Network-based business

Since my last update on where my work comes from, I’ve started diligently tracking project enquiries. Each potential project is noted with a reasonably comprehensive set of columns:

Most of the columns are self-explanatory, but here’s a list:

• Sector
• Qualified questionnaire
• Source: where did they hear about me?
• First contact date
• Status: Converted, pending or didn’t work out
• Magic email: if things stall, did I send the magic email?
• Reason for a project not working out

Observations

Looking over this data from the past few years, the big takeaway is that most of my projects come from my network or previous collaborations: typically developers, strategists or other consultants.

Since 2024:

• every converted project has come from one of those sources
• they’ve made up over 70% of all the enquiries I’ve received

This partly explains why the Qualified Questionnaire column so frequently says “No”. Those questions have often already been asked by the people bringing me into a project.

Building and maintaining my network

Not a lot has changed since my last post, except I resumed running Unoffice Hours and sending my Five Links newsletter. These had both been on a hiatus for personal reasons, returning in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Neither are particularly aimed at generating new work, but I suppose they might help in some intangible way.

Reflecting more broadly, my decision to stop offering development services a few years ago also explains why my enquiries are so heavily skewed towards collaboration. I was a little apprehensive to cut off that income stream, but offering an end-to-end design and development service meant that I was solely responsible for winning work: I either got the gig or I didn’t.

It seems obvious in retrospect that when you offer only one these services, every project is a joint effort. That’s led me to develop much stronger relationships with the developers I work with as we’re collaborating so frequently. It also means the net of potential projects has become wider as we’re sending work both ways: a network-based business.