Starting a business in the field of design: creative minds start their own business


Few companies today still hire a designer to take care of the upcoming projects. They engage freelancers for a job, a project, an assignment. As a result, more and more designers feel compelled to start a business. Most start very early with a part-time self-employment, often already during their studies. Others start with training and complete one or more internships before starting their self-employment. For many, self-employment is very difficult in the beginning, but in the long run it makes you happier. Permanent employees have more free time, more vacations and are still less satisfied with their working lives than their self-employed colleagues. Secretary Illustration, Clip Art, Graphic, Comic, Cartoon

Every beginning is difficult

Many designers live up to their quality standards and live for their craft and their freedom. This can easily become a problem when starting a business, because they are less concerned with business issues, but they are important. Questions about price negotiations or market positioning can not or only insufficiently answered. That will be, is the most common answer, which is found over time. However, it is important to answer precisely these questions in order to successfully start your own business.

Jumpstart for designers

In the pre-start phase, the designer first creates a business plan. In it he makes detailed calculations of his costs. Most find that starting a business involves certain financial risks. To overcome this hurdle, it is important to know what opportunities exist to secure start-up funding and to raise sufficient cash. It is challenging to find the form of financing that best fits the business model and start-up phase.

The seed phase

In the pre-start phase, the development of the business model is in the foreground. The designer develops a marketable company concept, in which he clearly elaborates his peculiarities, his unique selling point. There are so many designers in the market that the customer has the choice. If you know exactly where your strengths lie, you can score points with your potential customers. In the pre-start-up phase, it makes sense to seek advice. The creative minds often lack the sense of entrepreneurial thinking.

The start-up phase

The start-up phase is about the concrete foundation and concludes with a sustainable business concept. It is the legal foundation. The focus is on finding customers and financial planning for the near future. Borrowing can fill in missing funds, there are several options available. One possibility is the inclusion of a installment loan, further information can be found here. Another option is to find a business angel or search for appropriate funding programs.

Use subsidy programs

Bank clipart free There are a variety of funding programs available to support business start-ups. There are grants, loans, equity or guarantees. Nationwide, KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) is the point of contact for granting funds. The IHK and the Expert Forum of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy are available for questions on the various funding programs. They help to prepare the bank talks and to inform about the different financing possibilities. Here are the corresponding contact details available.

Tips for founding designers

Business Concept

The design industry is highly competitive. To succeed in this business, it is necessary to stand out from the crowd with its concept. What added value does the customer have with the designer? How does the designer stand out from the competition? At the same time, it is important to look to the future, which developments are to be expected, which trends are already recognizable and where the industry is heading in the coming years.

Calculate costs

For the finances, for the revenue of the founders alone is responsible. Even during the start-up phase, there are costs, such as for a computer, the software, marketing, business cards, a website and the founding itself.

Professional help

Starting a business is not easy for everyone. Especially creative people often have no idea how complicated it can be. In particular, taxes, accounting, administration and finance. Since many pitfalls can be hidden here, independent designers should seek a tax consultant at an early stage and inform themselves comprehensively about the upcoming topics.

Set hourly rate

Many freelancers find it hard to set an hourly rate for their work. The largest share of more than 50 percent demands for his work an hourly rate from 30 to 50 Euro. There are also designers who demand a lot less: about two percent of designers work for less than 15 Euro. The hourly rate from 15 to 30 Euro requires just under 12 percent of designers. However, that is not enough to actually pay all the costs that a self-employed person has to pay. These include health insurance, pensions or private accident insurance. Almost 20 percent of designers earn 70 Euro and more.

Professional and serious appearance to the outside - corporate design

Once the designer has started his business, it's time to work on your own image. In the course of its foundation, this often falls by the wayside and is not considered as important. This is a big mistake especially for founders in the design sector. With its own corporate design (CD) the designer advertises itself. It is the first thing a potential customer perceives. Designers should be in the creation of their own Logos and be very careful of your own CD. The corporate identity is determined externally by visual elements. They provide information about the designer's person, what he or she stands for and what exactly this designer does. Your own logo, a special font and the colors are the beginning of your own corporate design. In the future, advertising, door signs, business documents, vehicles, websites and of course the presence in social media will follow.


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