Kyle and I just realized that we must be getting old, because we find ourselves regularly fielding questions from younger freelancers and consultants on some essential business questions.
The types of questions we’ve been getting include:
- How do I position myself in a crowded market?
- How should I price my services?
- What is an appropriate margin if I subcontract work from other people?
- What items should I include in my proposals?
- Which of my client’s contract terms are acceptable?
- How do I keep programming costs from getting out of hand?
- How do I do sales?
With more and more people entering the exciting (and equally nerve-wracking) world of small business, there seems to be a huge educational need – a need to convey all the stuff that nobody ever bothers to teach you, that your competitors will never reveal, and that you usually have to learn the hard way. Not theories, but practical street smarts on how to be profitable in your freelance practice, consultancy or small agency.
We’re imagining a series of workshops that would give you an opportunity to get answers to questions like the ones above. You would learn from more experienced practitioners. You would also be able to compare notes with your peers (who, sworn to secrecy, would be encouraged to share their own successes and failures) thus allowing everyone to adopt the best practices within the group.
So, if this idea pans out, we’re thinking that we’d have four sessions, each a 1/2 day long and probably held on the same day of the week over four weeks. Topics would be:
- Positioning & pricing
- Sales & proposals
- Marketing
- Operations tools & practices
What else can we tell you?
- Sessions would be held at CoCo, from 9 until noon
- Instructors would include Kyle Coolbroth, Don Ball and guest experts
- Breakfast would be provided
- Attendees could spend the rest of they coworking and/or conversing
- We’d charge a reasonable fee for the whole program
So, what do you think? Would you find this valuable? What questions would you add to the list? Please post your thoughts. If there’s enough interest, we’ll start setting some dates in February!
Great idea! I’d be interested if it fit within the budget.
I’d also be interested depending on the cost and if I don’t have a full-time position by then.
This sounds like a great idea that many could use, and many others could contribute. Something to consider: Video taping sections + wiki. There will always be new people working for themselves (and new interest in co-working). CoCo could use this first experience to mold a small business introduction course held several times a year, with videos and wiki to support entry level questions in between. Then grow the program to intermediate and advanced levels.
Also, is there a small business incubator in Minneapolis/St. Paul? We had a great place to go for small business questions in Duluth, when I was in college and just starting Digitalives. Maybe they may want to get involved.
Good luck!
Cory
@ivesdigital
I’m at a pre-freelance stage and could also benefit from a partial session on funding and budgeting the initial marketing push while the client base is being established.