So, you need to hire a web designer.
How do you know who to choose?
In my opinion, there is only one question you have to answer to make the best decision. That question is…
Has this web designer run their own company before? (And by running a company I mean something other than their current web company)
When choosing from the vast pool of potential web designers in Kansas City (or anywhere), it’s a good idea to limit yourself to the ones who have hands-on experience in running a profitable company. Frankly, I don’t know how you can “market” a company without understanding how the business works and without direct experience earned by having the battle scars of your own.
At Diffactory we tell our clients that we are business people who decided to start a marketing company to solve expensive problems. We are not technicians who choose to hang out our shingle and create jobs for ourselves.
If you look at options in the web design industry, you will find the following:
- The Solopreneur: A single person operation who doesn’t have support systems to deliver the whole project in-house.
- The Freelancer: A side gig hustler who may be moonlighting from their full-time job.
- The Creative Agency: A creative person who has only owned the company they are operating. They likely haven’t dealt with private equity companies, cash flow issues, multi-million dollar P&Ls, strategic partnerships and other scenarios.
- The Friend From____: This person typically dabbles in web design and promises the moon but delivers a goose egg regarding a site that drives business results. These projects often wind up in project purgatory.
- The Big Agency: Some of these companies are great options as they have experience in actually running a business. They are too expensive for the companies we like to serve. If you can afford them, rock on!
If you are not familiar with Diffactory, the list mentioned above is why I started the company in 2015. Notice the following is missing from the list above:
- Real Business Experience: A web company owned by entrepreneurs who have built, operated and grown multiple companies.
- Battle Scars: A web company that has been in the trenches and knows what needs to be done. We can help you see what you may be missing due to our personal experience.
- Problem Solving: A web company with unique insights into the expensive problems you face and the best possible solutions. Sometimes that means we don’t end up working together.
A Web Company Who Understands Your Business Will Deliver the Goods
The reason doesn’t speak to the skills of the web designer as much as it does to their ability to understand what problem you need a solution for. To build a website that fulfills your needs a web company has to ask the right questions and have the proper perspective to prescribe the best solution.
A web designer who hasn’t run a company is not likely to approach things with the proper mindset. For example, a typical web designer might build your site with more cosmetic details in mind rather than thinking about what will drive conversions and revenue.
As a business owner, you’re not looking for a website that’s going to sit still and look pretty.
You need results. A fellow business owner will understand this and design your site accordingly.
A Web Designer Who Hasn’t Run a Company Might Oversell You
Another reason why hiring a web designer who hasn’t run a company is a bad idea has to do with your budget. A business owner will not only know what you need and how to deliver it but will do his or her best to bring realistic budget expectations to the table.
Rather than trying to bid you up to the highest possible price, a web designer who has owned a company will be more inclined to meet you in the middle regarding what is possible and what you can afford.
While it’s possible that anyone could try and take advantage of you by offering things you don’t need, a business owner has a much higher likelihood of empathizing with your situation.
It just makes sense to hire a web designer who has run a successful company outside of their current venture.
Website Design by Diffactory
The days of looking at a website as something you build and forget about are gone. Websites need to be nurtured to thrive. Diffactory managed websites allow you to get an excellent site today for an affordable monthly investment.
With Diffactory, your website will be designed by seasoned business owners who think about things like risk reduction, business optimization and the economics of more than just the site built-out investment. In addition to giving you exactly what you want, we offer to build your site within a week. We’ve eliminated the friction from the process so you can focus on what you do best.