Back in the beginning we posted a poll to find out about our readers. In part because we’re nosy. In part because we’d like to target future posts.

With 113 people participating in the poll, the results are …

• Self taught, four plus years in the business = 27%
• Design grad, four plus years in the business = 20%
• Design grad, two to four years in the business = 17%
• Self taught, two to four years in the business = 11%
• Self taught, one to two years in the business = 6%
• In-house designer thinking about taking the leap = 6%
• Design grad, one to two years in the business = 4%
• Basic photoshop, illustrator, etc., skills = 3%
• Enrolled full time or part time in a design school = 3%
• Design grad, some professional experience = 2%
• A few design courses under the belt = 2%

Thanks for joining in,
The BoDo Team
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Welcome to the first Resourceful Friday:
Resources: Business of Design Blogs

The aim of BoDo is to gather in the conversation from websites, blogs, books, magazines and even tv. When I started researching for BoDo’s Resources on the subject of the business of design, a few focused blogs stood out. By focused, I mean 98% of the posts are about running a design business.

Resources: Business of Design Blogs

GraphicDefine
Author: Daniel Schutzsmith
Six years in the industry, Daniel’s background is Web Developer, Graphic Designer, Project Manager, Business Developer, Business Manager, Business Developer, and now Entrepreneur. At present Daniel is Adjunct Professor at the School of Visual Arts (NY), teaching (amongst other subjects) the Business of Studio.

One of my favourite posts at GraphicDefine:
Are You Ready to Open Your Own Design Studio?

FreelanceTipster
Author: Jen Gordon
Jen has ten years in the business (six as a freelancer artist), working as art director and designer. FreelanceTipster is a new blog (only three months deep), but is turning into a great resource.

One of my favourite posts at FreelanceTipster:
Top 10 Mistakes Made by New Freelancers

Check out the Hourly Rate Calculator on her business site, Jen Gordon. Similar to Creative Latitude’s, only software.

CREATEaPRO.com
Author: John Rubio
Thirteen years in the industry, John Rubio has worked in print design, marketing, advertising, corporate branding, video, film, web design, multimedia, illustration, cartooning, comics, and animation. Although he stalled at three months, CREATEaPRO.com is a good resource, and with a nudge (hi John!) I’m hoping he’ll recharge.

One of my favourite posts at CREATEaPRO.com:
Flat Rate or Hourly?

With Designers who Blog going into its second year, I have a handle on a great deal more blogs discussing the business of design (to one degree or another). I plan to share all on Resourceful Friday. Eventually. Along with websites, books, magazines, software, anything to do with running a design business.

If you have any resources to suggest, drop me a line. Depending, I’ll add them to our resources and BoDo’s del.icio.us.

Until the next
Resourceful Friday,
cat

Yesterday we got personal, today we get serious. About clients. How many that is. How many you need before taking the big leap. A slippery subject, it depends on several factors, not the least of which are:

• Your overhead
• Your revenue goals
• How much time you have to work on freelance projects
• How good you are at marketing your talents
• And of course, how talented you are

Can you start out a business with only one client? Sure. Some designers, like James Archer of Forty Media, have even done it with none.

For the designer who heads out with just the one, it’s typically due to a client giving them a good amount of work. But if that relationship sours, it’s potentially big time dangerous. Unless you have adequate capital to cover yourself (and most don’t), you’re back out looking for an in-house job. Real quick.

Walk a ways with us to see what often happens … You get a freelance client. They give you a ton of work. So much so that you’re bringing in more money than at your in-house job. You take the leap of freedom, but in essence, you only changed jobs. You were figuring that you’ll get more clients being on your own. Problem is, Mr. Big Client is keeping you so busy, you don’t market your business. Then disaster strikes. Your contact leaves the company and the new person brings on “their people.” Or another designer snags them. Or you have a falling out. Or the company goes under. Or they just don’t need you anymore. Instead of enjoying the next phase in running a business, soon you’re flat broke. You’re scratching through the want ads. Or worse.

Here’s three thoughts on single clients and income

1. The typical client/designer relationship last three years
2. If you’re making the majority of your income from one client, the tax people may want to classify you as an employee
3. If that one, single client represents more than 40% of your total revenue, you could be on shaky financial ground

A good target would be at least two “anchor” clients that generate, say, 50% of your revenue. If one goes south, you’ll take a hit, but will still be floating. The other 50% comes from four to six smaller clients.

And don’t forget the turnover rate of three years. New business really is the live blood of a designer’s practice. So to keep the client flow, you really do need to keep marketing.

Coming next will be couple of client confessions. Ours, not the client’s. (Oh, how, we, wish!)

See you there,
The BoDo Team
cat - nt - jay

The previous post in the BoDo Niblets: Starting Out and Setting Up Series talked about who was ready when starting a company. In Taking it Personally, we’ll briefly discusses the different types it takes to handle stresses, strains and pains of taking on the running of a business.

A no brainer - designers are people. As such, they come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. Some are extroverts, energized by being with others. Some are introverts, who find their energy by being alone. Some play well with bosses, some are driven to boss. None are good or bad. They simply are.

In-house or out, one of the tricks to being successful (whatever way you choose) is to understand your type of personality, then use it to advantage.

Seth Godin makes a valid point in Do you need a boss?

You don’t realize how much you need a boss until you don’t have one. … The main thing a boss does, though, is give you the momentum you need to get through the stuff that takes perseverance. The main thing that ends the career of a Free Agent is the lack of a hand pushing on the back, someone handing out assignments and waiting for the deliverables.

Taking it all into account (and loving lists like we do), we’ve come up with another list for you to think about.

Ten Traits of Successful Business Owners

1. They can perform
2. They’re self-starters
3. They bring value to the table
4. They aggressively market their practice
5. They’re always learning – about design, but also business
6. They’re team players, not prima donnas
7. They have a cool head
8. They’re organized
9. They’re decisive
10. They’re leaders

(Oh, well, 8 out of ten isn’t bad …)

That’s right. Not everyone is cut out to run a business, just as not everyone is cut out to be an in-house designer. Depending on the shop, someone who needs predictability and a sense of security may be better off working in-house. Someone who has a take-charge personality might be better off running the show instead of taking orders. Those who are insecure or introverted might find going it alone too stressful.

To state the obvious - play up your strengths and shore up your weaknesses. Spend time learning about your personality type and what you can do to improve.

In our next post, we’re going to get personal. We’re going to find out how others coped. How they got down, around, and out from under it all. But in the meantime, read what Alina has to say about personalities and working in-house in Alina’s Insights: Corporate Grinding

Until then,
The BoDo Team
cat - nt - jay

It’s early days yet, but we’re nosy. We want to know more about BoDo’s readers.

You’ll find the poll on the homepage. Just to your left on the sidebar (under the search). If you’d let us know your experience level, that’d be grand.

Below is the selection on offer. If you feel we’ve left one out, let us know by adding yours to the comments.

How Experienced Are You?

• Basic photoshop, illustrator, etc., skills
• A few design courses under the belt
• Enrolled full time or part time in a design school
• Design grad, some professional experience
• Self taught, one to two years in the business
• Design grad, one to two years in the business
• Self taught, two to four years in the business
• Design grad, two to four years in the business
• In-house designer thinking about taking the leap
• Design grad, four plus years in the business
• Self taught, four plus years in the business

The results will be posted at the end of the BoDo Niblets: Starting Out and Setting Up Series. In roughly about two weeks. Or so.

Thanks for your support,
The BoDo Team
cat - nt - jay

So, you’ve had a momentary lapse of reason and decided to forgo the regular paycheck in favor of starting your own business. Welcome to the club. Being in business for yourself can be a WILD ride, so fasten those seat belts.

BoDo is here to (hopefully) make that ride a little smoother. We’ve all had our triumphs as well as tribulations. We plan on sharing all the ins and outs. The ups and downs. As well as the in betweens.

Quoting Creative Coach and visiting author Mark McGuinness from Wishful Thinking

To run a successful design business you need to be more than a great designer. You need to be an accountant, manager, negotiator, salesperson, marketer, presenter, networker, copywriter, debt collector, strategist, intellectual property developer and more. You need to be comfortable dealing with people, money, technology and sometimes even the law.

Take advantage of programmes on offer to help you develop these skills. Make use of resources like BoDo where you can learn from others’ expertise and experience. Read books, ask questions - do whatever it takes. Commit to learning these business skills - they are tools for turning your creative talent into creative success.

In our first series, BoDo Niblets: Starting Out and Setting Up, we will cover the bare basics. The series will be just a nibble, an intro, a bite of what BoDo will bring. Later posts will go into more detail on the running a successful design business.

We’ll also be introducing team members, visiting authors (like Mark), and a few odd friends who’ll stop by on occasion.

Below is the outline of the series. For each subject there will be joining posts, BoDo Experience. It’s where a few of us dig back into our start-up days.

Are You Ready?

Do you have enough experience (both with design and running a small business) to start your own design company?

Taking it Personally

Are you an independent self-starter, disciplined loner, superb marketeer, multi-tasking monk? Or do you feel more comfortable working mainly in-house, surrounded by living, breathing flesh?

Clients, Oh My!

How many clients do you need to get started?

Where’s the Money, Honey?

How much ready cash does it take to leap?

Location, Location, Location

Decisions, decisions … Will you rent office space, or work out of the home? Will you work on-site or via the Internet?

How Equipped Are You?

Can you start with the bare basics, or do you need the bells and whistles?

Who’s (ac)Counting now?

You’ve got the clients. You’ve got the projects. What kind of invoicing will you need?

A Recap of the Starting Out and Setting Up series

So, how’d we do?

Thanks for stopping by,
The BoDo Team
cat - nt - jay

Welcome to BoDo:
The Business of Design online launch

Introducing Erin Reviews

Erin Harris, is the owner of Boston-based, Sanguine Theory, a creative strategy and design firm in Boston. To insure she’s always on the go, she also works as an in-house designer. Another BoDo brainiac, she holds an undergraduate degree from Smith College and is completing a masters degree in advertising at Boston University. To round things out Erin’s a founding member of NO!SPEC, a member of Creative Latitude and a member of the Boston chapter of AIGA. Team BoDo is pretty sure she’s the inventor of the 48 hour day. We’re still not sure how she gets all this done.

An avid reader and studious scholar, Erin will be contributing book reviews to BoDo. Follow her posts at Erin Reviews and you’ll know just what to pop into your shopping cart on Amazon.com.

The BoDo Team
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Welcome to BoDo:
The Business of Design online launch

The BoDo Team is not alone

That’s right, we will not be chewing your ear on our lonesome. A considerable chunk of BoDo’s energy will come from knowledgeable professionals pitching in.

If you check out our visiting authors section, on the design side, we have Alina Hagen (Creative Latitude), Erin Harris (Sanguine Theory), Stefan Bean (Pulse Creative Partners, Inc) and Thomas (Tom) Stephan.

For a rounded conversation, BoDo will also pull from industries other than design - ME “Liz” Strauss (Successful Blog), Dr. Tammy Lenski (I Can’t Say That!) and Mark McGuinness (Wishful Thinking).

But wait. There’s more! The BoDo Team has been busy

In fact, in the past six months plus, Cat’s been lining up designers (web and graphic), illustrators, writers, marketeers, photographers, account planners, agents, programmers, printers and pre press specialists to come on down and give up their business savvy. So keep your eyes out for an extensive lineup.

Some will be interviewed in You’ve been BoDo’d. Others will appear in the BoDo series, Designers Working With (writers, photographers, marketeers, illustrators, programmers, account planners, agents, printers and pre press specialists and more). Some will host a series of their own. Still others will join our present line-up ofvisiting authors (bless them).

So, who IS BoDo?
We are all BoDo.
And we are chuffed.

The BoDo Team
cat - nt - jay