Advice for full-stack devs starting & running a software agency
👋 Hey guys,
Back in late December I embarked on a journey to help developers who are interested in starting (and running) their own software development agency at Dev to Agency, it's been an interesting project so far, I've written 10 posts covering a wide gamut of advice, and have learnt a lot about how to write (and start a newsletter + blog!).
If anyones interested, id'e love some feedback about my site, whether it's on the content or the design (I know it's pretty minimalist!) - all feedback is certainly welcome 🤗
So far i've covered how and why to Think Niche when starting an agency, asking friends and family for project referrals, why being small can be great, and a look into whether you need a co-founder to start an agency.
Iv'e gone into detail about the history of my own small 7-figure software agency, and also my personal path from a dev to an agency owner. Iv'e also recently tried an interviewing other technical agency owners, including Matt Stauffer of Tighten.
Whilst I have really enjoyed the challenge (and I still have a lot more to say), I must admit i'm finding the growth part of the newsletter hard, i'm not sure it's whether because it's quite a niche topic, or because i'm not spruking it enough.. But it can be difficult writing thousands of words and realising it doesn't impact the subscriber count, so I think (my advice to myself is) I need to get out there and balance writing with promotion.. as writing into a black hole feels a bit .. lonely 😅
Hopefully someone here finds Dev to Agency useful, and please throw advice my way!
Cheers,
I'm going to rant about the content, because it is what I care about BUT the truth of the matter is probably what you feel - not enough shilling. Best performing newsletters I had seen were those where people signed in for product news, updates or startup announcements. We of course subjected them to long-form writing, but there was a THING they were waiting for that kept them subscribed and subscriptions were coming from guest articles and external funnels. Thing is, good writing won't really grow a newsletter by itself, because people who read your writing are already your subscribers.
The blog is nice, but kinda glossy and doesn't really pique my interest in that your writing doesn't contain something I did not find written elswhere. Advice to the effect of "treat employees with respect" or "communicate with clients" is just too generic and could be good if you are first and reputable search result, but if I arrive at your niche blog/newsletter after reading "Top 10 things business owner should do" I won't find anything surpsing or memorable in your post.
You also put a lot of prominent quotes that may build authority, but to me they feel like you are just regurgiating business advice that you have consumed from popular sources like re-work. What is lacking is some evidence of having processed the advice through lens of insight.
Now, this is kinda risque, but for operational advice that actually makes me interested in reading is "Blood, Sweat and Tears" stories about problems and obstacles from someone who was actually in the trenches himself.
As a business owner you are in position to show people who follow you "What could possibly go wrong?". They may either anticipate it - in which case they would look for advice how to prevent it OR they may not realize a problem can occur - in which case they would be surprised and relived you have warned them.
Just like you tease in "My path from developer to agency owner" (which is probably my favourite article from the set).
Thanks @LurkingDoge, I really appreciate your feedback - and your spot on. I think my biggest hurdle was since I have a started writing I realised my (small) audience was very broad, and at very different stages of their journey.. So I think I have oversimplified.. .and as you say it can come across feeling a bit generic.
I do have my story to tell - so thanks for helping me realign and remember that. I'm part way through an article now on Client workshops, and am inspired to make sure its a post that interweaves my unique experience, and one that people cannot get somewhere else on the net 😊
Thanks again!
thanks chris!
keep writing. i have a fwe more thoughts on this for tomorrow's yen.fm newsletter... but, keep going!
Thanks John! 👍👍👍
I haven't read all of the articles, but I read the one about niche and found it helpful. We are a small web development agency that has built websites for a wide variety of businesses both big and small and have struggled to find our niche. We've been doing more in the municipality space, and considering that a lot of town/city websites aren't great, we've thought about focusing on that.
Thanks! Finding a niche is actually hard work (as you know). It's trial and error, takes patience, and sometimes the best niches find you. I love the idea of a niche in a municipality space, and would love to hear about how it works out for you guys.
If you haven't be subscribed to Dev to Agency it would be great if you could, as I would also appreciate hearing what you think about my future articles - and hopefully, they can be of help to you guys on your own journey 👍