Fake it ‘Til You Make it

“How do I look legitimate before I have completed projects under my own company?”

My advice is always the same:
start simpler than you think.

Secure the business name.
Buy the domain.
Set up the email.
Launch a very basic website.

Your first website does not need to impress the design industry.

It simply needs to answer:

• Who are you?

• What do you do?

• How do I contact you?

That’s enough to begin.

Many designers underestimate how much credibility already exists in the experience they’ve gained inside other firms. Clients often hire boutique consultants based on:

• trust,

• responsiveness,

• relationships,

• strategic thinking,

• and communication

long before they hire based on a massive portfolio.

One of the biggest mindset shifts in becoming an owner is learning to think beyond design itself.

The conversations eventually become about:

• risk tolerance,

• business structure,

• cash flow,

• partnerships,

• liability,

• ownership,

• and long-term positioning.

For example, I often advise designers considering a partnership to think carefully before immediately forming a single entity together. In many cases, separate LLCs with collaboration or JV arrangements can create more flexibility early on while testing compatibility and working styles.

I also encourage people to think strategically from day one about ownership structure and certification opportunities such as MBE/WBE eligibility, because those decisions become much harder to unwind later.

The design industry does an excellent job teaching people how to become designers.

It does not spend nearly enough time teaching people how to become owners.

And those are two very different skill sets.

What I’m seeing more and more today are talented designers reassessing:

• culture,

• flexibility,

• autonomy,

• leadership,

• and what kind of practice they actually want to build.

Not everyone should start a firm.

But many people are far more capable of building one than they realize.