From Freelancer to Firm
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- scrap_paper
So, I've been freelancing for a number of years now with the constant end goal of hiring people and becoming more of a solid, functioning business/firm.
I've outsourced work to other freelancers here and there (generally for development) but aside from that I've never made any great advances beyond freelancing myself.
Can anyone out there present any kernels of knowledge as to how to make this seemingly momentous step?
- doesnotexist0
get a space.
i recently picked up the book, "how to be a graphic designer without losing your soul" (i think that's the title), has a lot of info on how to open up a studio and figure out everything.
Maybe raise your rates and hire someone fresh out of college?
I've been working towards that goal myself.
- I've seen that on the shelves. I'll check it out.
scrap_paper - great book.akrokdesign
- Agreed β great readCheDouglas
- yep, just to add on that its a great bookPseuro
- The nook is ok. Most of it is basic and common sense really... borderline a bit patronisingDancer
- soory that's a ~B~ookDancer
- that book changed my entire perspective on design and business. i highly recommend it.Faction18
- I been reading it two. Some of the patrnozing comments come early but the majority of it is really usefull stuff.
Iggyboo
- I've seen that on the shelves. I'll check it out.
- fyoucher10
Tryin to do the same thing myself...
- utopian0
You should consider partnering up with someone on the business side or has cash to infuse in your new start-up and yes find a small studio or space other then your bedroom, or den to set pu shop.
- The one thing that I keep hearing from people is to not partner with anyone that you can hire. Also, never partner for the moneyscrap_paper
- the money alone.scrap_paper
- doesnotexist0
I need to start looking for a business partner.
- DoubleKing0
i've found that the one thing i need the most in the process is a sales person.
- dtan0
i've found that having someone take on half of the responsibilities it helps out a lot more.
- scrap_paper0
I'm reading a lot of stuff that mirrors what I've been thinking which gives me a little consolation.
I took a business course offered by Employment Canada a couple of years ago that gave me some insights into business thinking and planning but didn't truly give me anything I couldn't have figured out on my own.
So checklist would be:
1. Get a space. I'm thinking finding a space to share would be the best idea to start.
2. Get a sales/acct manager type. I really hate sales. I can talk with clients no prob but sales is a different thing.
3. This next part I'm a little shaky on. I'd like to hire a developer type to fill out my own skill set. I'd also like to hire a junior/intermediate designer of offset the workload. I want to keep the overhead as low as possible so I'm at a bit of an impasse.
4. Start up capital. Paying for my own rent, cheetos and beer is one thing. Covering the salaries of three to four people for three months is something else.
Thoughts?
- tbgd0
It would be good to have a friend doing the same who you could partner up with. You could bring both your existing clients to the new partnership/company and half the resposibility.
- exactdoesnotexist
- thats the mom and pop model. It works from what I can see but its a tricky thing to have a mom and pop and still be business savvy?Iggyboo
- savy?Iggyboo
- scrap_paper0
Makes a lot of sense tbgd. Only problem is that everyone I know is either happy with or stuck in their design positions. The one or two that I see as compatible don't feel secure enough to take the plunge.
- tbgd0
what about someone on here? you don't have to live in the same country/town. Isn't that what Universal everything does?
- ive been freelance for a year now, just starting to think about finding a business partner.doesnotexist
- blastofv0
the most critical ingredient is landing or cultivating a client or two that can anchor your business. you can plan like crazy, line everything up, and dive in any time, but you need a few fat clients with real steady work and real budgets to make the leap.
- +1, this has been my biggest problem.DoubleKing
- True. But then there's a big danger if this client leaves. You can't rely on one client.arseni
- Daro0
outsource till you have a steady income to pay salaries.
- Amen0
find a partner... a good one.
- effort0
i agree with everything said already. another path i've seen taken is to work as a vendor for bigger agencies (see shops like Code and Theory, KNI, EVB and others) . everyone outsources everything all the way down the line, so instead of being the one getting the work to outsource, you become the person bigger shops come to when they need help (then of course you can always outsource whatever you want down the chain). this will gain you access to a broader range of clients (i.e. you don't have to do the sales part) for your book and, hopefully, you can form relationships with those clients directly down the road.
- i should point out that i haven't been successful with this approach, but it's kind of the path i'm on... ;hope it works.effort
- As I understand it this is the way a lot of bigger firms get their huge clients. An ad agency will get the account...scrap_paper
- which in turn gets outsourced to the firm to implement.scrap_paper
- MindFuse0
partner with a non-creative person. one with the left brain thing going on. you need to fine someone with complimentary skill sets. the last thing you need is two creatives fighting over who gets to design the logo.
- CheDouglas0
1. get a space agreed
2. bookkeeper to manage all finances + invoicing and debt collecting
3. contract graduates from universites/colleges
4. when you find a good graduate who you can trust and works well with your clients (ask clients for feedback), put them on full-time (obviously ask bookeeper and accountant if you can afford this first)
5. project management software
6. when you can afford it an account manager (this is my next stage)
7. interview people whenever you get the chance, you never know when a relevant job might pop up and you can bring people in...
8. never undersell yourself
9. always be in 9-5pm β or at least have someone in to answer calls etc.. when you can't be there.- I notice that you have acct manager further down the line. Did you have someone getting new work on your team or did you do this yourself?scrap_paper
- you work on this yourself?scrap_paper
- luckily i've never had to go out and "find new work" i've built a strong network and found new work comes from these relationships + doing good work on time etc. etc. an account manager would be more to make sure all jobs are under control and on budgetCheDouglas
- univers0
Dont die
- best advice so farscrap_paper
- agreed. this is very important on the road to success.effort
- scrap_paper0
MindFuse, that makes a lot of sense to me. In general I don't think I want to duplicate my skill set at this stage. Whether its working with a business/sales person or a hardcore developer I may as well work with people that can fill in the corners of my knowledge.
Not to say that I'm one of those creatives that seem to be afraid of anything that is not purely art/design. In fact I pride myself in having understanding of a broad range of technology and business related topics as well as design.
The thing is there is a big difference between understanding and expertise. And there are only so many hours in the day.
- arseni0
I think the biggest challenge here is money. If you have it, then everything becomes pretty easy. If you don't, you'll be struggling a lot and it will take you forever. Finding a partner is great, but it's very tricky to find one. If you're specifically looking for a partner, it may be even dangerous as there's not enough time to learn each other well enough before someone fucks you over. I'm in the same boat, trying to make it happen. Start with a business plan. Figure out what you're going to be doing, how you're different from the rest, where your clients are, how much money you need, etc... The more i learn about it the more it amases me to see succesful firms who pull it off. Freaking hard business. Imagine how much money per month you need to generate if you have even 5 people working full time in house. Unless they're your friends/partners who all agreed to work their asses of not expecting much. But then, who owns the firm?
- univers0
Actually my post earlier was kind of serious. Read the book; "How to be a graphic designer with out losing your soul" by Adrian Shaughnessy, he talks about how to establish a fully functional company and how to cope with growth losses and maintaining float through the first years. In the mean time seriously, don't let it consume your life.
http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Deβ¦
One of the best books I have read in regards to business in design.
- As said above β pretty basic stuff and common sense in my eyes. not as great as everyone harks on aboutDancer
- +1 DancerDoubleKing