10 Things You Should Ask Yourself Before Starting a Web Design Business

This is a guest post by Glennette Goodbread of Premium Web Design and Hosting. She’ll be providing guest posts throughout the week so be on the lookout.

Perhaps you’ve read or heard about web designers making a lot of money on the Internet.  Believe it or not, it’s probably true.  What you’re not hearing, however, is how they actually did it.

1. What do you do best? Web design can encompass a lot so you’ll need to narrow down the aspects of it you want to pursue.  Perhaps you really just want to do graphics, or maybe it’s the HTML programming that tickles your fancy.   Maybe you’re a techno geek and like tinkering with a little bit of everything. Write down five things you do well.

2. What benefits do you offer? The web is flooded with all sorts of freelancers offering potentially the same things as you.   Therefore, it’s important that you identify the benefits of what you offer and how that might cause a prospective customer to select you over a competitor.

3. What do your customers want? This is the most common mistake freelancers make; they offer something they think a prospective buyer wants/needs when, in reality, it may be the last thing that someone wants.   Find out what your target customer is seeking by asking people or conducting surveys.

4. What is the value of your products/services? I have a business associate who’s a writer that was offering to write articles for $5 per article when the going rate was $20-35 per article.  She took all kinds of opposition from peers about undervaluing her services.   Yet, she was doing quite the contrary.  She was offering an “incentive” for people to try her services.   When they saw the value she offered, they did not hesitate to pay her full price when their introductory offer had expired.    You certainly need to know your value … but you also need to know how to sell that value to others.

5. What are your competitors offering? The best way to align your business to meet the law of supply and demand is to see what your competitors are offering.  Lucky for you, this information is easily made available through a competitor’s web site, blog, etc.   Learn what they offer in the way of products and services and determine how you can “one up” this to give you an advantage.

6. How are others being successful? Again, if you see someone else being successful at something you want to do (or something similar), find out what he/she is doing and duplicate the process.  This is how franchises work. An initial process is refined for success and repeated going forward.
What mistakes are others making?  Just as you can follow the success of others, you can also avoid their footsteps down the path riddled with mistakes.   While most folks don’t openly advertise what they’ve done wrong, there are still many that tell the world what to avoid.  Do lots of research and know what can derail your plans.

7. Can you picture your success? What does a successful business look like to you?  Does it mean that you have a specific schedule every day, are you able to work from your laptop on the beach, are you making 6-figures a year, etc.   If you cannot see your goal clearly, how do you expect to move towards it?

8. How much can you afford to spend on mistakes? Another very common problem I see freelancers make when it comes to their business is spending money on the wrong things.  They’ll drop tons of money on PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, yet they won’t spend a dime on making their business an official entity that can take advantage of all types of tax benefits.    You have to know what’s going to give you the most “bang for your buck.”  If you aren’t sure, ask someone who knows.

10. Will you enjoy every day you do this? There is no sense in embarking on this journey if you’re not going to enjoy it.  Certainly there will be days when bad things happen (and that happens to everyone), but those who love what they do view those as small speed bumps that you can go over quite fast.  If you find that every little thing is bothering you, then you might want to consider something else.

That’s a quick overview of what you should consider when starting a web design business on your own.   Listen to your instinct and if none of this has scared you off, then you’ve taken the first step towards success!

Glennette Goodbread is a Christian woman who has been designing and hosting websites since 1999. She’s a techie at heart and loves helping people. Visit Premium Web Design and Hosting today and be sure to say Hello!