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Why Starting a Business Should Be the Next Logical Step for Freelancers Who Want to Expand Their Offerings

Author: Emma Grace Brown


Doing work online may be more of a side hustle than a long-term business opportunity. However, some freelancers have chosen to build their side hustle into a serious money-making machine. So if you’re contemplating investing in your career full-time by starting a small business, here are some guidelines to help you get started, courtesy of Design Web Louisville.

The Early Steps of Starting a Business

Of course, in the beginning, you’ll want to follow the necessary steps to get your business registered. Furthermore, you’ll have to choose what type of structure your business will have; you’ll probably need to apply for an Employer Identification Number to open a separate bank account to help you manage your finances better, as well as decide on an appropriate name for your new business, too. Also, don’t forget about the importance of drawing up a business plan so that you can monitor the steps you take towards growing your business.

Moreover, you may need to also invest in additional hardware and software to get your business operational in the right areas. You’ll want to prioritize developing a process for invoicing to collect payments promptly to cover your immediate expenses as they arise. Invoicing software can help get your invoices paid on time and can help you with your cash flow too so that you don’t fall behind on your own payments.

Marketing Your New Business

Marketing will be a crucial component for generating awareness for your new business in the beginning stages, where you’ll need the added exposure most. Indeed, there are many ways to go about this nowadays, including marketing on social media and designing a professional-looking website so that people can find your business online.

By creating informative, entertaining, and valuable content, you can build a loyal following of potential customers who are interested in what you have to say. And because they’ve already shown an interest in your brand, they’re more likely to make a purchase when the time comes. Cornerstone Content offers some tips and resources on content marketing.

You may also want to update your resume to detail your qualifications, skills, and accomplishments to potential clients. Use this resume generator to create an eye-catching customized resume that you can tailor to your design needs.

Hiring Extra Staff to Help Your Business Grow

Perhaps, you realize that you require additional assistance to help get your business off the ground. If, for example, social media marketing is not in your wheelhouse, then it may be worthwhile to look into hiring other professional marketing freelancers to help you with this vital task. Or maybe, you need to get the word out about your business, and having a separate lead generation professional on board would help. Again, it’s really more about determining where your strengths lie and leveraging these to grow your business further. Moreover, you’ll need to identify your weaknesses so that you can outsource these elsewhere if need be.

In conclusion, building a fully fledged business as a freelancer may seem like it’s not that far off from what you’re doing already. However, it might just end up growing your brand exponentially so that you can accomplish more and increase your earnings significantly as a result.

Design Web Louisville has affordable prices and payment plans so that any business can get themselves online. Call (502) 755-2633.

Image via Pexels

How to Assemble a Web Design Team in 5 Steps

Author: Romy Toma-Catauta

Assembling a great web design team is all about understanding your target audience and creating a clear image of the ultimate goal. 

Preparation is key in creating the perfect team for your web design process. Have a solid prospectus with timelines and budgets ready to go to let other designers know that you are serious and have an actual goal in mind. But, a prospectus is just the beginning. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how you can assemble the best team quickly and easily.

1. Prepare a prospectus

Assembling a team requires a plan. While the plan is subject to change, planning is still essential. What do you prepare in a prospectus? Think of a project prospectus as an executive summary of your app.

Your prospectus should include your app’s central idea, the platforms you plan to leverage, and the marketplaces you’d like to use. This basic outline will help you figure out how many developers you’ll need and what role each will play.

2. Iron out your market research

Before delving into the wild world of hiring freelance app designers, you’ll want to make sure you give your marketing plan a fresh coat of polish. Your marketing plan acts as a guide for your web design process, specifically the UX design you want your app to have.

Having a clear go-to-market strategy will help you find the right fit in terms of designers and project managers. And, those you hire will be more able to help you achieve your vision.

3. Determine the size of the project

Before you look for talent: determine the scope. How deep or shallow will the features be? How many features will there be? While you don’t necessarily need concrete answers, you will need a general idea of your project’s size.

4. Search remote freelancer talent pools

Vetting, interviewing, and onboarding talent can be quite an ordeal. It can eat up months and months of your precious time. Hiring correctly is a subtle art, one that takes years of experience to master. Don’t fret though there are hundreds of apps and platforms that can help you find qualified designers.

Remote work has also been shown to increase work satisfaction while gaining increased productivity. Whichever method you choose to use, make sure that you keep their personalities in mind so that they work well together. Assembling a great team for your app is about preparing a comprehensive prospectus and staying open to the possibilities of freelance talent.

5. Compare prices, pros, and cons

A great place to start your search is the various freelance employment boards that feature great talent with flexible contracts. These talented freelance designers are available around the world and have just the skills that you need to complete your dream project. 

However, that means that you will have to be able to spot the right web designers for you on separate boards. Comparing skills and prices is key in getting a good deal of meaningful employment that will change your financial future. 

Conclusion

Developers do not want to join a team where it’s all fluff and no filler. Market research is an integral part of creating an in-depth prospectus that will entice great developers and managers. Market research can be accomplished by studying the app market and identifying which strategies work and which ones are profitable. This is also the key time to identify a target audience in as much detail as you can. 

Create use cases that are varied and practical with scenarios that directly target the focused audience. A clearly-identified target provides clarity to prospective team members and managers who want to join your team and make your app a reality. The scope and size of the project will also matter as a determinant in the contract length of your proposal. When your prospectus is in order and your market research is completed then it will be off to find great designers. 

Freelance designers are often open to extending their contracts and changing whatever happens during the design process. Hiring freelance web designers takes the burden off of you and the developer allows you to work it out without pressure. Freelance designers are also typically remote designers which can save you a lot of precious resources and time.