With a whole bunch of complete jobs accomplished and a 100% job success price, Zac McDonald is likely one of the top-rated CMS builders on Upwork, the main job board for freelancers.
He started engaged on ardour tasks and easy jobs with a fast turnaround. However at present, he’s a extremely expert skilled in CMS safety, upkeep, and improvement.
Zac McDonald strives arduous to ascertain an incredible Upwork portfolio and now lives the digital nomad life by providing CMS companies as a freelancer.
On this interview, Zac McDonald tells us about his CMS journey. He additionally shares useful recommendation for aspiring CMS builders and freelancers who wish to set up an authoritative portfolio on Upwork.
Communication and honesty together with your purchasers is simply the primary factor. If you know the way to resolve their downside… and you then remedy it, that’s all anyone needs.
Zac McDonald – Freelance CMS Devloper
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Video Interview with Zac McDonald
When you’d like to take a look at the entire video interview with Zac McDonald, then you may watch it under:
Or click on on the fast hyperlinks under to see what we cowl within the interview:
Meet Zac McDonald, Prime-Rated CMS Freelancer on Upwork
Zac McDonald has been working with CMS for practically 19 years, which is fairly near the start of the platform’s historical past. So, he is aware of a factor or two about evolving with software program.
He’s an skilled CMS developer specializing in Elementor Professional, LearnDash, and extra.
Along with constructing CMS web sites from scratch, Zac supplies safety, upkeep, and troubleshooting companies. He even has common purchasers on retainer.
He’s additionally one of the crucial profitable and top-rated CMS freelancers on Upwork. In reality, he has a 100% job success price and has accomplished over 150 jobs.
However you could be questioning – how did he get to the place he’s at present? That’s why James Agar from the WPBeginner staff reached out to him to be taught extra about his CMS journey, and he was variety sufficient to inform us about it.
A CMS Journey: From Unpaid Ardour Tasks to Incomes $150 Per Hour
Like many curious and self-taught CMS lovers, Zac began utilizing the CMS CMS whereas experimenting with new instruments and tasks.
After creating just a few of his personal CMS web sites for enjoyable, he discovered one other alternative near dwelling. His spouse labored at a salon with a horrible web site, so he provided to redo it. He constructed a one-page web site with Elementor, they usually cherished it.
“I didn’t even ask for cash. I simply did it for enjoyable to construct the web site and to see if I may do it and if folks would love what I constructed,” he mentioned.
Zac then used these unpaid tasks to show his expertise as knowledgeable CMS developer.
I springboarded that to have a portfolio, to begin approaching different purchasers and saying, ‘I can do that for you at this value stage.’ And it went from there.
As we talked about, Zac primarily finds tasks on Upwork, which is undoubtedly one of the crucial well-liked job boards for CMS builders.
He bought his begin by taking small jobs that he may full shortly and successfully. That manner, he was in a position to get extra consumer opinions quick, additional constructing his credibility and repute.
This labored effectively for Zac since he actually enjoys problem-solving all kinds of points.
“I like working via issues, so I type of get pleasure from when someone brings me an issue, and I’ve to be taught one thing and work out why they’ve the difficulty they’ve,” he mentioned.
Zac additionally began off charging little or no to be able to get his foot within the door.
“I believe my first job I took for $15 an hour. And one job, I constructed this man an actual fast 4-page full web site for like digital enterprise that he had for like $50, $100. Tremendous low cost, however I bought it completed in lower than a day, and I bought my overview. He cherished what he bought.”
Zac repeated this course of, slowly elevating his costs as he gained extra expertise and bought extra optimistic consumer opinions.
As we speak, he prices $150 per hour for brand new purchasers. Which means his earnings have elevated by 10x since he accomplished his first job! That is fairly spectacular, in our opinion. Plus, it’s a testomony to the effectiveness of the “gradual and regular” method.
Recommendation for Aspiring Freelance Builders: Zac on Transparency, Communication, and Studying New Expertise
When you’ve ever used Upwork, you most likely know that getting jobs might be fairly aggressive. So, we additionally requested Zac what recommendation he would give to any aspiring freelance CMS builders who wish to stand out.
He emphasised the significance of transparency, communication, and studying new expertise. However he additionally talked about how essential it’s to complete just a few stable tasks to construct your repute.
When you’re beginning out, it’s all about getting simply these first few tasks, the place you’ve gotten a portfolio, and you may show: ‘I’ve completed this and been profitable at it,’ after which transfer on from there.
In accordance with Zac, transparency means by no means telling a consumer you could ship on one thing in the event you’re unsure you may. You need to be comfy letting purchasers know your present expertise and once you’re open to studying one thing new.
“Any person may say, ‘Hey, Zac, I need this widget on my website.’ And I’ll say, ‘I’ve by no means labored with a recipe widget earlier than. Let me get again to you tomorrow.’”
We expect this philosophy of honesty and openness to studying new expertise has been key to Zac’s success. He additionally identified that taking this method pushes him to increase his skillset, giving him a aggressive edge sooner or later.
“The following time someone comes at me with a recipe widget, I do know precisely what to do, whether or not or not I took on that authentic job.”
As well as, Zac talked extensively in regards to the significance of communication and delivering tasks in a well timed method. He advisable offering purchasers with conservative turnaround instances.
For instance, in the event you suppose the undertaking will take you 2 weeks, then it’s greatest to inform the consumer that it’s going to take you a month. That manner, it provides you a buffer in case you run into any roadblocks. Plus, the consumer might be thrilled in the event you flip the undertaking in early.
Moreover, Zac touched on the significance of holding on to good purchasers and inspiring consumer loyalty by sustaining his costs. “I usually don’t elevate charges on ongoing purchasers,” he mentioned.
Lastly, Zac talked about how studying new expertise and expertise is important for succeeding as a CMS developer. We’ll dive extra into his technical suggestions within the subsequent part.
Technical Suggestions for CMS Builders: At all times Preserve Studying
If you wish to succeed as a contract CMS developer on a platform like Upwork, you’ll want all of the gentle expertise Zac mentioned within the earlier part. However what do you want when it comes to technical experience?
Zac had some helpful recommendation on this division as effectively. He mentioned, “Clearly, the extra coding languages you recognize, the higher.”
Nevertheless, he made it clear that being a whiz at each single CMS programming language isn’t essentially a should.
“I’m actually not a grasp coder or something like that. I do know a little bit little bit of Java, a little bit little bit of PHP. I’m fairly good with CSS, HTML, after all.”
“In the long run, there’s someone that’s smarter than you that wrote a plugin that does precisely what you wish to do already, 9 instances out of 10. And possibly it’s important to pay $10 or $20 or $50, nevertheless it’s nearly all the time well worth the alternate for time.”
That mentioned, Zac cited CSS as an important language to be taught.
“I discover CSS is absolutely the primary factor I’m utilizing with CMS… as a result of quite a lot of issues are type of in a inflexible, predetermined theme or web page builder the place there’s solely so many choices. And you may just about change something on the entrance finish of a website utilizing CSS.”
When you’re simply getting began, you could wish to take a look at our free CMS video programs or the next newbie’s guides:
Zac has even referenced WPBeginner himself, saying, “I’ve positively used it as a useful resource.”
“I like how once you discover a web page on there, it normally provides you methodology 1, methodology 2, methodology 3. So if I don’t wish to use a plugin, it’d give me some code to punch in there to perform my process,” he mentioned.
Aside from the extra conventional coding expertise, Zac additionally talked lots in regards to the significance of continuous to develop your complementary expertise and data.
Along with CSS, he talked in regards to the significance of AI and the way utilizing it to supply authentic pictures and textual content can even assist.
Plenty of purchasers need builders to offer an all-in-one service, so with the ability to give them web site copy and photographs will help you stand out as a freelancer.
After all, in the event you select to do that, Zac recommends letting purchasers know beforehand that you just depend on AI to create this bonus content material.
Lastly, he means that understanding find out how to use a photo-editing device can even make you extra interesting to potential purchasers.
Now, let’s hear some closing ideas from Zac.
Closing Ideas & The place to Discover Zac’s Work
At the beginning of our dialog, after we requested Zac why he selected to work with CMS, he mentioned, “I actually get pleasure from it. I simply benefit from the technical problem-solving that I get to do coping with CMS.”
Nearer to the top of our chat, he reiterated this similar thought, together with the significance of a wholesome curiosity and an urge for food for studying.
That’s the primary factor… be taught, and be taught by doing, and be taught by doing one thing you get pleasure from.
Once we talked to Zac, it grew to become clear that he genuinely loves his job, which might be nice information in the event you’re an aspiring CMS developer!
Throughout our discuss, he additionally highlighted the skilled freedom he enjoys as a freelancer.
“I used to be by no means actual nice at a boss and a nine-to-five job. The place freelancing is nice. I’m in my sweatpants in my basement, and I’m at work.”
As a totally distant staff, we get pleasure from a few of these advantages, too. So, we wholeheartedly agree with Zac on this level.
When you’re keen on collaborating with Zac, otherwise you simply wish to see what a profitable CMS portfolio seems to be like, you will discover his work and speak to data on his skilled web site or his Upwork profile.
Bonus: Knowledgeable Guides for Aspiring CMS Builders
Need to change into a profitable, well-paid freelance CMS developer like Zac? Listed here are some extra assets that can assist you get began:
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