Continuing from last week’s initiation into founding your web design firm, we now focus on solidifying your business foundation.
Having navigated through the initial legal formalities, tax considerations, niche selection, naming, pricing strategies, and the creation of business accounts, you even carved out time for a breather in preparation for the launch phase. If you happened to miss any step, it’s crucial to revisit and complete it before progressing.
In this segment, we will delve into crafting your agency’s identity. Like the previous week, dedicate each day to a singular task. By week’s end, your agency’s identity will begin to crystallize.
Day Eight: Identifying Your Ideal Clientele
It’s easy to fall into the trap of accepting any available project to keep the cash flowing. Yet this can lead to a scattered effort, rather than a focused and strategic pursuit.
Having chosen your niche last week, today’s mission is to pinpoint your desired clients. Craft an aspirational list of companies you’d like to court—this may include major players like Nike or Apple, to make your portfolio sparkle. But also consider more attainable prospects. Avoid setting the bar too low.
By day’s end, aim to have a list ready to go, organized neatly in a spreadsheet.
Day Nine: Tailoring Your Technology Stack
With your ideal clients in mind, it’s now time to define the technological solutions you’ll offer.
Your agency could be a one-stop shop, covering everything from branding to custom applications, or you might excel in a specific domain and outsource ancillary services.
Regardless of your approach, you’ll likely need a full-stack suite: this spans brand design, web development, marketing, content creation, front-end coding, content management systems, and search engine optimization.
Zero in on your current strong suits and aim for mastery before branching out to address any deficiencies. For instance, if you’re well-versed in HTML and CSS, WordPress development might be a logical step. Design-focused individuals could leverage platforms like SquareSpace or Shopify.
Technologies evolve, so brace for shifts in your go-to tools. Nevertheless, these will be the cornerstone of your expertise in the coming years.
Day Ten: Establishing Your Ethical Boundaries
Every company has core values, whether officially declared or not. Identifying what you’re unwilling to undertake can be just as vital.
Consider your boundaries. Will you decline work from certain industries or organizational philosophies? Deciding these principles now simplifies future decision-making.
If you’re comfortable taking on any client, that’s OK too—but remember that your portfolio will reflect these choices and can shape future business.
Day Eleven: Crafting Your Elevator Pitch
Imagine succinctly describing what you do in the span of an elevator ride.
Responses like “Um, well, you know, mostly just websites and stuff,” fail to inspire confidence.
Design a pitch that’s compelling, understandable, and confident—something like, “We empower startups to eclipse their competition on Google.”
Once perfected, embed this pitch into your routine: by reciting it daily, you’ll ensure it rolls off the tongue during unplanned encounters.
Day Twelve: Choosing a Professional Meetup Spot
A web design agency need not begin in an opulent office—a fact I know too well from an early employer who folded under their lease.
The rise of remote work has recalibrated expectations, though physical meetings will sometimes be necessary, especially for initial introductions.
If feasible, visit a client’s workplace. Otherwise, nominate a coffee shop that aligns with your business ethos. Follow these criteria: pick a time when it’s quiet, ascertain proximity to parking or transit for clients, confirm dependable (and free) Wi-Fi, and know the password beforehand.
Day 13: Igniting Your Branding Flame
Two weeks in and it’s time to unleash your creativity: begin designing your logo.
If you’ve synced tasks with the calendar, this falls on a Saturday, giving you extra hours for creativity. However, manage your time wisely and avoid fixating on minutiae. Logos evolve, and no design, no matter how “cool,” guarantees success in a pitch.
If creating visuals is second nature to you, the wheels are probably already turning. Otherwise, set your agency’s name in a clean, geometric sans-serif type, give it a tight track, and consider it a job well done.
Regardless of your design prowess, today marks the day you’ll have a visual hallmark that embodies your niche and complements your elevator pitch and client expectations.
Day 14: A Day for Repose
Hopefully, last week’s respite illustrated its importance, making the subsequent days more manageable.
Now, engage in activities that rejuvenate your spirit, ideally away from the screen and in the great outdoors. This period of rest will replenish your energies for the upcoming tasks.
Looking ahead, we’ll assemble the essential documents to present your business with polished professionalism.
Featured image via Unsplash.
