How to Know When You’re Ready to Move from Freelancer to a Studio or Agency
So you’ve been working on your own for awhile now, and you’re beginning to wonder if it’s time to bring others on to help you. But how do you know when it’s really time to make the leap? Let’s talk about it.
First, what’s the difference?
🙋 Freelancer:
When you’re solo, you’re freelancing with project-to-project work. It’s just you, handling all the day-in and day-out tasks that comes along with running your own business.
👫 Agency:
Agency (or studio) life begins when you have expanded beyond a one-person shop and hire others to fill various roles within your business and help support your clients’ needs.
So, how do you know when you’re ready to move to a studio or agency business model?
Well, unfortunately, there is no exact formula. But here are some things to keep in mind when you’re thinking about it. It might be time to shift away from being a solo business owner if:
you have a consistent flow of client work each month
you have retainer work/ongoing client work and contracts
you have consistency in your income each month
you need support for specialty areas to better support clients
your clients are asking for things that go beyond your scope or wheelhouse
your client processes feel solid enough to onboard clients and work through projects efficiently
Should you make the move?
Only you'll know what's best for your business, but when you're ready to go from a solo business owner to bringing on others to support your clients and workload, then you might be ready to take the leap into agency life!
Remember, this is a very personal choice. You do not need to have a multi-person business or agency in order to be a successful business owner. There are plenty of people running very successful businesses entirely on their own.
What’s most important is that you take the time to define what success means for you, and then consistently revisit that as you make decisions in your business!
A compromise:
At Function (our design studio), we eased into the agency model by testing the waters first. You can always get your feet wet by starting small. Try hiring a part-time or contract design assistant, part-time student to handle admin, or a virtual assistant first and see how that goes first. Then you can get some practice under your belt in working with others and build a team as things progress!
Freelancer or agency, we don’t discriminate. If you need help getting your processes ready to make the leap, WillowSpace can help with that.
We don’t just make your internal process simple. We deliver on exceptional client experiences, too. Use WillowSpace to get more time and energy back into your today. Sign up for a FREE trial to see just how we can help you.
Other posts you might like:
