You could say that work is a playground for our freelancer of the week, where his knowledge and passion flies high like a kite and his professionalism makes him the confidant of all the other kids on the court. Orlin Dimitrov is a dedicated freelancer and likes to compare WordPress with Lego because it gives you the opportunity to build whatever you want with it. Gather round and read more about his 10 years of experience as a Word Press and Web Developer…
1) First off, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello! My name is Orlin Dimitrov and I was born and still live in my nice and sunny hometown Varna in Bulgaria. I´ve been working as a Web developer for the past 10+ years on various web projects. Most of my experience is with international companies and clients, most of it done remotely. Working from home is the kind of freedom that energizes my afternoons and nights because I usually work in the late hours since there is so much peace and silence during those hours. So I am definitively a night person and this helps me a lot in my productiveness and personal life. Yet being flexible and effective are the key components in my work and I do my best to satisfy every client I work with because this is my mission as an IT professional.
2) If you would search for your profile on Google, which are the three keywords you would type in the search bar?
WordPress is definitely the number one keyword for me in terms of technology, my preferred platform. Another is OpenCoffee – an international club organizing informal meetings between IT & Business people. I´ve organized those meeting for 5 years in Varna. The third one would be AIESEC – another great student organization I was part of when I worked as an IT Coordinator for 2 years.
3) What was your inspiration and when did you actually decide to become a freelancer?
I started working home based right after University and continued this way for most of the time. Home based work is a freedom little people have the chance to experience. I´ve also worked in an office but I think home based is my way – it made me much more independent, self-organized and flexible in my personal life. Thus I decided I want to keep this freedom and for most of the time indeed have been working either freelance or with a contract for a company. I prefer working fulltime since this makes me fully occupied throughout the week yet freelancing with clients allows me more flexibility.
4) What kind of services have your clients asked you to provide?
I´ve especially been working on Web projects with the LAMP platform so I have versatile experience with all kinds of projects – from small CMS sites to large corporate intranets and e-commerce platforms. I´ve also participated in some Open Source projects and developed my own websites (including a pastebin site) for my own experimentation. In the last several years I´ve discovered WordPress as a platform and made probably hundreds of websites and tweaks with it. I am pretty familiar with its API and capabilities as a CMS and I compare it to a LEGO constructor you can play with to develop almost any type of website.
5) Do you use other freelancers or companies to provide skills that you don’t possess?
Since I am doing mainly coding I usually work with a ready Graphic Design in PSD format which a designer creates in Photoshop when starting a custom project – this is usually provided by the company or client I work with. I usually do all the rest without SEO and SMM.
6) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that are interested in your services?
A lot of clients contact me through my personal network of friends or colleagues I have worked with. I also actively use social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn which help me to expand my network and keep in touch with the people in it. I have a personal portfolio/blog site where I have listed some projects and more infos about me. But I also look for good companies I would like to work for on job boards or directly through their website. Yet I don´t do cold emails and calls. If there is an open position I think is worthy applying for, I do it.
7) What about freelancermap.com? Can you tell us a little bit about your experience with our IT-network?
I think freelancermap is a great site, I find it very functional and easy to use. I find a lot of jobs and project opportunities there and I am also proud it´s an EU project!
8) How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? What makes you special?
I am always very careful with every client – I have a personal approach and try to fully understand their needs and requirements and this includes not only the technical part but also the style of communication, the timing and delivery urgency, budget limit, etc. I often become close friend with some of them and that´s why I do agree with the quote: “In business everything is personal.”
9) What are the top three books, blogs or magazines you read to stay up to date in the IT-market?
I follow especially those websites:
- http://www.businessinsider.com/
- http://www.theverge.com/
- http://techcrunch.com/
But I read a lot of other magazines and blogs. I also regularly read e-books or watch video tutorials to keep up to date. I like visiting IT conferences too.
10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
If you are a freelancer, try to make the most of it! Since you are your own boss you are a free person in terms of time management and other decisions. So seek your opportunities and let yourself and your friends and family benefit from it!
And one hint: many successful entrepreneurs have started as freelancers – this is natural for a free thinking person. And freelancing gives you a chance to think outside of the “9am-6pm” box which most people are fixed to. Take a look around and hunt for opportunities!
—
Where to find Orlin Dimitrov?
- freelancer profile: Orlin Dimitrov at freelancermap.com
- Link to website: http://codeemperor.com/
- Skype: triers
The interview was conducted by Doreen Schollmeier – freelancermap.com team.
Pic: © Orlin Dimitrov
You would also like to be introduced as a freelancer in our “freelancer insides”?
Send us an email to info@freelancermap.com with the subject “freelancer insides” and shortly describe your services, experiences, and status!
