Last month, I showed you some great workflow-improving lessons from the Tuts+ Mac Computer Skills section.
Today, I'm going to take a look at another important part of the web
design process: business. With the help of Tuts+ Business, this roundup
will showcase some great business tutorials to help improve your web
design trade.
Productivity
Web design is a creative skill and a trade which avoids repetition
through every job being different. However, times may come when
productivity takes a hit and it's difficult to stay motivated. These
tutorials are hand-picked from Tuts+ Business's Productivity category;
let's jump in!
Writer and blogger David Masters shows, in "How to Start Every Day
with a Productive Mindset", how to better your workflow by taking simple
steps to increase your productivity. From getting enough sleep to
eating a metaphorical frog, this tutorial discusses the benefits simple
steps can make to any workflow, including that of a web designer.
What if you could do more while changing very little? This is the
proposition Brian Casel offers. This tutorial recommends five simple,
tried-and-tested methods to improving your workflow by eliminating
particularly prominent distractions and focusing yourself towards your
end goal. It's well worth a look.
Happy workers are productivity workers (really, it's been scientifically proven!) David Masters shows us how to get "in the zone" and be more happy at work, thus improving our productivity in the process.
When you are completely absorbed or caught up in something,
you become oblivious to things around you, or to the passage of time. It
is this absorption in what you are doing that frees your unconscious
and releases your creative imagination.
Business & Finance
These next tutorials come from Tuts+ Business's Business &
Finance section, showcasing lessons that can be learned to help better
manage the financial state of your web design business.
In this post, Thursday Bram discusses the process of writing project
proposals as a freelancer. This tutorial goes over the process of
putting together a proposal and offers some tips on how to streamline
things, making the whole experience better for yourself and your client.
In "6 Budget Planning Steps to Professional Project Estimates",
Jennifer Stakes Roberts presents two approaches to planning project
estimates: the "Bottom-Up Estimate" and the "Top-Down Estimate".
As a freelancer, it is essential to get your estimates right.
Too high, and you might not get the project; too low, and you won’t
make a profit. With a professional estimate, you will be able to show
your client how you have arrived at your cost, which will help them see
that your price is fair.
Deciding what to charge can be one of the biggest obstacles for new
freelancers entering any trade. Everyone deserves to be compensated
appropriately, though, and in this post Carol Tice shares many resources
to judge the value of your time.
When you're not providing a physical product, the threat of someone
stealing your intellectual property is very apparent. In this article,
Tara Hornor discusses just what intellectual property is, when and how
intellectual property theft happens and some precautions you can take to
avoid losing out.
Tax. It can be a frighting word. Fortunately, in "The Freelancer's
Essential 12-Step Guide to Avoiding Tax Trouble", Carol Tice helps
US-based freelancers understand how the tax system works for freelancers
and the process of paying (or, perhaps, responding to situations when
you can't). If you're starting out in the US, or find yourself mid-way
through your first tax year, this is a great place to start.
As freelancers, this responsibility falls squarely on our
shoulders. But tax-phobia shouldn't keep you from pursuing the freelance
life.
Sales
At the end of the day, we can't always work for free. Rather, a sound
sales strategy is vital to the sustainability of your web design
business. These tutorials are all about sales and ensuring your have
jobs rolling in.
As I mentioned earlier, everyone deserves to be paid for the work
they do. Unfortunately, with many options open to your clients, you can
end up being oversold and forced to get into a habit of taking on
lower-paying jobs. In "3 Things Holding You Back From $3,000+ Website
Projects", Brent Weaver discusses some common themes among freelancers
who end up avoiding desirable, high-paying contracts.
Earlier, I pointed you to a couple of tutorials on the process of
writing proposals. In this post, Angela Ferraro-Fanning discusses a
different type of document, the contract, listing twelve things you
should make sure every design contract includes.
Series
Just as we do here at Tuts+ Web Design,
Tuts+ Business hosts a number of series of business articles centred
around a particular theme. Though not everything mentioned might be
linked to your own particular business experience, there are a few which
stand out as useful reads for web designers in all situations. Let's
take a look!
When working as a web designer, you may often find your business only
extends to a small group of individual clients rather than a
highly-popular mass market. Nonetheless, getting your voice heard
amongst many other professionals vying for similar jobs can be a
daunting experience. In the special video series "Marketing Your New
Online Business", Omar Zenhom looks at how to market your new freelance
business.
Staying productive and focused is a great quality to have in almost
any trade, including freelance examples like web design. In "Build Your
Productivity System", David Masters offers a number of tutorials that
offer help in improving your workflow by increasing happiness,
productivity and focus.
"The business of business is business." Ultimately, the success of
your web design business will come from the bottom line. However, in the
early stages, you may find yourself lost for ways on raising funds for
your new or growing business. In "Funding a Business", Andrew Blackman
details the various ways you can try to raise some money in order to
propel your freelance business and get things started.
Any Recommendations?
Once again, we open up the floor to you, our readers. If you've been
reading Tuts+ Business or just have any own business tips of your own,
be sure to share them in the comments section!
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