Jeff Nicholls on Freelancing, Family & the Power of Confidence

Tell us a little bit about yourself & your work.

Hey, I’m Jeff, a freelance Web Designer/Developer Engineer. I come from the heart of Teesside, born and bred! I worked my way up from Middlesbrough College to Teesside University, where I finally landed my first job in the world of web development. I have been in this industry for 10 years now, with 2 of those years freelancing.

What inspired you to pursue freelancing?

Family! My ultimate goal in life is to spend as much time as possible with my fiancée and kids. I don’t want to have regrets about missing out on my kids’ vital years growing up. I want them to know that their dad is right there alongside them!

Also, just having the freedom to make my own hours means I’m not subjected to a higher figure telling me when to start and when to finish. Freelancing is the biggest leap I’ve ever made in terms of my career, and it’s certainly something I’m not planning to stop anytime soon!

How did you get your first freelance client?

99% luck and 1% cold emailing. I was doing my nightly scroll through TikTok, and I’m a big fan of watching traders buy and negotiate luxury watches. I stumbled upon Charlie from TheLuxuryWatchCompany. I looked over his website and saw massive improvements we could make. I sent him a cold email, and from there, my journey began in the world of watch dealers and websites!

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a freelancer?

Planning! In my office job everything was planned for me, now I spend Monday mornings scheduling work for the week down to the hour on ClickUp (life saver btw!)

If you were just starting out, what advice would you give yourself?

Be confident! Developers often get stereotyped as being locked in a dark room with just the lights from the monitors to keep them company. I learned that if I wanted to succeed in the freelancing world, I would need to be honest, outgoing, and confident. Back in the office days, I would countdown the clock to a meeting, dreading that I would say the wrong thing or make a mistake. Over the past 2 years, I now look forward to my meetings with my amazing clients!

How do you manage work-life balance as a freelancer?

I like to try and keep one day a week free for my family. We always do something on these days, whether it’s a lazy day watching films or going out to do activities. I always inform every client about this, and they encourage it!

What software or tools do you swear by?

Top 3 would have to be Figma, Slack and ClickUp

What is the soundtrack of your working day?

Clients’ websites are created to the sounds of old-school hip-hop. I always listen to at least one song from The Marshall Mathers LP every day!

Wfh, office or coffee shop?

I definitely work from home; I need two screens in front of me, and it would be quite hard to take them to Starbucks!!

What’s your go-to wfh lunch?

Wow, time to out my terrible diet. Normally, I grab something quick from the fridge until it gets to Friday, and then I always, always order Thai food. I love it!

How do you measure your success as a freelancer?

How much hits the bank, right? No, if at the end of a project my client drops me a message with an amazing review, I know I’ve done my job right!

What are your favourite projects to work on and why?

Anything and everything e-commerce. The past 10 years of my career have been spent learning the ins and outs of what makes a high-converting and successful storefront. Your website should pop just like your brick-and-mortar store!

What is your favourite way to unwind after a busy day?

Rewatching episodes of The Ricky Gervais Show! I literally cannot fall asleep without one AirPod in, listening to the outstandingly funny Karl Pilkington!

What’s the best way for someone to learn more about you or get in touch?

You can view some of my case studies on my website, jeffnicholls.live, and also book a meeting with me!