Gardener NYC is a solo technology consultancy run by me, Ian Hatcher-Williams. In August 2019, I left the design studio I cofounded (Alright) to pursue a relationship with work on my own terms.
This is a recap of my first 6 months of running a solo practice again. It's a first attempt at understanding how my own consultancy operates, and a look into the future of how it can change as it grows. I intend for this to be a resource to others trying to do the same thing, in tech or otherwise.
Freelancing early on, I didn't have the context I needed to make good business decisions regarding pricing, project timelines, etc. By opening up my own books, I want to lower the knowledge barrier for others starting to consult or freelance in this way. Hopefully that also encourages other small businesses to share their secrets as well.
Contents
Gardener is a technology consultancy working mostly in the eCommerce and DTC spaces. For now it's just me here - 👋 - with room to grow as my funnel changes.
My core business is top-to-bottom website builds for new or recently refreshed brands. I'm generally part of the scoping & discovery process with the design partner on the project, and there after consult on technology choices & business consequences along the way. I see development projects through, from kick off to launch, as the principal engineer.
In addition to that core piece of business, I also take on UX design projects, ongoing consulting with existing engineering teams, and a bit of retainer support work with existing clients.
Note: this is mostly financially focused! This is my first year, so I'm trying to cover my bases of being a "business" before trying to steer the ship towards north.