So, you’ve been freelancing for a while and you feel like you’re ready for a bigger step. You know the freelance game like the back of your hand and you’re wanting to take this a step further. Going from self-employed freelancer to CEO of an agency can make a lot more revenue, give you free time and increase your motivation and confidence.
- Believe
90% of this shift from freelancer to agency comes from you and your mind. Remember when you first wanted to become a freelancer? Well, pull that self-belief out from the dusty cupboards because you’re going to need it again. - Clients
If you find yourself with too much work and demand from clients then its a clear sign that starting an agency is a good idea. Keep those names in a spreadsheet because they need to be informed of the change when it happens. - Bad Clients
The last thing you want is a bunch of unqualified clients clogging up your pipeline and wasting your time. Filter out those bad clients. - Get organised
As you start to sign clients to your agency, your admin needs to be on point. You might want to consider using some kind of project management software to keep your projects moving forward and keep everyone on the same page. You will also need to draw up a contract that asks the following questions: What are all the individual tasks that must be completed in order to deliver a quality project? Who “owns” which parts of the process? Who determines deadlines and how are they communicated to everyone involved? Who decides when a project is ready to send to the client? What happens after a project is completed, approved, and finalized? - Shift your focus to marketing
You can hire someone to do this or you can do it yourself but making the shift from freelance to agency requires good marketing and sales. What many people do wrong when trying to go from freelancer to agency is focused on the work product ONLY. Invest in making sure people know who you are, what you do and the fact that you’re available. - Numbers, numbers, numbers
Now that you’re an agency, people are depending on you for their salaries. Check your numbers frequently and ensure you know what’s coming in and what’s going out.
