Moving is stressful enough so add in moving a small business across a continent as large as North America from the “big smoke” of a major city to a small ocean-side community and you’ve got some real challenges to overcome.

Paul Mycroft Design has been in business since July 2002 so trying to convince our existing clients that our relocation wouldn’t upset the apple cart was not too difficult. Most of our international clientele resides across North America with a few sprinkled across the United Kingdom and Australia, so we have been working remotely for a few years without any problems. The only question that came up recently was, “Does the postage change when we mail your check?” Not exactly a deal-breaker and easily solved.

We’ve also been lucky enough to pick up new referred clients without actually meeting them (due to location) so they have come to rely on a high level of initial and ongoing customer service, something which we pride ourselves on.

No, the real challenges are starting to become apparent as we settle into our new “downtown” office location and start to probe the local business community to try and establish a foothold and develop a reputation as a professional. According to Wikipedia:

“A professional is a worker required to possess a large body of knowledge derived from extensive academic study, with the training almost always formalized. Professionals are at least to a degree self-regulating, in that they control the training and evaluation processes that admit new persons to the field, and in judging whether the work done by their members is up to standard. This differs from other kinds of work where regulation is imposed by the state, or where official quality standards are often lacking.”

The last line is significant because the web design industry is a self-regulating one whose standards are defined by its own members. It’s very easy to buy an off-the-shelf product like Adobe’s Dreamweaver, install it on your home computer, build a quick company website using a template, and add “Web Designer” to your home-made business cards. This takes, ooh, all of an hour if you throw in the car journey to the computer store.

Now re-read the first line of the Wikipedia quote. That large body of knowledge is what sets the “Professional Web Designer” apart from the “Web Designer.” It takes years of hard graft to become a professional Web Designer, which can include:

• Registering a name and starting a real business
• Developing and constantly refining your chosen, specific skill-set using email newsletters, portfolio and magazine sites, and industry-leading commentators
• Creating a high quality online portfolio that showcases your skill sin the best light possible
• Developing your company brand through stationary, website and online identity
• Paying for and taking courses and seminars
• Buying, registering and upgrading expensive software
• Trial-and-error late-night computer work to “get it just right”
• Participating in and learning from other professionals in online forums
• Subscribing to industry-standard podcasts
• Establishing strong connections with talented contractors (you can’t do it all, you know)
• Providing a high level of reliable customer service

All of these factors (and more) are what define you in your craft, your business, and your professional life. But sometimes, they don’t translate all that well to a small community not used to your level of skill. Or your hourly rates, which might not get a second look in the city but can have a devastatingly negative effect in a small community.

Your competition may already be well-established in that community, someone who provides a level of service at an affordable price. Maybe someone who has lived there all their lives, has formed relationships with many local people, and has a decent reputation within the business community. They may have been advertising in the local newspaper for many years and be an active sponsor of local events.

In this situation, it’s very important not to tread on anyone’s toes and to respect everyone. We have worked in major US cities with multi-national corporations (think United Airlines, AT&T, or Bank One), companies with a highly-developed sense of business risk, and companies who have a high budget for their online ventures. But that may not impress anyone by the ocean.

What we can do is to bring our knowledge to the community, provide healthy competition at the right price, and be willing to work with every variable. Only then will we keep our existing (and new) clients across the world happy while creating long-lasting relationships in our new home town.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 1st, 2008 at 6:43 pm.