I have been a graphic / web designer for 11+ years now, and I am looking to get away from the full time thing to working for myself. Problem is, I know zero about being self employed as a web designer.
The plan I have in mind is the following:
Design:
Send client to select a template from monster templates (I will be using their affiliate system on my own site), and have them purchase the template.
OR I can do a custom web design for them at my own price of course.
I want to push the templates more, simply so I can finish one project and move onto the next fairly quickly.
I want to set them up with hosting, but I don't want to host them on my server, so I am on the lookout for some sort of plan where I can collect a percentage of the hosting, but let the host handle all the support.
I plan on only focussing on simple, non-shopping sites, and only taking their content, and images, placing it in the design, and be done with it. I have the standard 5 page plan in mind.
I am also a .Net developer, so I am capable of developing web apps, as well as shopping carts, but I would prefer to start out with the very simple stuff on my own, because I would also like to spend a lot of energy on my own web projects as well.
As it is now, I am charging $65 per hour, and quoting up front an estimate of how long I think it will take.
Problem is, I charged my last client for 5 hours (a simple 5 page site), which ended up taking me about 15 hours due to picky little changes and what not.
My problem was that I layed down a price, and stuck to it despite the fact that it took 3 times longer than I quoted.
What is an effective way of getting paid for what I did?
I would also like to know if anyone knows of a place that I can find kind of a "tutorial" if you will of running this show by myself, and making it successful.
Maybe a step by step guide from start to finish of how to handle a project. Deciding the cost, a contract, the invoice, etc... I think I need examples of everything.
Basically, if you do this on your own, and you are making a good living at it, I would really appreciate some tips. I feel kind of helpless at the moment.
Thanks!!!
