Idea

How to start your own design company

"First of all, the core of the business has to be strong. You’ve got to provide a great product or service."

Sure, you can find a great job. But, why not make your own? Fourth-year OCAD U advertising student Elliott Muscat and his friend and business partner, Chris Godfrey, have started their own design firm, 83 Annette.

Here are the three top lessons Elliott learned along the way:

Need a little pick me up?
 
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Take a chance!

We didn’t think too hard about the logistics at the beginning. We were two friends who were both passionate about design, and we decided to put ourselves out there. Many people tend to exaggerate the difficulty of doing your own thing. There are a lot of challenges when starting your own business, but taking the first step shouldn’t be one of them. Just go for it!

Photo of woman with overlaid text reading Jan 8th The Hyatt in Delrey. Kristin Spencer
 
Event poster for Kristen Spencer Music

Be confident, be social.

First of all, the core of the business has to be strong. You’ve got to provide a great product or service. Once you have something you feel confident about, it’s all about putting it out there to as many people as you can. All our early clients came from friends, family, family friends, etc. Go to as many social events as you can, hound your clients for references and talk to everybody!

Illustration of two candy fruit slices
 
Social media content for Louie’s Fruities

Values are valuable.

Something you will inevitably learn along your path as an entrepreneur is that the values you want your business to portray need to be defined. As you take on different clients and projects, you’ll be tugged and pulled in every direction. Make sure you know what your business stands for, and keep your brand consistent. People will want to work with you for a reason, so make sure you know what that reason is.

Photograph Elliott Muscatt and Chris Godfrey sitting on black chairs.
 
Elliott Muscatt and Chris Godfrey




Sure, you can find a great job. But, why not make your own? Fourth-year OCAD U advertising student Elliott Muscat and his friend and business partner, Chris Godfrey, have started their own design firm, 83 Annette.

Here are the three top lessons Elliott learned along the way:

Need a little pick me up?
 
Poster-ad for EM Fitness

Take a chance!

We didn’t think too hard about the logistics at the beginning. We were two friends who were both passionate about design, and we decided to put ourselves out there. Many people tend to exaggerate the difficulty of doing your own thing. There are a lot of challenges when starting your own business, but taking the first step shouldn’t be one of them. Just go for it!

Photo of woman with overlaid text reading Jan 8th The Hyatt in Delrey. Kristin Spencer
 
Event poster for Kristen Spencer Music

Be confident, be social.

First of all, the core of the business has to be strong. You’ve got to provide a great product or service. Once you have something you feel confident about, it’s all about putting it out there to as many people as you can. All our early clients came from friends, family, family friends, etc. Go to as many social events as you can, hound your clients for references and talk to everybody!

Illustration of two candy fruit slices
 
Social media content for Louie’s Fruities

Values are valuable.

Something you will inevitably learn along your path as an entrepreneur is that the values you want your business to portray need to be defined. As you take on different clients and projects, you’ll be tugged and pulled in every direction. Make sure you know what your business stands for, and keep your brand consistent. People will want to work with you for a reason, so make sure you know what that reason is.

Photograph Elliott Muscatt and Chris Godfrey sitting on black chairs.
 
Elliott Muscatt and Chris Godfrey

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