First, Best & Wish You Knew: Andrew Norcross

WordPress developer Andrew Norcross is the founder of Reaktiv Studios and a major WordPress fan. He’s a conference regular, shares free plugins and contributes to the WordPress core. And he sports a WordPress tattoo.

We get quick business advice for freelancers from Andrew in our ongoing series, “First, Best & Wish You Knew.”

How did you find your first client?

My first ever client was a personal friend, but my first paying client I found via Twitter. I used to keep a search column open on Tweetdeck for the phrase “WordPress help.” I just responded to folks as I saw them (this was back in 2007, when there was much less noise). One of those clients ended up paying me a small amount for a fix, and I ended up doing things for them off and on for a few years.

How did you find your best client?

The best clients I’ve had over the years have usually found me, not the other way around. Rarely is it from a contact form, rather, it’s a personal referral from an existing client or someone who we’ve done work with in another capacity.

What do you know now that you wish you knew before you started?

Personality goes a long way. I see a lot of folks who try to act very polished/professional online without a hint of personality, and those folks tend to get lost in the shuffle. I’m sure there have been folks who didn’t reach out to me based on my personality (online and otherwise), but I know for a fact there have been many who have because of it. People want to work with someone who is approachable and, to a degree, likable. But beyond that they don’t want to be bored to death. So be yourself.

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Read our interview with Andrew Norcross for more insights on running a freelance WordPress business:

“So many issues are avoided by just delivering on your promises.” –Andrew Norcross