My honest review of Standout Freelancer Course by Dann Petty
It was probably last year, the beginning of 2023 when I bought the Standout Freelancer course by Dann Petty. Every year I seem to want to try freelancing but fail to start. Dann is a pretty well known web designer with experience working with Nike, North Face, Nixon, Patagonia, Uber, Airbnb, Medium and more.
Standout Freelancer is a course focused on how you can set yourself up for success and stand out amongst other freelancers. Dann shares his advice and tips on how you should position yourself which should make you thrive and 10x your freelance career. The course costs $150 USD with 5 hours of video lessons or you can get a bundle of 4 courses that Dann offers for $350 USD.
The course structure
The course is in written and video format. There are 7 chapters/sections focused on different areas of freelancing. Each chapter is split into sub-sections that make the content easier to consume. There are complete chapter videos or mini videos for each sub-section. The 7 sections are as follows:
- Things you really must know first as a freelancer
- Setting yourself up (For success)
- Learn how to get work and standout more as a freelancer
- Hear the truth about how to work with clients
- Create a stronger portfolio to help you stand out
- How to work with clients - the most important thing
- A guide to pricing based on 25 years experience freelancing
When listening to each chapter, I found that the way Dann presents himself is very laid back and casual. It feels like you are listening to a friend teach you and give you advice on freelancing. You can expect to finish the entire course in 5 hours or over the span of a week, month or year (whenever you want).
The chapter content
In each chapter, I found at least one thing valuable that I will be taking on with me whether I do become a freelancer or not. Dann focuses on giving you an idea of what it takes to become a freelancer but also that you should not be “stopped” by your circumstances to not take the leap of faith. There are also lots of myths Dann puts to rest around how freelancers should not take on “free” work. In the big picture view, a “free” project can be an investment into your career leading to many opportunities. So if you are debating if you should or should not take the “free” work, consider what it can do for you. In all, Dann doesn’t dive into the nitty gritty of freelancing. The content is really focused around tips and advice on how to stand out as a freelancer and less around guiding you on the path of becoming a freelancer. Nevertheless, each chapter was enjoyable and I felt very drawn into what Dann had to teach.
Content quotes
Throughout the course there are lots of valuable advice I’d take with me. In order to not spoil the entire course, I’ll leave only a couple of my favorites here:
- “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.” — George Bernard Shaw
- It’s almost always better to take action. You never know what the road looks like until you’ve taken those first steps.
- If you want someone to invest in you, you first need to invest in yourself. Go create. Go practice. Do things to enhance your skills and use your practice as portfolio work.
- Only show the type of work you want to get. Only show the type of work you want to get.
Last thoughts
Standing out as a freelancer is not that simple, but it is not hard either if you put in the work. Dann does an excellent job in sharing his advice on becoming a freelancer as someone whose been in the field for 20+ years. Dann touches on each important topic surrounding freelancing but I found that there were some aspects that needed to be dived into more — how working with clients specifically work, what to expect, and how taxes work. There is also a lack of resources and guidance to the freelance process. The course says “it’s time to 10x your freelance career” but it does feel like taking this course alone would not make me ready to tackle and crush it in freelancing. This is potentially because I’m not freelancing at the moment. For the cost of this course, I would say that it is appropriate. You learn all the fundamentals to what you need to do to standout as a freelancer and Dann’s advice and approach to it is different from other freelance designers out there. It’s unique. I do think there isn’t anything specifically special about Dann’s course in comparison to other freelance courses but it was still something I enjoyed going through.
