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As someone in the field, I can totally relate to this story. After a while, web design starts to feel like a treadmill. You really have no control of your own d

As someone in the field, I can totally relate to this story. After a while, web design starts to feel like a treadmill. You really have no control of your own destiny and have to constantly rely on a consistent flow of new clients. The better you get, the more expensive are your services. Unfortunately, web design is a commodity so you're constantly being nipped away by cheaper competitors. It feels like a bubble waiting to burst. The only way out is to create a product that can be packaged and resold to many different clients. This allows you to focus and develop one product, instead of spreading your talent across multiple projects. More importantly, it allows you to control your destiny because you schedule when and how releases happen. It's farming, versus hunting and gathering.

jordanlev 15y ago
Just want to chime in here with my own experience. I'm sure what you said holds true for you, but for me I find that the better I get, the less I'm being nipped away by cheaper competitors. Perhaps this is because of my specific skillset (I'm a web developer, not a designer -- although it's basically the same setup, same kinds of jobs, same kinds of clients), but I find that as I get better at what I do I gravitate more towards clients that appreciate high-end service and the quality I can provide (as they do me). I've also found that focusing on a smaller technical niche has helped tremendously (that is, getting really good at one platform -- in my case the Concrete5 CMS, but same holds true for people specializing in Wordpress, Drupal, etc.). Yes there are always people willing to do the work for cheap, and a majority of potential clients don't know the difference and will go with them. But finding someone who is good at what they do and communicates well and delivers on what they promise is incredibly difficult, and there are a lot of potential clients out there that understand this.
- gexla 15y ago
  And as you become better in your niche you are likely more efficient than the lower priced competition. I have seen plenty of cases where developers from relatively poor countries are charging far more than I would (and I would still be getting my target rate) for something because they likely have no understanding of what the job requires. In these cases I would likely have to raise my rate (and as a result make a killing) just so I don't look like the crazy cheap guy.
Produce 15y ago
>It's farming, versus hunting and gathering. I like that. Another way to frame it is that it's single vs multi-tasking. I remember reading that contemporary research found that those who multi-task are worse at everything they are doing. It's essentially what's described by this article - http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/03/6417.ars http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/03/6417.ars but applied to business models instead of teenagers.
bergie 15y ago
I've heard from anthropologists that most hunter-gatherers spend only about two hours per day on getting food, and spend the rest dancing, telling stories and having sex. I don't know many web designers who achieve that productivity ratio. Then again, hunter-gatherers had less competition, or at least could go and bash in the skulls of competitors.

jordanlev 15y ago

Just want to chime in here with my own experience. I'm sure what you said holds true for you, but for me I find that the better I get, the less I'm being nipped away by cheaper competitors. Perhaps this is because of my specific skillset (I'm a web developer, not a designer -- although it's basically the same setup, same kinds of jobs, same kinds of clients), but I find that as I get better at what I do I gravitate more towards clients that appreciate high-end service and the quality I can provide (as they do me). I've also found that focusing on a smaller technical niche has helped tremendously (that is, getting really good at one platform -- in my case the Concrete5 CMS, but same holds true for people specializing in Wordpress, Drupal, etc.). Yes there are always people willing to do the work for cheap, and a majority of potential clients don't know the difference and will go with them. But finding someone who is good at what they do and communicates well and delivers on what they promise is incredibly difficult, and there are a lot of potential clients out there that understand this.

gexla 15y ago
And as you become better in your niche you are likely more efficient than the lower priced competition. I have seen plenty of cases where developers from relatively poor countries are charging far more than I would (and I would still be getting my target rate) for something because they likely have no understanding of what the job requires. In these cases I would likely have to raise my rate (and as a result make a killing) just so I don't look like the crazy cheap guy.

Produce 15y ago

>It's farming, versus hunting and gathering. I like that. Another way to frame it is that it's single vs multi-tasking. I remember reading that contemporary research found that those who multi-task are worse at everything they are doing. It's essentially what's described by this article - http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/03/6417.ars http://arstechnica.com/old/content/2006/03/6417.ars but applied to business models instead of teenagers.

bergie 15y ago

I've heard from anthropologists that most hunter-gatherers spend only about two hours per day on getting food, and spend the rest dancing, telling stories and having sex. I don't know many web designers who achieve that productivity ratio. Then again, hunter-gatherers had less competition, or at least could go and bash in the skulls of competitors.