Bruce C. Brown - How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Web Site Design Business

How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Web Site Design Business

By Charlotte Evans
With Bruce C. Brown

How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Web Site Design Business

Copyright 2009 Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-143-9

ISBN-10: 1-60138-143-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brown, Bruce C. (Bruce Cameron), 1965

How to open & operate a financially successful web site design business : with companion CD-Rom / by Bruce C. Brown and Charlotte Evans.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-143-9 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-143-3 (alk. paper)

1. Web site development industry. 2. New business enterprises. 3. Web sites--Design--Marketing. 4. Design services--Marketing. I. Evans, Charlotte, 1981- II. Title. III. Title: How to open and operate a financially successful web site design business.

HD9696.82.B76 2009

006.7068--dc22

2009012666

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Table of Contents

Foreword

If you are new to the Web design industry, let me be the first to say welcome. This is an exciting field ever-evolving and expanding. It is a field open to all who have the diligence to learn the technology and are inclined to use it for fun and profit. Designing for clients is both fascinating and rewarding, and you have done the right thing by selecting a book that helps you get the most out of your new career. If you are not new to the industry, read on this book is not just for beginners!

Many books have been written to help you learn the skills necessary to become a Web designer, but there are few that tackle the Web design industry from a business perspective. How to Own & Operate a Financially Successful Web Site Design Business does just that, balancing business theory with practical advice any budding entrepreneur can understand and follow.

Authors Bruce C. Brown and Charlotte Evans tackle some very important issues, such as business registration, self-marketing, pitching and proposals, staffing, bookkeeping, and more, always focused on the tasks and challenges unique to the Web design industry. Owning your own business is exciting; watching it grow is even more exciting! Practicing good business management from the start will make your new design career much more enjoyable and rewarding.

This book contains advice, opinions and knowledge from many Web professionals, giving you a number of perspectives to consider, along with an abundance of tools, tips, and strategies for success. No book can guarantee success to its readers, but arming yourself with the knowledge gained through the valuable lessons of others is a great way to stay ahead of the curve. This book mirrors the culture of the design industry in a sense. Certainly once you are established, you will find yourself competing with other designers and firms for business, but in my experience, industry professionals are very collaborative by nature. We enjoy teaching each other, learning from each other, and helping each other achieve success, much like how this book is written.

If you have already made a start for yourself in this industry, then you probably recognize the importance of learning from the experiences of others. This book is not just for fledgling designers. Seasoned Web professionals will find plenty of valuable information contained within these chapters, such as information about marketing services, add-on services related to Web design, and workforce management. You might even find that you can improve your existing business by revisiting some of your own fundamental business practices getting back to basics.

From the beginning of my own design career, and through the formation and growth of my design firm partnership, I have experienced all the joys and pain that come with being a professional in the Web design industry. I would have benefited greatly back when I started by having the knowledge made available to you now. This industry has come a long way in the past 15-20 years, and yet it is still young and growing every day. I wish you the best of success as you secure your place amongst the ranks of your fellow Web design industry professionals.

Warmest Regards,

Paul Hirsch, Principal

Studio1337

(330) 554-8548

www.studio1337.com

_________________________________________________________

Paul Hirsch

Studio1337, 2001-2009 (previously trading as PLH Media and Equentity LLC)

Paul Hirsch is co-owner of Studio1337, a Web design and development company located in Akron/Canton, Ohio, West Hartford, Connecticut, and Durham, U.K. He is a super-moderator on WebHostingTalk.com , the largest Web hosting community on the Internet, and he is a founder and Core Team Member of the International Web Developers Network (IWDN). Paul is a regular columnist for the Web Host Industry Review, the foremost trade publication for the Web hosting industry and is the resident Web design and development expert blogger for TheWHIR.com .