Web-studio as it is

I think I have the right to judge this issue. I have a web studio in the city, there is one more formal in Nizhny Novgorod. The third running of our brand in Yaroslavl. For three years made ​​about 100 client sites in the always from 4 to 10 projects. In today 's 9 in the Kaliningrad and 3-4 in the Lower. Apart from a handful of projects to promote. Of course, this is completely legal white off-line business with all its attributes. But here's how it is interesting and profitable - is a big question.

In the city, when I came to the Web -to-business ( got a job as a programmer in the oldest web studio in the region ), there were about 120 Web Studios. Approximately 20 white and 100 gray. Whites had the office and in bank accounts, and does not consist of one person, and from 2-5, at least. In particular, in our studio was 3 designer ( no one knows what for?), A web designer, and I am a programmer and the head.

It was a wild time web business. Sites did all and sundry. Mainly on the usual HTML. Sites have been made from the bulldozer, just to make and show off to the peasants in the bath. Or wash / rollback of the income of the company in his pocket. It was fun time, but that's when there were key players in the local market. They were the only survivors when the time came to an end a wild business.

Hunger is associated with the fact that the money given to the sites ceased to have survived about a dozen studios. All student enterprise at this point simply disappeared. Did not survive the decline of the market and most of the white studio. First skukozhilis states, then the office space. And then, and vanish into thin air.

In those years, 80% of working time was spent on popularizing the idea of ​​connectedness of society. We did not so much sites as told how they can be used in your business. However, both then and now, few people understand it.

Around this time, I went into business, first printing, which paid for about a year. This time was not lost, it gave me a lot in understanding how to manage people and money. Still, I went back to Webu. First it was znakomskie company, people who we did polygraph or assisted with the design. Then came the clients with the advice and it's time to think about expanding the state.

Around this time, and appeared Nizhny Novgorod branch. At that time he had sufficient strength in the form of a trained staff, who came under my management. This allowed while maintaining the total nominal capacity to increase the number of orders processed at the same time - they are on promotion, I was on manufacturing. On the other hand, it gave a new experience. Still sitting on two chairs - you need a little differently to be able to manage.

Currently full-time programmers and designers studio has. One day I came to a little different scheme of work: permanent or freelance outsourcing cooperation on a regular basis, but the piece. There are currently able to work with 3-5 designers and at different times from 1-3 programmers. This scheme is no worse than the standard. Oh, who is who, and I have seen enough on the quality and quantity of office work. So we now ships orders quickly. Respond, of course, with a certain delay, but for the prompt response is managers who supervise clients and.

So, in fact the scheme of the web -studio. If you had the idea to create it, you have to understand that you subscribe to a moral loss of money for an indefinite period. As in any business - you are investing. Sometimes the time, sometimes money. It is one thing - to make a website for my mother's friends and others - to try to make of this thread.

Manufacturer selling my mother's friends, you.
1) get the money directly into your hands, avoiding taxes, and cash.
2) do not have additional staff - the same manager and accountant.
3) do not waste time searching for the client and the contract.

In the case of standard operating scheme looks like this: a manager (agent), he or generate a stream ( cold calls ), or take warm calls ( cold calls, advertising, advice, etc. Dr.. ). After the first call is assigned a meeting. I've always wondered - why is it necessary. The product is a virtual, on his visit to the office to the customer will not change. But such is the nature of Russian businessman - he needs to see your honest eyes. You come, you sing about the joy of cooperation. Depending on the result of singing a decision on the contract.

To help you understand the amount of work that comes up to meet 2-5% of cold calls. Calls to give the effect of advertising is not much more. The recommendations led to the almost mandatory meeting. The meetings end in agreement in about 1 in 3. I, for example, there were months when the result was one of the two meetings. However, it appears that an agreement - a successful call 100-150. There is 1 in 10 have an agent. Effective - this is when you talk to a decisive person, not a secretary. It is safe to say that a manager of more than 5.7 orders rung does not raise. However, this is - a very good result.

As for the quickness of the contract, in our practice there were cases when the client said 'yes ' and disappeared for a year. And there were times when right at the first meeting brought the money. But in the middle of a call to order 2-3 months.

After signing the contract comes the stage specification. More precisely, it must occur before a contract. But that 's how this world - BEFORE the fish is done only with the main parameters. AFTER - everything else. But for the design and manufacture of the actual site, you must understand, from what it should consist.

The most common terms of reference for design -. ' think of something to do '. One time we were working on such a scheme. Of 3-10 pre- made ​​layouts. Then he abandoned the practice. Making the 2.1 layout but the precise assignment. Usually we ask the site to show 03.02 preferred color scheme, structure, etc. Dr.. Then, on the basis of these data themselves are doing the job for a designer. Here it is great art from the client to decode the technical. but it turns out. About 3 out of 4 cases. The fourth case always ends with the problems and grievances, and the designer and client.

Terms of reference for programming - it is another story. Standard error of the client - the inability to calculate the forces. Initially, he predicts job 40 sections, but in the end to collect the materials may be only 6. A design is made and laid out at the rate of 40. And you have to cut to the quick. This was the screw up a lot of good models.

So now I keep telling the client that it is better to make smaller sections, and must rely only on those materials that are and will be valid. It bears fruit. At least we have the opportunity to point out that shit happened is not our fault.

After completing the requirements specification is taken to the designer. One of grinding out a layout. Usually followed by several revisions, then the layout leaves the programmer. He pulls the design on the control panel, adds new modules (or edit old ones) to TK. And puts on a hosting site.

That's where things get really boring. Then the client waits tales. A fairy tale is not because the client has not given the materials. T. e. we're talking about stage napoleneniya. There were sites that we have filled three months have been - almost a year. But we never did in less than a month. More precisely, the content itself takes a day or two. But the provision of materials takes much more time. Wines here only the customer. But because he does not pay on- last part. During this time the amount of time to skukozhitsya due to inflation. Here is a living example. Approximately half of the projects that are now in work - the contract had been signed six months ago.

It turns out that the claimed 1.1. 5 months, in fact, the site is done by 3 or more. Although there are pleasant exceptions. Once or packet of materials prepared before the start of work. Or the client takes content, for which he receives a discount on the price. Then the site can be shipped in 3 weeks.

Financial calculations will not do. Just say that after 3 websites per month - a business unprofitable. Of course, if you can not sell the site of three pages of 100-150 thousand. rub. Then at a certain scenario, and 1-2 sites will be sufficient for the existence of slack.

In general, the manufacturing sites is akin to manufacturing satellites for Sale. You have made and sold, it is necessary to seek a new order. Therefore, sooner or later, or you are thrown out of the market, or you will find an opportunity to extract additional revenue. Options include:.

- Promotion. Some companies make it into the milking the client to compensate for its failures in the market over- inflated price for the services. For example, some sites I have roughly estimated the cost of 500-700 dollars, but in reality the customer was paying 2-3 thousand. I have a friend, he took 600 bucks to spend 50-100.

- Hosting and Domains. For example, we have in a local company selling domains. ru at 1,200 rubles. And considering how much it on the market, the price is unlikely to have registered for it more than I, m. e. 90 rubles. Here is the 1100% profit. Hosting is also sold out a - m. e. taken on lease excess capacity and are covered by it and their needs and client. From my experience 70% of sites are ordered from the hosting of the developer.

- Support the site. I have no idea what it is for other clients, I refer to the monthly fee for the opportunity to 1-2 times a year I was cool to fuck. For example, one of my client I recently rewrote a 100% site. A few are so me as a manager to promote the site, at the same time every six months renewing the information.

Without leaving some permanent sources of income of any business sooner or later, is in decline. It is impossible to always keep yourself in good shape. And if you're not in order, no orders, no money, no business.

And in general, and generally, you have learned from the post that there is no money on the Web. :) Is not it?.