3 key things I learned in my first year in business

3 key things I learned in my first year in business
Company Update
Aug 3, 2022
Veer Manhas
Founder and Creative Director

Little Big Things (officially registered as Lil Big Things LLC) turned one year old in June 2022! I’ve spent so much time focused on meeting new clients and founders, delivering exceptional remote Webflow development projects with Pixie, a Webflow plugin on our website, and growing my talented team that I totally forgot to celebrate the big day.

They say that the first year in business is the hardest to survive, and I’m so proud that Little Big Things made it through the first year. 

Now that I finally have some time to pause and breathe, I thought it would be fitting to reflect back on some of the most important business lessons I’ve learnt over the past 365 days (give or take a few).

Keep Track of Your Growth

Before I decided to open my own remote Webflow development business, I spent some time freelancing. Prior to that, I was working as an employee but found myself constantly craving the freedom that comes with building your own studio and product company.

The past year has been a whirlwind, but after I spent some time crunching the numbers, I realized the company earned 3.5 times more revenue than I did as a freelancer. Along with growing our revenue, I’ve grown my team from a single person to four highly-skilled employees.

Owning a business comes with an ever-changing mix of big-picture thinking and paying close attention to the small details. It’s easy to become focused on the day-to-day and lose track of how far you’ve come since you started out.

Taking a moment to track my revenue and team growth not only gave me an opportunity to give myself a pat on the back, but has also helped me keep the big picture in mind and, most importantly, start strategizing Little Big Things’ next moves for the year ahead.

It’s also given me an opportunity to extend my gratitude to our clients and employees for their support. Without them, none of this would have been possible.

Stick to Your Boundaries

My favourite thing about opening my own Webflow development company is having the opportunity to work with a diverse client list. Whether you’re a founder, Head of Marketing, entrepreneur, or brand, my approaches to Webflow for marketers and Webflow for business are able to seamlessly plug into your vision so you focus on your competence rather than Webflow competence.

But, I must admit that one of the most difficult challenges in becoming a business founder has been learning when to let clients go.

The vast majority of my clients are a pleasure to work with, and I’m incredibly proud of the projects we’ve created for them, but it’s inevitable that you’ll meet clients who you simply don’t see eye-to-eye with. Whether this is due to unreasonable time constraints, limited budgets, or a lack of boundaries, I’ve learnt that no client is worth creating a negative work culture within your team. 

For us, culture really matters. When we work with clients, founders, or Heads of Marketing, we approach the relationship as partners with the goal of producing exceptional work that has a win-win outcome. Some clients want to move fast (while receiving high-quality work), but as the old saying goes, you can only pick two:

  • Cheap
  • Fast
  • Quality

We pride ourselves on being agile, but every so often a client comes along who wants work that is cheap, fast, and good. 

We don’t like taking money from any founders or Heads of Marketing who are willing to give it to us, so over the past year, we’ve refined our approach, declined clients who weren’t a good fit, and have found ourselves in the fortunate position of having a limited number of clients who appreciate what we do and understand the value of working with experts for their Webflow development projects.

This year, I’ve been able to create websites for some companies and brands that I’ve always dreamt of working with, including

  • Teachable (YC acquired by Hotmart)
  • Slintel(now part of 6Sense) (YC)
  • Wingman(now part of Clari) (YC)
  • Fego
  • Zoko(YC)
  • Pace App
  • Element 5

Refine Your Mission

Owning your own business goes hand-in-hand with being able to sell your services and help potential clients understand the value you provide. Over the past year, we’ve distilled our mission into one sentence: We do Webflow development so you can do business.

As a founder or Head of Marketing, learning the intricacies of client- and visitor-friendly sites, testing, and making them live is a complex endeavour. If your goal is to focus on growing and marketing your business instead of making Webflow your competency, we’re the ideal partner to maximize the speed of delivery.

At Little Big Things, our goal is to push the boundaries of technical creativity every day, breaking barriers and ultimately realizing our clients’ visions. Whether you need regular Webflow development or a robust website with custom coding and animation, we exceed your expectations with clear communication, full transparency, and an unwavering commitment to achieving excellence.

Still, wondering whether you’re the right fit for us. Get in touch for a free consultation and let’s find out!

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