Feel I've hade a HUGE mistake!

Minimods

Personally I think you should concentrate on:

- Sales calls. I hate talking on the phone so I know how you feel, but it needs to be done and remember practice makes perfect.

- Website. Really get a lot of your work up on the website and make sure it really sells you. Its only of the only places that people will be able to go to see past work. The work you have on there is excellent but the layout and the tiny images don't look professional. Also once you have a good website you need to promote it, put it everywhere!

- Build up relationships with current clients. Get the repeat work you need.

I hope this helps.

lday77

Thank you for your advice, I will try and get some more work on the web site soon, do you also think I should put something on the portfolio page that say's "click on thumbnail for larger view of artwork" or words to that effect? Or is that too obvious?

lush_walrus

I have to agree with some of the others regarding your website, although your work is lovely, its so badly presented on the site that rather than doing you justice, it is doing the opposite (sorry to sound harsh but honesty is best!).

As a graphic designer, your presentation skills are the skill that people are buying into. Although you do not have the money for more pages, could you not improve the ones you do have? Or else if you can really only afford for someone to carry out work to one page, then reduce it to one beautifully presented page. I hate to say it, but I would not look past the first page if I were refered to you.

Please do not take that the wrong way, I like YOUR work, but the website is going against you, not for you.

On the positive note, have you already been to all of the local businesses to you? Places such as Estate agents are forever producing new leaflets. What about local events, council run things such as on May day etc, could you volunteer some time to helping with their leaflets? Then in return I am sure they will be more than pleased to credit you on the leaflet.

Also local press, try to do something for the community under your company's name that you can publicise? If not try to find something, or else be persuasive about how interesting your new company is.

Start very local, and in person (so that you do not have to cold call on the phone). Are there any agencies for freelance graphic designers, if there are register with them and try to get some freelance work so that you will have some income to tide you over until your business picks up and provides some money to help with costs such as advertising and your website.

I think you need to be a bit more gutsy and creative in the whole process of getting work. You clearly have the skill, but you need to give it a real push. Starting business is very hard and you need to be prepared to invest money (even if it is your savings) to get it off of the ground.

When I started I parted with more than £25,000 within the first weeks setting up costs, but its all come back to me now. You have to have the push, the energy and the beleif in yourself, if you dont you will sink.

buglawton

Take control of your own website! I suggest you play with MS FrontPage then add some much more detailed portfolio pages, also showing how your clients benefitted.

Add your Web Page link to a number of free and one or two carefully selected paid-for online directories. Beware of Yellow Pages or Thompsons as they charge huge fees for a Web Link - haggle with them like crazy.
If you are not too busy you could do some introductory/sample work for free to get foot in door.

Also, customers nowadays want a one-stop service to get design & printing done and want an all-in-one price quote. It's not obvious whether you offer this - as someone who has bought brochures in the past, I feel a one-stop service is essential.

I don't think huge investment is needed but a business re-think might be.

lday77

Hi

Thanks for all your constructive criticism on my web site, I freely admitted a number of posts ago that it needs a lot of work doing on it, I am fully aware of the implications of having a rubbish site and it is something I am working on, please bear in mind most people see me in person and see my real portfolio, in fact nobody I have contacted has even asked if I havea damn web site. They obviously don't regard it as such a big deal - that may or may not be right...

but please if anyone has to anything to ad that isn't related to my website then that would be appreciated as I am getting a bit fed-up with the repetitive comments about it. I know I asked for help and a bit of support but I feel like what started out as really positive advice has now turned a bit sour. I will take your criticisms and they will definitely help in constructing my new site. Thanks

BlondeHeadOn

Hi lday77, I haven't even read your website so can't make any comment on it you will be glad to know!

I just wanted to tell you that I set up my own business 6 years ago, and it was very scary - and not very profitable - for most of the first year. I was on a shoestring budget, and often questioned whether I was doing the right thing. I gritted my teeth and hung on though - and then the work started to flow. I found that once I had completed some work I would unexpectedly receive phone calls from people I had never heard of, wanting a whole lot more - word of mouth recommendation is brilliant, free of charge and doesn't require any sales calls at all!

So stick with it. The first few months were definitely the worst for me, but then everything started to fall into place.

Best of luck and lots of supportive hugs :grouphug:

yousefkhezam

I think you should join one of them companies for about £20 or $30 and they will advertise you and your website to about 2.5Million people Upwards if you find a good one.
All by email. Good luck mate

lellie

your website needs work. I plan going freelance as a webdesigner when I graduate from uni.. so I know how you feel.. but in the field of graphic design the web is so important.

jaydani

Just to say I know how you feel as my husband gave up a 30K job 12 months ago to buy a franchise. all our savings went there and then with promises of great returns. In 12 months our best month has been £400 worst month minus -£700. Over 12 months this equates to zero profit. He gets his business through cold calling with very low response rates but when he gets a customer it all seems worthwhile.

All i can suggest is keep at it as presumably once you have a customer they will return & then you will build your business up slowly- 6 months is not long at all.

ladywood

Can you try linking together with other small companies that offer complementary services (web developers are the obvious ones - lots of "one man bands" and they are not all graphic designers but they need logos, graphics etc.). Talk to them about how you might be able to push business each other's way or how what you do might "add value" to their work. Most are very happy to spend half an hour exploring possible mutually beneficial business relationships with people who are not direct competitors.

Do you have an NTI in your area? Or a new media networking organisation? You could try any nearby universities - often have business support and incubation - may even be able to get free services (web design? marketing?) through student projects.

Best of luck. Tough starting out but it is early days.