Freelancer Friday: 13 Questions with Jeff Croft
Who
Jeff Croft is a well known web designer, speaker, and even author. Although he isn't a full time freelancer or business owner, we can learn a lot from his experience. Without further ado, I give you Jeff Croft.
Bookmarkables for 13 August 2007
When starting a web design business finding resources and websites that help your business can be tough. This week I've found several resources that will help with marketing, typography, email, and pose a question. If you've found something to be bookmarkable this week please send it to me or add it to the comments below.
- Freelance Switch always offers very nice advice and 10 Essential Free or Cheap Ways to Market Your Freelance Work is no different.
- Seth Godin asks Is good enough enough? A nice short article on marketing.
- Webappers presents us with 30 HTML Email Templates and Plain Text Templates. These are actually resources of Campaign Monitor, but since I found them at Webappers, they deserve the link.
- David Airey presents a nice list of resources for typography in an article titled "Typography Resources". As a designer, I am increasingly finding more typography education is crucial.
Don’t Neglect Feeding the Pipeline
Most of us start out freelancing our web design skills. We do websites for those we know (usually at little or no cost). We try to take on as many paying clients as possible. Everything may seem to be going okay. After all, you've done the website, you've collected the money, and everyone is happy. True. Everything seems manageable until you start doing more and more work. The more work you do, the more other areas of your business get neglected. You simply cannot make the sales calls, design the website, develop the website, handle the bookkeeping, and do the marketing yourself. Time runs out, something has to give, and it is usually those things that feed the pipeline.
Freelancer Friday: 13 Questions with Andy Rutledge
Who
Andy Rutledge of Design View grabs the third interview spot by Focus Minded for Freelancer Friday. He is most known to me with is Redux posts (For those who don't know what this is, Andy takes well known sites, and 'mocks' them the way they 'should' be). I have long been a subscriber to his blog and suggest you do the same.
Background
Andy doesn't know this, but he has made me a hero. One of my friends admires Andy because of the quality information provided on his website and said that if I were able to land Andy for an interview it would elevate me to 'hero' status. So thanks Andy!
Make Mistakes Early
I bet you never thought anyone would be telling you to make mistakes. However, that is exactly what I am going to do. Make them early and make them often. They will actually make your web design business much stronger in the future. Mistakes are important for learning --- learning how NOT to do things and that's the best way to learn sometimes.
Mistakes are going to happen in every aspect while creating a successful web design business. They will cause clients not to pay. Mistakes will cause extra work to correct. Mistakes may even cost you a client or two. It's time you get over the emotions and learn from your mistakes.