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Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

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Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#11

Post by makk »

jrm4 wrote: post #6

As someone who has owned (and technically still does, but it's a side gig for sure) a web design company: Let me say this: Your sentiment of "95% are terrible at it" is simultaneously probably true and completely pointless. Here's what I've discovered. Let's assume that you really ARE making the Rolex of websites, deep down you KNOW you're the best of the best. Too bad. It doesn't matter, because the general public c…

Agree. Until you’ve done it yourself, you probably won’t realize all the reasons why it appears 95% are bad and what actually matters to customers.

Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#12

Post by rothific »

Right now is a very hard time to start an agency. I agree about AI not replacing design yet. However, the demand is at a very low point relative to the high supply of agencies. The main thing that matters is how you are going to find clients. If you already have potential clients lining up to pay you, maybe it makes sense. Agency clients generally choose who to work with based on trust and word of mouth referrals. This is especially true for design which does not have any licensing as a quality gate keeping device. Instead, there are just many more agencies than there are demand for because of the ease of starting them, so clients generally go with who they know.

Another thing is that there are marketplaces like Clutch, Behance, Dribbble, Upwork, etc, but they are a race to the bottom with price. If you live in a very low cost of living country, that might be ok. For anyone in the US, it's not ok.

Feel free to reach out if you want more thoughts on this as I am actively researching this topic for a book and ran an agency for awhile. forchrisroth@gmail.com

Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#13

Post by jrvieira »

jrm4 wrote: post #6

As someone who has owned (and technically still does, but it's a side gig for sure) a web design company: Let me say this: Your sentiment of "95% are terrible at it" is simultaneously probably true and completely pointless. Here's what I've discovered. Let's assume that you really ARE making the Rolex of websites, deep down you KNOW you're the best of the best. Too bad. It doesn't matter, because the general public c…

what do you mean exactly by the general public not being able to tell the difference?

Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#14

Post by rothific »

jrm4 wrote: post #6

As someone who has owned (and technically still does, but it's a side gig for sure) a web design company: Let me say this: Your sentiment of "95% are terrible at it" is simultaneously probably true and completely pointless. Here's what I've discovered. Let's assume that you really ARE making the Rolex of websites, deep down you KNOW you're the best of the best. Too bad. It doesn't matter, because the general public c…

This

Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#16

Post by karpour »

I say go for it. Most websites are bland and forgettable. Every startup site looks the same these days.

I'm not saying we need to go back to the absolutely wild early 2000s designs, but I feel like there is a need for beautifully designed websites that don't look like the standard responsive page layout of the past 10 years.

Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#17

Post by legitster »

Part of the problem is that a website itself is an incredibly low-value thing in 2024. If you are a small business owner it won't actually generate revenue for you without listings, SEO, ads, etc. For the website itself a $5 Squarespace site is fine.

And if you are a big business you can afford to just hire a guy.

In your analogy, someone buys a Rolex so they can flaunt it - value is not important. But a website no one will even be able to see unless you put in the legwork to get people to it.

Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#18

Post by pabe »

I'd recommend to identify a market you want to serve, first. Doing WordPress websites for SMEs is a bloody red ocean. If you're up to building themes for a niche (e.g. Odoo ERP), you might be better off and could potentially grow with that niche. Then, specialize further, e.g. complete web solutions for doctors with appointment functionalities etc.

The main message is: take a deep look into a niche and their problems. Do cheap experiments to find out you're on the right track (e.g. landing page + social media marketing).

Re: Am I stupid to start web design agency in 2024

#19

Post by soulofmischief »

makk wrote: post #5

Best as I can tell, it comes down to your temperament. Some people love to bill the hour and work on new things without having ultimate responsibility (or upside / downside) in operating the thing. What gets you up in the morning?

My agency does both, that's a false dichotomy.
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