EETemplates

How to Get Started: Part II

Being good at anything is like figure skating - the definition of being good at it is being able to make it look easy. But it never is easy. Ever. That’s what the stupidly wrong people conveniently forget. ~ Hugh MacLeod (Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity)

How do you get started in web design? Well first you have to make a mental decision that you want it. Not to get all Anthony Robbins on you here (although I am a fan) but this stuff is hard, arduous work. And just like marriage unless you make the decision to really go after it you will never make it. There has to be something inside of you that says you know that it will be hard but dammit you are going to make it. Not to bore you with quotes from Hugh but this book is really striking a chord with me right now…

..and when you finally come up with The Big Idea, after years of toil, struggle, and doubt, how do you know whether it is The One?

Answer: You don’t

There’s no glorious swelling of existential triumph… that’s not what happens.

All you get is this rather quiet, kvetchy voice inside of you that seems to say, This is totally stupid. This is utterly moronic. This is a complete waste of time. I’m going to do it anyway…

Ok but enough of that talk. You also have to decide what you want this to be? Part time? Full Time? Occasional? You decide what you want it to be even if you can’t be there immediately. When I started out I had recently moved to a new area. Knew no one. Knew nothing of owning a web design business. Really was a n00b as far as building websites goes(link to first site here). But I set some goals and they are starting to become reality.

Another Hugh quote just cause I can…

In a practical sense it is always easier to go local. Trying to gain traction online means spinning your wheels quite a bit. You are just a username, and competing online often means relegating yourself to becoming a commodity. It becomes a numbers game of who can do the work for the cheapest (not that there isn’t some level of this in the local market too). But I have always found it easier to network and to make sales in person. So consider where you want to market your skills.

< insert tangent of building online business here />

If you do stay online with your endeavors then specialize. Become the expert. It doesn’t matter what it is. Joomla? Wordpress? ExpressionEngine? Perch? Pick one and stick with it. It can even be a specific website or forums. Stick with it. Become the expert. Make it a point to be helpful. Not just so you get something in return but be genuinely helpful. People know when you are trying to dupe them. Be helpful and it will come back to you.

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If I were to say what the number 1 thing you could do to gain more business and be more successful in web design it would be to get Business Cards and carry them with you at all times. I cannot tell you how many times I have gained a good contact or piece of business by meeting someone new and being able to hand them a card and tell them to give me a call if they ever decide to do something. Without a card you just appear unprofessional and unprepared. They are cheap. There are no excuses. I use 48 Hour Print for all of my printing. I love the quality of their cards and the color is spot on. Get some cards for 60$ and you are in business. Forget the rest of the stuff. Just get the cards. But remember that they do nothing if they are not on you.

One of the things that has also helped with my local business is my Chamber of Commerce membership. Join your local Chamber of Commerce or some professional networking association. Commit to being involved. My Chamber has 2 events per month that I attend. They have a mixer of sorts 1 night a month and 1 morning they have a marketing meeting where you are given 60 seconds or so to tell the others in the room what you do. Do you get nervous speaking in front of others? Use a prop. Come prepared to share something about SEO or Web Design. Or a special offer of free hosting. Imagine the attendees naked what ever it takes. But make sure to make some friends. Don’t be a fake. Just be interested. And when you have been attending for 4-6 months join a committee to get more involved. It will be worth it. I am on the tourism council for our chamber. Again, I have gotten plenty of exposure because of this involvement. The people that are involved in the Chamber tend to be the leaders of a community. They are the small business owners and city council and mayors etc. Having them know your name is not a bad thing.

OK… so this installment has gone a bit long… I can’t promise that the future ones will be any shorter. Perhaps when I get done this can all be polished and added to and put into a pdf format for everyone. Let me know if you think that would be valuable…

Till then…

Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the creative bug is just a wee voice telling you, I’d like my crayons back, please.

If you are hearing that wee voice then please listen… you may be missing a chance at one of the biggest adventures of your life….

How to get started in the Web Design business

I often wish there was a master document for starting a web design business. You know… the one that if you followed every rule would guarantee success? Well I am not guaranteeing success but I wanted to create a no holds barred write up of what I

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