Completed Exploring Freelancing, I absolutely loved it. All the chapters after From Twitter Friends to Playing Clients onwards were so so well written and gripping.

If you have found yourself wondering:

• Where do I even start looking for clients on X/Twitter?
• How long should my contracts be?
• Monthly or hourly? What's the best way to charge?

Join me as I take you through my freelancing journey, which began in May 2020 and continues through 2025. This book is my effort to document my experiences and some hard-learned lessons I learned along the way. It is built from exploring the path of contract work to pay the bills while traveling the world.

I share what I learned the hard way. The mistakes, the wins, and everything in between. So you do not have to figure it out from scratch like I did!

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Table of Contents

Part 1: Getting Started

Chapter 1: Making the First Dollar Online

A motivational opening sharing the author's first experience earning money online at age 11 through a math competition, sparking his lifelong fascination with online income and setting the stage for his freelancing journey five years later.

Chapter 2: The Idea of Freelancing

How the author discovered freelancing through a senior's Upwork/Fiverr setup while studying iOS development. Covers his learning journey, frustrations with Swift/SwiftUI, failed freelance attempts, and the pivotal internship experience that built his foundation.

Chapter 3: Internship to Freelance

The transition from college internships to the first freelance project. Details the author's IT/math/business degree, startup internships, and his $500 first freelance gig converting a watchOS app. Discusses project-based pricing advantages and lessons about financial potential of freelancing.

Chapter 4: Freelancing in 2025

Practical guide for beginners on getting started in 2025. Addresses fears around contracts, finding clients beyond saturated platforms, building portfolios, niche specialization, and the rise of AI tools. Includes Q&A on managing multiple commitments and burnout prevention.

Part 2: Building Skills and Reputation

Chapter 5: First Reference

How building SwiftUI expertise through content creation led to the first professional reference. Covers specialization in SwiftUI vs UIKit, Twitter/Medium content strategy, and landing a contract through a friend's referral with premium hourly rates and flexible arrangements.

Chapter 6: Finding Clients on Twitter

Direct client outreach strategies using Twitter job postings. Shares the experience of responding to a remote job posting, negotiating rates, and the harsh lesson of working without contracts when payment was delayed for a month.

Chapter 7: From Twitter Friends to Paying Clients

Leveraging online relationships built through app feedback exchanges. Demonstrates how a years-long Twitter connection evolved into paid work, emphasizing the importance of genuine networking and trust-based pricing negotiations.

Chapter 8: The Consultant's Journey

Transitioning from developer to consultant through daily content creation. A New Year's resolution to write daily led to client outreach, evolving from coding tasks to strategic iOS development guidance and mentoring junior engineers during company layoffs.

Chapter 9: The Power of Open Source

How creating MusadoraKit (MusicKit wrapper) attracted enterprise clients. Details the open-source contribution journey, client discovery through GitHub issues, and the portfolio boost from shipping major features with premium compensation.

Part 3: Managing Freelance Work

Chapter 10: When You Need to Step Away from a Project

Professional handling of project abandonment due to conflicting priorities. Shares the experience of stepping away from a project for an Apple internship, emphasizing maintaining positive relationships and leaving on good terms for future opportunities.

Chapter 11: The Value of Emergency Work

Balancing urgent client requests with fair compensation. Covers a same-day MVP delivery, trust-based work without contracts, and billing strategies comparing project-based vs hourly pricing for different scenarios.

Chapter 12: Setting Your Freelance Hourly Rate

Practical rate calculation framework for iOS developers. Uses real examples from Indian market ($25/hour baseline) to international opportunities, factoring location, skills, and currency advantages for global clients.

Chapter 13: Dream Gig and COVID Halt

Handling major life disruptions in freelancing. The author's "perfect" project interrupted by COVID-19, teaching lessons about health prioritization, transparency with clients, and maintaining relationships despite setbacks.

Chapter 14: Trusting Your Gut in Freelancing

Decision-making when previous client relationships sour. Shares declining a follow-up project despite attractive terms, highlighting the importance of intuition and not forcing partnerships that feel wrong.

Chapter 15: The Power of Client Referrals

How one satisfied client created a referral network. Details landing macOS work through a referral, overcoming technical challenges, and how excellent service led to multiple additional projects through the client's network.

Part 4: Scaling and Sustaining

Chapter 16: The Unexpected Path to Consulting

Casual Twitter conversations evolving into ongoing consulting relationships. A 10-month delayed follow-up on HealthKit questions led to continuous work for an LLC, demonstrating passive income potential from established expertise.

Chapter 17: Cushion of Monthly Salary

Balancing full-time employment with freelance aspirations. The stability of monthly pay ($10th of each month) vs freelancing flexibility, with insights on team collaboration benefits and adapting to async work while maintaining side projects.

Chapter 18: The Independent Developer's Journey

Embracing independence as a developer and writer. Steve Jobs-inspired philosophy on doing great work, the challenges of self-reliance, and current activities including indie app development and technical writing for financial diversification.

Chapter 19: The Freelancer's Guide to Taxes

Essential tax responsibilities for freelancers. Covers determining tax obligations, tracking income/expenses, maximizing deductions, and planning for payments to avoid financial stress.

Chapter 20: Beyond Freelancing: Building Multiple Income Streams

Comprehensive diversification strategy beyond coding. Technical writing, book publishing (MusicKit book earning $2000), course creation, and investment planning to reduce freelancing dependence to under 50% of income.

Chapter 21: Finding Clarity in Freelancing

Self-reflection for career satisfaction. Five years of experience leading to preference for personally-used apps, work-life balance (2-4 hour days), and regular assessment of goals, skills, and fulfillment.

Chapter 22: Working with the Fruit Company

Direct Apple contractor experience and pricing lessons. Underpricing initially for portfolio value, spatial audio challenges with iOS 18 features, and learning that enterprise clients justify premium rates with proper negotiation.

Chapter 23: Consulting an Apple Design Awards Finalist

Climax featuring App Store front page success. Consulting for an award finalist implementing HealthKit and Control Widgets, leading to Apple Design Awards recognition and multiple App Store feature placements across countries.