Yesterday Chris Powell (@chrispowell) and I shared a session at BarCamp in Saskatoon about how we started our web design business. It was streaming live on UStream, but in case you’ve missed it, here’s the video of me (first) and Chris. Great questions from the audience!
Here we go, my first videoblog. I’m not used to being in front of a camera yet, but I hope that will wear off. Leave a comment to say what you think of it.
Links mentioned:
This post is part 2 in a series of 3 posts of starting your design business.
Starting your design business – Part 1: Prepare
Starting your design business – Part 2: Get started
Starting your design business – Part 3: Keep it up
Preparation, check. Get started, check. First client, check. Now how do I keep working? Ok, so you didn’t get the roller coaster ride you were hoping for. That happens to 90% of all startups, but don’t worry. There are ways to work towards a comfortable lifestyle based on your business. They all involve hard work, but that’s what you’ve prepared for.
Assuming you’ve had a few clients, and not just that one first client there are a few tricks to keep the money coming. The easiest one is the service call. A service call is a phone call to ask how your client is doing, just some small talk, chit-chat. This is where you have to activate your “possible-sale-signal-detector-hat” (for a lack of a better word). Don’t let your second question, after “how are you”, be “need anything else?”. It will be a short phone call, I can tell you right now. Ask if the client had response on the project, and if they did, what the response was. There are always comments, ranging from “cool, but I missed [fill in blank]” to “awesome!”. Absorb these comments. If it was all positive, keep doing what you’re doing, unless they were lying. If you get negative feedback or suggestions, absorb this as well! No buts! Work out a way with the client to fix the negative feedback.
Why not ask for referrals? Assuming your current clients are happy (they should be, because you did your service call), they are the ones that can give you free advertising. In my experience you need to reward your current clients for referring a new one. I guarantee you, it will not hurt to give your current client a x% discount on their next purchase for referring a new client.
I gave away cash once. $ 100 For each referral a client did. I had to add a time-limit to the promotion. I rest my case.
A full project management system doesn’t mean it will be full for the following months. Be prepared. The projects you’re working on WILL end. So, even when you’re busy with projects, keep talking to people, keep asking for referrals, keep advertising (if you were). I made the mistake once, to stop working on raking in clients because I was so busy. 2 months later, all my projects were done, and I had no new projects lined up. Good thing I had the safety net I talked about in part 1.
Being busy, doing the things you love doing is awesome, but you have to rest. I’m at the point where I decided not to read/answer any client email on weekends. I’m not designing on weekends, unless I have a really good idea for a client project, but I keep it to a minimum of something like sketching a design, so I can continue on monday. That way I have time for other things, like spending time with my wife, friends and in-laws.
I have a daily routine which starts with a shower. After that I read my rss-feeds with my breakfast-bowl. Next are emails. Emails I can answer right away get done first. The emails I have to do something for (like fixing a css, or add something to content) will be planned later in the day. After I’m done my “quick emails”, I check my project manager to see which projects need instant attention and I’ll work on that ’till lunch. I tend to watch a TV-show during lunch, to make sure I take enough time for my lunch break. When lunch is gone, I keep going on the project I started working on, until about halfway in the afternoon, when I get up to take a walk to the post office down the street to get the mail. Depending on what’s in the mail, I usually get back right away to finish up the things to do from the email in the morning, usually until supper time. Depending how much I got done during the day, I continue work in the evening, but no more client-communication.
I found other people going even further. I haven’t done it myself, but it seems tempting, and I might give it a try. Some designers have their days planned like Monday – client emails, Tuesday – Design projects, Wednesday – coding-day, etc.
By this time, you should have established a business that is able to bring in a decent money-flow and have your own ways of making your business a successful one.
Like I said in part 1, these tips are not guaranteed success. This is the way I started my business, and I’m hoping it will help you start yours.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve used these tips, or if you have tips for me (I’m always learning).
This post is part 2 in a series of 3 posts of starting your design business.
Starting your design business – Part 1: Prepare
Starting your design business – Part 2: Get started
Starting your design business – Part 3: Keep it up
So, you’ve done all your preparation, you’re sure you can handle the stress that comes with starting a business; you’re ready… now what?
I think the most common question for a starting designer is: “How do I get people to hire me?”, which is a tough one, although pretty easy to solve: network!
I got lucky with my business advisor, I guess. Like I said earlier, he carries around my business cards to all the new clients he meets. When he asks if they planned a website, he hands over my business card. These clients are now the base of most of my referred clients.
It’s not my only networking-source though. Parties, meetings, seminars, trade shows… everywhere I go, I don’t go without my business cards. Again, I have to mention Twitter. I have had a few projects coming through Twitter. People who found my profile and apparently liked my work.
It’s all about talking to people. If you can’t do this, go work for an agency.
This is the time you should check out project management software (if you’re planning on collaborating with teams a lot), Time management and accounting software. The reason why I didn’t put this in the preparation is because you can’t check out if you like the software without having an actual client. Sure, you can puts around in it, but usually the software only shines when you’re really using it on a live client. My suggestions for these applications:
Project management: 5pmweb – I chose this web-app because of many reasons. The main ones are that you can add a project, add tasks in that projects, and the tasks can be relative to another task. So, if you have a task “design site” and the deadline is being pushed back a week, all the tasks after that will be pushed back automatically. A real time-saver!
You can duplicate projects. Since most of my projects have the same workflow, I thought it’s a time-waster if you have to re-type all the tasks for every project.
Another cool feature is that you can share the projects with your clients. This way your clients don’t have to send you an email, or call you to find out in which stage their project is.
An alternative to 5pmweb could be Verb. It’s a very lightweight and FREE project manager. If you don’t want to dish out $18 per month, this is a great option.
Time tracking: Office time (Mac OS X/Windows) – I’ve tried a lot of these, and most of them fail me on 1 thing: my forgetfulness. Usually I remember to turn on the timer, but when I get side-tracked or distracted, the timers just keep running, which make the final time for a project very inaccurate. Office time detects when you’re idle and gives you an option to subtract the idle minutes, add it to another project (so, let’s say a phone call from another client interrupts your design process), or keep the minutes (if you’re working out wireframes on paper). I haven’t been using Office time that long yet, but I’m sure it’s a keeper.
Accounting/invoicing: FreeAgent Central – This is a little gem! I was really debating if I should use desktop software like Billings, or go for something online. I’ve decided to go for the online option, mainly because FreeAgent has really amazing and powerful options. There are too many to mention in a post like this, but a few things that amaze me are the ability to upload your bank statement. FreeAgent will recognise all transactions and can link them to invoices you’ve sent. It also keeps track of all your expenses. It does this all for $ 20 per month, unless you sign up through my referral link, which will give you 10% discount, and for every person you refer to FreeAgent, you’ll receive another 10% discount (for as long the referred person stays signed up!).
This is also the time you can work on your workflow. Although this evolves overtime, write down the steps you take with your client to get to the end result. After you made this list, start working on how the process felt, and where you’d like to do things different. My workflow for a regular web design project looks like this:
After you landed your first client, I would do almost anything to make him/her happy, even if it costs you money, because the best advertising you can get is a referral. They’re free and work 100x better than an ad in the paper. So get your first client(s) as happy as you can. Remember, you’re investing in your business.
Put this project in your portfolio, and have this client write a raving review/testimonial about your services.
From here on, be prepared (but don’t expect) a roller coaster ride.
Part 3 of this series will be posted next week.
Please, leave a comment with how you got started, or if you have links to useful websites for starting up a design business.
This post is part 1 in a series of 3 posts of starting your design business.
Starting your design business – Part 1: Prepare
Starting your design business – Part 2: Get started
Starting your design business – Part 3: Keep it up
In a previous post, I gave some tips on running your own business, but I never really gave advice on how to actually start up. I’m not an expert and the following tips will not guarantee success, but this is how I did it, and for me: so far, so good.
When I came to Canada in 2007, I had to wait for a residence/work permit, so I had loads of time to investigate what the business culture was like. I knew I wanted to start my business from scratch, and I did not want to to start off on a payroll at a local supermarket or something, so I did a lot of preparing for when I would get my permits to work.
Because my wife was still Canadian, she started working right away, which now is our safety-net. I’ll get back to that later.
I suggest a few things in preperation.
1: Find the website of your government. The government of Canada has a website with all the information about federal rules when setting up a business.
2: Find the website of your province/state. I live in Saskatchewan, and they have a separate website for everything provincial.
3: See if you can get a business advisor through the government. I’ll get back on this later.
4: Find out if you need a business license and how you can/should register your business.
5: Work on your business plan. Knowing where you want to be in 5 years is like winning half the battle. You know what you’re working for, which can only motivate.
6: Prepare a financial plan. This way you have a monthly feel of if the business is feasible or not. You create an excel sheet of all the income and expenses you’ll be expecting.
Your business advisor can help you with step 5 and 6.
7: Find an accountant. This person doesn’t have to do all the number crunching for you, but at least build a relationship, so if you have questions about your financial situation or things like taxes, you have someone to turn to.
Get the simple and cheap things ready before you start advertising your business. Business cards for instance. A cheap way to market your business.
With these business cards in your pocket, you’ll have to go talk to business-people, you know, potential clients. Not so much to advertise your services, but to find out what the business-culture will be like. Do you like talking to these people, or are you having trouble connecting?
Something I did before I started was work on my own website. Since I had a lot of time, I had the opportunity to learn how to hand-code CSS. I read a bunch of design related tutorials and improved my Photoshop and Illustrator skills. I also created random personal websites, which I put in my portfolio. I got on Twitter and connected with a bunch of designers, who taught me a lot of things. Twitter is a huge resource for design tutorials and inspiration.
This guy has been a tremendous help when I started my business. You can ask anything about the business, and he will know it. If not, he knows where to find the answers. Usually, they have a really good feel for the market. As an example; My business advisor put himself in the position of being my (potential) client, and he would ask me questions a client would normally ask. I can tell you, there quite a few things I wasn’t prepared for, but because HE was the one asking, he could help me with the solution as well.
Now, as I said in the preparation-section earlier, you should find out if you can get an advisor through the government. This way, you’re not spending loads of money on consultations right off the bat. My business advisor came through CCS. I paid a whopping $ 5 (administration fee), and I got a business advisor that knew how Saskatchewan business people would do business with me. He helped me set up my business plan, financial plan and contract. He even referred me to a lawyer to have a look at that contract. I can say: without his help, my business would not have been where it is now. It also helps that he’s always talking to people that are starting up a business. He has a stack of my business cards for those kind of people.
I couldn’t have done it without my wife. The only way to set up a business is to have a safety net for when things go sour. This can be in the form of a part time job, a bloated savings account, an inheritance or, like in my case, a wife with a decent paying job.
As I said earlier, while waiting for my residence permit, i was not allowed to work, so we had to live off 1 income. This was a good preparation for things to come.
Keep in mind: a loan is NOT a safety net! That will have to be paid off eventually, and the interest might even kill your business.
Part 2 of this series will be posted next week.
Please, leave a comment with your preparation strategies, or if you have links to useful websites for starting up a design business.
Happy Camper
Recently I had a conversation with a young designer who told me something like “When my client approves my design, I’m happy, even when I know it can be better”. This inspired me to write this post, because I think he’s wrong. (more…)
In the designer community, there’s a discussion about spec work. I was just listening to a podcast about it that was going on at SXSW 2009. Although a few guys from the audience are just be butt wipes trying to make a point, the initial discussion is pretty interesting.
Now, I can start a whole lentghy blog post dissecting sites like Crowdspring or 99designs, but I won’t. I’m just going to say why I don’t do spec work as a designer. I respect the people that do as well as the clients that create competitions on sites like these to get their work done.
I don’t do spec work because, in short, my time is too valuable, and it adds no value to my learning curve. Popping (no pun intended) out designs for a project that I might not even get to work on is not my idea on learning more about design, clients and skills. I design sites because I understand my client’s business.
“Throwing it against the wall and see if it sticks” doesn’t teach me anything. Sure, I can create web templates and post them on one of the sites mentioned earlier, but if I don’t win with that design, who will tell me the reason why it didn’t win?
That’s why I like The Web Squeeze. It’s a group of really talented people who are willing to help each other and really pointing out strong and weak points on designs. I’d rather design a template without a client (and no pay) and show these guys getting some constructive criticism than “trowing my designs against a wall” without feedback.
Time is money, and although I value experience more than money, I have to make a living. Creating spec designs, hoping someone will “bite” is a waste of time to me. Ok, if I win every top-dollar competition on Crowdspring, it will bring in money, but it will not make me a better designer and it’s very unlikely to happen.
Before you say “Mark is an ass”, I’d like to say that I’ve heard this one time and time again, and I DON’T agree with it. Clients aren’t stupid at all (ok, some are, but those are exceptions). They probably, and hopefully, know more about their industry than you do, that doesn’t make you stupid, does it?
Why do I address this? Because most clients that use sites like Crowdspring or 99designs simply don’t know how to find a good designer, and assume they are getting their money’s worth by using one of these sites. Here’s where your marketing comes in. I could focus all my attention online, and trying to get clients online, but instead, I’m focusing on my local market. I’m trying to create a buzz locally, so I don’t have to use spec work. So far, all (except one) my clients are local and I got them through word of mouth. I was able to talk to them in person and really sit down with them to get the same vision as they have as for where they want their business to go. Because of that, I have happy clients who are willing to pay an extra buck or two for me to get their job done.
How about you? Do you do spec work? Tell me why, or why not.
Ever since I got involved with The Web Squeeze, I’ve seen dozens of “Where do I start”-questions. Let me give you some pointers on where to start.
Your nickname will not cut it 90% of the time. How would I pick up the phone when “deluzione” is my business name? Potential clients will think I’m a mobster and I can be hired to design their website, or put a horse’s head in their ex’s bed.
The best business names are an actual word or name. Poppen Design (my business), GatorWorks or Point2 Technologies are decent names if you ask me.
It helps if the domain name is available, so keep that in mind as well.
These people might not be cheap, but they save you a lot of headaches. You can do a lot of finance by yourself. A great invoicing tool is Lessaccounting. It covers proposals, invoices, you can connect your bank account and you can create reports on pretty much anything. You can invite your book keeper to look around in your account, so he or she can do your taxes for you.
It’s also a great tool to find out if you have budget for advertising, or if you can afford a new car.
When clients approach you, they’ll want to see a portfolio, so you’ll have to make an impression.
Again the question: Where to start?
Wait, what…!? Yes. Failing is after teaching the best method of learning.
“The moment you let avoiding failure become your motivator, you’re down the path of inactivity. You can only stumble if you’re moving. If you don’t have a few failures, you’re not taking enough chances. Nobody can be right all the time, and the big companies didn’t become big by playing it safe.”
President of Coca Cola (taken from “The wizard of ads – Turning words into magic and dreamers into millionaires“)
Trust me, I speak from experience. I’ve been laughed at, been called names, got out of a tanked business, and it brought out the business man in me. I say that quite shameless, because it made me stronger than I was before. So, fail, get up, brush off, take the loss, learn from it, and make it better.
Failing brings me to the following tip:
Like I said at #4: Teaching is the best way of learning. When you try to explain something to someone else, you have to know what you’re talking about. That’s one reason why I write tutorials sometimes, just to remember what I’ve learned before. So, write tutorials (trust me, there are always people that know less about a topic than you) and put them on your own blog(you can easily create one at WordPress.com), explain to co-workers how things work and of course, sign up for The Web Squeeze’s forum, which is a great place to teach AND learn.
You’re never too old to learn. There’s always someone that knows more than you. There’s always new stuff to learn. Keep learning. There are 2 sides to this one:
1: Learn more about 1 specific item. Let’s say e-commerce. Make yourself an expert in the e-commerce field. You will be able to charge more if you know the product and possibilities inside-out.
2: Learn a variety of things. Let’s say you know PHP. Try to learn Ruby or jQuery. If you’re an all round person, you have a bigger chance of getting projects based on the variety of knowledge.
Nothing worse than doing business with someone who doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. Replace words like “I think” and “maybe” with stronger words like “I can” and “yes”, but make sure you’re not lying. It’s ok to say you don’t know something though. If a client asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t stumble. Just say you don’t know, but you will get back to him/her, AND DO SO! When I get into this situation in the morning, i want to make sure the client has the answer by the end of the day.
I don’t mean only social networking like Facebook or Twitter, but create an offline network. Go out, meet people. Join a soccer team, a gym, chess club, fishing club or hockey club. Chances are that you meet people that might need your services, and it gets you out of the office.
This might not always apply, but when clients become your friends, it’s harder to say no. Friends might get discounts for just being your friend. Face it, if a client asks for a discount it’s easier to say you can’t, than telling a friend.
I mean, you can play around of golf with your clients, but be sure you know what you’re getting into.
Starting your own successful business is a lot of hard work, but to make sure you’re not burnt out after a few months of work, remember to take brakes, and try to avoid 16 hour work days.
A while ago I entered a “Comment to win” on Andy Sowards’ blog. The assignment was: post the best comment on “Why you should win the Canvas or Business cards”. UPrinting supported the contest by giving away 1000 business cards or a 24″ x 18″ printed canvas.
I posted this comment:
I already have a stack of business cards, so I’d got for the canvas.
I think it will look pretty professional if I have a canvas on the wall of my office with my company logo on it. I’ll add a little tag with the text “brought to you by @andysowards”, like they have in art galleries.. but without a price
Andy thought that was worth the canvas, so a few weeks later I got in this gorgeous print, provided by the awesome UPrinting
Image 1 to 3: how the canvas was wrapped (good job guys!)
4th image: The canvas!
The 5th image is to illustrate how big it is. The dot in the middle is a Canadian 2 dollar coin.
The last image is to show that I kept my promise.
