So about a month ago I got really excited about going freelance (graphic design if it matters) and formed an LLC right away. Paid the filing fee, got an EIN, the whole nine yards. Still zero clients. Now I'm wondering if I jumped the gun and people are going to see an LLC with no work history and think I'm some kind of poser. Anyone else do it backwards like this?
Freelancing
I formed an LLC before finding my first freelance client
Honestly nobody is going to care. Clients look at your portfolio and your rates, not your formation date.
It's $50-100 a year depending on state. Not a big deal. The bigger question is why you thought an LLC would get you clients. It doesn't do anything for you unil you actually have income to protect.
I did the same thing. Formed mine in 2021, didn't get my first real client until almost six months later. The LLC didn't hurt me at all. If anything it made me feel more legit when I was pitching, even if that was mostly in my head.
lol at least you didn't print business cards first. I know a guy who did that.
The poser thing is in your head. But I will say, if you're paying an annual fee plus mabe a registered agent, that's real money going out before money comes in. How long can you float that?
Also for a solo designer an LLC is mostly about liability,not legitimacy. You're not getting a bank loan or a lease because of it. Protect your personal assets from a lawsuit, sure. But that's a separate conversation from landing clients.
I'll push back a little.I do think there's a segment of clients (bigger companies, agencies) that like seeing an LLC on a contract. It signals you're not going to disappear next week. Doesn't replace a portfolio, but it's a small credibility bump.
A credible freelanccer without an LLC beats a guy with an LLC and no work any day of the week. Clients aren't dumb.
This thread is making me wonder if I should have formed mine sooner instead of waiting. Grass is always greener.
You can always dissolve it if it's a burden. Not a marriage. Anyway, focus on the client hunt and the LLC thing will will sort itself out.
Six months and no client? Now i want to know what your outreach looks like. That's the real issue here, not the paperwork.
Disagree on it being 'the real issue.' Some people take longer, especially if they're building a portfolio from scratch. But yeah, no client after six months suggests the pitch or the niche needs work.
Anyway, the LLC didn't cost you a client. Go find one.
Late to this but: I formed mine before my first client too. It's fine. The only real downside I hit was that I had no idea how to actually run an LLC — separate bank account, tracking expenses, that whole thing. Learn that part now while it's quiet.