Trials of An Entrepreneur
I really need to learn how to space out my projects
Well work is definitely coming in I just have to give myself enough time to get it done. I don’t know why I do this to myself I can set my deadlines but I always seem to set them one after another not factoring breathing time for unforeseen circumstances such as waiting for the client to send photos the want to use on the site. I always ended up scrambling and stressing at the end to meet the deadline. I have to become more efficient.
Seth Erves/Inspiredcre8tions In Northern Virginia Magazine
For those of you in the Northern Virginia area check out the April edition of The Northern Virginia magazine. I am on page 23 talking about the gadgets I use on a daily basis. Nothing major but I’m hoping it will be some free promotion plus I can say to my kids when they get older….”look daddy was in Northern Virginia Magazine”….
Ok…….
Interesting phone conversation I had the other morning:
“Hello Sir this is Seth we set up a appointment to talk about revamping your website”.
Client says: “yes I know but it is too early, I have to get out of here”
I say: “But Sir you told me in your email to call you at 8:00am”.
He says :” yes I know I know…. bye”
I hung up kind of confused. But it’s all good I just don’t understand why he asked me to call at 8am?
Quality Over Quantity
New business is always good because of course if there is not any business then there would not be any money. When I have multiple projects I often make the mistake in not stretching my deadlines far enough. Often when a client asks how fast I can turn a project around, I usually respond with a time span I know will please them. For example, I’d set up a 5 page website to be done in 2-3 days. Now if that was the only project I was working on that would be ok; also, assuming they’d have the site designed and they previously built. But if I have two or three projects like that going at one time plus maybe some print jobs (fliers, logos, etc.) it can get pretty hectic. And ITS ALL MY FAULT! All I have to do is give my clients more feasible deadlnes allowing myself more time for a project based on my work load and they would be understanding right?
Advice for you business owners out there: don’t bite off more than you can chew; quality is more important that quantity.
Hurry Up and Wait
It’s funny how clients are in such a rush to get their project started. They set up a meeting with me to talk about what they are looking to do; we draw up a contract, they send in the deposit, begin sending me materials, then lose intrest in the project. I’m not sure if it’s just the hustle and bustle of everyday business that causes them to get sidetracked or if they are just scatter brained and move on to the next thing but I’m left with a half completed project and have of the payment. One project in particular I started last February and the client went missing in March. I called and emailed them throught the year reminding them of their website to no avail. So finally they got back in touch with me last week and of course want their project done ASAP. I’m like – ok, where were you in 2009?
It’s all good though. I mean what can I say because at the end of the day the customer is always right…..
Allow Me to Introduce Myself
My story. Well I am a 30’s something web/graphic designer in the DC Metro area. For the past eight years I have had jobs in corporate America but no matter how well these jobs paid I always had the desire to own my own business. So on January 9th, 2009 the opportunity presented itself. At approximately 1:30 pm I was let go by my employer Qorvis Communications. (Thanks Qorvis!) From that day on I have been on this journey called entrepreneurship. InspiredCre8tions was launched on January 12th, 2009. After an alright first year I have decided to document the formation of my company. blueprint of sorts–an outline of the trials, pains and victories that come along with being an entrepreneur.
I want to be honest after doing research I have realized one of the most effective ways to promote your business is with a blog so obviously this is my main motive. However, this is different from the traditional web designers blog. Instead of posting articles about technique, html, css and design trends I decided to go another route with hopes to stand out in this oversaturated field, after all everybody claims to be a designer these days.
So follow me on this journey…
In search of sales
Naturally I want more clients so I decided to hire someone to do sales. The job includes doing cold calls, email blasts (designed by me of course), office visits etc… I know this is not the most exciting job but it is a job, right? So I decided to put up an ad on craigslist, of course I got hundreds of responses and I was able to narrow it down to two candidates (Craigslist is the worst….you come across all types of people on that site…avoid when possible). After exchanging about 15 emails I met with the first candidate at the Panera Bread in Dunn Loring, Virginia. She went on to tell me how excited she was about the opportunity and how this could be a great opportunity, she even mapped out her plan and presented it to me. Of course I was impressed and chose her for the position without ever meeting the second candidate. We both walked away from that meeting excited about working together….I never heard from her again. Pointless! Complete waste of my time! If she didn’t want to do the job she could have just said so.
So I am back to square one looking for someone to do sales….if you know anybody who may be interested send them my way, seth@inspiredcre8tions.com.
Something for Almost Nothing
Ok so I had a meeting today with some potential clients. Yaay, new business! I traveled about 45 minutes from my location in South Riding, Va to Lahnam, MD to meet them at McDonalds. We begin to talk about the details of their site. They go on to tell me that they want a site where visitors can search restaurants in their area based on zip code, city, state and type of food. Once they have selected the restaurant they can view the menu and then place a order. Someone at the other end of this process will receive an email from the site with the order details, and at that point they will go to the restaurant pick up the client order and deliver to the user. Something along the lines of these sites, http://www.dotmenu.com/, http://www.allmenus.com/ny/new-york/, http://www.campusfood.com/. Sounds great, right? Well they wanted this done for about $400.00 telling me people quoted them at $300.00. A site like this normally would start around $2,000 and they want it for $400.00. Thats like me taking my 3 series to a BMW mechanic to get the brakes replaced, a $900 job and telling them the honda dealer down the street said they would do it for $400.00 It doesn’t ad up. You get what you pay for; if you want it done right the first time you have to pay for it. I am willing to be flexible but I can’t be taken advantage of.
We walked away from the meeting with them saying they were going to talk it over and will be in touch. We will see….
