As a freelance web designer, I’m often engaged in conversations with clients that surround requirement gathering. The first thing I always ask before starting this conversation is “What is your budget?”

Now I’ve heard it said that some clients feel you’re asking this question so any price estimates will be increased to meet their maximum allowance. However, this is very rarely possible in any situation I have ever been in. I often find the client doesn’t have nearly the budget available to meet every demand they have, and have never ever been in a position where I could happily meet the clients demands for less than their maximum allowance.

Finding out their budget, as soon as possible, is vital for me to not only decide if I can provide a solution, they would be happy with that can be within budget, but also to allow me to manage their requirements and expectations to fit in-line with their finances. Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t heard of MacHeist before, let me tell you a little bit about them. MacHeist create amazing bundles of the very best mac based indie software and sells them at amazingly discounted rates. For example, the current MacHeist, nanoBundle2 is selling $260 worth of apps for only $19.95. Not only do they give mac users a great deal but they also donate 25% of the profits to various charities. While I really love the idea behind MacHeist, it’s not that I want to talk about today, it is the amazing website that they have designed that really caught my eye. Read the rest of this entry »