I'm a web designer going solo, launching as a freelancer away from agencies. Currently working on my own website etc etc but just wondering - how did you land those first couple of all important jobs on your own? Regardless of industry? Building a name seems like a daunting task. What advertising seems to work best in the early stages? I get the feeling word of mouth is going to ultimately be the biggest thing. I'm going to make some extremely cheap offers to try and get the first couple of jobs but don't want to price too low and make people think they're getting a crappy product. So many thoughts!
I’m not self employed nor have ever been but I know some of my friends who are and although different industries to your buisness some of their tactics may be useful. Go to a buisness you know of heard of , let them know your a start up but have plenty of experience and you’d be willing to help their buisness for a reduced rate , tell them you’ll start small building their confidence in your product as you go along as you say word of mouth ,recommendations and experience will come in time .
I would put my offers up on here, but it's a football site not a business directory and I don't want to be that guy
Don't know if you've seen sites like oDesk or PeoplePerHour - if you can get a couple of smaller gigs you can use that as a reference to get more work. The downside is that you might be competing against competition from around the world, including areas on much cheaper standards of living/wages.
I've been using PeoplePerHour for years but the level of commission and fees has just gotten beyond a joke. It keeps going up. Once you're done competing with people on much lower living costs and PPH have taken their chunk there's hardly anything left. It works out less than minimum wage. Hoping to go completely solo to cut out middle man costs
My son had an IT mate who somehow made his business appear first on Google search despite there being loads of larger businesses in the area. Generated lots of enquiries.
I worked in Local Government for most of my working life GC, but a big mate of mine was a qualified graphic designer who worked for the local newspaper the Doncaster Free Press. A colleague and himself decided to strike out on their own. To try to attract customers to their business, for me, they did two very smart things. Firstly, they contacted a local Estate agent and agreed to design some flyers and re-design the images on show in the shops window. They agreed to do it for free, but the agents in question were so pleased with the results, that six months later, a cheque was sent together with a letter asking them to repeat the excercise. Next thing they did, was to approach one of the then largest employees in Donny, namely John Carr Joinery Sales. This was before Windows / desk top etc came into vogue and the Carr brochure was a collection of drawn black and white images on really dull paper. Roy laid out his plans and agreed a realistic budget to provide them with a glossy brochure showing excellent photographs of each product with a full technical description. After that the firm held the contract to supply the Carr brochure every year up to when with the advent of PVCu windows, Carr Joinery closed down. Might not be a practical solution for you M8, but something to get the creative juices flowing. Roy did OK out of it. He left a two up and two down in Kirk Sandall and bought a large property in Westwoodside. With its stables,extensive grounds and orchards, that must be now worth the thick end of £700 k and him and their lass had a brand new top of the range Range Rover apiece every two years or so, although as she was employed as Company Secretary, they might have been funded through the business. Good luck with your venture. It's a tough old world out there, but if you have the will to succeed you'll get there.
I'd consider using LinkedIn to do outreach since you are looking at a B2B market. With a sales navigator account, you can identify potential clients based on company size, location, job title etc etc. There are automated tools for sending connection requests such as MeetLeonard or DuxSoup (I have about 15K for instance) Post regular related posts, articles, etc on LinkedIn that will resonate with your potential clients. Make your self look like an industry expert. Always offer them value first (without asking for anything). Make them fans. Actively like and comment on other posts, make it more than “This is great” Respond to comments on your posts Include a note with every connection request Respond to connection requests you receive Have conversations off LinkedIn (ie. ask to hop on a phone call) Mention others in your updates, articles, and comments After they have connected, message them to thank them for the connection. When they changed jobs, congratulate them. WHen its their birthday, wish them a happy birthday. (again can all be automated) A couple of weeks after connection, offer them some value. Send them something to help them with the ultimate problem you will be able to solve. A free download, a link to an article etc. Do this a few times and then initiate a conversation with them or give them a free service that you provide as a taster. In this way you can create a pipeline of new leads. Most of the work can be automated. LinkedUniversity have a variety of courses on how you can use these techniques to get as many new leads as you need. I have some videos from them I can send you if you are interested. Hope this helps
From experience, the worst thing you can do. Very hard to increase your costs once you’ve set a precedent, even with ‘offers’. As you said word of mouth is important and ‘I paid X for Y’ is common, if you then try charging their mate more they may go elsewhere. Charge what you’re worth and let the quality bring in the business IMO. Also, keep detailed records of how long everything takes, you must be carefully informed when forming fee quotes. Ps you’ll regret those clients who came in for a cheap deal when they want changes, more work than you anticipated etc
Of course, the obvious one is have a great website yourself! No point trying to talk the talk if you aren't walking the walk! Also work on your social media profile - Twitter, FB, Instagram can all be used to highlight your business, and show off your products.