From Freelancer to Firm
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- 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?
- 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?
- Dancer0
"I don't know how you can't find someone who doesn't want to work with you in your outhouse though!"
hahaha...
is that a piss take
- 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
- exador10
one of my best buds from college is in the exact same situation...he pretty much has followed the advice given out here, and it's done him a world of good...he landed a few big name clients first, (such as Harley Davidson) which made him enough money to hire a junior designer. He also established a good working relationship with someone in sales, but doesn't have to pay her...she's an independent project manager type that has her own business, but needed a solid design firm to hand the work off too...now he's bought a house and converted one floor in to a studio...
- 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.
- 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-De…
One of the best books I have read in regards to business in design.
- As said above – pretty basic stuff and common sense in my eyes. not as great as everyone harks on aboutDancer
- +1 DancerDoubleKing
- 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
- CheDouglas0
Agree with univers – it is a really well thought out and executed book
- 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.
- 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 – 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
- Dancer0
disagree – see notes above
- You have some nice work there Dancerroundabout
- thanks roundaboutDancer
- 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.