Rconce01 Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Guys, I have been noticing more and more that people are going on their own and working on doing 3d visualization for a living despite the competitive overseas market. I have about 7 yrs experience working with cad and 3d max and was thinking of going on my own. My by far is not the best compared to firms that specialize in this industry , but it looks pretty good. Can anyone that is free lancing or that has started their own businesss give me some guidance as to how successful they have been and some insight on how to get things up an running. Currently I work for a firm and I am head of the department, I make your average 3d salary but I know that if I was doing what I do for my self I would be making much more. Any tips ideas are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy L Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Well its a business like any other, so the same business principles apply. You need to make a business plan, run the numbers, see if its a valid proposition. When making your business plan, you will learn all you need to know to answer your question, because you will have to research prices of everything, potential income of everything and see if it profits/what you have to do to make it profit. You cant just look at someone elses business and say 'well if it works for him then it works for me...' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron-cds Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Making connections and establishing relationships is a huge part of going it alone. You could have the best work out there but if people don't know you it's tough to get work. I sent out tons of brochures and had very little response. I'm staying really busy doing work for the companies that already know me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawyer Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 I sent out tons of brochures and had very little response. I'm staying really busy doing work for the companies that already know me. Yes that is the thing about this work it is really hard to get new customers. Once you get them and you keep them happy they usually stay around. I have cold called, done the brochures and really only when I am able to talk to the person who needs work done that day have I had luck. But do the numbers and see what you need to make a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rconce01 Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 Sure thing knowing people is best way to go about it. Actually i have seen some horrible renderings done for a pretty heafty price, just because they had the right contact. I thought the whole bochure advertisment and the calls would turn out a better response. I guess the wisest thing to do is to try and open this thing up as a side job and see how it goes. Making connections and establishing relationships is a huge part of going it alone. You could have the best work out there but if people don't know you it's tough to get work. I sent out tons of brochures and had very little response. I'm staying really busy doing work for the companies that already know me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron-cds Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 What I did was I signed a one year contract with a firm I used to work for. I did all of their renderings for a year for a salary working out of my own office in my house. During the year, I was trying to spread the word about my services through networking. At the end of the contract I sent out about 500 brochures. I had 5 weeks of absolutely no work. I'm glad I put away some money in the savings. Finding new clients is going very slow but the few repeat clients I have are keeping me very busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rconce01 Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 That is a pretty interesting way to start up your own business, if I may ask did you ask for a significantly higher salary when you decided to do the work on your own out of your own office. Did you figure an additional 20% to your existing salary when you were with the firm? The reason I ask is currently I make the average salary for doing 3d which is 50 grand. I figure I can get that plus some more at the rate I work alone, not to mention with someone else. Pm the response if you like to keep it private but i am very interested in knowing What I did was I signed a one year contract with a firm I used to work for. I did all of their renderings for a year for a salary working out of my own office in my house. During the year, I was trying to spread the word about my services through networking. At the end of the contract I sent out about 500 brochures. I had 5 weeks of absolutely no work. I'm glad I put away some money in the savings. Finding new clients is going very slow but the few repeat clients I have are keeping me very busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotten42 Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Sure thing knowing people is best way to go about it. Actually i have seen some horrible renderings done for a pretty heafty price, just because they had the right contact. I thought the whole bochure advertisment and the calls would turn out a better response. I guess the wisest thing to do is to try and open this thing up as a side job and see how it goes. That's exactly what I have done. I do my day job and have my company on the side. The beauty of it is that mt day job helps me develop contacts for my side gig. I can't stress how important networking is. I get 95% of my work through networking. I don't do any formal advertising. My first year I did only about $8,000. I now do closer to $50,000...not bad for part time work. The other consideration is how much time can you devote to it. In the first couple of years the hours can be rather intense trying to establish yourself. The question of balance gets tougher. Free time and family vs. money. For this very reason I've been turning away work. I was working 80hr work weeks. It was taking its toll on me. For me doing this on the side is the way to go. I still get my regular salary. I stay connected in the industry and I can decide how much work I won't to do. It also is good as a back up if you should lose your day job. Oh yeah...do your homework on how to set up a proper business. If you haven't already, take a course on the subject. Anything will help. Check the internet for samples of business plans. Consult with an accountant as to what your options are in your area for a business format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron-cds Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 That is a pretty interesting way to start up your own business, if I may ask did you ask for a significantly higher salary when you decided to do the work on your own out of your own office. Did you figure an additional 20% to your existing salary when you were with the firm? The reason I ask is currently I make the average salary for doing 3d which is 50 grand. I figure I can get that plus some more at the rate I work alone, not to mention with someone else. Pm the response if you like to keep it private but i am very interested in knowing I basically took the salary I made the year before starting the contract and I added the cost of all of the benefits I received including my holiday bonus. It was apples to apples with what I made the year before. I got security from them and they got great pricing on renderings from me. Now I charge them the going rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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