This panel was primarily about becoming a freelance design professional or starting a small consulting business. The panelists created a site to correspond with the panel at startingsmall.info. Here are the notes:
- first steps for starting a small business
- there’s a time you need to take the plunge and quit work
- ideally, have a years worth of cash
- the rough periods teach you a lot
- exit strategy / long term strategy
- what’s the end result
- retirement, buy out, company gets bought, etc.
- failure
- it’s a learning experience
- failure in a controlled environment – learning in the corporate world, learn enough before quitting, timing is important
- financing your dreams
- many times bootstrapping is really your only option
- use creative self-financing
- hire a bookkeeper / accountant
- being known and being understood
- make sure you do good work
- building a brand – creating and maintaining your public perception
- even your proposals should reinforce this brand
- blogging is important for this
- work on projects that interest you (even if you don’t get paid for it)
- your contacts are everything
- be specific about what you do
- pick your clients very carefully; projects that fit your business model and/or brand
- work / life balance: need to know when to stop working
- biggest challenges: determining what was best thing for site / for users; stay on task; growth; communications with partners, clients, etc.
