What To Do Before Starting a Web Company
Ezra Cabrera | March 6, 2019
Are you ready to start your own web design Long Island agency but you don’t know where to begin? Starting a business from scratch is not an easy feat, and having a lack of knowledge is a common problem among aspiring business owners. To help you get started, here are four things you need to do before putting up your own web design agency.
1. Create a Business Model
Creating a business model is all about doing research and legal work. The first thing you need to do is to get a business license for your web design company. Getting business insurance should also be one of your main priorities as you start our company. You can learn more about getting a business license through the SBA website and talking to an attorney.
The next thing you need to do is to assess your competitors. Whether you target local or international clients, expect to have plenty of businesses that offer similar services. Find out how your competitors conduct their operations, the services they offer, and methods of acquiring clients. Once you have everything in place, find ways to do it better.
Familiarize yourself with the common problems clients experience when building websites and offer a way to fix these said problems. Finding ways to become better than your competitors is a great strategy to adopt.
2. Calculate Your Possible Investment
Regardless of the size of your business, you will need to invest money to operate it. You will need to put together a rough estimate of what the cost will look like in order to put the agency up. Start by making a list of everything you need: equipment, website domain, brand identity package, office supplies, web design software, etc.
3. Build a Great Team
It’s tempting to think that you can do everything by yourself. But no matter how good you are, having a team of professionals to back you up is an invaluable asset. Build a team that will bring expertise to your web design company. You can choose to hire applicants with experience or if you have the time, you can train them.
If you don’t have enough capital to employ expert web developers, you can create a remote team for your company at a much affordable cost. Many startup companies create a remote team, as well as outsource other tasks.
4. Make an Online Portfolio
An online portfolio is a great tool for reaching potential clients. It’s something a new customer will likely ask to see before they agree to work with you, so be proactive and have one in place to show them. The purpose of a portfolio is to showcase your work to demonstrate your aesthetic and overall capabilities. Be sure to include three to four of your best samples. If you don’t have any recent designs, consider taking on a few projects at no cost so you can compile new work to show. In addition to your samples, you should clearly state the services you offer along with updated contact information.
5. Market Your New Business
If you don’t strategically sell your web design agency, you won’t have a business. No matter how good you are at designing websites, you need to dedicate ample time to promote yourself. Here’s a basic formula for marketing your agency:
- Generate leads/prospective clients
- Contact them
- Offer your services to your target market (people who might be interested in availing)
- Surpass their requirements and expectations
- Turn them into loyal customers
When identifying your target market, it’s important to answer a few questions, such as:
- Who are they?
- What do they do?
- Where do they usually go?
Once you identify them, reach out and tell them how your web design agency can help their business. Highlight your competitive advantage to show potential clients why they should choose you over other agencies. Properly convey how you can solve their problems by giving them examples of your work from previous clients with similar problems.
6. Ask For A Deposit
There’s always a chance your customer cancels, rejects, or postpones in the middle of a project and then you get stuck footing the bill. You should never agree to payments upon completion. Always ask new clients for an initial deposit to hold them accountable.
Small Business Loans for Web Design Long Island
Starting a web design business means you will need to invest money. If you need to take out a small business loan to put up your web design Long Island business, make sure you contact reputable lending experts who can answer your questions and steer you in the right direction.
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