Financial Advisors Coach, Author, Speaker at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com/

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            • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
              Originally Posted by TomVa View Post

              I had to quit using fiverr because I was getting TOO many gigs. It wasn't till I made a video for each of my gigs that the jobs came in. All I did was use my laptop camera and talked showing my face let them know what I am offering etc.

              Like I said I had to stop using them because it took away from my main business lol Not a bad thing to happen though.
              Yes, l had that experience with them. So l ended up only offering product based services only, so it can be done in a few minutes, instead of a few hours.

              But l still get individuals who want me to do jobs for them on an ongoing bases, but have to decline, can't make a living on $4 an hour!


              Originally Posted by CuriouslyWondering View Post

              Have you considered Fiverr?
              Or have you considered Graphicriver, (sig link)?

              There standards are pretty high, but once you get past that, it is a great way to create a portfolio, and earn some money as well.

              The ones that get rejected, (and it will be a few) can always be showcased on your site or blog, with a few freebies. I recently did that, but am in the process of downloading some more images for flyers!


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              • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
                Originally Posted by tagiscom View Post

                Yes, l had that experience with them. So l ended up only offering product based services only, so it can be done in a few minutes, instead of a few hours.

                But l still get individuals who want me to do jobs for them on an ongoing bases, but have to decline, can't make a living on $4 an hour!




                Or have you considered Graphicriver, (sig link)?
                There standards are pretty high, but once you get past that, it is a great way to create a portfolio, and earn some money as well.

                The ones that get rejected, (and it will be a few) can always be showcased on your site or blog, with a few freebies. I recently did that, but am in the process of downloading some more images for flyers!
                I write articles. My articles get declined. I write more articles. Those articles get declined. I rinse. I repeat. To this day I have written so many articles I could probably write you a book on them yet only about 2 of them were approved. My grammar is not the greatest and English was not my first language when I was a kid and came to the states so it's kind of hard because my English skills are not the greatest.

                I know you offered Graphicriver which is different than writing articles but if you say that their standards are high sounds like my experience with article writing where the standards they were looking for were too high for my level of grammar and article writing.

                Although I am good with graphic design I don't want to join another site that has way too much competition and I don't want to have a repeat of my article writing where I do the work and it gets declined. It seems there's a never ending circle where I join one site after the other and can't seem to get them to work so I'm not sure signing up for another (although a great solution) would solve my never ending circle.

                But nonetheless I have been working with some people after I made this post I was approached by a few people who needed assistance with their businesses so I am currently working on a few small projects which is a great start for me.
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                • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
                  Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

                  Although I am good with graphic design I don't want to join another site that has way too much competition and I don't want to have a repeat of my article writing where I do the work and it gets declined. It seems there's a never ending circle where I join one site after the other and can't seem to get them to work so I'm not sure signing up for another (although a great solution) would solve my never ending circle.

                  But nonetheless I have been working with some people after I made this post I was approached by a few people who needed assistance with their businesses so I am currently working on a few small projects which is a great start for me.
                  Good to know that you have some writing gigs, but yeah, GR is competitive, but pretty much everything online is?

                  But there is such a thing as the Tipping Point, where you learn so much through failure and effort that it gets easier, and the failure rate can be turned around!

                  So when l started 80% got canned, but now, about 80% get through, one New Years flyer almost made me $30 in a month, so l am downloading a ton of seasonal material, since it is a profitable part of the business!

                  So, GR can work, but only if you are prepared to learn, accept knockbacks and keep going!

                  Good Luck!



                  PS time can add to you going up the GR ladder, so signing up now, and forgetting about it, will be more beneficial later on, (well, if you decide to do it that is)?
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      • Profile picture of the author elevatingyourbusiness
        You have to look for the affiliate link on services you're using. It's uncommon that it's in plain site.

        Look at the footer of the site or sitemap.

        Hostgator has one. Not sure about godaddy as I don't use it.
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        Maria Marsala,
        Financial Advisors Coach, Author, Speaker at http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com/

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  • Profile picture of the author mfried41
    I am starting a website selling E-cig vaporizers. I have built the website by myself on wordpress. It's not completely finished and still needs some refining. I'd love to chat with you about how I can improve it. I;d be willing to pay.
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    • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
      Originally Posted by mfried41 View Post

      I am starting a website selling E-cig vaporizers. I have built the website by myself on wordpress. It's not completely finished and still needs some refining. I'd love to chat with you about how I can improve it. I;d be willing to pay.
      Thank you for the response I have sent you a pm.
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
    If you farm yourself out for free and word gets back to the design community, you'll have a rough time finding a place at a good firm.

    Did they teach you how to get a job at your school?

    Scope out the places you would want to work, get to know the people. Bug the crap out of the people who are responsible for hiring. If they don't know you by your first name, you're not talking to them enough.

    Give yourself design briefs and complete them, add them to your portfolio. A portfolio doesn't have to be completed work for someone.

    First and foremost, get off the WF and look for graphic design forums; the About forum on GD used to be pretty busy, haven't been there for a while.
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    • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
      Originally Posted by SteveJohnson View Post

      If you farm yourself out for free and word gets back to the design community, you'll have a rough time finding a place at a good firm.

      Did they teach you how to get a job at your school?

      Scope out the places you would want to work, get to know the people. Bug the crap out of the people who are responsible for hiring. If they don't know you by your first name, you're not talking to them enough.

      Give yourself design briefs and complete them, add them to your portfolio. A portfolio doesn't have to be completed work for someone.

      First and foremost, get off the WF and look for graphic design forums; the About forum on GD used to be pretty busy, haven't been there for a while.
      Here's the thing. They did not teach me about how to get a job when I was in school. All they do is teach you about graphic and web design. What you do after you finish school or how you do it is up to you. They didn't even offer job placement assistance. I live in a very small town so there is not many graphic designers or companies in this area. The much bigger towns and cities where I live are further away from me but I am still searching to see what I can find out there.

      I also have tried graphic design forums. I have a few profiles set up with a few graphic design forums as well. I also agree on the free thing. I have people all the time who are willing to have me build them a website for their business in the area but they want it all done for free and since I don't have the portfolio to show them I know what I am doing then free becomes the only offer on the table.

      If I say no or try to negotiate a lower than most people (but reasonable) price to complete the work then I don't even get the job at all. But I haven't lost hope maybe a bit discouraged but I won't give up.
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  • Profile picture of the author purpleswizzleswirl
    Once free, always free. I understand the allure of building a portfolio with free work. Most quality companies (referrals $$$) will not even take the risk. Start a side project, build it up and use it as showcase. If you are a design expert (or someone trying to take the next step) launch your own web-based business. Pick a product, design a website, build a brand, build hype, SELL some shit and show people you are the expert.
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    • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
      Originally Posted by purpleswizzleswirl View Post

      Once free, always free. I understand the allure of building a portfolio with free work. Most quality companies (referrals $$$) will not even take the risk. Start a side project, build it up and use it as showcase. If you are a design expert (or someone trying to take the next step) launch your own web-based business. Pick a product, design a website, build a brand, build hype, SELL some shit and show people you are the expert.
      When you say side project you mean like just some random website or graphic design project I make up that isn't for anyone in particular? I also agree with the once free always free. Like I said before I have people willing to offer me work but because I have no portfolio they want it all done for free but when I try to negotiate with them it seems they are no longer interested in me so I don't get the job.

      As of right now I am working on my website. It is not done yet but I am slowly but surely getting there. Once that is done I will be able to submit it to google businesses in my area and see what I can do from there and I am hoping that when my site is done that people will be more interested in me.

      I do notice when I did a search for web design in google that a lot of these websites from professional web design businesses have portfolios right on their site so I would still need that. But hopefully the website can give me the push I need so people can finally give me a chance.
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      • Profile picture of the author CuriouslyWondering
        Have you considered Fiverr?
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        • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
          Originally Posted by CuriouslyWondering View Post

          Have you considered Fiverr?
          Yes. I made one sale. That was it. The amount of competition on fiverr alone makes it virtually impossible for me get sales. Most of my gigs have videos uploaded to them and all of them are offering more for my service than any of the other sellers and top rated sellers are offering.

          If you saw my gigs you would call me crazy to all hell for offering way too much for the measly $4 I am going to be getting per sale but as they say desperate times call for desperate measures so my goal was to outsell any of the sellers that offer my services. Yet somehow I am not making sales. People would rather buy from a top rated seller who has sales and tons of positive feedback even if that top rated seller is in fact offering much less for their service than I am.

          This "secret formula" or as fiverr calls it their "algorithm" that they use to determine whose gigs get to the featured page and whose don't is a secret people have been asking about for years and fiverr will never tell and they keep changing it every few months. I noticed some of the gigs listed on the featured page are from new accounts and some don't even have a top rated sticker on their gig while others do so I can't says that having tons of sales will magically make you go to the featured page which is beside the point since I have no sales in the first place just the one I made before.
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  • Profile picture of the author sarahjeff4u
    I feel you should work for yourself. You should create some good designs and ideas to show people about the quality of your work. There are always people out there who are always on a look for a new talent. You must apply for any fresher job and can show your work. If they like your work they will definitely hire you. It is always hard to get the first step of the success ladder.
    All the Best for your Struggle. Hope you will succeed some day... (:
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    • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
      Originally Posted by sarahjeff4u View Post

      I feel you should work for yourself. You should create some good designs and ideas to show people about the quality of your work. There are always people out there who are always on a look for a new talent. You must apply for any fresher job and can show your work. If they like your work they will definitely hire you. It is always hard to get the first step of the success ladder.
      All the Best for your Struggle. Hope you will succeed some day... (:
      Thank you for the kind words and yes that is what I am currently trying to accomplish is to work in businesses for myself since these companies have high expectations. Problem is even in trying to find work by myself that has become a problem. But I am still searching hopefully the right opportunity arises at some point.
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  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    SMH...

    Never work for free, if you're worried about building up your portfolio then you use that as an extra incentive for a business to work with you at a "discounted" rate.

    I recommend spending some time in the offline marketing part of WF, you will learn almost everything you need to when it comes to getting started.
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    • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      SMH...

      Never work for free, if you're worried about building up your portfolio then you use that as an extra incentive for a business to work with you at a "discounted" rate.

      I recommend spending some time in the offline marketing part of WF, you will learn almost everything you need to when it comes to getting started.
      As I said many times before in previous responses to posts. Discounted is not an option. No free= no work= no job. That is the mentality of the local businesses here. They ask if I have portfolio. I say no. They say will you do the job for free then? I say no or offer a discounted rate and then I get dismissed. I am not sure what people don't get about it. Discounted rate is something I tried already and still am trying as we speak and so far no one is interested in my discounts. They all want it for free or nothing and I have had people say "well I have a guy who can do it for free so if you can't I have someone else anyways."
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      • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
        Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

        As I said many times before in previous responses to posts. Discounted is not an option. No free= no work= no job. That is the mentality of the local businesses here. They ask if I have portfolio. I say no. They say will you do the job for free then? I say no or offer a discounted rate and then I get dismissed. I am not sure what people don't get about it. Discounted rate is something I tried already and still am trying as we speak and so far no one is interested in my discounts. They all want it for free or nothing and I have had people say "well I have a guy who can do it for free so if you can't I have someone else anyways."
        I think that is your own head trash, not the reality of your situation. You need to learn about positioning, not begging for work.

        Do you have your own website? If not, then why should a business pay you when you don't even see the value in it? If you do have a website, why aren't you setting up a portfolio/sample page with screen shots of templates and themes showing business owners what is possible?

        It seems like you're just making excuses for why you can't do it. Push harder.

        Hell you can even put a warrior for hire thread up for 20 bucks and say you'll customize any wordpress theme for $50-100 and build up a portfolio that way.

        You also don't have to limit yourself to one specific area. I have clients in nearly every state and every major city and suburbs. There's no reason you can't either.

        If you want to succeed, you have to allow yourself to succeed. Doing free work is not going to get you there.
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        • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
          Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

          I think that is your own head trash, not the reality of your situation. You need to learn about positioning, not begging for work.

          Do you have your own website? If not, then why should a business pay you when you don't even see the value in it? If you do have a website, why aren't you setting up a portfolio/sample page with screen shots of templates and themes showing business owners what is possible?

          It seems like you're just making excuses for why you can't do it. Push harder.

          Hell you can even put a warrior for hire thread up for 20 bucks and say you'll customize any wordpress theme for $50-100 and build up a portfolio that way.

          You also don't have to limit yourself to one specific area. I have clients in nearly every state and every major city and suburbs. There's no reason you can't either.

          If you want to succeed, you have to allow yourself to succeed. Doing free work is not going to get you there.
          Oh I have a website. I had a website that was completely done with absolutely no portfolio to showcase. Businesses and companies ask for the portfolio because they want to know that I know what I am doing and not just talking smoke and mirrors to them so they put me to the test by asking for portfolio of work I have done for other locally owned businesses. I am currently in the process of redesigning my entire site to make it more attractive to the people who visit it. I hope that redesigning my site to be more eye catching can help in my situation.

          As for the warrior for hire I have to ask you what I stated in my original post. Why would anyone buy from me when they have top rated warrior members who are offering more for their sites then I can offer for mines? Notice some of these people have dozens upon dozens of samples of work they showcase on their threads of different companies they have done work for. I have 0. I feel like maybe I could make up random sites and templates and use this to showcase for a portfolio even if I have to pay for the extra domain names but I don't know if that would look good or not in my situation.

          As for hiring people outside of the state I never considered this. I will definitely look into this and see who and what I can find out there in need of assistance.
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          • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
            Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

            Oh I have a website. I had a website that was completely done with absolutely no portfolio to showcase. Businesses and companies ask for the portfolio because they want to know that I know what I am doing and not just talking smoke and mirrors to them so they put me to the test by asking for portfolio of work I have done for other locally owned businesses. I am currently in the process of redesigning my entire site to make it more attractive to the people who visit it. I hope that redesigning my site to be more eye catching can help in my situation.

            As for the warrior for hire I have to ask you what I stated in my original post. Why would anyone buy from me when they have top rated warrior members who are offering more for their sites then I can offer for mines? Notice some of these people have dozens upon dozens of samples of work they showcase on their threads of different companies they have done work for. I have 0. I feel like maybe I could make up random sites and templates and use this to showcase for a portfolio even if I have to pay for the extra domain names but I don't know if that would look good or not in my situation.

            As for hiring people outside of the state I never considered this. I will definitely look into this and see who and what I can find out there in need of assistance.
            I will try to come back and respond in more depth, but in the meantime you really need to visit the offline marketing part of warrior forum and I promise you, you will get much better advice in general. There are many people who started out just like you, myself included, that have gotten over this hurdle. You can do it too. You just have some learning to do about marketing, and positioning yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author MrErickson
    Offering your services for free can help you build a portfolio. And from there maybe you can start offering your services for a minimal fee and then you can make it bigger in the long run.

    However, offering your services for free can also be problematic in the long run. Once you offer your services for free it will be easier for people to ask for your services in the future for free.
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  • Profile picture of the author WaldorfPC
    I love the idea of making money from affiliate hosting. That is outstanding!

    Now, when I was first breaking into the IT industry, I had many obstacles in my way. Not only did I have no experience, I am also blind so I feared that many would not want to give me a chance. This meant I really had to work hard to prove myself. Here is what I did which can help you also.

    1. Do a couple of projects or provide some services for free for individuals who are starting up a small business. You can find such individuals in this forum, other online forums, business networking sites or at your local Chamber of Commerce meetings. Let these individuals know you want to include them in your portfolio and use them as a reference. I provided some IT based instruction for Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind and did a couple of small time projects. After I got some experience and references under my belt, I branched out.

    2. So you are not completely losing out, get yourself on some reputable Freelance websites where freelancers can earn some money. The ones I love are ODesk, Elance (which has now recently merged with ODesk), Guru.com and RentaCoder. All of these sites are legitimate. You can also check out http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/50-freelance-job-sites-for-designers-programmers-best-of/ as this is a long list of freelance websites where you can earn money working in a variety of fields. You can sign up and start earning money right away, even if you are a rookie who has no experience or history on these sites. All you have to do is be able to do the job well and keep your customers happy. There is a rating system on most of these sites so you and your customers can rate one another.

    If you are not a people person, you will love the freelance websites. They are less intimidating as you do not have to figure out how to approach people and all that good stuff. I loved working on the freelance sites as nobody knew I was blind so therefore could not make any prejudgments about me which would risk me suffering discrimination and not being selected for the projects. All they knew was that I had the credentials like everyone else. There were a few times when clients found out about my blindness by doing Google searches on me, but this thankfully never became a negative situation. They were always amazed. I usually never brought blindness up as it had nothing to do with the jobs thus was not a pertinent detail my clients needed to know. They were paying me for a service, and I was to perform that service to their satisfaction. There were a couple of times when I did actually disclose that I was blind as I worked on a project for a disabilities organization, and that was neat. I find that in any situation, people are less judgmental online than in person, even if you have no disabilities at all, and it is easier to get your foot in the door.

    3. Be sure to ask your clients if you can use them as references. Some will not want you to, and that is okay. If you can get at least five people who will write a good recommendation letter for you over the years you have been working, then that is awesome. Be sure to keep emails and other important contact info for when those occasions arise and recommendations are needed for that big job.

    4. After you have a list of clientele you can use as references and you have some experience under your belt, you can start putting out your resume. My advice is for you to work on a few IT contracts before you try and get into the big companies. Contracts will allow you to get some experience with big name organizations which will look good on your resume. Trust me with this. I worked on four contracts over a period of almost four years before I finally landed a job with the company where I currently work. When you complete your resume, put it on Monster.com as this site has always been awesome. I have had the best results with Monster.

    While it is not easy, the journey is so worth it. In the end, you feel so rewarded.

    You will get there. Just keep on striving and keep your head up. Most of all, don't lose your fight. I hope all goes well with your endeavors. Blessings.
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  • Profile picture of the author TomVa
    Please do NOT work for free. If you must go to fiverr.com and at min make $5.00 Good luck
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    • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
      Originally Posted by TomVa View Post

      Please do NOT work for free. If you must go to fiverr.com and at min make $5.00 Good luck
      And that I did. I currently have about 10 gigs up and running. I may add more to see what happens but my gigs have been up for a long time and no one is buying them. You try to sell gigs on fiverr when there is so much competition you basically find that it becomes hard to do. I have had terrible luck and most people prefer to buy from the top rated sellers over people like me who are not rated as top seller.
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      • Profile picture of the author TomVa
        Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

        And that I did. I currently have about 10 gigs up and running. I may add more to see what happens but my gigs have been up for a long time and no one is buying them. You try to sell gigs on fiverr when there is so much competition you basically find that it becomes hard to do. I have had terrible luck and most people prefer to buy from the top rated sellers over people like me who are not rated as top seller.
        I had to quit using fiverr because I was getting TOO many gigs. It wasn't till I made a video for each of my gigs that the jobs came in. All I did was use my laptop camera and talked showing my face let them know what I am offering etc.

        Like I said I had to stop using them because it took away from my main business lol Not a bad thing to happen though.
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        • Profile picture of the author johnnyr860
          Originally Posted by TomVa View Post

          I had to quit using fiverr because I was getting TOO many gigs. It wasn't till I made a video for each of my gigs that the jobs came in. All I did was use my laptop camera and talked showing my face let them know what I am offering etc.

          Like I said I had to stop using them because it took away from my main business lol Not a bad thing to happen though.
          Most of my gigs have a video uploaded. According to fiverr if you upload a video you can increase your traffic and sales by up to 220%. I decided that was what I had to do since I was not making any money. Unfortunately I did not see any increase in traffic and my sales did not increase one bit.

          Everything stayed exactly the same. I even paid someone on fiverr to make a professional video for me and used that one on a few of my gigs and that didn't even do the trick. So maybe you just got lucky or something but it didn't work for me when I tried it and these same gigs are still up and running on fiverr.
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          • Profile picture of the author TomVa
            Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

            Most of my gigs have a video uploaded. According to fiverr if you upload a video you can increase your traffic and sales by up to 220%. I decided that was what I had to do since I was not making any money. Unfortunately I did not see any increase in traffic and my sales did not increase one bit.

            Everything stayed exactly the same. I even paid someone on fiverr to make a professional video for me and used that one on a few of my gigs and that didn't even do the trick. So maybe you just got lucky or something but it didn't work for me when I tried it and these same gigs are still up and running on fiverr.
            Hey listen, email me or PM me let me see if I can go over some of your gigs and give you some pointers. That's just crazy. Btw how long have you been with fiverr?
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  • Profile picture of the author mr_banks
    I think most people forget what it's like to get your first jobs. So here's my two cents. If you're going to market yourself DON'T market free services. However, it a free jobs comes along by all means take and use it to build your portfolio.

    Take @iAmNameLess advice and start learning about offline marketing. It will give you the on-demand ability to get more clients when you need them once become proficient enough at it.
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  • Profile picture of the author TeKn1qu3z
    Do it for a little bit of money. This will encourage you to do a better quality job.
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  • Profile picture of the author wristbandnation
    I would try to limit the free services to only a few local businesses. Try to find the hotspot businesses in your area like restaurant, bars, clubs and offer your free redesign or website and in exchange, you add a hyperlink of your site in the footer, marketing materials in their stores, add it to your portfolio, and etc. I would also provide them a list of prices that you would actually charge for regular customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Virtualghost
    What about bartering your service locally? Give a local company or service a website and have them give you something you want from them.Example tire store needs website and you need tires do a swap tires for your website building service then use their site as one of your samples.Etc.Etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jack Gordon
    jeez... this thread is a bit maddening.

    Listen to everything iamnameless is telling you, except I differ on one point.

    Until you have built up a portfolio worthy of healthy competition, don't be afraid to work for free. Right now, the job is more important than the money (I assume you are not living in the street, digging through dumpsters to eat).

    Make sure that it is not really free though. In exchange for the lack of monetary compensation, anyone you do work for owes you a glowing testimonial.

    This is what John Carlton calls the "shameless whore" stage. Build up that portfolio quickly. Between your own "jobs" (work you are not doing for a client) and "client" work (work you are doing for someone else), get something together as quickly as possible that will impress any future prospect.

    That is your job right now. If the portfolio is the missing ingredient to get you out of this bind, then anything else you do is only delaying your ability to leverage that future tool.

    Good luck.

    P.S. Why don't you put your web site in your sig with a few samples in it so we can see your style and assess your talent. You never know where the next job will come from if you don't utilize every resource at your command.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      I will FOREVER disagree with FREE. that's just utter non sense. you need to listen to what these business owners that you are talking to are telling you... "You don't have a portfolio so you must do it for free" "If you are not going to do it for free then I have someone else that will" Are you hearing it? REALLY? if that was the case, then they would already have one!

      The issue is NOT the fact that you don't have a portfolio.. the issue is you are exuding I am young, I am un experienced, and please take advantage of me. That's all fine and dandy when you are talking to young hotties... but in business that is the kiss of death.

      You have a degree for goodness sakes.. probably more than many here can say. YOU ARE EDUCATED and walking in like a little school girl saying please give me work? For the love of pete! MAN UP! Go in with confidence.. Display the work that you had to do to get through school. you have a damn portfolio! 4 years worth of it!

      This isn't asking mommy for lunch money anymore.. this is business. You don't sell? YOU STARVE. Walk in with your chin high, your back straight and make it happen capt! And for goodness sake don't be limp with the hand shake!

      Other than that.. try the offline forum and read anything and everything iAmNameLess has to say! and while your at it, because he cant say this I can.. make the investment and buy his product... a blueprint for the very business you are trying to get into - from someone that is successful in it!
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  • Profile picture of the author kkrueger
    IamNameless has some really good ideas. How I would expand on that is... since you have already contacted businesses that you say don't have a website, or one that isn't up to par, design a mock website based on that type of business. Car dealership, barber shop, hair salon...etc, Get your own domain name, and make a subdomain for each sample, put the links on your own amazing graphic design website to each subdomain.

    Portfolio page would have thumbnails of each website...that way when you contact the business, and they go to your website to see your portfolio with a live demo and they would see that you have done websites for that same type of business. Gives you credibility that you know what you are doing. You can makeup a name of the mock website business, and you use stock photos for your graphics.

    Just an idea to help build your credibility. Good Luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Carlo Manf
    Hi Johnny. I am surprised that no one seems to have mentioned non-profits. If you offer your services to non-profits, churches etc for free, you can build up your portfolio without for-profit business owners expecting they'll get your work for free too.

    Also, you can create sites for yourself to add to your portfolio, or even sites for fictitious companies.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nauman K
    How about offering free initial concept to better judge your skills...
    Offer them that I will design your flyer initial concept for free with unlimited revision after project signup.
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  • Profile picture of the author SnackMemory
    Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

    Alright well see the problem is I just recently graduated college with a degree in graphic design. I know all about graphic design and learned about web design as well. My problem? Because I am fresh out of college I don't have a portfolio other than the projects I worked on during my semesters in school (which I feel are not enough) and most of these graphic and web design companies that want to hire are saying "must have 3 years experience."

    Like how does one do that when you weren't even given the chance to get the experience in the first place? I did an unpaid internship but that was only for 6 months. I looked at the warrior for hire section and realized I can't outsell anyone here they are too good I would be destroyed in moments if I tried to offer services there with no portfolio. Everyone had to start somewhere.

    So give me your advice. Is it good to offer my web and graphic design services on here and in my area for free until I have enough projects done to build my portfolio? I would like to think free is good because I mean who can resist free? You have nothing to lose. What is your advice for a person like me? Advice is appreciated.

    Lets say you could help me turn around the deign on my site.... I would not be opposed to giving you a link from my site or a recommendation. At the least other may do that for you to get your name out.
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  • Profile picture of the author turboshandy
    Never work for free.
    Just because you're fresh out of college doesn't mean you can't start doing small web design jobs,on freelance websites. If you want to work for free, them use the time to do small projects for yourself,that you can show off in your portfolio.
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  • Profile picture of the author janey31590
    Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

    Alright well see the problem is I just recently graduated college with a degree in graphic design. I know all about graphic design and learned about web design as well. My problem? Because I am fresh out of college I don't have a portfolio other than the projects I worked on during my semesters in school (which I feel are not enough) and most of these graphic and web design companies that want to hire are saying "must have 3 years experience."

    Like how does one do that when you weren't even given the chance to get the experience in the first place? I did an unpaid internship but that was only for 6 months. I looked at the warrior for hire section and realized I can't outsell anyone here they are too good I would be destroyed in moments if I tried to offer services there with no portfolio. Everyone had to start somewhere.

    So give me your advice. Is it good to offer my web and graphic design services on here and in my area for free until I have enough projects done to build my portfolio? I would like to think free is good because I mean who can resist free? You have nothing to lose. What is your advice for a person like me? Advice is appreciated.

    Hi there,
    I am starting a coconut oil business and am looking for help with logo design/website design etc. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping out for your portfolio...obviously your work will be compensated!
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  • Profile picture of the author elevatingyourbusiness
    For free you can work with nonprofits and look for a nonprofit who has a program that helps start-ups.

    I'd recommend bartering with small businesses WAY before ever doing something free for them. Trust me... free brings a lot of grief.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jack Gordon
    Personally, I have found better success taking the skills I have developed and focusing them into a niche.

    I am not a graphic designer, so the analogy is not perfect. But if you always play in crowded pools, you'll always have a hard time being noticed.

    I am going to drop a cliche on you, but it is an important one: what are you passionate about?

    Go where the fun is (for you). Where you speak the language, read the magazines, know the people and the industry. And start there.

    For instance, think about any jobs you have held. What industries were they in? How about clubs you belonged to? Movies/tv shows you loved? Even religious experience. All of it adds up into your lifetime of experience. Draw on that to find the things that inspire or excite you, and that is where you start.

    Seek out the businesses and organizations that you best relate to, Offer them your services (try for the fee, but don't rule out free). Get your portfolio built up in one or two niche areas that personally resonate with you.

    If you do it right, you may build a career (or at least a standalone business) right there, offering specialized design work to a specific industry.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mach1Marketing
    You can do free...as long as you charge them hosting. I've charged as much as $200 for hosting. Of course it included maintenance. Which most of the time is light work. Add in some SEO for a fee and maybe even a video and it all adds up. But just the hosting fees add up nicely.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlexandrZolotukhin
    Try building some fake portfolio.
    Create a few websites, host them and show to your potential clients. No one is going to investigate if those companies are real. Give some screenshots as a portfolio.
    Also create some cool corporate site without buying domain for it, put black squares instead of logo, don't mention company name anywhere, fill it with "lorem ipsum", don't include real content, make it accessible on some weird address on your own site like yoursite.com/projects/nda/proj5/ and say that this is your recent project. Tell them that you had to remove real information and logo from public access because of NDA, and your client doesn't want to make this site public until his product is ready for release.
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  • Profile picture of the author Virtualghost
    Why not offer it to a non profit group who may need website or fundraising endeavor.Go to facebook there is always someone raising funds or non profits using facebook only because of restricted funds.
    I know of one in my area where family trying to raise funds so son can get special needs dog and they need to raise $15,000 and doing through facebook and raising funds offline as they have no website where they can accept funds ie. donations and the domain which is their motto is available but they are not website savvi.
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  • Profile picture of the author pepper1020
    Originally Posted by johnnyr860 View Post

    Alright well see the problem is I just recently graduated college with a degree in graphic design. I know all about graphic design and learned about web design as well. My problem? Because I am fresh out of college I don't have a portfolio other than the projects I worked on during my semesters in school (which I feel are not enough) and most of these graphic and web design companies that want to hire are saying "must have 3 years experience."

    Like how does one do that when you weren't even given the chance to get the experience in the first place? I did an unpaid internship but that was only for 6 months. I looked at the warrior for hire section and realized I can't outsell anyone here they are too good I would be destroyed in moments if I tried to offer services there with no portfolio. Everyone had to start somewhere.

    So give me your advice. Is it good to offer my web and graphic design services on here and in my area for free until I have enough projects done to build my portfolio? I would like to think free is good because I mean who can resist free? You have nothing to lose. What is your advice for a person like me? Advice is appreciated.
    I am a 48 yr old mother of 2 and I have tried to learn how to set up my company website. I bought 2 Word Press books and still cannot figure it out. It is very stressful to me with everything else I have on my plate. My sister who is the other half of our business gets a headache just looking at our iPage account. I need HELP!!!! I would be more than willing to let you put a banner, link or whatever else you want to promote your website. Please get a hold of me and help me get my site up and running. I do have 2 other domain names that will need to be set up in the future. If I am happy with your work on my main domain, I would be more than willing to pay you to set those up down the road.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex CJ
    Hey man, I've faced this situation before.

    Admittedly I actually ended up building 3-4 sites for people that were either free or very cheap - but they were people I selected who did present value to my portfolio, and something is better than nothing.

    It did take some time and ultimately didn't make me much at all...but if it's to get something to your name then maybe it's worth doing a small few.

    I would try it with some people/businesses you know however rather than on WF. Although as someone earlier mentioned, you can always attempt an upsell to hosting etc - I still have hosting clients to this day that have been paying me $40/month+ for years because they prefer having a dedicated contact and their designer in the one place.
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  • Profile picture of the author skypreet
    If you are good at something, never do it for free.

    What I would recommend is to join Freelancer, oDesk and other sites like Fiverr where there are lots of gigs and projects always keep going on. Prove your skills and if they are good enough, you will get paid for sure. Once that is done, open up your postfolio site and list your work and whatever you have done so far.

    Hope that helps.
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