I'm looking for a bit of advice on where and how to take my business forward. I'm currently freelancing as a 3D designer/animator and find that the vast majority of my work comes through design and production companies who employ my services to create 3D work for their clients. This works fine most of the time but I would like to move my business more towards dealing directly with the clients who require the 3D work.
As i see it there are 2 main advantages to this...
1. Cutting out the middle-man means that I can keep the cost compettitive for the client while not underpricing my services as there will be no middle-man 'cut' to add into the mix.
2. Working directly with the client will make communication and therfore the entire process more efficient as there will be no chain through which it has to pass.
I also understand that this means i may have to diversify a little to provide a more complete package ie. layout for print, website design, DVD authoring etc.
The main concern i have is finding and advertising to clients. As a freelancer working through design/production companies I can direct all my marketing at this specific sector, however their clients are infinately varied and could be anything from an international car manufacturer to a small business needing a logo.
At present I find most of my work by word-of-mouth or small-scale advertising such as mailshots and email. Obviously this isn't going to be at all viable when the target is pretty much anyone, so i'm really looking for advice on methods of advertising.
I've looked around and the cost of advertising varies tremendously so I don't want to go paying a fortune to advertise in some directory only to find that the free directories get equal response. Also, is it better to go for the 'local' service approach or try to reach further afield? Where/how is best to advertise? Is it better to target a specific industry?
As you can see i'm completely clueless, so if anyone who has had the patience to read through all this has any opinions or ideas then i would be extremely greatful to hear from them.
You say a verbal agreement is as valid as a signed document but it's harder to proove - That's interesting to know as I have ocassionaly verbally agreed to do a job without any official written quote and then found that the client keeps me hanging on for a start date which makes it very hard to plan other work around it and accept other contracts. I had wondered if simply saying 'yes' to a job means i'm tied to it.
I think it may be worth attaching my terms and conditions to a written quote each time and adding something in about agreeing a start date once the quote is accepted.
Good advice SPS. Cheers.
Hi all,
I'm a freelance 3D animator and regularly work for small production companies. I've only been freelancing for 3 years and i'm still learing the 'rules' as far as the industry politics and legal matters are concerned. A few months ago I had my first really difficault client and so decided it was time to come up with a Terms of Service Agreement to clearly explain the level of service I am providing.
I have drafed an agreement by copying the format of example areements that i have found on the internet, however there are a couple of things i'm still unsure of....
1. With small businesses in the creative industries i find that there seems to be quite an informal system. I'm a little concerned that having formal documents to sign will be off-putting to the client. Is it possible to have a set of terms and conditions which don't require signing and posting back or are signatures the only way to make the document valid.
2. If signatures are required then do they have to be original or can the document be scanned and emailed or faxed?
If anyone has any thoughts on the subject i'd be greatful to hear from you.
I can appreciate your situation - like you i was unaware that you had to inform them within 3 months and significantly ran over that period.
After I submitted my application I received a letter to say that I would have to explain why I did not register sooner or face a fine.
I sent them a letter back to say that I was unaware of the 3 month limit and that my earnings were below the personal allowance limit (about £4500 at the time - it's more now).
Eventually I recieved a letter notifying me that they would not fine me as my earnings were below the limit.
