Web Developer Guy Starting as Freelancer-Web Design Studio

[NicolasDevDes]

Hi guys,

I’m Nicolas. After 5 years working in the IT industry in Web Development positions I’m starting as Freelancer.

I’d like to start a web design studio. But I have to learn more about business in general and for this reason I’m here

Happy to read all of you. Thanks and regards!

 

[arnydnxluk]

Welcome to UKBF Nicolas

There's always plenty of web design and development discussion on UKBF so you've come to the right place to both learn more about business and share your knowledge!

 

[NicolasDevDes]

Welcome to UKBF Nicolas

There's always plenty of web design and development discussion on UKBF so you've come to the right place to both learn more about business and share your knowledge!

Thank you Mike. I'll research for those post. Regards!

 

[The Byre]

1. Start here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Starting-Business-Dummies-Colin-Barrow/dp/1118837347

2. Be painfully aware that web design is a totally overcrowded business!

3. Building websites in now a consumer activity, so you need to bring all the tools and tricks of the trade to the party!

 

[Mike EMF Business]

Hi
It is overcrowded (I agree too) but good designers with some imagination, care and willing to help customers long term are not easy to find. By the way I am starting a very similar business.
good Luck

 

[Alan]

My top tip is don't enter the market thinking 'I don't understand how agencies have the gall to charge £10k for a website that I can knock up for £500'. Think how can I make potential clients think websites I build are worth £30k to them and I'm only charging £10k.

 

[NicolasDevDes]

It is overcrowded (I agree too) but good designers with some imagination, care and willing to help customers long term are not easy to find. By the way I am starting a very similar business.

I agree. I think that long term success become with recurrent customers and referrals. Both come providing quality service.

 

[NicolasDevDes]

Think how can I make potential clients think websites I build are worth £30k to them and I'm only charging £10k.

Good piece of advice. Thank you!

 

[ryedale]

I started out as a freelancer 10 years ago , have a team of 8 now. It's a long hard road and it's an awful lot harder now than when I started because there are now so many people offering dreadful websites for next to nothing.

Best initial advice, get a good contract in place for all projects and work out how you are going to manage your development processes, especially project timelines and number of design revisions.

Don't be afraid to ask for a decent sized deposit up front and then stage your payments through th the design process.

Do not try and win clients by offering unlimited revisions to a design, it will kill you with certain clients ! Do a lot of reading on predesign planning.

Keep all emails, ervery single one and ideally get a voip phone service that records calls. Clients will change their mind and they say they never asked for something in the first place. You need to be able to show they did

Never ever work directly on a clients hosting no matter how good your relationship is with them , always develop on your own servers and copy work over only when paid.

Visit clientsfromhell.net regularly to cheer yourself up!

Sorry for all the depressing bits! It's also a very rewarding job and you'll get some brilliant clients that it's an absolute pleasure to work for!

If you ever need any more advice, just send me a pm

 

[stender]

Get a portfolio together of sites you have done. I would want to see examples before hiring someone.

 

[AllUpHere]

It may be an overcrowded industry, but it's crowded full of idiots who have no idea when it comes to marketing or how to run a business. Most can't even market themselves, never mind help their clients to understand how their websites should be designed and used.

Of all the businesses I help with marketing, web design is still one of the easiest and cheapest to market (once I've helped them get a decent strategy in place).

Don't be put off by your competition, chances are they haven't got a clue what they are doing anyway.

 

[NicolasDevDes]

I started out as a freelancer 10 years ago , have a team of 8 now. It's a long hard road and it's an awful lot harder now than when I started because there are now so many people offering dreadful websites for next to nothing.

Best initial advice, get a good contract in place for all projects and work out how you are going to manage your development processes, especially project timelines and number of design revisions.

Don't be afraid to ask for a decent sized deposit up front and then stage your payments through th the design process.

Do not try and win clients by offering unlimited revisions to a design, it will kill you with certain clients ! Do a lot of reading on predesign planning.

Keep all emails, ervery single one and ideally get a voip phone service that records calls. Clients will change their mind and they say they never asked for something in the first place. You need to be able to show they did

Never ever work directly on a clients hosting no matter how good your relationship is with them , always develop on your own servers and copy work over only when paid.

Visit clientsfromhell.net regularly to cheer yourself up!

Sorry for all the depressing bits! It's also a very rewarding job and you'll get some brilliant clients that it's an absolute pleasure to work for!

If you ever need any more advice, just send me a pm

ryedale, thanks for share!

Yes, since last year I've been handling clients on the company that I was working on. That was very different to the "technical work" but it's a nice challenge too.

 

[NicolasDevDes]

It may be an overcrowded industry, but it's crowded full of idiots who have no idea when it comes to marketing or how to run a business. Most can't even market themselves, never mind help their clients to understand how their websites should be designed and used.

Of all the businesses I help with marketing, web design is still one of the easiest and cheapest to market (once I've helped them get a decent strategy in place).

Don't be put off by your competition, chances are they haven't got a clue what they are doing anyway.

Thank you AllUpHere, very inspiring!

Do you work with marketing on social media? If it's so I have some questions for you

 

[AllUpHere]

Thank you AllUpHere, very inspiring!

Do you work with marketing on social media? If it's so I have some questions for you

I do (when required), but social media is unlikely to be the best promotional tool for your business.

 

[stephen@wp]

Great! Best of luck.

Keep in mind that by its very nature freelancing isn't a steady source of income. Being a freelancer is being a business. Put yourself in the shoes of people starting different types of businesses- What questions would you be asking then? How do those apply to your path?

 

[Idosell Shop]

Hi Nicolas,
welcome to the forum, in case you are familiar with SMARTY, we are open for co-operations.

 

[Alan]

I’m starting as Freelancer.

I’d like to start a web design studio

Just noticed this - freelancer and running an agency are two different animals. Work out your business strategy first.

 

[NicolasDevDes]

Just noticed this - freelancer and running an agency are two different animals. Work out your business strategy first.

Yes. Right now I'm working as freelancer. But in the future, I'd like to strart a studio

 

[NicolasDevDes]

I do (when required), but social media is unlikely to be the best promotional tool for your business.

I asked because a client has a digital news website. I think promoting it on facebook groups related could be a good strategy. But I'll open a separated thread for this. Thank you!

 

[NicolasDevDes]

Hi Nicolas,
welcome to the forum, in case you are familiar with SMARTY, we are open for co-operations.

Thank you!

I work with PHP but I’ve never had the opportunity to work with SMARTY. I like new challenges so let me know if you need some help

 

[TotalWebSolutions]

Welcome to the forum Nicolas!

 

[unientrepreneur]

Hi Nicolas,

Welcome to the community!

 

[Edd Dutton]

Welcome Nicolas, good luck as a freelancer!

 

[kammallow]

Welcome on the forum Nicolas and best of luck with your new business.
It's a good place to get some feedback on your ideas or even the design of your website.
I'm new on the forum as well, but I can tell you how you can save on you phone bills with VoIP system if you are on that stage of your business set-up.

Regards!
Kamila