Case studies: Freelance web designer: Tim Waring

Tim Waring graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in web development. After a successful internship he now runs his own businesses specialising in web design

I actually run two businesses, one is Tim Waring Web Design - and the other is Mullen.

At this stage, Tim Waring Web Design caters for people who want a friendly neighbourhood freelancer, but I also need to target larger companies who wouldn't normally entrust big budgets to a guy behind a desk in his back room.

Mullen is currently a cooperative of freelancers with different areas of expertise, allowing us to take on bigger projects than we could do individually.

For me self-employment was something I always wanted to do. It's difficult to put my finger on why, although perks such as working your own hours and no one telling you what to do certainly helped spur me on.

One thing that does stick out in my mind was something a self-employed friend once told me: 'The more you work, the more you earn'. I think that sums up pretty well what self-employment is all about, not just in financial terms, but generally. The more you put in to your business the more you get out of it, something you can't always do working for someone else.

The work I do is creative and I think you have to be a bit of a control freak when it comes to design and executing your ideas on screen. Working for yourself means you can do this, while working in a hierarchical organisation means that you usually lose that control, and as a creative person that can be frustrating.

Financially self-employment can be rewarding - scary, but rewarding. There is no 9am - 5pm hours and your salary isn't capped.

They don't have degrees in drive, passion or work ethic because they can't be taught. If you're thinking about pursuing a self-employed career, I would be more concerned if you didn't have these important tools, than if you didn't have the right qualifications sitting on your mantelpiece.

I took business studies, art and IT at A-level and did terribly in all of them. Now I am a designer running an IT business.

I would never underestimate the importance of education but often it can't make you an expert. That part's down to you.

My route was an internship where I learned more about web design in my first three months than I did during my entire degree and was subsequently employed full time. Go and make yourself an expert in your field. If you are a specialist at something, people will always be willing to pay for your knowledge.