Ok so now you're a big shot, you're a successful UX/UI designer rolling in dough cruising to the sunset in your brand new convertible and you had this idea that maybe you can do more. And that just maybe you can start your own company work on your projects and become a design boss.
Well, look no further as that is totally possible but...
Now depending on your skillset and depending on your experience, things might be easier or harder for you. And what do I mean by that? Well if you only specialised in UX or UI till now, you might want to start learning about the other missing piece from your UX/UI Designer title, as when you will start out on your own you will most likely work yourself on your companies projects or if you have a buddy that can complement your skillset and you consider starting a business with him then Kudos to you both you are ready to go and start making some cash.
But you might be asking me, ok Dennis thank you for the captain obvious explanation but how do I start?
Well ha! you see things are not that simple because it depends a lot on your circumstances and background. Let me explain. For me, when I started my own agency it was pretty easy as most of my career I was a contractor/consultant moving from company to company making new connections, working on different diverse projects and broadening my skillets.
So for me, the only thing I had to do when I quit contracting and decided to run my own company was to contact all my connections and tell them that now I will be working on my own and if they need something that I can help them out with, to contact me directly.
I know that these circumstances are not for everyone and maybe most of you have permanent job positions and never actually worked on full projects before or maybe you have but you don't know where to start, and that's why I decided to create this video.
So before you start slamming your bosses door and start yelling your independence in the office you might pay attention to the following things:
First thing you will need to do it's to start putting some money aside, try to have somewhere between 3 and 6 months of runway and by runway I mean your monthly expenses ( mortgage, credit card payments, student loans...etc) make sure that for 3 to 6 months you can sustain yourself without needing to work for anyone.
Remember that nobody knows anything about you so you will need a bit of time before projects will start flying your way. If you cannot put so much money aside then you have another option to start taking projects after work, that's how I did when I started, during the day I was working as a contractor and after my 9 to 5 I was working on other projects.
I know this is not the thing that you want to hear and that it sounds really hard but this is the reality.
Ok, the second thing you need to do! Is to create a company website where you will showcase your abilities and the stuff you created, it can be your portfolio as well as long as you did most of the work, please don't add a project where you helped your colleague find a better colour for his button...Try to be honest but at the same time trust your abilities, don't just undersell yourself just because you are starting out on your own.
Also, learn how to price your work, The Futur channel has some amazing videos about this subject so make sure to check them out.
And lastly, remember to have fun and enjoy the process. This is an amazing journey you embarked on and you have to make the most out of it, and remember you will be rewarded in proportion to how much effort you put into it. From now on, everything you do will reflect on you and your company so try to build yourself a good reputation.
