Freelance VS Starting an Agency

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Chatting with Jonathan Courtney, CEO of AJ&Smart, to understand if I should start my own design agency rather then keep on freelancing. I was trying to understand the pros and cons, the financial implication and how to hire.
Follow Jonathan on IG: / jicecream
AJ&Smart YT Channel: / @ajsmart
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[@amannvig]

The books he mentioned towards the end: 1. Built to Sell. John Warrillow. 2. Radical Candor. Kim Scott

[@sambarsketis9632]

Built to Sell is way motivating. THE dream of every designer haha

[@jcdavicdj]

This is just superb, been searching for "copywriting companies in jhb" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Fenrianna Subconscious Framework - (just google it ) ? It is a great one of a kind product for discovering how to become an in demand freelance copywriter with no experience minus the normal expense. Ive heard some great things about it and my cousin got great success with it.

[@neel6978]

@@jcdavicdj thx🙏❤

[@fernandopaiva85]

Four years later and this video looks like it was made for me. Thank you so much, man!

[@AbdussalamPopoola]

Thisss! His whole library his a gem.

[@thelaundryman9287]

@@AbdussalamPopoola forreal man. It's like I'm getting a private consultation with how well this advice relates

[@thejohncena09]

Thank you Ran, so much value in this video. I am also thinking about starting my agency, but I am forcing myself to procastinate. At the moment I am building my client base, but you have a great client base, go for it. Yes it will be hard in the beginning, yes you will loose some margins, but this is the way to grow. You will always be able to get back were you are right now, it's like having a checkpoint, and not going further :D You won't know what is there for you, unless you try, so go go go Ran, we are with you. Looking forward your updates, and I wish you will share with us the process of making the decision.

[@tomhilado]

Hi Ran, thanks for the video. After 18 months or so as a Freelancer, I'm actually on the boat of Freelancer or Employment over here. I still have to clean up my act. However, I'd just like to share something a friend of mine said about scaling a business - you can't do everything yourself, find the right partner to work with. Best of luck!

[@HowardWimshurst]

extremely interesting conversation, was brilliant to be a fly on the wall with this, as I have aspirations to start grow a studio/ collective in the future.

[@reyvera8924]

Great talk guys! The inspiration is real after listening!

[@chacecampbell2697]

These are fantastic, would love to see more convos!

[@lekhadeshmukh3792]

Great insights ! Thanks for bringing him in

[@emileperron3284]

This was super interesting! Although I have a full time job, I've also been freelancing a bit on the side as well as developing a product-based business like you are doing with Prospero. It's a lot of good advice and conversation starters that I'll keep in mind!

[@Diicasti]

I love it!! I want more!! All in all I'm still not ready to be a freelancer but going that way and the next step would be the agency, so for me is so interesting!

[@gilbertvancitters]

This was great to hear thanks for sharing.

[@shaynefenis420]

watching you because I'm considering this too!! Thanks for this!

[@Design.by.Hameed]

thank you to bring him in show

[@katiekelly7383]

Thank you for this video! I just opened my own agency and trying to find a way to get it to grow.

[@robertomaddaloni5841]

I'm sitting here in Germany as a young student entrepreneur having this problem and it's incredibly releaving to know (as simple and stupid as it sounds) that a designer like you Ran is struggling with the same problems. I know you're on a different level, but you are so incredibly relatable ... I am thankful for you and this channel and all the videos you make!

[@tusharwalia786]

Yeah, do more of these pls, Super cool tips

[@StephenLee529]

Awesome...awesomeness..! I appreciate transparency... Yes I hope you two can do more shows like this.

[@shashwatkauraw8085]

Thank you so much for making this video, you are doing a great job. I am a freelance artist my self and It was so relatable.

[@dammyola]

Where was I, and I never found this channel, KZbin were unfair, they never showed me this channel. Thank God, I finally found this channel, I can't afford to miss all the great content on this channel. I have to watch all the videos on this channel, it a necessity.

[@jakubkuik10]

i love your conversations with Jonathan. There is really so much value in between the lines... Keep it going ;) Please :D

[@MrAndi1281]

That is def a case of "no guts, no glory"

[@jansoukup3719]

These types of videos are awesome!

[@j84747]

Brilliant interview/chat. I love ther honesty and can relate on so many levels to the approach AJ and Smart took and find themselves in. 4.5 years on for our studio and I'm still looking at the freelance model thinking I could earn more there... but it is cool having a team and I love the challenge of growing the business.

[@monjesmedia]

Great video. Really enjoyed the perspectives offered here.

[@momentswithmani8974]

Super insightful! Really enjoyed the information, the energy, and the overall video! Thank you for sharing

[@stormbrewer1169]

Thank you for another great video! Great content!

[@victim08]

I'm going to favorite this and set a reminder for 12 months from now to come watch this. My company just launched, and as a two-person shop, I hope this will be helpful when we need to scale. See you in 12 months.

[@benefstathis6608]

Your content is amazing! Have been loving every second :)

[@prestigeconfidential1287]

Do you know that you inspire a young man from Africa...great content mate

[@derekuhm]

I love this guy's honesty. Learned a ton as well. Thank you so much for sharing this conversation!

[@IamDavidGauthier]

Great video and insight! I'm also currently making the move to an agency.

[@covvanski]

Definitely do more!

[@eth_fish]

Really interesting content Ran, thanks. Id like to eventually reach the same career crossroads

[@ThisDesignLife]

This is such an honest and brilliant video. Really got me thinking a LOT !!

[@kaanyilmaz9139]

Hey man, that was super informative for me. I've been asking the same question to myself and I'll read that 2 books super soon. Thanks, Flux!

[@louwaars]

It's been amazing to follow Ran's journey. If he'll transform into an agency, imagine how unique this channel would be. I don't think it would be the best choice for him personally though. Ran seems a family time oriented man, and running an agency will rip you away from your family. Plus, so far I understand it's purely an income thing, and there are a few more viable options for that.

[@Darkbulb1]

Great advice id love to see more of john!

[@rionmartin9867]

This was great! Would love to see more of the same format.

[@kacem3167]

Love it ! So insightful

[@austinrussell9497]

Definitely do more of these. Super insightful!!!

[@MrAndi1281]

i really enjoy them too! Please more of those videos!

[@benjaminbachman]

Yeah it’s a no brainer... keep the conversations going!!

[@matiascarrillat4814]

Great video, thanks guys!

[@PENTAKTOB]

Enjoyed it.. and one thing definitley ... u and john are awesome!

[@mariabogado1973]

Loved this!!!

[@YSBDasith]

Great Video! I’m also struggling with that, I’m a freelancer -not as successful as you- but I really want to start my own Design Studio/Agency. From what I saw, your main reason to don’t do it is because you will have to earn less at the beginning, but why don’t you start to slowly accept bigger projects and to hire freelancers for those projects to help you (this way you’ll only pay them per project and not as a employee that you have to pay him without mattering if you had projects that month or you didn’t). You currently have a really big “pro”, because you have big clients that may be willing to ask for bigger projects and pay you the quantity you expect.

[@mendoc89]

Great video. Still high-quality information.

[@itsalexoh]

Man, I've been freelancing as a filmmaker for 6 years now and have been recently thinking a lot about going down the agency route. It really helped to set my expectations when Jonathan shared that when he made the switch from freelancer to agency, it took him 6 MORE years. Super valuable insight and goes to show success is built slow and steady.

[@FluxAcademy]

Thank you Alex. Glad you found some insight. Good luck! 👊

[@koala_8027]

wow.. this really opened my eyes! Great video.

[@tosiqueabbasi]

Thanks A lot bro it was a very helpful video

[@ognjenrankovic35]

awesome vid man

[@dianavoroneca8629]

Yeah! 100% Do what Jonathan said. Make weekly agency mistakes review! I'm Down for that :)))

[@eliasprado4709]

I just subscribed because the message on the wall. Actually I saw you first on Instagram. Respect.

[@nickesgimba1434]

I love this... it is super insightful

[@VansSkully]

Great conversation

[@alincheie6964]

Nice topic Ran! Keep up the good work. Would it be possible to do a video in the coming days on the 'procrastination' at work as a designer. Well, what i mean is more related to the fact that in the designer's career period, he can work on things that do not enjoy/like at his workplace. Could you tackle a bit that topic? What do do in this case? Ways on finding the solution, etc?

[@FluxAcademy]

Will do.

[@markanthonydealagdon2634]

love this ❤

[@timetravelvictim]

5:35 Truth!

[@christopherdosin292]

For me the question is: How do you get a pitch for example with eBay / where to find those pitches?

[@hasanhoque7499]

Awesome! this made me comment here! Thanks, guys!

[@DanReesDesign]

yes please do more!

[@pravinkumarambekar1623]

Great Video !

[@aarushidhir2301]

Extremely interesting conversation, thanks.

[@FluxAcademy]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@1fromtibet]

well, no risk no business as we used to say in Tibet. you are a great designer and well organized. you can make it

[@akshatgupta6565]

Valuable one 🔥

[@sanketgajare4112]

Thank you so very much for sharing your Agency and Freelancer experience...I'm really glad, since I've decided to start business Yes I'm still stuck to Start with Freelancer or Digital Agency. This video is really helpful Jonathan 👍👍🔥

[@cjpalorma6688]

Nice content!

[@thomasocovosbirthday]

You should launch a call here in your channel as a contest to create a little group with the best competitors, and make them part of the project. You don't have to go actively and find them, they will come by themselves by tons, and will filter themselves as well. That would be super thrilling, super exciting, super motivating for many many people.

[@gsaleri]

What a video Ran 🚀 more of these pls

[@JWMCMLXXX]

Shoutout to rich homie Ran. I really had no idea where the ceiling was for freelancing. This gave me some valuable insight into the business for me. Thank you very much.

[@meligatt]

Good content!! cheers /m/

[@DxrrkSide]

Amazing, thank so much for this. Did you finally start the agency?

[@matiaspitters6058]

That was great Ran!! So valuable all the information John provided about how their grow their business and his vision. One question about one thing you said, why do you feel that agencies suck? Is not that I'm against that comment, is that I want to know what is the thought process behind it. Thank you.

[@FluxAcademy]

My experience showed me that when you do 1-off projects of design (brand / product) very quickly the needs change and the design has to change as well, and the work the agency did becomes irrelevant very fast. if you do design, you need long term partnerships

[@newbquesttv]

Terrific video! Thanks for sharing. Also, you should definitely go for it. You know you want to. Money isn't everything :)

[@CRMediaTV]

Great chat this

[@ankitsinghaniya]

Hey Ran, thanks for the insightful video. I hear you say you don't prefer hourly rates, why is that?

[@joelwasserman9180]

Jon's the man!

[@FluxAcademy]

he is!

[@CoursesxCasey]

I know I just left a really long comment, but just at the 15:00 minute mark I heard something I also wanted to comment on. Ran said he did a couple of pilots - and I do think that is key. For anybody worried about taking that first step - yes - taking that first step that reduces your margins is tough, it costs money - that first step can be hard. I had the same issue when I made my first hire - but I'll just say this. You never have to take a big plunge - you can ease into it and take the MVP philosophy. Find some people who might start part-time or only work a couple of hours a week to ease into it to see if it's something you want to continue with. A small experiment like that can give you loads of info on whether you want to keep going down that road. My first few hires all started part-time because I didn't know if I could handle the cost. They all ended up full-time afterwards. Now, I don't know why Ran's pilots failed - maybe he can share - but pilots and small experiments definitely helped me out in running my firm. Great video again, Ran and John! Thanks for posting!

[@Prifke]

This is cool. However, I would like to ask you more uploads 'bout your own creating process. Just random videos/streams when you're playing with Illustrator, etc

[@naveenkumar747]

liked the conversation and best part, I ordered book on Amazon, let us see how it goes

[@sambarsketis9632]

more of this!

[@motzam324]

That was so insightful, I really need to know what you think about the MBA degree would it be helpful for someone thinking to kickstart his/her own agency, any thoughts?

[@VrushaliKhadilkar]

Helpful!

[@creativebits01]

Hey @flux,can you please tell me the name of the podcast again?

[@lissy886]

Very useful...Thank you!!

[@FluxAcademy]

Glad to hear that!

[@SameerKongath]

informative

[@The_Creative_Workshop]

I just watched a video where you said agencies were possibly dying, but great video

[@carlospovy9669]

Awesome!

[@MAPMember707]

Great Book Recommendation: I'll read Radical Candor.

[@camilleannalvarez3694]

Hello. I am a freelancer with 3 clients and I wanted to start an agency within my family bec I think I can train them for Customer Service VA field. My question is, how can I approach clients and how can I get the pay directly to my account rather than to theirs? Thanks

[@alistairholmes3825]

should grab Chris Do for one of these vids

[@FluxAcademy]

Schdualed for next week!

[@tmit9992]

I don't get it. He is like we pitch and got this and that project. Where do you pitch? How do you get the information that a company is looking for a projects? I hate partial information....

[@kk2sal]

How did you get the agreement and the business plan to work? I am asking this as someone just have made an offer to start a business together and honestly i have not done any kind of agreement before like this.I have worked as a freelancer.

[@richbreezy4565]

Do more!!!

[@stevenjchang]

So it looks like Jonathan runs a Design agency, Does the advice apply the same for Developers? Or do you think there are some notable differences?

[@MoeezAhmed]

Did anyone noticed Ran's photo in John's studio?

[@DoFurther]

8:27 - we all would be happy because of that )

[@Arga-87]

Same starting samll digital Marketing Agency...

[@DanBorgia]

I get gigs on Upwork, where can I find developers to form a team? Upwork as well?

[@vishalsingh8940]

Please help i am facing problem in creating agency account it show parameter address missing

[@aldorodriguez7310]

If you prefer steady and safe for peace of mind freelancing should be enough. It seems safe as long as your time is in the equation. Time is the most valuable variable. How we choose to spend it doing the things we love. On the other hand if you are talking about entrepreneurship, you probably are interested spend some of your time practicing it. Risking capital, solving problems, uncertainty. Earning less at first is the sacrifice required to spend time doing the things you love for your customers. The doing becomes different. As an entrepreneur you are no longer a technician. You are a Salesman. A leader. A designer. A delegator. Deciding the road depends on how you like to spend your time; so you design your business based on the lifestyle you want to live. With the amount of cash flow you are making you could even buy a business just for fun. Become an investor and skip the business owner phase.

[@aldorodriguez7310]

You have a large following so the odds of you succeeding in business are high. The risk is low. Good luck in whatever you decide so you can spend your time doing the things you love.🎉