Starting a graphic design agency from scratch

gaby81 · Sep 21, 2022

Hi all, looking for advice from members with established graphic design agencies. I am a freelancer doing graphic design, looking to get away from Fiverr, Upwork etc + hire some VAs and outsource some work...

- Do you have prices/packages written on your website, with a quick buy now button, or prefer the clients to contact you on email?
- If you want to completely outsource the work, you need a VA to handle also the comminucation with new clients, and have them send the order to your designer, and again then they send the graphics to the client.
How you do that? you make them a separate email? they access to your CP Panel?
- For how much are you reselling the work? Let`s say you have a designer that makes you web banners for $20 for how much are you reselling them to your clients?
- Once you get 50+ orders monthly, how you keep tract of what is completed, what is in modification mode, what is still in progress...? I can`t imagine having all of this on emails.
- Do you all have registered companies and send each client a receipt?

Any other wisdom to share with a newbie? What were your challenges when you started? or what you wish you knew before you started?

Thanks!

gaby81 · Sep 22, 2022

Anyone?

tipsavvy · Sep 22, 2022

What country do you live in?

EmailJunkie · Sep 23, 2022

- Do you have prices/packages written on your website, with a quick buy now button, or prefer the clients to contact you on email?

Depends on what you plan to sell, for a generic logo banner etc. its good to have a buy now button since its mostly a fixed price. For custom projects like a full website etc. its better to have a Contact Us For Estimate etc.

- If you want to completely outsource the work, you need a VA to handle also the comminucation with new clients, and have them send the order to your designer, and again then they send the graphics to the client.

How you do that? you make them a separate email? they access to your CP Panel?

Well, have them manage a sepecific email account for example [email protected] - will be comletely handled by your VA.

- For how much are you reselling the work? Let`s say you have a designer that makes you web banners for $20 for how much are you reselling them to your clients?

Depends on the quality of work and your traffic source / demographics - in India, designers are paid $200 a MONTH and you can resell a logo for $100 - $500 to the US/EU audiance

- Once you get 50+ orders monthly, how you keep tract of what is completed, what is in modification mode, what is still in progress...? I can`t imagine having all of this on emails.

Do not have all this on email. Have a SOLID CRM in place.

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/9-of-the-best-crms-for-digital-agencies
- Do you all have registered companies and send each client a receipt?

Most of my clients pay via Stripe - but yes the parent company is registered as a PVT LTD

gaby81 · Sep 23, 2022

tipsavvy said:
What country do you live in?

Live in central EU, but will not have a local agency. My clients are already mostly US, CA, UK.

gaby81 · Sep 23, 2022

Sudhagaran said:
- Do you have prices/packages written on your website, with a quick buy now button, or prefer the clients to contact you on email?

Depends on what you plan to sell, for a generic logo banner etc. its good to have a buy now button since its mostly a fixed price. For custom projects like a full website etc. its better to have a Contact Us For Estimate etc.

- If you want to completely outsource the work, you need a VA to handle also the comminucation with new clients, and have them send the order to your designer, and again then they send the graphics to the client.

How you do that? you make them a separate email? they access to your CP Panel?

Well, have them manage a sepecific email account for example [email protected] - will be comletely handled by your VA.

- For how much are you reselling the work? Let`s say you have a designer that makes you web banners for $20 for how much are you reselling them to your clients?

Depends on the quality of work and your traffic source / demographics - in India, designers are paid $200 a MONTH and you can resell a logo for $100 - $500 to the US/EU audiance

- Once you get 50+ orders monthly, how you keep tract of what is completed, what is in modification mode, what is still in progress...? I can`t imagine having all of this on emails.

Do not have all this on email. Have a SOLID CRM in place.

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/9-of-the-best-crms-for-digital-agencies
- Do you all have registered companies and send each client a receipt?

Most of my clients pay via Stripe - but yes the parent company is registered as a PVT LTD

Thank you so much for this. I think I need to read more about how CRMs work, as my main concern is exactly the communication part and how not to mess everything.

olivier · Sep 23, 2022

You can get the best website made, all the options and offers but without traffic you wont make a cent.

How you plan to get traffic to your site?
Paid ads?

0xxi3 · Sep 23, 2022

olivier said:
You can get the best website made, all the options and offers but without traffic you wont make a cent.

How you plan to get traffic to your site?
Paid ads?

He can publish on Dribbble, Behance and other design-centered platforms to promote his agency's work and attract new clients. That's where I looked for designers for my latest project. Farming likes on those platforms is relatively easy by simply investing your time into publishing pseudo work that follows latest trends.

gaby81 · Sep 24, 2022

0xxi3 said:
He can publish on Dribbble, Behance and other design-centered platforms to promote his agency's work and attract new clients. That's where I looked for designers for my latest project. Farming likes on those platforms is relatively easy by simply investing your time into publishing pseudo work that follows latest trends.

Yes this is one option. I have a portfolio of over 7500 works done, then I can do paid ads, social media advertising, or I can simply look for business on google and send them emails. I will also try to move my clients from freelancing sites to private, hopefully not get caught.

esiquiel · Sep 24, 2022

gaby81 said:
Hi all, looking for advice from members with established graphic design agencies. I am a freelancer doing graphic design, looking to get away from Fiverr, Upwork etc + hire some VAs and outsource some work...

- Do you have prices/packages written on your website, with a quick buy now button, or prefer the clients to contact you on email?
- If you want to completely outsource the work, you need a VA to handle also the comminucation with new clients, and have them send the order to your designer, and again then they send the graphics to the client.
How you do that? you make them a separate email? they access to your CP Panel?
- For how much are you reselling the work? Let`s say you have a designer that makes you web banners for $20 for how much are you reselling them to your clients?
- Once you get 50+ orders monthly, how you keep tract of what is completed, what is in modification mode, what is still in progress...? I can`t imagine having all of this on emails.
- Do you all have registered companies and send each client a receipt?

Any other wisdom to share with a newbie? What were your challenges when you started? or what you wish you knew before you started? Thanks!

Hello,

If you are starting a new agency. It's difficult to get customers when you start. So if I were you, I would do this:

1. Contact to every local business / nft / project / influencer.
2. I would offer them a free design.
3. You have a lot of vouches and proof of work.
4. You tell to the customers you worked for free to recommend you and if they need more design they need to contact you (then you charge to them because the first time is free.)

IF YOU GOOD QUALITY THE QUALITY WILL BE BACK TO YOU.

5. You have a lot of customers.

You need to offer HIGH QUALITY SERVICES and you need to spend a lot of TIME by doing this. Think about what you are willing to give to achieve that goal of the first MILLION dollars.

Start right now, contact me if you need anything.

Have a nice day.

Starting a graphic design agency from scratch

gaby81

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gaby81

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tipsavvy

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EmailJunkie

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gaby81

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gaby81

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olivier

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0xxi3

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gaby81

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esiquiel

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