Advice For Freelancing Or Small Business

[abrakamowse]

Ok, I'm actually working on a printing company doing graphic design and prepress and I feel a bit stuck. So, I'm looking to expand and to grow as a designer.

I had a proposal from another printing and advertising company to create websites for them and become a partnership in that area. That's good to me because they have much more customers than me, so that would be of help to begin because I won't need to be worried too much about getting new customers.

To really be able to work more on that side of the business I need more customers, I am also an illustrator and a web designer.

The main focus right now is on design for printing, that's what I know. Postcards, business cards, letterheads, magazines, etc. But I am also doing websites and I want to do applications for cell phones and games probably.

So I feel like a have many areas and I am not focusing on what to do, you can notice it by how disorganized I wrote this post. 

My first idea for me is to focus on marketing, I need customers. I was trying to find out a good company to buy a really good amount of e-mail addresses from business mainly in Manhattan. To make a e-mail marketing campaign in the beginning. I don't have time to go visit business personally, so my idea is to get in contact first via e-mail and go to visit only those business which can show some interest in my service.

 

Any suggestion???

Thanks!!!!

 

Edited February 8, 2016 by abrakamowse
tag correction

[AlmostActualized]

44 minutes ago, abrakamowse said:

Ok, I'm actually working on a printing company doing graphic design and prepress and I feel a bit stuck. So, I'm looking to expand and to grow as a designer.

I had a proposal from another printing and advertising company to create websites for them and become a partnership in that area. That's good to me because they have much more customers than me, so that would be of help to begin because I won't need to be worried too much about getting new customers.

To really be able to work more on that side of the business I need more customers, I am also an illustrator and a web designer.

The main focus right now is on design for printing, that's what I know. Postcards, business cards, letterheads, magazines, etc. But I am also doing websites and I want to do applications for cell phones and games probably.

So I feel like a have many areas and I am not focusing on what to do, you can notice it by how disorganized I wrote this post. 

My first idea for me is to focus on marketing, I need customers. I was trying to find out a good company to buy a really good amount of e-mail addresses from business mainly in Manhattan. To make a e-mail marketing campaign in the beginning. I don't have time to go visit business personally, so my idea is to get in contact first via e-mail and go to visit only those business which can show some interest in my service.

 

Any suggestion???

Thanks!!!!

 

Wow Wow Wow, Stop Stop Stop. You're all over the place man, your brain is like a ping pong ball in the Balls of Furry final match. LOL.

Okay on a more serious note I was there about 10 years ago barely starting out, hungry but with no direction. What you need is to focus on is getting your priorities straight and focus on where the money is. Webdesign, SEO, AdWords is fucking huge. Do this and ONLY this, get AdWords Certified, Analytics Certified, market your company in AdWords and in SEO. When you get new clients design their websites for cheap but try to lock them in to a monthly SEO/AdWords contract, make sure you make killer Landing Pages, with heatmaps, ROI, clickfraud, all of that. 

Do not team up with another company unless it's your last option. From my experience teaming up with another company or having a business partner(s) is like a bf/gf relationship but without the makeup sex. They will always want what is best for them because your the hungry small fish. If you ever do team up put everything in writing signed and dated with a blue pen.

My next business consulting will be at $350 per hour. 

[abrakamowse]

AlmostActualized....

 

Thank you very much for your comments! I really appreciate them! I know I am all over the place hahahaha....

That's why I was asking for direction. You were really helpful, thanks!!!

[Leo Gura]

@abrakamowse Buying someone else's mailing list is basically spam. It's highly inefficient. Whatever emails you buy will probably have been spammed to hell and nearly worthless.

But feel free to try it out. Marketing is all about finding loopholes and seizing unique opportunities, and that is done through lots of trial and error. Most initial marketing efforts will fail, so you gotta keep trying different things until you find one thing that actually works.

[abrakamowse]

@Leo Gura  thank you very much for your advice, I will keep in mind what you are telling me. Good to know.

I always tend to think that there's like a magic formula for marketing that I didn't know , hehehehe... it's good to know so my expectations are not very high. I will try several methods to see which one work better.

 

Thanks again! and thanks for this forum, very helpful really.

[Leo Gura]

@abrakamowse There is a magic formula, but it's different for every marketplace and sub-niche and business. Finding that formula is like finding a diamond in the haystack. A long search, but worth it in the end!

[abrakamowse]

Just now, Leo Gura said:

@abrakamowse There is a magic formula, but it's different for every marketplace and sub-niche and business. Finding that formula is like finding a diamond in the haystack. A long search, but worth it in the end!

@Leo Gura  Cool, thanks again! Your advice will help me to continue trying and not give up until I find the formula that it works for me.