What do you do?
It is one of the most common questions asked, yet also one of the hardest to answer.
Many people misunderstand the reason for an elevator pitch, and think the right pitch will create a sale. Instead of being the end of the sales process, an elevator pitch is the start of a conversation, hopefully one that leads to future business and long term relationships. read more
One of the reasons we choose the entrepreneurial route is the ability to work with people we like and avoid those we don’t. Unfortunately, life does not always work out as planned and sooner or later we all have to deal with difficult clients. read more
Everyone likes a bargain and wants to get the best deal possible. Your clients are no different. But what happens when the good deal your client is looking for, is free work from you? read more
In September of 2014, I created a business profile on Yelp. In December, I was contacted by a Yelp sales rep, a very nice lady who showed me lots of statistics and graphs, along with links to press articles about Yelp. read more
There is a lot to love about the life of a freelancer. From setting your own hours to working at home, anyone who has spent time as their own boss understands the joys – and difficulties – of freelance work.
Starting your own business comes with a unique set of challenges, often leading to mistakes made during your entrepreneurial career. Here is a list of some of the most common freelancing mistakes, and how (and why) to avoid them. read more
My path to successful client relationships and a flourishing web design business.
The following rules have helped me develop great relationships with my clients and grow my business faster than ever, all while raising my hourly rates. read more
Market research and knowing your competition is a crucial aspect of any successful business. If you don’t know the prices your competitors are charging, or the saturation level of your niche market, you are operating in the dark. One way to discover the state of the freelance web design market is to publish a fake job request and see how your competitors respond. (I realize some may find this approach a bit underhanded, but I found it to be an effective way to learn about your competition). The easiest and most basic research can be accomplished with a job posting on CraigsList. I recently submitted a web design ad for the NYC marketplace and have gathered the results, along with my conclusions, below. read more
When clients ask how to easily access their business email without using the default app provided by their hosting service, I always recommend the Gmail interface. Gmail allows you to access your company domain email directly from your personal Gmail account, and when using the process I outline below, Google Apps for Business is not required. read more
To run your business well, you need to know what your time is really worth. Before you jump into comparing yourself to your competitors, first you should estimate how much money you realistically need to live a happy life. read more
In the beginning of my freelance web design career I read a bunch of books teaching how to start and run a web design business. All of them were claiming that a professional dress, preferably a suit with a well ironed shirt and a fancy tie, will make you stand out from other web designers and make you look like somebody taking things seriously. In fact, I tested this technique over the last few years and at one point one of my clients, and now a friend (@HermannM, who luckily for me hired me), told me: “Daniel, I am glad I met you and we work together, but I must tell you the first day we met you scared the shit out of me. You were dressed like a damn lawyer.” read more
