Every business has to start somewhere. As a new entrepreneur, you may not know where "somewhere" is. Start Your Own Home-Based Website Design Business will get you pointed in the right direction.

SECTION 1 - GETTING STARTED

Section 1 introduces you to the business side of website design, including…

• How to set up and start your new business
• How to write a business plan that will help you keep your business on track
• How to keep your costs under control
• What you need to know before you set up your office

CHAPTER 1 - YOU CAN DO THIS

Starting a home-based business is one of the greatest things you can do. You get to work from the comfort of your home and you can adjust your work to fit into your existing schedule.

Expense are low - you don’t have to spend a lot of money to start because you can use the computer you already have. Add Internet access, a little software, and you are ready to go.

And best of all, you get to work in your pajamas !!!

(Okay. Maybe the extra income is the best part, but you have to admit, the idea of working in your PJs has real appeal.)

CHAPTER 2 - MAKING IT OFFICIAL

There is more to starting a business than just saying, "I want to start a business." There are legal requirements, forms, permits, and licenses to deal with. But before you start designing websites, you need to design your business. Chapter 2 will help you understand what your business options are and where to find the business resources you need to get your business started.

CHAPTER 3 - WRITING YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

Before you start a business, you should ask yourself questions like these…

• How much money will it take to get started?
• How much will it cost to run it every month?
• What kind of services will you offer?
• Who will you sell your services to?

Knowing the answers to questions like these will give you direction. But writing a business plan can be hard, especially if you have never done it.

Start Your Own Home-Based Website Design Business includes a complete Website Design Business Plan. A plan you can copy and customize to include the particulars of your business.

CHAPTER 4 - FUNDING YOUR BUSINESS

How much does it cost to get started as a professional website designer?

• It depends on how you want to set up your business.
• It depends on where you live because laws and permits are different in different places.
• It depends on how much “stuff” you already have (computer, software, etc.)

Chapter 4 will help you determine the costs of setting up and operating your home-based website design business. It also tells you how much income you need to bring in to make your business profitable.

CHAPTER 5 - SETTING UP YOUR OFFICE

Now that you are ready to start working, where are you going to work?
What do you need to get your business started?
What can you put on hold for later?

Sure, you can set a computer on the dining room table and put it on the floor when it’s time to eat, but your business will be more successful if you set aside a dedicated workspace. Find out what you need to run your office and work space.

 

SECTION 2 - GETTING WORK

No matter how skilled you are at website design, your business will not survive without paying clients. In the next few chapters you will find out who your prospective clients are, what they will buy, and how to market to them.

CHAPTER 6 - UNDERSTANDING YOUR MARKET

Before you start selling websites, you have to ask yourself some serious questions…

• Who buys websites?
• Why do they buy?
• What do they want?
• What do they need?
  

Getting the answers to these questions can be a long and expensive journey into the world of market research. Or, you can read Chapter 6 and find out just who and where your market really is. Because once you determine who wants your services, the easier it is to find them.

CHAPTER 7 - SETTING YOUR RATES

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to set your rates too low. But setting your rates too high isn’t good either. Where is that “middle ground” that will let you generate a decent profit and won’t chase clients away?

Chapter 7 gives you several ways to determine what to charge so that you can set rates that clients are willing to pay.

CHAPTER 8 - ATTRACTING CLIENTS

Before you can start making money with your new venture, you have to get prospective clients to notice you. But just putting up a website isn’t enough. You need to find as many ways as possible of getting your name in front of your target market.

Chapter 8 gives you over twenty different ways to promote your new business.

CHAPTER 9 - ADDITIONAL SERVICES

You will start your business as a website designer, but as your skills and experience increase, you will find that there will be many additional services that you can offer.

 

SECTION 3 - MANAGING THE WORK

Congratulations. You set up your website design business, put your business site online – and the phone rang! You’ve done it! You have a real client. Now what?

CHAPTER 10 - YOUR PROJECT NOTEBOOK

The first thing you need to do is start a project notebook so you can keep all of the essential information about the job in one place. This makes it easy for you to keep track of the details of each job quickly and efficiently.

Chapter 10 defines the ten essential features of a good project notebook.

CHAPTER 11 - MANAGING THE JOB

There’s more to a website design business than just designing websites.

You need to know how to…

• Interview clients
• Generate quotes
• Write proposals
• Submit contracts
  

Learn the 17 steps that you need to follow if your business is going to be successful.

CHAPTER 12 - MANAGING THE DESIGN

Many designers develop their websites backwards. As soon as they get a new job, they start doing the layout and graphics. After the design is started, they get new details from their client and wind up starting over. Sometimes two or three times.

Don’t get caught in this trap!

There are 9 steps that professional designers use when they design websites. These steps will let you use an easy to follow procedure so that you can do it right the first time.

CHAPTER 13 - ESSENTIAL RESOURCES

Discover the three webmaster resources that cross the lines between design, marketing, and business. Resources that will make your business more successful because they will help you design sites that are user friendly, rank well in search engines, and get the results your clients want.

CHAPTER 14 - SUBCONTRACTING

During the proposal, you may find that there are some tasks that you cannot do. You may also find that it is to your financial benefit to have someone else do some of the more time consuming tasks if their rates are substantially lower than yours. In this case, you can contract out part of the job and you will become responsible for managing the work rather than doing the work.

But be careful - subcontracting is not without risks.

CHAPTER 15 - DEALING WITH CLIENTS

Some people are very nice.
Some people aren’t.
Some people know exactly what the in a website.
Some people don’t have a clue.

Your job as a business owner and service provider is to work with all of the different personality types and help them get the website that meets their needs.

This chapter…

Gives you some tips that will help you communicate effectively with your clients
Describes some different types of clients
Prepares you for the most common "client problems" faced by website designers.

CHAPTER 16 - GETTING PAID

One of the first things a client wants to know is how much a new site will cost and how you want to be paid. You need to be able to specify your rates, payment schedule, and method of payment during your initial first discussion with your client. Find out what payment options are available and which is best for you.

 

SECTION 4 - YOUR BUSINESS

Your website is the basis of your prospective client's first impression. If it doesn't convince them that you can satisfy their needs, it will be the only impression they ever get. Learn how to present your skills to your clients and get some tips on some of the best webmaster resources around.

CHAPTER 17 - DEVELOPING YOUR OWN SITE

Your website is one of the most powerful marketing tools you have and it has to be good. It has to show off your skills and convince potential clients that YOU are the designer they should call. But if you are new to designing websites, creating a persuasive site can be a challenge.

Chapter 17 gives you an opportunity to practice the 9 design steps that professional designers use while you develop your own business website.

CHAPTER 18 - DEVELOPING YOUR PORTFOLIO

Potential clients want to see samples of your work. This can be awkward for you if you are just starting out and don’t have much to show. But there are some quick and easy ways to get some sites online even if you have never had a paying client.

CHAPTER 19 - WEBMASTER RESOURCES

You can spend months trying one design tool after another before you find the best of them. Or you can look though this listing of the webmaster resources that experienced designers use most and save yourself hours of time and avoid spending hundreds of dollars for useless software.

 

APPENDIX

We all dislike paperwork, but some paperwork is necessary to make a business run smoothly. Start your Own Home-Based Website Design Business includes the documentation you will need to operate your website design business.

Use the forms included with the book and avoid hundreds of hours of development time and save thousands of dollars in legal fees.

• Website Design Business Plan
• Website Design Proposal
• Website Design Contract
• Contract Amendment
• Mini-Contract
• Subcontract Agreement
• Invoice
• Website Summary Sheet
• Time Sheet
• Storyboard Template
• Website Design Worksheet

All documents are provided in common electronic formats (Microsoft Word - .doc and plain text - .txt) for easy use.