Design
Refresh DC: Moving from freelance to agency
This past Thursday evening, I again had the pleasure of attending the montly Refresh DC meetup. We were treated to a panel of local studio owners: Martin Ringlein of nclud, Jeff Walpole of Phase2 Technology, Anthony Pappas of The Pappas Group, Jen Sterling of Hinge, and Brian Williams of Viget Labs. Despite the tropics, the standing room only crowd was treated to the insight of these design entrepreneurs.
Each shared their stories with the group, what led them to start their own business, and the importance of passion. My two favorite bits of wisdom came from Martin: have a personal board of directors and define success. The second seems so obvious, but so many times people go charging out of the gate without asking themselves “what do I need to be successful?” Ask the question and figure out the answer.
It’s impossible to not be impressed by the DC web design community. It’s a talented, passionate, intelligent, and supportive group of folks that I always look forward to chatting with and learning from.
