Is it possible to have a successful web design business, with other people doing the designing?

I'm a web design student, but my web design skills aren't advanced enough to do the web design all by myself.





But I have good experience in Sales and I know that I'll be able to get business quickly. Can you still make money if you get someone else to do the designing, and I'll just be soliciting business?





What problems can I experience with this business model?

Is it possible to have a successful web design business, with other people doing the designing?
I've been a self-employed software engineer for a looong time, and I read several times about other self-employed software engineers that were based in the USA, managed to get contracts there, and let the actual software-development be done by people in India.





If it can be done by a software engineer, I don't see why you can't do it as a web designer. Just make sure the contracts you have with your designers are at least as strict as the ones you have with your customers, to minimize your risks.
Reply:Yes as long as you don't take the credit
Reply:we have a similar model here, were a web application company, so we hire in designers, and we make the code for the applcation.





it works well, but you need to find people you can trust first.
Reply:As long as you have overall control of the company and final say. I am talking from experience, we hired a really great artist into our web-design team, but this person has totally different way of approoaching a customers designs and needs, he will go off and make up a website of what he 'think' the customer will need, then when the final product is ready, its nowhere near.


You need someone who will use their 2 ears more than their 1 mouth, and has a clear understanding of someones requirements, and most importantly, a good communicator, otherwise you will forever going forward/backward trying to finish the job.
Reply:A one-person-show doing all the designing and back-end work can very often not only be frustrating, but people with talent in a specific area find themselves spending a lot of time doing work which is really not the most productive for them.





For example, one person focusing on sales and perhaps client relations can keep a web designer or computer programmer with a stack of projects in their to-do basket (at perhaps $30/hour for graphics work, and $60 for the programming). Instead of, say, that programming consultant spending 20 hours a week hunting the job boards for new work, doing sales pitches, and spending time coddling existing clients.





I find that even though I'm capable of doing graphics design work, for example, my time is best spent focusing on the applications design and database development side of things, and either convince the client to outsource the image work (and perhaps help them write the specifications for their requirements)... or find someone else to handle the artwork.





As a rule though, I will never outsource overseas, or work with a company that does so. I think that any United States company who has over 50% of their work force outsourced to another country should be forced to move there. I guess I'd better shut up now that I've really opened a can of worms {grin}
Reply:I think it depends on the people. But then I think that if you clearly define what's in scope and what's out of scope for each person's role in the project to begin with it can work.
Reply:If you had the right people doing this work for you, and you can clearly communicate your vision to them it may work. However regardless of weather you do the design work your self or not, the quality of the end product rests with you. If you can find a way to control the end result and keep your customers happy, with enough margin then it should be ok.. but you will really need to find those 'right' people to help you make it a success.








Nate

rose garden