Tips On How To Start Your Own Web Design Studio

Hi Everybody,
If you are looking for an amazing way to be able to turn your computer skills into a steady source of income, then you might want to consider opening your very own web design studio. This is actually a great choice for those people in search of a way to balance family and work obligations, due to the fact that web designers are free to work during whatever hours they choose. The costs to start up such a business is minimal and it is possible to work from a home office, though you should also check with your local zoning board if you plan to have client meetings in your own home.

Though you may find some difficulty getting clients that are willing to pay without samples of you work, you may want to consider volunteering to complete a few websites for a number of organizations in your community before attempting to open your own web design studio. This is a great way for you to polish your skills, create or put together you portfolio, and use your talents to help a cause you support. However, you should keep in mind that it is best to avoid using sites for political or religious organizations as you primary work samples. You do not want to risk offending a potential client who may not share the same interests or beliefs.

Once you have been able to put together a basic website portfolio for review, there are a few different approaches you can take in order to find paying clients. You may want to contact local businesses directly about their need for web design services or networking through your Chamber of Commerce can be helpful. Bidding on freelance jobs through a number of websites can also be a good strategy for obtaining work for your studio, although the bidding process sometimes tends to result in an overall lowering of wages. Another option that you might want to consider as well is to work as a subcontractor for a more experienced web designer.

In most cases, web designers are paid according to the amount of projects they have, instead of receiving an hourly wage. This means that it is very imperative to be able to estimate how long it will take you to complete a particular web design job, that way you can have some idea about how many projects you are capable of doing in a given time. Keep accurate records of how much time you consume working on each of the projects, and then add in an extra 10 to 15 percent overage to allow for revision requests, technical issues, or other unexpected problems.

Do not forget that opening a web design studio does require you to pay self employment tax on your earnings. This covers the portion of Social Security, Medicare, and disability tax that you employer would normally pay. In order to avoid any potential problems, it is ideal to speak with a qualified accountant about how your new studio will affect your tax liability.