start a website even though not my company?

[dawnsonlina]

I have not discussed this with the owner of the company, as I've wanted to ask you guys first. I will be starting work on the 17th. I really admire this person, and it will only be me and her. She seems to be excellent with advertising and I feel I can learn a lot from her. She does not have a website. I love the technical side of things and would love the challenge of putting a website together. How would you advise me to do this? I am not classified as a partner, only an IC. I receive 60% of the massage price and she furnishes everything. I guess I'm wondering what would I need to do if something happened and we went separate directions? Do you think I just need to feel things out for awhile? Does a contract need to be made? Or do you feel like this would cause to much complication in the long run? I'm very anxious at starting work, and I would love to make both of our practices profitable and successful.

 

[1ofdbest]

I appreciate the positivity and intentions for success you have!

The way I see the technicalities:

As owner, she is responsible for a website for her business.

If you make it, what kind of compensation do you want? This would be its own transaction apart from your IC arrangement. It has nothing to do with that really. Keep them separate. And remember that if you ever terminate your IC contract, you terminate it with the business, including its website.

I imagine you could make your own to promote your practice as an IC. To me this would be obviating the point (as I see it) of being an IC... does your contract spell out whose responsibility advertising is? If not, why not?

 

[lil]

Do it as a separate transaction for website technica/creative fees, having nothing to do with your massage.

Include rates for updates/changes and tweaks.

 

[Tim J]

If you part ways as an IC, you could still remain on contract as the webmaster.

It really depends on just how good you are at negotiating and upholding your end of the deal. Do NOT let your MT role conflict with your role as webmaster. Make sure you have completely separate contracts that specifically exclude anything to do with the other. If this is your first attempt at building a web site, don't expect to be completely happy with your first attempt, and expect to update it regularly. A good web site is always undergoing revisions.

Consider one thing: if this person is so gifted with advertising, why doesn't she have a web site yet? What other "obvious" things is she not doing yet?

 

[Dom]

How about this, since you are an IC ...

Start by creating a wonderful website for yourself. Work on it regularly and let it grow. When you have it at a point where you are happy with it and it is bringing in clients, you could then think about proposing to her that you build her website. At that point you can negotiate fees. But I do think it should be separate.

Another option would be create your site and again when it looks good and you have traffic, establish an offer to add a page or two or three about her and her work. That way when/if you leave you can easily remove her from the site and still have your own established website for wherever you go.

(These are just off the top of my head.)

 

[Good gone girl]

:iagree: I'm with Brian.

 

[Magic is Might!]

What ever you do not make her a web site!!!!!

Make your self a website! I run into this with yellow pages, i paid for them but have to use there clinic name and number when i leave i will still have to pay for ther advertising.

What you do is come up with your own buisness name, build the site market as you treating at XY location, have your own phone number that is on the site but call forward this to the clinics number, this way they still book in your patients for you, if they take one of your possable clients, if you move they still end up calling your number.
you can still put up pics of the clinic, you can still market your self, and your services, and the owner still benifits from all your work, you are making her money, but if you leave you take this with you, wich is of the utmost importance. for a web address if you know you are going to continue to work in a particular city name it "bostonmassagetherapy" or washingtonmassagetherapy.com that way if you name your clinic a differnt name you can still use the site and have a second web address that redirects to the city name.

Think ahead, plan ahead, and build on this!

 

[Daniel T]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Having my own personal site makes much more sense.

On a side note. What about business cards? She wants me to have some with her company name and logo on it. And she is wanting to do them herself, and apparently is having a hard time getting her logo to download. I'm wanting some pronto to pass out to others. Would it be frowned upon to have some with just my contact info on it? Vista prints has a special right now for 250 premium cards for $3.99. I am currently in the mind frame of thinking if I am going to work on them at her establishment anyway what difference would it really make?

I'm still waiting on the actual contract I am supposed to sign to work with her. So I don't know all the legalities at this point. She has pushed back open house for another week, but said I can come in and work anytime next week if I want to. I'm ready to get this ball game started. I feel like I have waited forever because of other stumbling blocks (the state). At the same time though I want to do this the right way.

Thanks for listening to my rambling.

 

[Neidy]

Would it be frowned upon to have some with just my contact info on it?

I can't imagine how it could be. Just make them up and let them be "temporary" until she can get her act together.

Lots of initiative can't be a bad thing....

 

[Ruby.fuse]

I'm still waiting on the actual contract I am supposed to sign to work with her. So I don't know all the legalities at this point. She has pushed back open house for another week, but said I can come in and work anytime next week if I want to. I'm ready to get this ball game started. I feel like I have waited forever because of other stumbling blocks (the state). At the same time though I want to do this the right way.

Thanks for listening to my rambling.

Personally, I wouldn't do ANYTHING without the final draft of the actual contract signed by both parties. I would hate to get in, set up, print marketing materials, and see clients only to find out there was something I didn't like or didn't expect in the contract.

Also, regarding cards ... that's nice that she wants to have her logo on there, but aren't you an IC? Is she paying for these cards? what is the benefit to you (as an IC) having her logo on your cards?

 

[Martin the baby]

Again, if this person is so "gifted" with advertising know-how, why is she having so much trouble with getting business cards? She can go down the street and get someone else to do all the work for just a bit more cash. Same with brochures, signs, whatever else she wants to get.

You can learn from this experience, but it sounds like some of the lessons are falling under "What Not to Do" ...and by all means be wary of letting her blur the IC/employee boundary. Take a VERY close look at the IC agreement over a couple of days before you sign anything. Have someone knowledgeable about such agreements look it over too and address areas of concern in writing up front.