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Intermediate, Blue run Earn

Turn your web design skills into a proper UK business

Find your niche, price with confidence, win clients, protect yourself with contracts and deposits, get the HMRC side right and build recurring income, taught by a working UK freelance developer.

Recording now. Join the waitlist and you will hear first, with an early-bird price.

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10Modules
59Lessons
6 hoursVideo
2Hours of 1:1 included
IntermediateLevel
Full courseCapstone, exam and certificate

Sound familiar?

You can build a good website. But how much should you charge? Where do clients actually come from? What goes in a contract, when do you take a deposit, and do you need to register with HMRC now or later? Most freelancers learn this the expensive way: underpriced projects, endless revisions and invoices paid months late. This course gives you the systems and templates up front.

What you'll build

A complete freelance toolkit for your own business: a niche and priced offer, a portfolio with case studies, a client-finding routine, a discovery call script, a proposal and contract, invoicing and payment chasing, an HMRC and bookkeeping set-up, a project workflow from onboarding to handover, and monthly care plans that bring in recurring income.

By the end you'll be able to

  • Choose a niche and package a clear, priced offer that local businesses understand.
  • Build a small but convincing portfolio, even with no paying clients yet.
  • Price projects confidently using fixed-price packages, day rates and monthly care plans.
  • Find your first clients through local networking, referrals, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn and freelance platforms.
  • Run discovery calls, write proposals that win, and protect yourself with a clear contract, deposits and staged payments.
  • Register correctly with HMRC as a sole trader (or understand when a limited company makes sense) and know what Making Tax Digital means for you.
  • Deliver projects with a repeatable workflow, hand over cleanly and turn clients into recurring hosting and maintenance income.
  • Handle client communication, scope creep and late payment calmly and professionally.

Capstone project

Finish with something real

Build it on your own site, or a practice brief if you do not have one, and submit it for personal written feedback from Shaz. Pass the capstone and the final exam to earn your certificate.

Who it's for

  • Career changer / aspiring freelancer. the main audience. He can build sites now and wants to turn that into a real income without underpricing, getting burned by a bad client or getting the HMRC side wrong.
  • Small business owner / self-employed. already self-employed in another trade and wants to add web design for other local businesses, using the systems she half-has already.
  • Marketer with an inherited site. considering going freelance or doing side projects alongside her job, and wants to know how to price, contract and stay on the right side of HMRC.
  • Hobbyist. has built sites for friends and the local club for free and wants to start charging properly in retirement or alongside part-time work.

Who it's not for

  • Anyone who cannot build a website yet: start with Elementor Beginner
  • People looking for a "six figures in six months" promise; we do not make income claims
  • Agencies with staff who need hiring, HR and payroll training
  • Freelancers outside the UK: the business, tax and legal sections are UK-specific

Curriculum

10 modules and 59 short lessons, about 6 hours of video. Every module ends with a quick quiz and an exercise on your own site.

01Is freelancing right for you? Niche and offer6 lessons, 57 mins

A written one-page business plan with a chosen niche, a target client and a clear core offer.

  1. Welcome and how this course works5 min
  2. Freelancing honestly: the good, the hard and the money10 min
  3. Picking a niche without boxing yourself in12 min
  4. Your ideal client and their problems10 min
  5. Packaging a core offer12 min
  6. The one-page business plan8 min
02Your portfolio and online presence5 lessons, 54 mins

A portfolio site with 3 case studies and a consistent professional presence.

  1. What clients look for in a portfolio8 min
  2. Getting portfolio pieces with no clients12 min
  3. Writing a case study12 min
  4. Building your portfolio site14 min
  5. Brand basics: name, email and domain8 min
03Pricing: fixed price, day rates and care plans6 lessons, 60 mins

A price list you can defend, with packages, a day rate and monthly care plans.

  1. Why underpricing hurts everyone8 min
  2. Working out your minimum day rate12 min
  3. Fixed-price packages vs day rates12 min
  4. Care plans and recurring income12 min
  5. Add-ons, rush fees and discounts8 min
  6. Talking about money confidently8 min
04Finding clients7 lessons, 74 mins

A weekly client-finding routine using at least three channels, and your first conversations booked.

  1. Warm network and referrals first10 min
  2. Local businesses and networking12 min
  3. Google Business Profile for your own business12 min
  4. LinkedIn for freelance web designers12 min
  5. Freelance platforms: Upwork, PeoplePerHour and Fiverr12 min
  6. Outreach that respects people10 min
  7. Your weekly client-finding routine6 min
05Discovery calls and proposals5 lessons, 50 mins

A repeatable discovery call and a proposal template that wins work at the right price.

  1. Qualifying enquiries8 min
  2. Running a discovery call14 min
  3. Writing a proposal that wins14 min
  4. Good, better, best options8 min
  5. Following up without being pushy6 min
06Contracts, deposits and invoicing6 lessons, 58 mins

A website services contract, a payment schedule and an invoicing system that gets you paid on time.

  1. Why every project needs a contract8 min
  2. What your website contract should cover14 min
  3. Deposits and staged payments10 min
  4. Invoices that get paid10 min
  5. Chasing late payments10 min
  6. E-signatures and record keeping6 min
07Setting up your business: HMRC, tax and admin7 lessons, 76 mins

The right registrations in place, a simple bookkeeping system and a list of questions for an accountant.

  1. Sole trader or limited company?14 min
  2. Registering as a sole trader with HMRC12 min
  3. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax14 min
  4. Setting up a limited company10 min
  5. VAT and freelancers8 min
  6. Business bank account, bookkeeping and expenses10 min
  7. Insurance, data protection and admin8 min
08Project workflow and handover6 lessons, 58 mins

A repeatable project process from signed contract to happy handover.

  1. Onboarding a new client10 min
  2. Getting content on time8 min
  3. Project stages and a simple board12 min
  4. Managing feedback and revisions10 min
  5. Launching a client site10 min
  6. Handover and aftercare8 min
09Hosting, maintenance and retainers5 lessons, 50 mins

A care plan service you can sell, deliver and report on every month.

  1. Should you host client sites?12 min
  2. What a care plan actually includes10 min
  3. Your monthly maintenance routine12 min
  4. Monthly reports clients actually read8 min
  5. Selling retainers and upsells8 min
10Client communication, scope creep and your toolkit6 lessons, 52 mins

Professional boundaries, a change request process and a lean set of tools, plus a plan for your first year.

  1. Setting expectations and boundaries8 min
  2. Spotting and handling scope creep12 min
  3. Difficult conversations10 min
  4. Your freelance tool stack10 min
  5. Your first-year plan8 min
  6. What next and booking your 1:14 min

Lesson lengths are estimates and may change slightly when the course is recorded. Every lesson is re-recorded or annotated when the tools change, free for everyone with an active course.

Everything included

  • 12 months' access to every lesson, including updates
  • 2 hours of 1:1 live tutoring with Shaz (use within 12 months)
  • 16 editable templates: business plan, day rate calculator, proposal, contract, invoices, onboarding, launch and handover checklists, care plan report and more
  • Module quizzes, a capstone business toolkit with personal feedback, and a final exam
  • Certificate of completion
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Before you start

You can already build a decent WordPress/Elementor site (Elementor Beginner or equivalent). WooCommerce course recommended but not required.

Your tutor: Shaz

I'm Shaz, a UK web designer with over 20 years of experience. Through my agency, E-web UK, I build and look after WordPress sites for businesses every week. I'll answer your questions, review your work, and your included one-to-one tutoring is with me directly.

More about Shaz

Be first in when it opens

This course is being recorded now. Waitlist members hear first and get an early-bird price.

Freelance Web Design Business

£529£1,058launch sale price

Leave your email and you will hear first when it opens, with an early-bird price for the waitlist.

Earn path bundle

£849£1,058 separately

WooCommerce Shop with Elementor, Freelance Web Design Business, together. Save £209 on buying them one at a time.

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Guarantee

30days money back

If the course is not right for you, ask for a full refund within 30 days of purchase. No forms, no awkward questions.

Refund policy

Questions about this course

Anything else? Send me a message or book a 30-minute taster lesson.

Do I need to be registered with HMRC before I start?

Not necessarily before your first job, but you need to know your deadline. Module 7 explains the £1,000 trading allowance, the 5 October registration deadline and Making Tax Digital in plain English. For your own situation, check with an accountant.

Should I be a sole trader or a limited company?

Most people start as a sole trader because it is simpler, but it depends on your income and circumstances. We explain both and give you a list of questions to take to an accountant.

Can I do this alongside a full-time job?

Yes. The course is self-paced and Module 1 covers starting part-time, including how to plan your time and income.

Are the contract templates legally checked?

They are practical starting templates based on real freelance projects. We recommend having your final contract checked by a solicitor, especially for larger projects.

Will this tell me exactly what to charge?

It will show you how to work out your own minimum day rate and package prices from your real costs, and how to present them with confidence. We do not hand out one price because every business is different.

How do the 1:1 sessions work?

You get 2 hours with Shaz to use within 12 months, booked in 30 or 60-minute slots over video call. Popular uses are pricing reviews, proposal reviews and rehearsing a discovery call.

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This course is being recorded now. Join the waitlist and you will be first to hear when it opens, at the £529 sale price (usually £1,058).

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