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• A new type of RFP (request for proposal) by Airbag Industries. This is simply fantastic, ever since I saw this last night I've been enamored with this RFP method. I can't wait to rework my in similar fashion.
• More than 245 Free Geometric Fractal Brushesby Share Brain. I don't know about you, but I'm constantly needing more and more brushes.
• 50 Free Photoshop Pattern Setsby Emma Alvarez. A nice compilation of 50 pattern sets, we can always use more patterns.
• Fixed Footers without Javascriptby Boagworld. This is a very nice solution for those sometmes needed sticky footers.
• Google Calendar CalDAV support by Google. When setting up my iCal to be more efficient and to sync with my already existing Google Calendar. This how-to by Google was quite helpful. Get organized, get productive!

If you find these links helpful they why not subscribe to get email updates from me or get feed by RSS.

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Building a web design business takes effort, time, and loads of TLC. If you'd like to be successful then you need a good role model. There are many successful web designers and developers out there you can craft your business after.

Find a mentor

I recommend finding a mentor to begin molding your business after. Am I suggesting copying them? No. What I am suggesting is that you take the time to really evaluate what it is you'd like to accomplish and then see who has accomplished things like that already. If you want to take your business into full time freelance, then find a full time freelancer. If your goal is to develop your own web agency, then find someone who's running one.

What do you do once you've found them?

I believe this is the most critical step of all. Once you've found someone that fits exactly what you and your business need then it is up to you to contact them. I say this is the most critical step of all, because what I'm telling you to do is to contact them. That can be via phone, email, twitter, or even good old fashion mail. You need to open up the communication between yourself and your targeted mentor. Before you start objecting and giving excuses like, "I don't want to bother them," "I'm not good at networking," or "I don't know what to say to them" give me a chance to help you out.

It will not be a bother to them, you don't have to be a master networker, and it's very easy what you want to say. Let's work in reverse order and tackle the what to say part. Here are a few things you'd like to include when contacting them:

1. Who you are.
2. Why you are contacting them. Yes be specific and tell them exactly why you're contacting them.
3. Why you've chosen them.
4. Ask for additional contact information and their permission to contact them further. You are looking to develop a relationship with someone and email, instant messenger, skype, twitter, and etc.. are going to be very valuable to you -- so ask for it.

The most critical step of contacting them is actually the easiest. If you contact them and get no reply (which is doubtful) then you have lost nothing. You're out nothing and then you simply go to the next possible mentor on your list. Working through this process will actually improve your networking skills which I've already mentioned is key.

Additional reading: 7 tips for power networking & Master the art of business card networking in 4 easy steps

Listen to their advice

Lastly, listen to what they say. Look you've gone through the hard work of selecting someone and now contacting them. What they have to say, despite how odd it could sound, is worth it's weight in gold. I can't tell you how many odd things people I've contacted have said. But what I can tell you is that no matter how odd, they're usually right. Just like your parents, the ones you thought didn't know a thing growing up, who mysteriously get smarter once you get into your 20's.

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Set something measurable

Ask any programmer and they'll tell you that they know what needs done. Each programmed element is made up of tiny elements (those things that designers like me don't know). They may be 90% done with one task and it's taken them all week because of the 100 mini todo's that make up that task. Don't misunderstand me, designers don't need to know all the minute details. What I am suggesting though is use some project management software to track tasks, projects, milestones, and the like. With this you'll always be able to see some progress.

Stay on top of it

Of course, you're going to want to frequently check in with your designers and programmers to check their progress (even if you can see it in your project management software). Not to bug them, but to stay informed. At least at this point that's what I've found to be the most effective.

Don't be afraid when you don't see progress, because the chances are things are getting done without you knowing it. Marc Amos stated that "even immeasurable progress is progress." He is absolutely right!

Series Sponsor:

Web Design and Development Help - The Web Squeeze

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Why bother?

It would make sense to not even worry about time lines, deadlines, or goals if you know that you're going to fall behind. True, but how many people plan on falling behind. That sounds stupid.

Plans are nothing! Planning is everything.

Dwight Eisenhower stated that plans are nothing, planning is everything. He is quite right, the plans themselves aren't as important as sitting down and planning. If you don't know where you're going, you can't really get there.

The Best of Intentions

Even with the best of intentions, we've already fallen behind of my illustrious launch goal. No matter! I am sure there will parts of our plan where we can make up some time. The beauty of working on Code Eight is that we're in charge. No pesky client is telling us when it's due, and we're not holding up the launch of a product/website. It is a wonderful change.

With that said, you NEED to treat yourself as a client as much as possible. If not, you'll abuse and take advantage of yourself.

Time to go harp on my developer to get back on track…

Series Sponsor:

Web Design and Development Help - The Web Squeeze

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What limitations did we apply and why?

With every logo, company name, or product name one has certain limitations or guidelines to follow. Since this is an internal project and not a client project we had no initial constraints. I on the other hand had several in mind. The name had to:

• be marketable. (meaning could easily design a campaign around it.)
• be memorable.
• be catchy.
• be fun.
• be short in syllables (so it wouldn't take an hour to say)
• have the domain name available. (preferably the dot com, but a dot net would suffice)
• have an association with the application. (preferred, but not required)

How did we start?

I always stress about coming up with a name, mainly as a designer because I'd like some idea as to what direction to start designing. So where to start coming up with a name? We started with the obvious, what did the application do. I did a web search and jotted down some interesting words. Then we listed play on words based on it and we added words that were complimentary to them that we liked. Still more lists of some words in reverse. As desperation was setting in (not really it just felt like it to me), we tried using the Top Level Domain as part of the name. At this point we didn't really have a name we immediately felt was perfect. We had several worth keeping on the list, and exploring further.

BINGO! (almost)

This entire process took a few days of searching, making a list, bouncing ideas back  forth and off friends. Then it hit us -- the perfect name was on our original list. We liked the name, the fun-ness of it, the marketability. One by one our criteria was met…. until we came to the dot com. It wasn't available. Wouldn't you know!

I like seeing who owns the domains I want, so I took a peak and got angry. It's a SEDO page someone is sitting on. The dot net was available so we bought it just in case I couldn't work out a deal for the domain. I emailed the owner of the domain to see if he'd be interested in selling it. He replied with what I expected: "sure, make me an offer." So I made a very modest offer, expecting a counter. What I got shocked me! "Take your offer and multiply it by 30, and I might be interested," was the reply I received. I countered with double my original offer and left the ball in their court. I was happy with the dot net domain so if we got the dot com domain - it would be icing on the cake.

And the winner is…

We've selected Code Eight. I know you're thinking what on earth does this have to do with our application. The application we're building is an innovative web-based backup utility. Code Eight is the police code for "requesting backup," so it's a perfect fit!

Get Notified

Head over and sign up to be notified when it's ready to use! http://www.CodeEight.net

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This is your chance! Ask them, and I'll gear the upcoming articles your way to address all the questions.

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I hope to cover all the following topics:

• Picking the Name
• Designing a Logo
• Project Management
• Timeframe
• Marketing
• Site Architecture
• Website creation
• Testing
• Launching and more

This is going to be a learning process for us and I hope to share some valuable information about the process of building a web application along the way.

So if you haven't subscribed to either email updates from this site or to my RSS feed, do so now and join us in the journey to launch our idea.

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1. Can you briefly tell us a little about yourself?

I started building websites in 1994 while going to college. Initially I built sites for fun, but I quickly discovered that people would pay me to do it and that's when my freelance career began. After several years of freelance web design I took a development job at a tech startup. A few years later we were all laid off and I was back to freelancing. At 26 with nothing to lose, I decided to see if I could parlay my freelance success into an actual business and founded Agency Fusion in November of 2002, hiring people as the business began to grow. I love the niche we fill as a company, bridging the gap between creatives and technology. It suits me very well personally.

2. How long have you been 100% self-employed?

Yes, I've been self-employed since 2002 and was self-employed as a freelancer for several years before my brief stint at a tech startup.

3. What did you do before you took the leap to full-time freelance?

Immediately before founding Agency Fusion, I worked for a tech startup called Ingeo Systems. The company was developing a system to facilitate electronic recording of lien release documents at county recorders' offices around the country. The technology was pretty cutting-edge and in addition to doing a lot of the development work, I also had the opportunity to be responsible for the user interface design. The company was partnering with Fannie Mae and that gave me a chance to work with some very skilled usability experts there as well as at the American Institutes of Research in Boston.

4. Was it an easy transition and why?

The transition was easy for two reasons. First, my former employer laid everyone off so I never had to make the decision to leave my secure, stable employment. That decision was made for me. I find that for most people, leaving the security of the steady job is the biggest hurdle to going on their own. The second reason the transition was relatively easy is that my former job was at a tech startup. I was hired early enough in the process that I was used to the startup environment where you build something out of nothing. The CEO of the company was a fantastic mentor who involved me in many aspects of the business and that provided a wealth of experience I could later draw upon.

5. Can you briefly walk us through a typical work day for you?

My days are fairly unpredictable. I can have a blank schedule tomorrow and still end up working a frantic 15-hour day. When the rest of my team is completely slammed, it's my job to pickup the excess. During a typical day I'll spend several hours on email, hold at least a couple of meetings with team members to assist with something they're doing or follow up on an assignment I've given, spend an hour or so researching and reading, and quite often I'll squeeze in some accounting.

6. In a typical week, how many hours do you work on the following:

• Client Work: 3-5 hours
• Personal Projects: 0-1 hours
• Blogging: 1-2 hours
• RSS reading: 5-6 hours
• Learning: 5-10 hours
• Other (describe)?: 30-40 hours running the company (finding clients, accounting, managing the team, marketing campaigns, etc.)

7. For you, what do you think is the best way to attract new clients?

Our clients are all designers and ad agencies. The best way for us to attract clients is to connect with them. We need to show them how we're different from the typical programmer stereotype and that we "get" them.

8. If you had to list several industry 'mentors' or 'heroes' who would they be?

For me it's best to focus on what Agency Fusion is doing and follow our own path so I don't spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to be like someone else. We're doing something a bit different here and it requires that we blaze our own trail and do our own thinking. If I spend too much time analyzing others I end up thinking like others. Having said that, I've certainly learned a great deal from others including Todd Hougaard, the former CEO of the tech startup I briefly worked for, Dan Cederholm, author of Bulletproof Web Design, and all of the leading-edge designers and developers who set and promote standards for usability, design, and coding. There is so much inspiring work out there.

9. What is the biggest blunder you see other web design companies do?

"Blunder" may be too strong a word for this but I rarely see web design companies who've found the balance between creating a successful business and doing great design. It seems like there are two groups. Those who have the business vision and are all about making money as efficiently as possible. This group often has horrendous design. The other group is in it for the love of the game. They design because they are passionate about it. This group is often missing out on some of the business aspect, though, and could use a bit of savvy in that department. I think there is a sweet spot in the middle but I don't see many web design companies who figure that out.

10. What is the most under utilized web element/technology in your opinion?

The most underutilized aspect of web design, in my opinion, is usability. While it's not a technology, it's an essential part of creating effective websites. I don't see enough effort made to learn and employ interaction design. There is too much effort made on making a site look good and not enough made on optimizing the user experience.

11. On the flip side, what is the most over used web element/technology in your opinion?

Flash isn't necessarily "over used" but I think it's quite often "misused." I look forward to the day when everyone knows that a Flash intro to a website is a bad idea. The fact that they know they need to put a "skip intro" link in the intro is what puzzles me. It's as though they've almost figured out that people just want to get to the content of the site. Flash is an important technology with immense value, but needs to be used with purpose.

12. Rapid-Fire Recommendations (URL and optional comment):

• Must read blog (other than yours): http://www.theorganicseo.com/ - a great SEO blog with sound advice
• Must visit website: http://www.lifehacker.com/ - loads of cool, useful information on just about everything
• Unusual site you visit daily: http://www.feedmyapp.com/ - a window into what's new on the Web
• Most inspirational site for you: http://ui.jquery.com/ - I love seeing what is possible with great JavaScript and CSS
• Best site you've seen lately: http://www.ff0000.com/

13. If there was one bit of advice would you have for those interested in creating or growing their web design business, what would it be?

Stick to it. There is a reason most people work for someone else. It's hard to do your own thing. The benefits are real but they're definitely earned so during the first few years spend all of your energy working on building the business. Give the business more than it gives you. The payoff will come later on.

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• Authentic Marketing: Is it Okay to Benefit from Just Being Yourself? by Freelance Switch.
• The Power of Pre-Write: 5 Things to Do Before Your Create Your Freelance Business Website by Freelance Switch.
• 6 Time-Wasters for Webmasters by Webmaster Source

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• How to Work With a Mentor by Shane  Peter Inc. - such an excellent topic, one in which I'll be writing on in the coming future.
• Your Biggest Obstacle by Small Business Marketing - Another nice post on goal setting. (You can also read my recent article on the same issue: the importance of goal setting)
• The Difference Between Marketing, PR, Advertising, and Personal Branding by Quick Sprout - excellent illustrations to demonstrate the difference.
• Best Practices for Bulletproof E-Mail Delivery by Smashing Magazine - At some point in your business, you'll engage in email marketing and this article has some nice tips for you.
• Calculate This! 100 Financial Calculators Every Entrepreneur Needs by Bootstrapper - who can go wrong with so many choices.
• Permeability - by Seth Godin - Finally, the thought provoking question: How permeable is your company?

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In The 2-Hour Business Plan I mentioned that your plan should have major goals and objectives. However, in addition to those major ones you'll need to have non-major goals as well as a blueprint for success. Without delay let's proceed with that direction I promised.

Where are you going?

So where do you want to go? One thing that makes a vacation is to have a destination. You have to decide where you want to go, in order to generate the plan to get there. This is the first step in proper goal setting.

What are you going to accomplish?

Now that you know that you want to be the CEO of a super-stud business or at least a profitable one, what are you going to accomplish exactly. Is one of your goals to hire 2-3 more employees? Do you want your business to be a sponsor at a local event? Are you interested in developing web applications? What exactly do you want to do? This is the point where you brainstorm, list everything -- there are no bad goals.

Where do you see yourself in a month, next quarter, next year?

You should now have a rather large list of desired accomplishments/goals. Next is to organize these goals into the appropriate time frame. Put them into various categories. There is no right or wrong way to do this step, however I recommend a few close time frames and a few a bit farther into the future. I tend to use: this month, 3 months from now, 1 year from now, and 5 years from now.

Achievable Goals vs. Wishful thinking

Lastly, you'll want to know the difference between achievable goals and just wishful thinking. There is nothing wrong with dreams as long as they are put in their proper light. If you set for yourself the goal of doubling your monthly income and only give yourself one month to do it; you might be setting the bar a bit too high. You see that is a perfectly fine goal to have, yet likely not a realistic time frame. So pepper your goals with dream-like goals, just make sure to put them in their proper place.

Do you have any goal setting tips that are working well for you?

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• How to Easily Prioritize Your Projects by Performancing
• The 100 Best Business Finance Posts of All Time by Boostrapper
• Entrepreneurship: Getting Things Started by Boostrapper
• Punctuation Page Markers by Bob's Your Uncle - I had to throw this one in. Since I do a lot of reading, multiple books at once. These look like they'll do a better job than just a post-it note or little 'flags'.

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• Em Calculator - a nice javascript tool to help in your CSS.
• Quit Your Day Job Sooner By Spending Less - by Net Business Blog
• Don't Let Your Website Show Its Age - by Return Customer
• Ongoing role of a website manager - by Boag World
• Getting Priorities Right - by Paul Enderson

While you're at it why not subscribe to the Focus Minded RSS feed.

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Opportunities to network slip by you everyday. Recognizing and capitalizing on them is the first step to power networking. Taking what you do every day and focusing it a bit. All receive quality leads, contacts, clients, and friends. Here are my 7 tips to help you start power networking.

1. Exchange business cards with everyone.

One of the oldest forms of networking is the business card. Get in the habit of exchanging your cards with everyone. Be generous with handing them out. Everyone in your network is valuable. Don't just wait for the 'perfect' potential client. Business cards are an inexpensive way to advertise and network. Use them!

2. Get your family on board.

This should go without saying, but make sure everyone in your family knows what you do. Your family knows you and they can be powerful referrers. So you'll want to make sure they are on board with you and willing to share your information anytime they feel it's appropriate.

3. Tell all of your friends.

Many of us are reluctant to share with our friends that we are a freelancer. I am not sure if it is because we think it'll scare them away or turn us into a sort of red-headed step child. As with family, tell every friend you have what you are doing. Trust me, they will remember when it counts!

4. Strike up conversations everywhere.

Opportunities arise every day to speak about your company. Get in the habit of talking about your business. In the grocery line, at the bus stop, in the restaurant, or anywhere you see others. Learn techniques for guiding daily conversations to your industry. That will give you an appropriate time to plug your business and exchange your business card.

5. Form friendships with your competition.

I know this tip sounds counter productive, however by forging new relationships with your competition it puts you on their level. Since there are enough clients to go to every one in your industry, why not get on friendly terms with your competition. After all, the chances of you competing head to head for any specific client are minimal.

6. Volunteer when appropriate.

Volunteering creates image so when you can I suggest doing it. I am not talking about serving soup at a local shelter (although you could help there too). Volunteer or donate your services to a non-profit, friend, or someone in need. Its lasting value can't easily be seen, but trust me when done right - it'll help.

7. Contact past clients.

Continue to foster the relationship you've formed with your past clients. I am convinced that over 90% of your work will come from referrals. Remember each of your past clients can network with your name and services, so keep it fresh in their minds.

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