Expert Tips When Starting A New Design Business

Follow these ultimate tips for your design business success

Starting a new business can be the most exciting, yet most daunting thing you’ll ever embark on. Why? Well, there’s a possibility that you could create something special that will flourish in terms of reputation and revenue. On the contrary, there’s also a possibility that you’ll follow in the footsteps of most start-ups, and never make it off the ground.

Now, in terms of a design business, you’ll typically be utilizing your expert skills to serve businesses around the globe. Yes, having those skills is great, but building a business around them is a different story. So, we’ve put together the best expert tips when starting a new design business…

Tip 1) Always take a deposit before the project starts

At the end of the day, you’re forging a business so you can make money and become financially stable, right? Then, the last thing you want is to put tons of hard work in for a client to skip out on payments. Therefore, you’ll want to give yourself some reassurance in case you run into the wrong client. Always take a portion of the total before the project starts, that way you know the client is serious and they’re going to pay.

Tip 2) Use rejection as motivation

When liaising with potential clients, not everyone is going to give you the time of day and hand you a project. Sometimes, it’s the price that forces them to say no, other times, it’s the way you sell yourself. But, regardless of the reason, use the rejection as motivation and learn from it, so next time you’ll be more likely to receive a “yes”.

Tip 3) Work specific hours

Of course, you want to commit to your business and put every ounce of effort in to ensure it has the greatest chance of success. However, you don’t want to be working 24/7, because that will actually be counterproductive. You see, your relationships will suffer, your health will suffer due to tiredness, and in the end, you’ll stop enjoying life as much. Ultimately, you need to find the balance between your business and your life.

Tip 4) Always communicate to determine every little detail

When in the process of establishing the criteria for a project, make sure you’re continuously asking questions and communicating with the client. From the design principles you draw upon to the use of colour, font and imagery. That’s because you want to guarantee that you know exactly what the client wants. If you know what they want, you can work to the best of the ability, and they’ll be super-happy with the delivery. If a client is super-happy, your reputation will improve.

Tip 5) Don’t underrate yourself

In the beginning, you may have to set lower prices in order to gain clients, build your reputation and cement your position as a quality designer. But, it’s vital to remember to never underrate yourself. Business is business, and you want to make as much money as possible. Plus, if you have specialist skills, you want to receive what your worth. So, set a price that you’re comfortable with, but one that won’t scare potential clients off.

Wrap Up

Follow these tips for new business success (trust us, these are tried and true). Often the best lessons in business, as in life, come from trial and error: from learning from your mistakes.

What other tips do you have in starting your own business? Leave your comments below so that other ‘up and coming’ design fledglings can benefit from your shared experience.

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John Wilson

John Wilson is a branding and website design expert. He boasts over 10 years of digital marketing experience. He loves to share his expertise and insights on all things digital marketing by keeping this blog up to date.