Bitcoin Cash for web developers, demo using the browser only
If you're a web developer and Bitcoin Cash seems a bit hard to understand, then let me show you how to accept Bitcoin Cash from yourself, send Bitcoin Cash to random strangers and send the change back to you. All in your browser, simple HTML and JS**.**
You will also understand how to accept, send, monitor Bitcoin Cash on your site if you want to build on top of Bitcoin Cash.
All you need is a regular desktop browser (won't work that well on mobile, since there's no developer tools). Brave is used in the article. Chrome, Chromium, Firefox will work the same.
Getting to the browser console
Open a new tab.
Type `about:blank` in the address field and hit Enter.
Right click the empty space.
Click `Inspect`.
Click `Console`.
That's probably the hardest part of the article.
Add the script tag
First of all we need to load a script. It's the same as adding this to a HTML page.
It's a compiled script (we'll explain at the end of the article) and you can find its source here: https://read.cash/simple-wallet/src/index.js (we will get back to this source in a bit)
Paste this into the console:
const script = document.createElement('script');
script.setAttribute('src', 'https://read.cash/simple-wallet/dist/wallet-0.1.js');
document.head.appendChild(script);
Creating a wallet
Let's create a brand new Bitcoin Cash wallet in your browser. It will disappear when you close your browser.
First we need to define some variables, don't worry about them yet, we'll explain.
Paste this:
const mnemonic = null;
const derivationPath = "44'/145'/0'";
const derivationNode = "0/0";
Now let's create a new wallet.
Paste this:
wallet = new BCHWallet('bitcoincash', mnemonic, derivationPath, derivationNode);
console.log(`If you want to backup your wallet - it's mnemonic is: ${wallet.mnemonic}`);
`bitcoincash` here is the name of the network. You can use `testnet` for TestNet network (where tokens are free), but as of this moment the TestNet API by bitcoin.com is down. So, we're going to play with the real Bitcoin Cash money!
If you want to test on TestNet (and it works) - then replace `'bitcoincash'` in the code above to `'testnet'`.
Congratulations! You now have a Bitcoin Cash wallet. And you also have access to mine too now. "Mnemonic" words give you full control of it.
Let's send some money to this wallet
Let's send some Bitcoin Cash to this address and wait for it to arrive. I'll use the `(async ()=>{ ... })()` syntax here. You can just ignore it, the important part is inside, for example:
Paste this into your console:
let originalSourceCashAddress;
(async () => {
console.log(`Send some Bitcoin Cash on ${wallet.network} network to ${wallet.cashAddress}`);
const tx = await wallet.waitForTx();
console.log(`Got the transaction ${tx}`);
const details = await wallet.BITBOX.Transaction.details(tx);
originalSourceCashAddress = details.vin[0].cashAddress;
console.log(`It came from ${originalSourceCashAddress}`);
})();
If you don't have any Bitcoin Cash - you can go to https://free.bitcoin.com/ and get some real Bitcoin Cash for free. You only need to have Google Account.
If you're testing on TestNet (see first steps) - the TestNet faucet is here: https://developer.bitcoin.com/faucets/bch/
Here's what you're going to see. I'll send money from my Electron Cash:
Cool, now we have some Bitcoin Cash in our wallet. Woo-hoo!
What's the balance of our wallet?
Paste this:
(async () => {
const balanceSat = await wallet.balanceSat();
console.log(`The new balance is ${balanceSat} satoshis ` +
`or ${wallet.satToBch(balanceSat)} BCH ` +
`or $ ${(await wallet.satToUsd(balanceSat)).toFixed(2)}`);
})();
Here's the fun part - we'll take one cent, send something to two strangers and we'll have something to send back to our original wallet!
Let's send some Bitcoin Cash to some strangers
Ok, let's send our 600 satoshis (1 "satoshi" is 1 / 100 millionth of Bitcoin Cash) to one random stranger and 700 sats to another one
How much is it?
Paste this:
(async () => {
console.log(`$ ${(await wallet.satToUsd(600))}`);
})();
Let's send it!
Paste this:
(async () => {
const toAddrSats = [
// stranger1 gets 600 sat
['bitcoincash:qqrxa0h9jqnc7v4wmj9ysetsp3y7w9l36u8gnnjulq', 600],
// stranger2 gets 700 sat
['bitcoincash:qpk4hk3wuxe2uqtqc97n8atzrrr6r5mleczf9sur4h', 700],
];
const tx = await wallet.send(toAddrSats);
console.log(`Sent ${tx}!`)
})();
Awesome! Two happy strangers now have $0.001 more! You can even check your transaction on a block explorer. https://explorer.bitcoin.com/bch/tx/11bce09358b679ef1d5e0404fa4c9bde0060b29f046ebb0bf1e3cd7112acd690
Let's send the rest of the money back!
If our first code we've created a variable `originalSourceCashAddress` which contains the original address from where the money came. Let's send the rest back!
Paste this:
(async () => {
const tx = await wallet.sendMax(originalSourceCashAddress);
console.log(tx);
})();
If everything goes according to the plan:
Let's get to the details of what happened
Well, actually if you look at the code you've been pasting - you now have enough to implement some basic functionality of Bitcoin Cash on your site. Generate wallets for users, wait for transactions, send money somewhere else. All without banks, approvals and permissions.
Add this to your HTML file:
<script src="https://read.cash/simple-wallet/dist/wallet-0.1.js"></script>
(well, at least copy it to your server first, don't rely on us holding it forever)
Create new wallet?
const mnemonic = null;
// or recover our demo wallet by using
// const mnemonic = 'mother brick uphold taxi word diet night exhibit gospel claim try alien';
const derivationPath = "44'/145'/0'";
const derivationNode = "0/0";
wallet = new BCHWallet('bitcoincash', mnemonic, derivationPath, derivationNode);
Want to wait for transactions?
const tx = await wallet.waitForTx();
Want to send money? It's as simple as:
const tx = await wallet.send([ [cashAddress, satoshis], ]);
Send money to two addresses?
const tx = await wallet.send([ [cashAddress, satoshis], [cashAddress2, satoshis2], ]);
`tx` is short for `Transaction ID`.
Get balance?
const balanceSat = await wallet.balanceSat();
How does it work? It's actually a simple script, like we mentioned - the source is here:
https://read.cash/simple-wallet/src/index.js
**Look into that file** - it's pretty simple.
It loads `bitbox-sdk`(bitcoin.com library) and adds a simple class to `window`:
And then defined the simple class Wallet. The whole file is just 200 lines and it has all the most common things you need, like `send`:
You can now take the relevant parts and use them.
How does `bitbox-sdk` work? It uses https://rest.bitcoin.com/ to interact with Bitcoin Cash blockchain.
Why do we have dist/ and src/ files?
I'm talking about this:
https://read.cash/simple-wallet/dist/wallet-0.1.js
https://read.cash/simple-wallet/src/index.js
The problem is that you can't just add a `<script>` tag with `bitbox-sdk` from bitcoin.com - you need to have node installed and do this:
If you do this and then run (assuming you have node.js installed): https://nodejs.org/en/download/
npx webpack --mode "development"
You'd get `dist/index.js` file which you can load as
<script src="dist/index.js"></script>
<script>
var BITBOX = new BITBOXSDK({restURL: 'https://rest.bitcoin.com/v2/'})
</script>
We need to use `--mode "development"` to preserve some names. Usually it's not the recommended way.
That's not possible without node.js. That's why we created the `dist/` script - to be able to show it in your browser. https://nodejs.org/en/download/
Here's more info how to use BITBOX: https://developer.bitcoin.com/bitbox/
The `Wallet` class that we wrote just shows some simple patterns of how to do things.
1-minute explanations of mnemonic, derivation path and node
The only thing you need to know about mnemonic is that those are words that are converted to big number, which is the master private key for a series of wallets.
Now if you add a derivation path `44'/145'/0'/0/0` you can get one private key and public key, there is one more at `44'/145'/0'/0/1` and `44'/145'/0'/0/2` and so forth. The first part `44'/145'/0'` is called "derivation path" and Bitcoin Cash typically uses this one (`44'/145'/0'`), the second is typically called "node" (`0/0`).
If somebody knows your mnemonic - they can spend all money at all those "nodes".
This is a very basic 1-minute explanation. Google for "HD wallet bitcoin" to get more detailed information on these terms.
So, you want to freelance for cryptocurrency, but its price is not stable
Cryptocurrencies are great. You get immediate payment, no chargebacks, no asking for your age, country, nationality. Everybody is accepted.
Yet, it is correct that Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and others are still very volatile, no doubt about it.
Well, this is 2019 and we have a solution for that. We have also implemented it on FreelanceForCoins.com (the other freelancing sites aren't in a hurry, it seems).
But **before I tell you about it**, let's think about the other side of things.
Is all volatility bad?
Imagine for a moment that in 2013 you were paid for your work. Let's say $1000 for 50 hours of work in Bitcoin. You left it sitting. Now (February 2019) you'd have 33 BTC, 33 BCH and 33 BSV. That is approximately $120 000. Now, again, is volatility all that bad?
Still don't like volatility? Ok, read on...
What can we do?
Solution 1
Well, here on FreelanceForCoins.com we can ask for a payment in a "stablecoin"
Simon requests $50 to be paid as 50 TUSD (TrueUSD) coins. When he received those coins, it will be $50 today and it will be $50 tomorrow. That's a stablecoin for you - no volatility.
What if The Buyer says "no"? Read on...
Sounds interesting? Got something to offer for stablecoins?
**Sign up and post your offer** https://freelanceforcoins.com/register
What are stablecoins? Don't they have a downside?
Well, there are a lot of stablecoins: TUSD (TrueUSD), GUSD (Gemini), USDC (USD Coin), PAX (Paxos standard token), DAI and USDT (Tether). https://freelanceforcoins.com/stablecoins
How do they work?
Well, most of those are tokens built on Ethereum.
Basically, somebody gives $1 to Gemini Exchange, and Gemini assigns 1 GUSD token to that person.
Gemini keeps $1 in their bank account.
The person is free to move 1 GUSD token and give it to other person.
Now that other person can go to Gemini and withdraw $1 (real US Dollar) to their bank account for 1 GUSD token.
...or that person can use the exchange and buy some Bitcoin, Ethereum or Bitcoin Cash for that 1 GUSD token.
Before you jump in
**Important!** There are two things you need to understand before you start using stablecoins...
Counterparty risk
Many of those coins have something called "counterparty risk". That means that if a company behind those coins runs away with US dollars in bank account - the stablecoin **might** lose its value. Because those tokens won't be redeemable for US Dollars anymore.
But, it might not be that bad. First of all, many of those coins are backed by very reputable companies: USDC by Coinbase/Circle, GUSD by Gemini Exchange, some just have a good history, like TUSD by TrustToken. Then you have USDT, Tether, which is not really redeemable to US Dollars (at least not to regular people), yet it still often keeps its value around $1.
The only stablecoin now (Feb 2019) that **doesn't have counterparty risk** is **DAI**.
DAI is great. It has a very complicated scheme to keep its value pegged to $1, but you don't need to understand it to use it. Currently it seems that at least ChangeNow exchange allows you to exchange DAI to other coins, so it is more usable now, than it was before (you had to exchange your Ether to WETH and then to DAI... complicated).
Ethereum fees
Ok, so all current stablecoins are implemented as tokens on Ethereum platform.
That means that if you have received a payment of 50 TUSD to your brand new Ethereum wallet... you won't be able to spend them.
Wait, what? I thought stablecoins are great?
They are. But Ethereum doesn't have a way to move tokens and pay for the transaction in tokens. So, to move your new TUSD you need to pay something like $0.01 (Feb 2019) in Ethereum fees. That means that you need to have at least some Ether to pay for it on the same account where you have TUSD.
One of the solutions would be to ask for additional $1 in Ethereum using second invoice. Another one would be to google for "Ethereum faucet". Those may give you small amounts of Ether in exchange for spamming your inbox or solving the CAPTCHA. Free money always come with a catch. Even if it's just 1 cent.
But my buyer says they don't have any stablecoins!
Also: don't I need then dozens of wallets to keep those? And figure out all the interfaces of those?
Act 1. The dream fails...
Short answer: Use Exodus Wallet. https://www.exodus.io/
Download, install Exodus. Go to "exchange" tab. Figure out how much money you would need.
Request that amount to be paid in Bitcoin BTC, Ethereum ETH or Bitcoin Cash BCH if you want to pay less fees.
After you receive your coins - click "Exchange" tab in Exodus, click All, click "Exchange" and now you have your money in stablecoins. Or at least leave something in a coin with the growth potential...
**Warning about KYC and exchanges.** Do not exchange big amounts ($1000+) in one go. There are true horror stories on Reddit about people losing their funds due to exchanges requiring to go through the impossible KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure. You can research more here. Exchange only the amounts that will not destroy you if they are taken away. So, if $50 is critical for you - change $25 first, then $25 more.. https://www.google.com/search?q=stealing+kyc+site%3Areddit.com
Now you should know more than enough to not worry about cryptocurrency volatility and start working for crypto.
Sounds interesting? Got something to offer for stablecoins?
**Sign up and post your offer** https://freelanceforcoins.com/register
Where is FreelanceForCoins in all of this?
FreelanceForCoins is the place where buyers and freelancers using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (or Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and stablecoins) can find each other. We believe that every freelancer in the future will have had at least one project done for crypto. Every year cryptocurrency adoption grows with no stopping in sight.
However, it's really hard to find freelancers accepting cryptocurrencies. It's a hard task even for us. We plan to take it slowly and attract users and earn their trust over time, adding new features and making this site more and more usable every day. https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/2
Join us in this journey
We hope you join us in our journey.
If you want to buy some services - look at the "Offers" and see if you like something. or publish a "Project" if you need something more custom tailored for you.
If you are a freelancer - offer your services in the "Offers" section or see the "Projects" for something you might do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
Want to earn cryptocurrency without investing? Give Freelance Writing a try!
We’ve all done it. We’ve heard a friend, colleague or family member mention Bitcoin and gone to have a little investigation ourselves, and we’ve all typed the same thing into Google “How to get Bitcoins for free”
You’re usually directed to the “high end” faucet websites whereby you can earn a handful of Satoshis. You prod your Google machine a bit more, digging a bit deeper into that Crypto rabbit hole. You may come across a micro wallet site, offering lots of coins and faucet sites. “This is great!” You think. Until a week later you’ve put in hours and hours of repetitive work and all you’ve made is $0.50 across 8 different coins. Your anti-virus software is doing back flips and you’re getting fishy looking emails suggesting they know your intimate secrets and want to distribute it to your contact list, but are willing to delete them for significantly more than your $0.50.
You may become disheartened. This rough and tumble world of Crypto can be unforgiving. But if you’ve only made it as far as Faucets then there is a plethora of options that you have still yet to discover. One of these options is freelance writing.
Whilst freelance writing may not be “free” as you are giving up your time and effort to earn crypto, it is a much lucrative option than collecting from faucets.
Where do I start?
“But I’ve never written a single article!”
I hear you cry. Worry not. The world of freelance writing is constantly growing and fiercely competitive, but fortunately you can write about virtually anything and still be able to get paid for it. My first piece of advice would be to write articles on a topic you are passionate and knowledgeable about. Nobody wants to see a botched together article, and I can guarantee no one wants to pay for it.
My own passions are football (soccer) and Cryptocurrency, and I have only ever written articles loosely based on one or the other, I would never try to deviate from these.
How do I write my first article?
Now you have chosen a topic it’s time to start writing. One of the easiest ways to get a platform to write on is to start your own blog. Using the same method as earlier you can search “Set Up A Blog For Free” in Google and there are literally hundreds of different blog providers that you can sign up to. Once the blog is ready, post several thoughts, articles, ramblings etc. The aim here isn’t necessarily to get paid via your blog, but that your blog can now be used as evidence of article writing.
How do I start getting jobs?
Next up is getting a gig. This can either be writing one off articles for different websites or getting yourself a consistent gig with the same website. You’re a freelancer, so you can decide!
There are many different platforms to try and get yourself a writing gig. The best place is FreelanceForCoins.com that offers a very straight forward way to submit your work to get reviewed. Post up an offer with the price you want for your work and that you will write articles in your chosen subject in exchange for cryptocurrency. Once someone has bid on your offer they will message you to discuss content and pricing. When you are ready to send the article you can also send an invoice with how much crypto you’ve charged as well as your wallet address. All very simple and straight forward! https://freelanceforcoins.com/
Another good place is r/Jobs4Bitcoins on Reddit. You can write a post saying that you’re a freelance writer for hire and hey presto you’ll get messages asking to provide evidence of previous work, or what you charge per word, or you can even be given a topic right off the bat to write about to be used as an example of your work. I have had a few different writing jobs via this avenue and every time the people I have dealt with have been very professional. https://www.reddit.com/r/Jobs4Bitcoins/
Conclusion
Whilst you may be a beginner in both freelance writing and cryptocurrency make sure you get very familiar with both topics. As previously mentioned freelance writing is very competitive, ensure you research blog posts and articles about your chosen field to see what the best writing style is for that category. Find yourself a platform to write some of your own stuff, this isn’t how you will necessarily get paid, but it is so important to have evidence of your own work.
Once you have all of this you are in the perfect place to begin putting your work out there, and to begin getting some sweet and tasty Crypto! And trust me you will have made more writing one article than you will collecting from faucets.
Where is FreelanceForCoins in all of this?
FreelanceForCoins is the place where buyers and freelancers using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (or Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and stablecoins) can find each other. We believe that every freelancer in the future will have had at least one project done for crypto. Every year cryptocurrency adoption grows with no stopping in sight.
However, it's really hard to find freelancers accepting cryptocurrencies. It's a hard task even for us. We plan to take it slowly and attract users and earn their trust over time, adding new features and making this site more and more usable every day. https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/2
Join us in this journey
We hope you join us in our journey.
If you want to buy some services - look at the "Offers" and see if you like something. or publish a "Project" if you need something more custom tailored for you.
If you are a freelancer - offer your services in the "Offers" section or see the "Projects" for something you might do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
Why should you Freelance for Cryptocurrencies
**Freelancing is the future of the workforce.**
Becoming your own boss, setting your own hours and deciding on what projects you do and don’t want to participate in without being stuck in a stuffy office are the main reasons freelancing is more popular than ever.
Freelancers mainly operate within industries and positions whereby the work can be done from home such as; computer programming, graphic design, music and writing to name a few. Hiring freelancers is also an attractive proposition to businesses, the ability to get the work done with a one off payment rather than hiring someone and paying them monthly works out a lot cheaper in the long run. That may be even more attractive to businesses should they decide to pay with crypto.
For a business unless it is absolutely necessary to have on office and employ staff then it makes absolute sense to go down the hiring of freelancers route. This would be an enormous help with cutting costs. A business would also benefit from paying freelancers with crypto;
Instant Payments – Pay and receive from anywhere in the world with lightning speed transactions
Extra Security – The transparent nature of the blockchain as well as the use of private keys and cryptography ensures that the system is not easily corrupted
Convenience – The technology involved means that processing payments are easier whether you are receiving or sending
Lower fees – It is less in fees to crypto than it is using the centralised services we use now
Global Market Access – The technology removes borders and can give businesses international status
Decentralised Marketplace – Middle men are a thing of the past, peer to peer transactions mean greater control
**Financial Freedom** – With freelancing already a path to financial freedom, owning crypto can give further freedom by having total control of your finances
Being able to connect directly is a feather in the cap for both the customer and freelancer, saving money on not having to pay intermediaries. Using crypto is also incredibly secure, as once a payment has been sent to the blockchain it cannot be cancelled. So none of those pesky chargeback fees can bite you on the behind.
Anonymity is key to how you can operate with crypto. To send or receive payments there is no need to reveal who you are. There are many different ways that a freelancer can begin accepting crypto and thankfully it is very easy to do. There are no banks and in many cases you can just download an app and you’re ready to go!
The world is changing at an incredibly fast pace. The people who embrace the change are the ones who will prosper.
Don’t bet everything on black though. If you are a freelancer and are already making money using other channels then that’s amazing for you! The new breed of freelancers though may want to operate purely in crypto. The 2018 crash has hit many people hard, but trust me it’s about to blow up again!
Where is FreelanceForCoins in all of this?
FreelanceForCoins is the place where buyers and freelancers using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (or Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and stablecoins) can find each other. We believe that every freelancer in the future will have had at least one project done for crypto. Every year cryptocurrency adoption grows with no stopping in sight.
However, it's really hard to find freelancers accepting cryptocurrencies. It's a hard task even for us. We plan to take it slowly and attract users and earn their trust over time, adding new features and making this site more and more usable every day. https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/2
Join us in this journey
We hope you join us in our journey.
If you want to buy some services - look at the "Offers" and see if you like something. or publish a "Project" if you need something more custom tailored for you.
If you are a freelancer - offer your services in the "Offers" section or see the "Projects" for something you might do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
How much freelancers should charge up front and how to select milestones
The most sensitive part of freelancing is how much you should charge up front and how to select milestones. Of course, there will be pros and cons of setting your price too low or too high. A less experienced freelancer would think of setting low rates with the hopes of attracting more clients. However, setting low prices will give your clients an impression of mediocre work, and setting them too high only because you want to earn big immediately may scare clients away because most of them won't be able to afford you.
So how much should freelancers charge up front? I wouldn’t give specific amounts since the best person to decide on that is you. But here are some factors to assist you in coming up with the best and an ideal upfront rate for yourself:
What the Project is about
Different projects have different upfront rates. Your rate should be determined by the scope of the project, the complexity, the type of materials needed and their availability. The cost of materials needed for your freelancing job should be included in the upfront quotation.
Who owns the Rights?
Most freelancers are ghost workers; this means that you’re going to work for somebody else, and all the resale and distribution rights will belong to your client. The upfront rate should also be determined by how much you'll lose for choosing to sell your rights to your client.
The Length of the Project
If the project needs a lot of time; especially the project compels you to travel to different places to conduct interviews, the upfront fee for the project may be set a little high. This should be done to ensure that you’re able to cover all the expenses that you will incur before completing the first milestone of the project. However, you should ensure that your quotations and findings are honest. Don't include the time you’ll spend taking snacks or having fun when making your upfront payment estimations.
How to Select Milestones
After deciding on how much you should charge your clients upfront, it’s time to select milestones. Milestone planning and selection are among the most important aspects of any freelance project planning. This is because project milestones are used to indicate project progress. Milestones can also be used to mark critical decision points in a freelance project, the completion of main project tasks and the completion of various project phases.
Milestones work best with larger and more complex projects. Milestones also ensure that you receive payment for completed tasks and project phases, allowing your client to establish trust in your service delivery and work in steps with small modifications to ensure client satisfaction. Here’s how to select milestones:
Figure out whether Milestone Payments are necessary for your Project
This will largely depend on the length and type of project you are doing. Milestone payments are recommended for projects with specified time goals that those projects that last longer than two weeks. Milestone payments can also be used for milestone payments, though these will often be time-based and not limited to project goal completions. If you've got a short project that will take you less than two weeks to complete, it doesn’t make sense to split the payments. However, you may still ask for a deposit on contract-signing.
Include your Payment Schedule in your Proposal
You must include your milestone payment schedule in your proposal, even if you’ve already mentioned it in emails or verbally during your previous meetings with your client. Just submit a proposal to your client with all the key deliverables outlined and broken out in a detailed timeline.
Negotiate the Payment Schedule with Clients
The chances are that if your client isn’t used to making milestone payments, he/ she may find it hard to accept the concept of spit payments. This may prompt them to ask for fewer payments or try to get larger amounts paid after completing the project. This is very normal, that’s why you need to negotiate the process that will let you both carrying an appropriate amount of risk. If your project duration is less than a month, you can split the payment into two, 50% upfront and the remaining 50% after delivery. If it’s more than a month, you can ask your client to pay you 25% upfront, 25% after project completion and split the remaining 50% into milestones
Lastly, the best way to ensure that upfront charges and milestone payments are in your favor is to maintain a strong reliability reputation. This is where recommendations, testimonials social proof co4, and referrals from previous clients, come in handy. A nice way of structuring your payment schedule is by having bigger payments for the last milestone when you have completed the project.
Where is FreelanceForCoins in all of this?
FreelanceForCoins is the place where buyers and freelancers using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (or Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and stablecoins) can find each other. We believe that every freelancer in the future will have had at least one project done for crypto. Every year cryptocurrency adoption grows with no stopping in sight.
However, it's really hard to find freelancers accepting cryptocurrencies. It's a hard task even for us. We plan to take it slowly and attract users and earn their trust over time, adding new features and making this site more and more usable every day. https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/2
Join us in this journey
We hope you join us in our journey.
If you want to buy some services - look at the "Offers" and see if you like something. or publish a "Project" if you need something more custom tailored for you.
If you are a freelancer - offer your services in the "Offers" section or see the "Projects" for something you might do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
How to ask for money as a freelancer
After working hard, **the end goal is payback**.
Nevertheless, asking for money has never been easy and certainly not always appropriate. As a freelancer, you might end up feeling awkward or guilty asking for money from certain clients such as mothers or students. Here is how you can politely ask for money without feeling guilty.
1. Send an Email Reminder
Casually send an email update to your client on what you have done and remember to include an invoice. As you progress with your project, it's common to be doubtful of your client's payment especially if you are dealing with cryptocurrencies. Unlike in fiats where you can have a chargeback, you need to have enough confirmation since the process is irreversible. Sending a reminder will put set things moving, and you will be much more at ease if the client shows sign of payment.
2. Ask on a Clients Perception Value
While most freelancers charge the quality of their work based on their perception, they forget to consider the other party. The best way to overcome guilt is to turn the whole situation around. Ask yourself if you would pay such an amount for the service you offered. That way, it is less awkward, and you won't end up overcharging or undercharging your client.
If you are a fair freelancer, it is inevitable to feel sorry at some point for a client — much more like any other business. However, tell yourself you are doing what needs to be done. Besides you also have responsibilities to your family and that’s the way to feed them
3. Drop it in a Conversation
I once worked with a college whose favourite motto was on’t ask, don’t get’. Whenever he completed a task, he would always demand compensation as a payback. Later I learnt that it is even harder to ask for payment and some people take advantage of this situation to avoid paying.
Similarly, if it gets harder to confront your client for payment directly, you could cleverly drop in the payment topic in your discussion on what next. That way will have politely request for money, and you will feel less guilty.
4. Get your Client to Name a Price
**If you are unsure of how much to charge** your client, then lead your client with witty questions that may get them to reveal their budgets. There is nothing more important than getting to know what your client would be happy to pay. Although they may not necessarily give a figure, they will assist you in charging within their budget, unburdening your guilty conscience.
Beware of cunning clients who are out to exploit others. Make sure your client’s budget is within reasonable pay so that you are not disadvantaged. As much as you want to make your client happy, you can't please everyone.
5. Include a Payment Plan in Your Contract.
One of the smartest ways to avoid being scammed or feeling awkward is to have a **prior payment plan**. Instead of agreeing to default monthly payment, you could request your client for partial payment upfront in your contract. Of course, not every client would be willing to do so, but it is nonetheless up to you to remove the hesitation. One of the safest ways is to use escrow which involves a third party. If your client is still hesitant, showing a list of previous satisfied client’s confessions would also help.
With an upfront payment, your final invoice will be less in value, and you may not feel as much guilt as you would have to charge the whole lot at once.
Bottomline
The best ways to avoid guilty feeling while invoicing your client is to make changes in the way you get paid. Start having partial payments if you are used to monthly payments. Alternatively, you can charge per project, and you will feel more comfortable writing only one invoice.
If writing an invoice makes you feel ashamed, it is probably because you don’t do a good job and you think its wrong or cheeky to as for too much. Asking for money is money is not easy. But when you know your value, and you provide the best available service, you will find it a lot easier requesting for what you deserve.
Where is FreelanceForCoins in all of this?
FreelanceForCoins is the place where buyers and freelancers using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (or Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and stablecoins) can find each other. We believe that every freelancer in the future will have had at least one project done for crypto. Every year cryptocurrency adoption grows with no stopping in sight.
However, it's really hard to find freelancers accepting cryptocurrencies. It's a hard task even for us. We plan to take it slowly and attract users and earn their trust over time, adding new features and making this site more and more usable every day. https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/2
Join us in this journey
We hope you join us in our journey.
If you want to buy some services - look at the "Offers" and see if you like something. or publish a "Project" if you need something more custom tailored for you.
If you are a freelancer - offer your services in the "Offers" section or see the "Projects" for something you might do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
How to use escrow with Bitcoin
Business with Crypto 101—Escrow and Key Signatures
If you’re not waiting for mass adoption, but are ready to seek, or promote, services to be paid in cryptocurrency — you should know of a few tools that can help to secure those transactions.
While cryptocurrency is relatively new, people used escrow agents to facilitate Bitcoin transactions - between anonymous parties online - since as early as 2013.
This article will explain *what is escrow*, how to find an escrow agent, and using key signatures to verify who you are communicating with — including the use of Bitcoin and Ethereum signatures to prove (and verify) ownership of a particular address.
With the knowledge of locating a reputable escrow agent, and familiarity with the use of key-signatures for verifying identity, our potential for using cryptocurrency to engage in valuable transactions is greatly increased.
What is Escrow?
An escrow agent is a *trusted third party*, who acts as an impartial mediator between two mutually distrusting parties. One party gives funds to the escrow agent, and the agent releases funds to the other party once the terms of their agreement have been met. In the case that a dispute should arise, the escrow agent uses their judgement.
Since Bitcoin enables peer-to-peer transactions, we must use and create our own systems for mediating transactions. While many are working to create decentralized applications for commerce, to rival their centralized counterparts, those applications are in their infancy.
How do I Find an Escrow Agent?
Bitcointalk.org is the oldest forum in the Bitcoin community, and among the first places that you could find an escrow agent dealing in Bitcoin. To this day, Bitcointalk and has an active, peer-reviewed, community of escrow agents. https://bitcointalk.org/
There have been any number of forum threads, ranking escrow agents, throughout the years. Currently, there seem to be two main threads on the subject (search for yourself to be sure). https://www.google.com/search?q=site:bitcointalk.org+escrow
BitcoinTalk’s Escrow Providers: Ranking & Blacklist - **(Started `13 — Updated 9/18)** https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=276897.0;all
hedgy73: Recommended bitcointalk escrow services - **(Started 11/17 — Updated 7/18)** https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2439910.0
Trust
Each escrow provider has their own thread, announcing availability, rates and other terms of service. You’ll want to browse these threads, and check out their rates, trust ratings, and terms of service.
Each users trust ratings is found in their profile, and next to their messages on the forum. Click “Trust,” to see what feedback they’ve received, and from whom.
Select “All” so that the entire thread shows up on one page. This way you can search for terms like “scam,” “lie,” “cheat,” “dishonest.” I usually scan an entire thread, when possible, as well. Pay particular attention to the end (most recent messages) of the thread. **You must do your research on this**, but it’s pretty straightforward.
Verifying Signatures
Forums and email accounts are commonly hacked. There are any number of ways an attacker could intercept your communications. Once you find an escrow agent that suits your needs, you’ll want to verify that you are communicating with who you think you are, before entrusting them with funds.
*That’s where public key cryptography comes in for the win.* (source) http://cryptocoindaddy.com/bitcoin-gold-dns-servers-hacked-website-forum-pointing-funny-youtube-video/
When you find an agent that you are interested in, first, check their PGP signed message.
If the escrow agent is a Keybase user, verifying their signature is simple.
Head over to keybase.io/verify, and you’ll see the following window. All you have to do is paste a signed message in that box and click verify. https://keybase.io/verify
If they are *not* a Keybase user, then you’ll need to verify via GPG, or the Keybase command-line app.
All you have to do is copy paste the public key into `signing_key.pub`, and the signed message in `signed_file.sig`. Assuming you have gpg installed — import the public key, and then verify the signed message:
gpg --import singing_key.pub
gpg --verify signed_file.sig
That warning is because PGP was designed so that users would sign each other’s keys, attesting to the identity of other PGP users that they know. That design is known as Web-of-Trust, where each user who signs your key, attesting to your ownership of it, becomes a strand in your web-of-trust. As PGP never gained wide adoption for the encryption of personal communications, Web-of-Trust never achieved its full potential.
The important thing is, if I give you my public key, you can verify that future messages from me were signed by its corresponding private key.
Keybase has helped in the matter by creating a social network around public key cryptography. Their app acts as a public directory of PGP public keys, and hides most of the cryptographic dirty work behind its slick UX. Keybase is a more user-friendly (and centralized) workaround to the difficulty of getting a bunch of people to sign your PGP pubkey.
If your chosen escrow agent is a keybase user, you can use keybase.io/encrypt to encrypt a message for them, before sending it through the forum. This way, you know that an attacker can’t intercept your message. https://keybase.io/encrypt
You can also encrypt messages for any user whose public key you’ve imported, via gpg in your terminal.
How To Use GPG to Encrypt and Sign Messages https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-gpg-to-encrypt-and-sign-messages
Verifying Bitcoin Addresses
In case someone ever wants to prove they own a Bitcoin address, or have it proven that you own a certain Bitcoin address, there are a number of tools available signing and verifying messages.
Just like in PGP, we use our private signature, along with our public key, to produce a signature that verifies control over that address.
I grabbed this message, from somewhere on the forum, to show an example using blockexplorer.com to verify a Bitcoin signed message. http://blockexplorer.com/
-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
This is SFR10, from bitcointalk.org. Today is 11/14/2016 and officially I'll be providing my escrow service from now on.
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1Gm5K2H2fjD2oiTn4rWC5GwQMn2xMUBc5g
IB3olT0yUiSAuFKtOpRTTanVMIyV6BlUMeNsHEA4OYgHfMEp9SBwXMFIIrEc2dWfarF9uJqfmpAPi9hrLIFftBs=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
https://blockexplorer.com/messages/verify
You can also use your Electrum Bitcoin wallet to sign and verify messages. I imagine other cryptocurrencies can be used in the same way.
How do digital signatures in Bitcoin work? https://www.cryptocompare.com/wallets/guides/how-do-digital-signatures-in-bitcoin-work/
Signing a message from your Ethereum wallet with MyEtherWallet https://medium.com/@vinczhain/signing-a-message-from-your-ethereum-wallet-with-myetherwallet-cfef7acd6f6d
Besides BitcoinTalk Escrow
Besides BitcoinTalk forums, r/Jobs4Bitcoins/ also has an escrow service: https://www.reddit.com/r/Jobs4Bitcoins/
jobs4btc-escrow.appspot.com http://jobs4btc-escrow.appspot.com/
Commissioned by the admin of the subreddit, /u/matthew_boyd, […] providing the service of trusted escrow for a small fee. https://www.reddit.com/user/matthew_boyd
When some work is uploaded, a community-trusted programmer will check through it, to make sure that the project has been successfully completed.
Additionally, you might consider using Bitrated.com. Bitrated was the first multi-signature application released to the public, having launched in 2013. https://www.bitrated.com/
Using multi-signature ensures that the trust agent never has full control over the funds and cannot take them to himself. In addition, when everything goes well, the funds can be released with no intervention by the trust agent.
Conclusion
Using Bitcoin escrow, and verifying signatures, we can engage in increasingly valuable transactions — making Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, more a part of our every day lives.
Resources
Bitcointalk.org https://bitcointalk.org/
BitcoinTalk’s Escrow Providers: Ranking & Blacklist https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=276897.0;all
Recommended bitcointalk escrow services https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2439910.0
keybase.io/encrypt https://keybase.io/encrypt
keybase.io/verify https://keybase.io/verify
How To Use GPG to Encrypt and Sign Messages https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-gpg-to-encrypt-and-sign-messages
https://blockexplorer.com/messages/verify
How do digital signatures in Bitcoin work? https://www.cryptocompare.com/wallets/guides/how-do-digital-signatures-in-bitcoin-work/
Signing a message from your Ethereum wallet with MyEtherWallet https://medium.com/@vinczhain/signing-a-message-from-your-ethereum-wallet-with-myetherwallet-cfef7acd6f6d
jobs4btc-escrow.appspot.com http://jobs4btc-escrow.appspot.com/
Bitrated.com https://www.bitrated.com/
Practical Cypherpunk Essentials https://infominer.id/bitcoin-history/pgp-and-me/
Where is FreelanceForCoins in all of this?
FreelanceForCoins is the place where buyers and freelancers using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (or Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and stablecoins) can find each other. We believe that every freelancer in the future will have had at least one project done for crypto. Every year cryptocurrency adoption grows with no stopping in sight. https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/2
However, it's really hard to find freelancers accepting cryptocurrencies. It's a hard task even for us. We plan to take it slowly and attract users and earn their trust over time, adding new features and making this site more and more usable every day.
Join us in this journey
We hope you join us in our journey.
If you want to buy some services - look at the "Offers" and see if you like something. or publish a "Project" if you need something more custom tailored for you. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
If you are a freelancer - offer your services in the "Offers" section or see the "Projects" for something you might do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
Start freelancing for cryptocurrency
Who is a freelancer? A Freelancer is a person that does some job for somebody, but isn’t employed by them. It is basically “self employment” via the Internet.
Steps to become a cryptocurrency freelancer:
Get a cryptocurrency wallet
Understand what you want to do
Sign up for FreelanceForCoins https://freelanceforcoins.com/
Payments
Ok, let’s see those steps in detail.
Why freelance for cryptocurrencies
This has two parts: “why freelance” and “why for cryptocurrencies”.
Why freelance?
A number of reasons.
Being a freelancer is fun. No, really, it wasn’t even possible to be a freelancer a hundred years ago.
Freelance jobs are on the rise. Almost every research shows that the number of remote jobs is increasing. Gig economy is on the rise and working remotely follows the trend.
You are “self employed”, so you get to set your hourly rate, how many hors per week you work, you can work in the comfort by working from home, you can start being your own boss, you can decide how many hours a week should you work, you don’t have to work 9-to-5 or 996 (“9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days”), you can take time to do some networking (i.e. visiting conferences and get to know potential new customers)
Most of the freelancers are remote workers. Freelancing can be both a full time job and part time job.
Why “for cryptocurrencies”?
First of all, cryptocurrencies are “borderless” in some sense — i.e. you can easily get paid in seconds, rather than waiting days for bank transfer to clear.
Secondly, your money is your money. They can’t be frozen or taken away. They can be really well-hidden (google for “brain wallet”).
Thirdly, though cryptocurrencies are volatile, meaning that they can lose something like 90% of the value in a year, but they are also volatile to the upside:
Imagine for a moment that in 2013 you were paid for your work. Let’s say $1'000 for 50 hours of work in Bitcoin. You left it sitting. 4 years later (April 2019) you’d have 33 BTC, 33 BCH and 33 BSV. That is approximately $190'000. Now, again, is volatility all that bad? If you were to invest it in stocks — you’d have only $1'400.
Cryptocurrencies work just like any other currency: you can spend it, you can buy stuff from Amazon (via Purse.io), you can exchange one cryptocurrency to another (FixedFloat.com or google for “cryptocurrency exchange”), you can exchange it back to fiat (USD, EUR, etc, via CoinBase, Kraken or CoinMama)
There are many cryptocurrencies. You can use https://coinmarketcap.com/converter/ to understand how value of one of them relates to another.
CoinMarketCap is a very useful site. Generally you should avoid using cryptocurrencies which are not in Top 20 on CoinMarketCap. https://coinmarketcap.com/
Most of the work for cryptocurrencies currently (April 2019) is done in Bitcoin (BTC). Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and Monero are also used for transactions, but much less.
Getting a cryptocurrency wallet
There is probably nothing easier than Exodus Wallet because it supports nearly every popular cryptocurrency in existence — Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero, Litecoin, Tron, Dash, EOS, ZCash, Lisk, Waves, Loom, 0x, etc… This way you won’t have to decide which cryptocurrencies to accept. https://www.exodus.io/
So, go to the web site, download it and run it.
Back up your wallet
Before you start — you need to back up your wallet — go to “Backup”, generate a password (you can do it here), write down 12 words — they are **very important**! If you lose them — you won’t get access to your money. https://passwordsgenerator.net/
Other than that it’s really easy to use. Go to “Wallet”, click the cryptocurrency you like, click “Receive” — you will get an address:
This is what you need to give to your future client to get the funds.
That’s about all you need to know. No need to register anywhere or wait for paperwork approval — you can start working immediately.
Exchange one crypto into another
You can even exchange one crypto to another inside Exodus, but it’s usually much more expensive than using something like FixedFloat or ChangeNOW.
Be advised though, sometimes when using cryptocurrency exchange services and exchanging big amounts of money — your money might get stuck due to “suspicions” of the owners. Exchanging small amounts should be relatively safe.
Understand what you want to do
Now it’s time to decide what kind of services can you offer.
Freelance Designers create designs of websites for clients. They mostly use tools like Sketch and Adobe Photoshop to create a design for a website, which developers will then implement using HTML and CSS. It is a relatively popular thing to do as a freelancer. Like any graphic designers they are often required to have portfolio (demo of their previous work), which is often shown as a link to Behance. Web design is always necessary and always will be. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/web-design
Freelance Developers are mostly programmers. Some of them develop websites or do web programming, some of them are just doing programming for other needs. It’s very popular thing to do and there is always the need for more programmers (developers). This is a very diverse area and it would take a few books to list all of the things programmers do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/website-builders-and-cms https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/web-programming
Translation is also one of the popular professions for freelancers, due to the fact that people often speak English in addition to their own native language. So, it’s easy to get in, but we are not sure if there is that much need for translators online. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/translation
Writers are the freelancers who write content (articles, product descriptions, books, e-books) for other web sites and products. There are two types of freelance writing (or maybe more): copywriting and creative writing. Copywriting (or content marketing) means that you write a text that sells something. It’s a skill in itself and requires some studying. Contrarily creative writing is just writing — articles, blog posts, usually it’s on topics you can easily pick up in a few hours. If you have good writing skills — there is a lot of work for you. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/creative-writing https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/website-content
Illustrators are creating images to be used by other people. Requires good knowledge of drawing and technical tools like Illustrator. Like any graphic designers they are often required to have portfolio (demo of their previous work), which is often shown as a link to Behance. Graphic design is always in demand and will always be. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/illustration
Logo Design (and branding services) is one of the popular services that is requested from graphic designers. Branding is a bit wider https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/logo-design https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/branding-services
Another related topic is Business names and slogans creation. It’s not as easy as it sounds, because mostly all of the good names are taken already. You have to be quite creative to find a new name that is pronounceable and has its .com free. Even though there are freelancers that specialise in finding available domain names — they do the “Domain research”. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/business-names-and-slogans https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/domain-research
Product designers are the ones who create physical products in 3D programs like SketchUp or 3ds Max, which are then used to manufacture the actual products. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/product-design
Social Media Marketing (and social media management) is when you can get the message of the buyer and deliver it via social media to the masses. It can include a range of services starting from just managing a social presence for the employer (i.e. taking their images and text and pasting — that is what “social media manager” does) to having your own ways to grow the social presence of the buyer (i.e. the number of followers, likes, etc). There is a myriad of courses on the topic on Udemy. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/social-media-marketing
Freelance 3D Modelers are the people who create 3D models (i.e. things which have volume, not flat things). Usually those are used either in game development or for product manufacturing. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/3d-models
Sometimes 3D models are used to create so called ArchViz (architectural visualisation) which helps remodelling, building houses, furnishing the new houses or apartments or moving the furniture around. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/architecture-and-floor-plans
Virtual Assistants basically do everything that a customer asks them to do (as long as it’s agreed upon), this might include internet research, answering phone, calling, sending e-mails, doing forum, Telegram/WhatsApp channels moderation. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/virtual-assistant
Freelance project management. Sometimes freelancers are even hired to manage other people and projects. That’s called “project management”. It’s not often done, but happens. Mostly, the companies hire project managers as staff, though.
Photography. Maybe not as lucrative as a profession as it was before. Great photographers are going to be in demand, but with all the great smartphones you have billions of people taking great pictures and occasionally trying to sell them. So you’re fighting against billions of photos per year. It’s an uphill battle.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization — making Google like your site. It’s not easy and often unpredictable. Essentially you’re trying to win the game where you don’t know the rules and the rules can change at anytime without any prior notice. A lot of people work in this industry, but it’s getting harder and harder every year. https://freelanceforcoins.com/categories/seo
Choose your niche
This is one of the important parts. It’s not enough to choose an occupation. You should specialise. A writer that has a lot of knowledge in some narrow topic, like “car washes” might earn 5 times more than just a regular write. A programmer that develops in-house apps for dentists might make 20 times more than a regular average programmer. However not every random niche pays out. I’m sure there is some need for writers about the species of the mice, but you probably won’t survive doing only that. Like in other small businesses selecting your niche might make it or break it.
Sign Up on FreelanceForCoins
Well, this step is easy — just go to “Create your offer” and fill all the necessary fields (there are not that many of them). https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers/create
Should you expect an avalanche of orders right away. As of 2019 — probably not. FreelanceForCoins is still very young and as such — there aren’t that many orders (though there are some!), but you probably still need to take your time to research who your potential customers are and try to reach them directly.
Most of them will refuse to use cryptocurrencies and that’s exactly why we want a place like FreelanceForCoins to exist, so that we have a place where buyers and freelancers who use crypto can co-exist together.
Taxes and accounting
The important thing to remember is to pay taxes on your income. Cryptocurrencies don’t make you invisible and what’s worse — they have records of transactions for all those years. That means sooner or later your government might discover that you aren’t paying taxes on your profits.
Getting a good accountant is very important for any freelancer. Good accountant is not cheap, but they will save you a lot in the long run.
Even something as simple as “please send me an invoice” might be a trouble if you don’t have an accountant.
Though “please send me an invoice” is easy on FreelanceForCoins:
Sending an invoice in FreelanceForCoins
We have a number of accountants on FreelanceForCoins that are ready to help you with your taxes and invoices. Get your tax payments going! https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers/75
A good accountant can also explain to you your own cash flow. Often people are starting to make money as a freelancer, but forget to note their own expenses and unpaid hours.
On a related thought — you should also find some contract templates on the Internet. Working without a contract can be quite scary.
Payments
There are two types of deals you can do (from the payments point of view) — escrow and regular.
Escrow means that a trusted third party holds the money until the deal is done.
FreelanceForCoins doesn’t have escrow at the moment (April 2019), so the only option is to do the regular deal.
There is a way to do an escrow using BitcoinTalk (see this article), but it is quite complicated and requires some technical knowledge. https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/6-escrow
However, the regular deal isn’t as bad as it sounds. You just need to talk through the milestone payments. We have an extensive article about that, but the general idea is simple. Take some money upfront (10%, 20%, 50% — up to you to decide) and talk through the conditions of full payment — which tasks need to be done for the project to be considered “complete”. https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/4-how-much-freelancers-should-charge-up-front-and-how-to-select-milestones
We don’t recommend doing any work before the customer pays some money. You also should release only “watermarked” materials to customer until full payment is done. Sadly freelancers disappearing is just as common as customers not paying in full.
Billing is a big topic and we have a section on that below.
Downsides and cons of freelancing
Dealing with isolation
Not having to go to work every day means you spend a lot of time at home either alone or with your family. Both of those have downsides.
Being alone is not fun for many people. When you’re in the office — you talk a lot and dream of the time when you have some silence to work. However being in silence the whole day can be quite frustrating.
Coworking spaces help with that. You can hire a desk at a busy place and meet new people (your “coworkers”) and share ideas. It’s not very expensive.
Being with family the whole day has downsides too. First of all, you will be distracted. You need to have some rules with the family, like “the door’s closed means I’m at work, do not disturb!” It can be tough and it will be violated occasionally. Coworking spaces can help with that too.
Irregular income
The general rule of thumb is to have at least 6 months of expenses on hand. Don’t spend anything until you can survive 6 months without pay.
Freelancing has occasional “dry seasons” when there is no work available or you’re just waiting for payment. You’ll have to survive those periods. That’s where your reserves come in handy.
Having to search for potential clients
Now that’s something as enjoyable as having a red hot iron to the skin, alas it’s the part of the game. You’ll have to do that. Finding consistent stream of orders is your second priority (the first one being delivering excellent work). We have a section below on that.
Having to ask for money
Well, we have a whole article about asking for money, so you should read it. Invoicing is a necessity and you can’t get away from it. https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/5-how-to-ask-for-money-as-a-freelancer
**Note: double your hourly rate**
Just a small sidenote: calculate how much you need to earn per month. Divide it by 20 (days), divide by 8 (hours per day), now multiply it by **at least** 2.
So if you want to earn $1000 per month — that’s 1000/20/8*2=$12.50/hour.
Why double? Taxes, having to communicate and vacation. Taxes eat a lot. You also don’t get paid while you’re communicating with your customer. Emails, phone calls — zero. Your future vacation also comes out of your pocket. You earn zero while you’re on vacation. Those are all non-billable hours. There is a lot of overhead.
Another way is to just negotiate a weekly or monthly rate.
Health insurance, dental plans
In many countries when you are working for somebody — that company pays for your medical costs, dental procedures, etc... This is not the case for freelancers.
Vacation
It’s a weird feeling being on unpaid vacation. Since you’re mostly being paid per hour worked — taking a vacation and not getting paid kind of feels like stealing from yourself.
Procrastination
Oh that’s a big one. Sometimes you’ll feel like you just don’t want to get the job done. You’ll just want to read that website, reply to that Facebook message, etc.. Wait? Where has the whole day gone? Why is the customer so angry? Oh wait? Deadlines? What was the deadline? Yesterday! Oh…
*You’ll need to be able to find motivation on your own.*
Other places to find jobs
Well, of course we think that FreelanceForCoins is going to be the best place in the long run, but in the meantime there are alternatives.
Ask your extended network (friends, family, doctors, people you randomly meet) how’s it going, tell them about what you do, meet them for coffee and talk. Might be scary if you’re an introvert, but it does work. Finding clients using referrals from your network is the best way to get work. Having a referral already shows that you have some good reputation. Word of mouth has always been the cheapest and most effective way to find work.
Networking events
Meetups are a great way to find work.
LinkedIn
Still one of the best places to find work. Talk to your old colleagues, join some relevant groups, answer questions.
Upwork.com/Freelancer.com
Those are the behemoths in the freelancing space. But it’s getting harder and harder to find good jobs there, because newbies have to fight against freelancers that have hundreds of positive reviews. Having zero reviews is just as bad as having negative reviews. The system is often abused in that even if you’re hired — people know you’re eager to not get a negative review. So, they might abuse you and you’d have to work for way too little compensation.
There is also definitely something fishy going on with certifications. I took an English certification, I think it was 20 minutes max. I finished with some errors at 19:40… There are people who have completed it in 40 seconds with a perfect score!
That’s something that is hard to believe.
But overall freelancer.com is a good marketplace to sell almost any skill you have. There are dozens of assignments coming in every minute.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a good marketplace too. You can offer some specific service that you can do, like “Write 500 words article” and sell it. It’s a bit crowded too.
Is blogging a viable freelance career?
For some people, yes. But it’s probably easier to win the lottery. I mean **every** freelancer at some point starts a blog. There are probably billions of blogs around. Most of them are doomed and could never succeed.
However, having your personal blog might be very useful for finding clients. Your potential client might find you randomly via your blog, read some of your thoughts, write down your contact information until time comes to buy your services. It helps you in establishing your authority.
An unexpected positive side
There is something you can do with freelancing that you can’t do when being employed. You can hire freelancers to do your work. Yep! Don’t think about it like you’ve just discovered a money-printing machine. Managing people is not easy. People are often lazy, miss deadlines, procrastinate.. You’ll be on a hook if your own freelancer doesn’t do his/her own work. But if you have an entrepreneurial spirit — you can do it.
Getting started
Like with anything — getting started is not easy. Expect to have no customers at all for some time. Plan ahead for that. But, like anything else — perseverance pays out.
Where is FreelanceForCoins in all of this?
FreelanceForCoins is the place where buyers and freelancers using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (or Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Monero and stablecoins) can find each other. We believe that every freelancer in the future will have had at least one project done for crypto. Every year cryptocurrency adoption grows with no stopping in sight.
However, it's really hard to find freelancers accepting cryptocurrencies. It's a hard task even for us. We plan to take it slowly and attract users and earn their trust over time, adding new features and making this site more and more usable every day. https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/article/2
Join us in this journey
We hope you join us in our journey.
If you want to buy some services - look at the "Offers" and see if you like something. or publish a "Project" if you need something more custom tailored for you.
If you are a freelancer - offer your services in the "Offers" section or see the "Projects" for something you might do. https://freelanceforcoins.com/offers https://freelanceforcoins.com/projects
@FreelanceForCoins
