OK, I obviously I won’t ever stop expanding my skill-set as a web designer and developer. But I have assessed my current situation and decided I am doing too much on my own and not relying enough on other highly skilled web professionals.
This post is about my business, CasJam Media, and my goal of expanding the operation beyond a one-man-show.
It’s true that most freelance web designers wear multiple hats all times. Graphic designer, front-end programmer, back-end programmer, user experience engineer, project manager, account manager, business, owner… you get the idea. But at a certain point, you have to step back and pick which of these roles you’re a rockstar at, and which of these roles you’re not.
As a web design business owner, I strive to deliver the best possible design and development services for my clients. Every area of web design must be top notch. That is why I must make the effort to outsource more projects (or pieces of projects) to my trusted network of fellow freelancers.
For too long, I have relied on my own ability to quickly pick up new skills on my own that “get the job done”. I must admit, If I don’t know how to do so something, there is a damn good chance I’ll figure out how to do it in just a matter of hours, usually by relentless googling (binging?) for the answer.
What ends up happening is that, while the projects always get done and the client’s needs are always satisfied, there are elements that aren’t rockstar quality, but just good-enough quality. This can’t go on.
I was doing this in an effort to make the most profit on my projects by not outsourcing work as often as I should. There two serious problems with this reasoning:
- Sure, I don’t have to pay someone else to do the task. But I do pay in terms of hours/days spent figuring it out on my own. That means less time to work on landing more clients.
- It means I’m not charging enough. While I do have some high-paying projects, I also have some disproportionally under-quoted projects happening as well. I need to develop a more coherent pricing structure that allows for expanding the creative team.
I see two definite benefits of more outsourcing:
- Projects are 100% rockstar quality. The CasJam Media will be bursting with beautiful projects, which will surely translate into more clients looking for that high quality work.
- Current clients will have their expectations exceeded, which will translate to more repeat business and more referred business. That’s the name of the game in the web design business.
Share your insight
Freelancers, business owners, web design industry or not… Please share your insights on committing to put your trust in other skilled professionals to deliver top quality results for your clients.