Posted by chrisdwells on March 21, 2016 at 4:57pm
Hi gang,
Welcome to our new group for Drupal people working in small businesses and micro-agencies.
My own company, Folk Labs has been going in various guises for about a year and a half, although we were founded three years ago. We were both part-time for the early stages.
So, the first discussion topic I wanted to raise was how you all find projects and new business which is the right size for your company. I am not a natural marketing expert and I am finding it tough to secure new projects which have a realistic budget and timeline and which fit our skill set.
Are there any methodologies you are aware of which work best and how are you finding clients who are a good fit?
Chris
Comments
if size matters
If you are concerned about the bigger pieces of work then collaboration/partnering is surely the way forward ?
That would help your business acquire access to additional skills and resources - basically to increase your firepower.
At the pitching stage you may need to show that you are up to the scope of the project.
If you have a big piece of work in your nets and are not sure how to land it then collaboration/partnering could help ?
We are looking to collaborate
We are looking to collaborate on bigger pieces of work and are in talks with a couple of other agencies about partnering on bigger jobs.
But there's also a problem of finding the bigger projects in the first place. It's the same issue you outlined in your own post yesterday – marketing doesn't come naturally to me (even though I'm a designer, I tend towards communications, rather than sales). So I'm trying to put myself out at as many meetups and networking events as I can manage since that seems to be one of the best ways to make new connections and talk about what we can do for potential clients. It's hard work though.
I've found that joining my local Chamber of Commerce has thrown up some useful networking opportunities which I'm hoping will lead to fruitful relationships. So I'd be especially interested in hearing any other suggestions of groups, networks, meetups and other events which have worked well for others in the same boat.
Likewise, I'm especially interested in anyone's advice on organisations to join which might provide a steady stream of people in need of web development, Drupal and other digital projects.
Chamber of Commerce
I had wondered about the local Chamber of Commerce - thanks for the suggestion, I shall investigate further !
Drupal London Co-working Meetup
As per your email suggestion, I've joined this meetup.
Didn't know anything about these so am looking to see what else is out there.
Well, there are several
Well, there are several London-based Drupal Meetup groups out there now. Reason I suggested the co-working group is that most of the people who go are naturally working in micro-consultancies or are sole traders so the ideal type of people to be interested in this Drupal Group.
Just a thought really, but
Just a thought really, but we've just had a booth at a procurement event in Leeds called Buy Yorkshire, and there were loads of small business owners just wandering around talking to people - I think if you were there as a small business in the area, it was probably pretty fruitful, because it was free entry and you could just spend a day approaching people and working out if there was an opportunity there or not. There must be equivalent events in London?