Q: What's your name and position in the company?
A: Kate Fosson - Sole Proprietor
Q: Describe your company in 5 words.
A: Freelance web design and development
Q: What's your business philosophy?
A: Clients make a business. Without clients you have no business.
This is why the client must be listened to and treated with respect.
I can't afford to get bad reviews from people so I do my best to make them happy.
Q: Describe your office environment.
A: I work from my home office in a small town on long island sound.
It's a beautiful place and when I get swirly-eyed from staring at the computer for too long I go take a walk along with water with my dog.
Q: Describe how your team interact and work together.
A: I work alone right now, but that doesn't mean I'm not part of a team.
I'm on a team with each of my clients and I do my best to listen to their needs and provide a solution that they're happy with.
Q: What makes you different from other web design companies?
A: I'm a one (wo)man operation that provide a variety of services. Like one-stop-shopping, but not like Walmart, more like the corner store.
Also, I'm smart, hard-working, and willing to learn.
Q: How do you get the majority of your business?
A: Good old fashioned word of mouth is how I get most of my clients. Although sometimes I just apply for jobs that look good, plus I have my company profile out on the world wide web.
Q: Describe how you manage projects from the initial client contact to completion and handover.
A: When I first make contact with a new client I find out what it is they're looking for. I have short questionnaire that I have them fill out so that I get an idea of what they need me to do and what their overall goal is.
Next I give them something to look at. I do a few comps based on my understanding of their needs and wants.
From there the client reviews what I've presented to them and decides what they like and don't like.
I do revisions until they are happy with the look. If it's for the web I then write all of the code and add functionality.
Once everything is approved by the client the site goes live.
Q: What do you think is the most crucial element of creating a good client relationship?
A: Trust is probably the most crucial element of any good relationship.
A client hires me to do something that they can not do themselves- they need to trust that I can do it in a way they approve of, a way that represents them.
If you can't be trusted to represent the client in a good light, respond to them in a timely fashion, or bill them fairly then you don't have a good relationship and you lose business.
Q: How do you manage demanding clients?
A: Normally I am pretty accommodating, but when a client turns out to be extremely demanding then it's important to identify each of our expectations.
Once the expectations are identified it is usually easier to move forward without feeling overwhelmed.
Q: If a client was trying to decide between a shortlist of web design companies, how would you recommend they go about selecting the right one for them?
A: Review the portfolios. See if anyone has a distinct style that resonates with you.
Review their skills/experience. See if it is relevant to your project.
Talk to them. You may find out that you communicate well with the person, or conversely, you may find out that they are hard to get in touch with.
Talk to their former clients. I've seen people get burned before by not following up with references.
Q: Where do you see your company in 10 years time?
A: I want to be a common name in the design industry.
Q: Where do you see the web design industry in the future?
A: If nothing else, someone has to design templates...
Q: What computers do you have use in your offices, PCs or Macs?
A: Mac
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