So You Want to Start a Business? What 3 Years of Freelancing & Entrepreneurship Have Taught Me

Jul 10

I recently had the honor of speaking to a group of UX design students at Skyline City College about my experience freelancing and starting my web design business, Luminescent Dreams. Although the college students were at different stages in their life and career journeys, they all had one thing in common: They were getting ready to graduate from their program and needed to decide what to do next in their careers— whether that be investing in more education, working for a company, freelancing, or starting a business.

With 3 years of full-time entrepreneurship under my belt, I had a lot to say about what it takes to run a web design business in this day and age. I’m excited to share the recording of my presentation and slides here for those of you who are curious about what this career path looks like, or if you just want to get to know me and my story a little better.

This speaking opportunity was extra special because the professor of the UX design course at Skyline City College was Eddie Shieh, someone who has made a huge impact on my career. Eddie was my UX design teacher and mentor at the very beginning stages of my web design journey back in 2019 when I enrolled in a part-time user experience design boot camp at General Assembly in San Francisco, California. Preparing this presentation to Eddie’s students really made me reflect on how much I’ve grown as a designer, entrepreneur, and as a human being since then, as well as some of the powerful (and painful) lessons I’ve learned along the way.

So, without further ado, feel free to watch the video (embedded above) or click here to watch it on my YouTube channel. If you want to flip through my presentation slides or download them as a PDF, you can find them here below.

Presentation Slides:

Download the PDF

3 KEY COMPONENTS OF RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL DESIGN BUSINESS

#1 — Finding your niche & doing what you love

Getting clear about who you are & the type of work you want to do
Branding, marketing, & storytelling to your ideal clients

#2 — Launching & growing your business

Getting organized with your finances, taxes, & business paperwork
Business planning, online tools, pricing, contracts, & strategy

#3 — Booking clients consistently & mastering your craft

Providing a high-quality service with an excellent customer experience
Becoming a sought-after expert & thought leader in your industry

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF AS YOU'RE BRAINSTORMING YOUR BRAND

#1 — What type of work absolutely lights you up?

Pick a niche/direction (at least to start).
- What platforms will you work with?
- What types of deliverables will you produce for your clients?
- Are you available for ongoing work or only one-time projects?
- Would you rather work on several small projects or 1 large project at a time?
  Pro Tip: I recommend keeping your services fairly simple and straightforward so that your clients have a clear understanding of what you do & don't offer.

#2 — What sort of clients do you want to serve?

What words and information would establish credibility and build trust with your clients?
What colors, fonts, graphics, and overall design styles would resonate with your target clientele?
Pro Tip: Your branding is ultimately about YOUR CLIENTS (not about you). Make sure your website's design is a reflection of that.

#3 — What is the unique value that you bring to the table?

What makes you unique & special?
This could have nothing to do with UX design and be more related to who you are as a person— your story, your motivation, your big why.
Weave this into your branding, marketing, & storytelling.
Pro Tip: Showcasing your unique value will help you stand out from your competition and make more genuine connections your target clientele.

FINANCIAL TIPS WHEN STARTING A BUSINESS

Keep your business expenses and personal expenses in separate bank accounts.
Hire a professional bookkeeper & accountant from day 1 (unless you really want to learn QuickBooks).
Take out a percentage of your income for taxes (15% - 25% is a good starting point).
Always set aside a percentage of your income for retirement savings (10% is good).
Be prepared with health insurance coverage.
Keep track of your business expenses and only purchase things that you really need.
If you are starting a business, I recommend having a part-time or full-time job at first. Otherwise, having at least 3-6 months of living and business costs saved up is good.

PRO TIPS FOR BOOKING CLIENTS CONSISTENTLY & MASTERING YOUR CRAFT

The best way to book more clients is to do a great job!
- Client referrals are still my #1 marketing source
- Upwork is #2
- Social media and email marketing can be a great way to stay in touch with your audience and remind them that you exist, but I've personally never booked new clients from them.

Building any business is about building relationships.
- You build relationships with your clients through your 1:1 communication with them, as well as through your website, social media, sales process, marketing, etc.

Developing your skills, brand, and process takes time. Start somewhere and put yourself out there!
- You can refine the details as you get to know yourself and your business better.