project_log: 009

Yo.

Welcome back to project_log. A weekly series where I share what I'm building at over-stimulated.com and the lessons I learn along the way.

These last two months have been my biggest revenue months since starting the studio. I took some time this week to reflect on why that was and thought I'd share (plus give you updates on the product I'm building, Ballpark).

Let's jump into it:

Price sensitive clients won't grow your independent business.

I took on $2K, $3K, $4K projects when starting the studio. I had to. I had no network and no previous work to share (it was all under other agencies). I simply had to pay the bills. But as the studio has grown I've become more focused on working with clients who are less price sensitive. The reason for this is simple: They're happy to pay more for the same service.

I can earn more for the same amount of effort. Makes sense right? This strategy helps to beat the infamous "Feast and Famine" cycle. It means you are earning enough to cover the times when you don't have an endless supply of work.

This lesson came from a recent experience with a large AI company I've been working with. I sent them the price, they paid the next week, and didn't even bat an eye.

To sum this up, here's a saying my dad would always say: "Make hay when the sun is shining". I just want to make hay with a huge tractor, rather than by hand.

"Plant seeds of goodwill and you'll be fed for life."

I don't know if I read that some where or if I just whipped that bad boy up. But it's a killer quote. I recently had an experience with a design studio I partnered with who missed items on the initial scope. This meant they were going to front the cost of the extra work, rather than forwarding it on to the client.

I was able to complete the work faster than expected. Instead of charging the design studio the full amount (which I could have easily done), I only charged them for a fraction of it.

The reason for this is goodwill. I'd rather know I helped a business friend then have an extra couple hundred dollars in the bank.

The ROI's are simply much much better.

Let's talk about Ballpark (the first product I'm building under Over-Stimulated)

I made some serious progress this week. I'm also scared to share that progress due to a fear of my idea being built before me. But fuck it.

I'll first talk though functionality progress and then jump into design (and the challenges I'm currently facing).

To give you context, Ballpark is an embeddable widget that allows prospective clients to get a ballpark estimate on your services instantly. I'm building it for myself, and if other people want to use it thats cool too.

The widget flow needs to be fully customisable for it to be used by others. I built the functionality that allows customisation this week. It's not perfect by any means and design hasn't been implemented. But the core functionality is there.

I also set up the basic CRM functionality inside the web app.

The challenge of making it look great on other websites.

I have an unfair advantage over most: I know how to make something feel great in terms of motion and interactivity. This'll be key to success as people aren't going to embed something that feels like shit to use. Especially not designers.

But the challenge isn't motion. It's "how do I make this look great on everyone else’s site?"

I posted a couple explorations on twitter this week to get initial feedback.

Although the gradients look sick, I think they'll only suit a handful of sites. Instead I'm thinking of keeping it super minimal and allowing the user to edit colors to match their brand. An example:

Overall I'm super stoked with the progress I'm making. If you have any high level feedback on design, I'd love to hear it.

I was approached to write an article on a publication I love.

Writing has been my side project for the past couple of months. By side project, I mean side skill. I'm constantly in awe of those writers on twitter and medium that drive so much attention to whatever it is they're talking about.

So getting a DM asking if I'd post an article on a respected development publication feels super cool. Progress is being made.

I'm sunsetting the goals section of project_log.

If you've read any of my previous project_logs you'll know that I always end on my goals for the week ahead. I'm sunsetting this because the goals aren't accurate majority of the time. And making you read inaccurate goals seems like a waste of time.

So instead, I'll leave you with an photo of me surfing last weekend (more on surfing in next weeks log):

Keep crushing. Talk soon.

Will.