Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I really like that idea.  I will get working on it right away.

I really do appreciate all of the advice.  You are all so supportive. I feel like part of something great here and something big.  You make me feel like I can really do this!

 

Okay, I have to admit I feel a little lost about what to do next.

I`ve got a few websites I`ve done for people in my portfolio. I know that I want to spruce them up a bit more before putting them out there for  all to see. But I also don`t have a website of my own yet. So my question is two fold:

Should I spruce up these sites before even thinking of hanging out my Shingle?

Do I even have a shot at a web design business based on what you see here?

A Christian singing group`s website

http://appointedbygod.org/

An artist portfolios page
http://sergii.com/index.htm

Should I try to get more portfolio work done before putting up a website for my own web business?


I ask because I just don`t know how people will precieve a web designer who doesn`t have a web presence of his own yet. But at the same time if there`s not much to show, what am I showing?

Wow I guess that`s way more than 2 fold of a question. I appreciate any input you can provide. Thanks and Happy New Year!






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Follow the journey of Marvin Hawkins Visual Concepts and Nothing Like It Games at http://gamerdeveloper.blogspot.com/

In business of any kind, credibility is a large portion of making it all work. If you`re going to sell yourself as a Web designer, and you don`t have a Web site, you`re going to take a pretty serious hit to your credibility.

I looked at the two above site examples, and although they`re okay, they don`t speak for themselves in terms of pizzazz, y`know? There`s definitely potential here, but when you go commercial you`re going to be asked to do, or if you can do all sorts of things that customers see in other Web sites. From what your examples demonstrate, you`re leaving too large a "list" of questions.

In my opinion, it`s better for customers to see what you can do and ask a few questions that narrow it down to exactly what they want for their particular business. It`s not so good to "hope" that customers will come up with lots of questions about what you can maybe do, might learn to do, hadn`t thought of doing, and so forth.

As a Web designer, part of your job is to suggest features and capabilities YOU know all about and how they work, to customers who don`t know that much about the under-the-hood details of site development, see?

Design a few more sites, and use word-of-mouth to get your name out there. Focus on building a sharp looking site of your own, offering all the features people have come to expect would be available.

Wow Craig you always have a way of giving me the exact answer I was looking for. I appreciate your insight. One follow up question though.

I know what I can do. I also know that I have to do a better job of showing that in my professional work.  But how do I communicate that I know how to do what a customer wants without overwhelming them?



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Follow the journey of Marvin Hawkins Visual Concepts and Nothing Like It Games at http://gamerdeveloper.blogspot.com/

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Ric Willmot
Executive Wisdom Consulting Group
www.ExecutiveWisdom.com
info@executivewisdom.com
Blog: www.ricwillmot.com

Founder of the Society for Executive Wisdom
www.ExecutiveWisdomSociety.com

Strategy for Professionals: www.strategyforprofessionals.com

I think where people get a bit lost is that they think "telling" is the way to "show" the customer what they can do. Think about it....are telling and showing the same thing? Of course not. :-D

One option---perhaps recommended---is to build a few different Web sites, each one highlighting, where *necessary* and *useful* a particular area of design. For example, one site might highlight Flash! implementation. Another might highlight a back-end inventory control database. Yet another might highlight subscription management.

At that point, you can simply show people that you can do Web 2.0, newsletters, animations, databases, shopping carts, etc., etc.. See? Your own Web site would then be a portfolio of links, with brief explanations of why the customer chose that particular highlight for their site, then a link to that site.

Thanks Craig! Even your Signature is insightful!

The Success part I mean



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Follow the journey of Marvin Hawkins Visual Concepts and Nothing Like It Games at http://gamerdeveloper.blogspot.com/

For a long time I kept thinking I was blind. Then, one day, I realized I was actually being insightful, and seeing the back of my head from the inside! (Doh!)


Hope the advice helps....

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Ric Willmot
Executive Wisdom Consulting Group
www.ExecutiveWisdom.com
info@executivewisdom.com
Blog: www.ricwillmot.com

Founder of the Society for Executive Wisdom
www.ExecutiveWisdomSociety.com

Strategy for Professionals: www.strategyforprofessionals.com