Tom Hirst Profile picture
Builder who sells. Programmer who writes. Autonomy, price theory, web3. Author of Pricing Freelance Projects.
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Jun 12, 2023 42 tweets 2 min read
I'm 36 today.

Here are a few things that I wish I learned earlier: Image The only partner you should look for is one that aligns with your values.
Feb 3, 2022 78 tweets 32 min read
How to build a fully on-chain NFT project in 7 steps (with code): 1. Pick a theme

- Think about what the market likes
- Think about what you like
- Look for the overlaps

You'll need a starting character that all tokens are be based on.

Plus points for cultural references, moment in time relevance and memeability.
Nov 23, 2021 14 tweets 4 min read
How to build a personal website that pays for your life.

Everything I've learned.

A thread. Preface:

My personal website has been my primary source of income for 12 years.

It's brought me 100s of opportunities resulting in £100,000s of revenue.

These tips apply to anyone.
Nov 21, 2021 5 tweets 3 min read
What if I told you we can do something about making Ethereum less expensive to use?

Ref: shiny.mirror.xyz/OUampBbIz9ebEi… It’s obvious that the chain is tough on newcomers right now.

And we should be trying to make things as accessible as possible.

The good news is, everyone can make a dent by optimising their code. Image
Nov 19, 2021 12 tweets 3 min read
10 mindset shifts to becoming a better freelancer.

Every change I had to make.

A thread. 1. Value created doesn't equal time spent

Just because it only took a day to do something that took you two days to do in the past, doesn't make your output less valuable.

How long something takes is less relevant than you think.
Nov 1, 2021 9 tweets 4 min read
This thought dump has motivated me to build something.

Let's see how far I get with my NFTs for creators experiment this week.

Follow along! The plan:

1. Allow people to purchase a limited NFT providing access to all of my products

2. Incentivise buying an NFT (+ holding it) over paying in $ with access to future products too

3. Let holders sell their NFT after they've consumed the content for a potential profit
Oct 30, 2021 8 tweets 2 min read
If you could incentivise your fans to champion your brand by giving them a share of the upside, you’d do it right?

Welcome to web3, where creators and customers can both win big. Words from happy customers come with 10x the weight of your own.

But there’s no real pull for someone to leave a review in most cases.

Let alone a built in incentive.
Sep 30, 2021 25 tweets 5 min read
Freelancing, indie hacking, solopreneurship, being self-employed.

Whatever you want to call it, I've done it for 12 years.

Here's everything I'd do earlier knowing what I know now.

A thread. Keep time back for your own endeavours:

You can't grow your own business while you're only working on the businesses of others.

You need space to assess your direction, hone your skills and shoot for better.

Selling all of your time to other people is a trap.
Jul 14, 2021 18 tweets 5 min read
Writing Tweets Daily is here! 🚀

Twitter has changed my life in the last 18-months:

- More sales
- More business
- More friends

How did I do it?

By writing tweets daily.

And in this new video course, you'll be a fly on my wall. Watch me write tweets that people find valuable in real-time so you can do it too.

- Amplify your message
- Raise your profile
- Increase your opportunities

Pricing starts at $25 and will increase with every 25 sales.

Lock in your lower price now! 👇

tomhir.st/wtd
Jul 14, 2021 5 tweets 1 min read
Freelancing doesn't have to be a struggle from one client to the next.

You can build equity as a person of interest in your field.

You can distribute your knowledge alongside using it.

Get good at something then diversify.

Think outside the box. Examples:

If you're a WordPress developer, build a plugin that you can sell.

If you're a graphic designer, create an icon set that you can monetise.

If you love helping people who do the same thing as you, build a community around them.
Jul 5, 2021 25 tweets 7 min read
My personal website is my greatest asset:

- £100,000s of revenue
- 100s of opportunities
- 4x income streams

Here's how I built it.

A thread. How:

I started right away.

Why it's important:

If you want to generate leads, revenue and opportunity online, you should have a personal website.

The best time to start was yesterday, the second-best time is today.
Jun 26, 2021 38 tweets 5 min read
Want to go freelance?

Scared of selling?

I've sold over £500,000 of projects in the last 4 years.

Here's everything I've learned about getting over sales fright.

A thread. The bad news:

You have to sell as a freelancer.

The good news:

1. It gets easier the more you do it
2. You can make sales without being "salesy"
3. If you learn to sell, you'll be unstoppable
Jun 3, 2021 72 tweets 7 min read
I've worked on 100+ freelance projects since 2009.

Here's how to get good clients and avoid bad ones.

A thread. Most people are good.

Default to optimism, but know your work's worth.
May 25, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
Narrow your focus and stick around. Image Getting leads from free search traffic TLDR:

1. Understand what people are looking for
2. Create a well-written single service landing page
3. Wait for a little while (while your domain gets links)
May 23, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
Many freelancers overlook their ability to monetise their expertise without clients. Example 1:

A developer can sell their JavaScript services plus a course on how to write better JavaScript.

Apr 29, 2021 66 tweets 12 min read
I made $38,172 of side income as a creator in the last year.

Here's everything I learned.

A thread. First, the context:

- I'm an independent web developer
- I've been in business for 12 years
- I wrote two eBooks and produced a video course
- The $38,172 was made between April 2020 and April 2021

Onto the good stuff...
Mar 3, 2021 55 tweets 6 min read
I made £500K+ from freelancing in the last 4 years without working all the time.

Here’s everything I learned.

A thread. To answer the obvious first:

1. 95% profit
2. On my own, with a few project hires
3. Just freelancing, no other revenue streams

Onto the good stuff...
Mar 3, 2021 8 tweets 4 min read
ANNOUNCEMENT:

I’m excited to announce the launch of my new headless @WordPress business, @rtsagency! @rtsagency is me and my small team of friends with big talent.

We make websites, eCommerce stores & apps for serious business on WordPress.

Search-loved & conversion-focused technical WordPress work is our speciality.
Feb 9, 2021 38 tweets 5 min read
How your personal website can change your life.

Everything I've learned.

A thread. Since my early teens, I’ve loved creating websites.

From Geocities back then to WordPress + JavaScript now;

I've grown up with my personal website.
Jan 21, 2021 45 tweets 3 min read
Marketing for freelancers.

Everything I’ve learned.

A thread. If you don’t take marketing seriously,

Prepare for constant battle.
Jan 20, 2021 6 tweets 2 min read
This year, I'm in control of my time.

Meaning:

I can use all of it to make "bets" with.

I can work for money if I want.

Or I can do stuff that's primarily fun, interesting and fulfilling instead.

It's freeing, yet I feel less productive.

It's a strange transition. You're not always as in control as you think as a freelancer.

When you need the money and/or sign long-term agreements, control is a facade.

You take the project because the bills need paying.

You sign the deal because it brings security.

At a cost of your autonomy.