Start & Run a Successful Web Design Business

Deciding on what to charge your customers can be overwhelming. While picking a price you're thinking that you don't want to charge too much and lose work but you don't want to charge too little and not make enough money.

In this lecture we walk through the strategies you can use to establish your prices so you can easily compete with other web designers while not charging too little and losing well deserved money.

Taking the time to fully understand the work involved with each web design project is imperative to your success. Asking a few extra questions can literally save you tons of time while working on a project.

In this lecture I give you the questions you will need to ask your customers upfront so you will understand what the customer is looking for and deliver the project in a timely fashion (and get paid quickly!).

When a customer calls you about having a website created, they will no doubt be looking for a quote. In this lecture we look at how you can send a professional proposal to a customer in a matter of just a few minutes.

We also explore the different parts of a proposal so you know what to include.

When a customer is ready to move forward with you, you'll want to make sure to sign a contract. It's a good idea to outline what you can expect from them as the customer and what they can expect from you as the web designer.

In this lecture we look at how you can send a professional contract to a customer in a matter of just a few minutes.

We also explore the different parts of a web design contract so you don't miss anything important. 

Having a process for completing projects will keep both you (and your team if you have one) on track so you can quickly complete projects and make more money.

A process will simply keep you more organized and take the guess work out of what you should be working on.

In this lecture we explore how to set-up a process that works for you so that you can make the most money.

While working with customers it's important to stay in control of the project and set boundaries. This is done in a professional manner of course and using the system we walk through in this course you will easily establish expectations with your customers that they will understand and respect.

Let's spend a few minutes looking at how to ensure you set professional boundaries so projects are completed on time, you make the most money and your customers walk away happy.

Customers will almost always attempt to ask you to do more than what you agreed to. It can be difficult to manage these requests, especially when you are trying to keep a customer happy.

After this lecture you'll be able to better handle these customer requests so both you and the customer stay happy.

Once you have complete the project it's important to have your customer test the website and provide you with a final round of feedback. Once they have approved the website you can get paid!

Once you've walked through this lecture you will know what to ask the customer to specifically do when they test their new website and how to request feedback so you can stay on schedule.

In this lecture we'll look at the benefits of training customers to manage their own websites...to a degree anyway!

I'll show you what you'll want to teach them and how to do it.

As the professional we often put our customer's happiness and needs ahead of our own. The more we do this the more our work suffers and the less money we end up making.

It doesn't have to be this way though. After this lecture you'll be better equipped to make sure your customer stays happy throughout the whole process while at the same time you remain happy and continue to thrive.

This is what will keep you in the business long-term and help you avoid burnout.

There is really nothing better than getting ongoing work that you don't have to ask for.

After you finish this lecture you'll have 11 ways to get new and repeat work without having to ask for it. The process you have set-up will make this super easy to incorporate.

Especially when you're first getting started, finding new customers who will hire you can be difficult if you don't know where to look.

I've pulled together several ways you can find new customers without having to spend any money on advertising.

Many web designers neglect their own website putting their customer's website first. Although you always want to get your customer's website done, it's important to set aside time to keep your website up-to-date. Your average website could be costing you more money than you realize.

Here we'll also look at what are the important elements every web designer should have on their own portfolio website.

I mentioned several documents in this course and you are free to download, edit and use these documents for your own business.

Here you'll find a sample web design proposal you can use for your business. This will help you put together a proposal for potential new customers in just a few minutes time!

Here you'll find a sample web design contract you can use for your business. This will help you put together a contract for potential new customers in just a few minutes time!

If you're wondering what certain sections of the web design contract mean or the importance of including them, this documents includes explanations of each section so you can understand them, explain them to your customers and decide if they work for your business.

When you first speak to a potential new customer there are several questions you will want to ask them so you make sure you understand their needs and what they are looking for.

This document lists all the questions you may need to ask a customer. You can also print this out and hang it next to your computer so you don't forget anything!

We discuss the importance of setting up a process you can follow in this course. A project task list is an important part of that process that will help you and your web design team (if you have one) stay on track.

Download, edit and use this project task list for your business so you can stay organized, complete projects quickly and make more money because of it.

Here I've given you an example web design process you can show your customers so they understand how you work and understand where their project is in your process.

This is also good for keeping you and your team on track.