how to become a development partner of 24 Hour Designs
Hi there,
This is Jay Whitley Jr, the founder of 24 Hour Designs. Lately, through our various threads of discussion, we have uncovered many questions that deserve attention. While we have been able to successfully answer the majority of your questions, there may be a few that you haven’t thought of, which could become more important to you somewhere down the line.
In this blog post you’ll find more than 60 of your most burning questions, along with over 5,000+ words of clearly articulated answers for questions you might have, already asked or would have never thought about. To make this efficient you can take two different approaches to this blog post.
Read this article from top-to-bottom. It may take 20-30 minutes to consume all of the information, but I promise you that it’s a valueable read.
Hit CMD+F (MAC) or CTRL+F (Windows) to bring up your OS search capability. Find the questions that are most important to you, and save yourself some time.
Regardless of your approach, the goal of this post is to provide honesty, transparency and insights into the possibility for a long-term relationship between your firm and ours. Enjoy the read! When you’re done, don’t hesitate to email me.
intro
who we are?
A: “24 Hour Designs is a software design firm. We focus on rapid-prototyping and building all variations of mobile and web applications through world-class UI/UX design. We are not a marketing agency. We are not match-makers, brokers, or anything more or less than a design agency. We do provide our clients with unique services, which you may find in more traditional agency work environments”.
What are our specialities?
A: “Our greatest speciality is rapid-prototyping of early-stage concepts. We offer this service to solo entrepreneurs, startups, small business, enterprise companies, institutions (university), accelerators, incubators, agencies and product managers. The use-case for each client-type varies dramatically, but regardless of who we are serving, or why we are serving them, the product generally remains the same.
In addition to rapid-prototyping services, we also provide UI/UX Redesigns, UX Research, Post-Design Consulting and Startup Consulting”.
How do we make money?
A: “We’re a design firm. When we design beautiful products, AND when our clients are satiated with the services provided, we get paid. We make money when we bring ideas to life for the first time. We make money when we redesign ideas that are already in existence. We make money when we perform UX research and create research artifacts. Additionally, when projects are completed we have opportunities to assist in the development process through “post-design consulting”. We have MANY ways to make money, all of which we feel comfortable with.
Why? Because this is our EXPERTISE. On many occasions our partners will ask us “what’s in it for you”? Now that you’re more aware of HOW we make money, understand that APP DEVELOPMENT or ENGINEERING is NOT ONE OF THEM. Sure, maybe in 5 - 10 years it’s something we could venture into, but it’s not of importance to us. It’s more valuable to our clients, which is exactly why WE NEED YOU to be our partner”.
F.A.Q
For new partners
Q: How do I become a partner?
A: “We want to make the enrollment process for becoming a partner with us VERY EASY. Simply click this link, and fill out the form on the page. You’ll receive an introduction email from us. Once enrolled, simply wait for the next batch of emails. Almost every email we send is of HIGH-QUALITY and HIGH-VALUE”.
Q: We haven’t met, why do you trust me?
A: “I don’t. Let’s be completely transparent here, trust is earned, not given. With that said, we give every development partner on our list the same free opportunities as the ones we do trust. Why? Because we believe that a truly rising tide, does lift all boats. There were times when my agency wasn’t considered, when I knew that we had what it took to land the big jobs.
If you want to build our trust simply communicate, interact, setup meetings and do your best to win over our clients. If you can successfully win over one of our clients, that will speak volumes about you, your firm and the future of our relationship”!
Q: why do you need a new partner?
A: “We don’t needs more partners, but our clients do. In the beginning we only had a small list of partners, whom we would intimately make introductions to. The more clients we began to serve, the harder it became to find the right developer for our clientele. Some of them were ok with going overseas for development, some were not. Some of them had large budgets, some had small. Some wanted native apps, while others were ok with cross-platform.
Everyone has a different needs, which is exactly why we need you to be our partner”.
Q: Do I need to have a team of developers?
A: “No. You do not need a team, you can be an individual, but understand that this is very limiting. If you are limited to a single technology stack and can’t provide what the client is looking for, it may be best to pick and choose which projects to apply for”.
Q: Do I need to pay to be on your partnership list?
A: “No. It is 100% free. The “opportunities” we send to you are because, through our marketing efforts, we have managed to score these clients and become their exclusive design partners. Once a project is completed, we will send an email to you letting you know about the project, it’s status, design assets, budget, timeline and preference of developer location (if any)”.
Let me now if you can find another design agency that can promise you FREE development opportunities this year without asking for something in exchange? It’s a trick question, YOU WILL NOT”.
Q: How many project opportunities can I expect?
A: “You can expect a range of 20 - 50+ project development opportunities. For us, this is low-ball forecasting. We could definitely provide you with more, but we will take the conservative approach”.
Q: When can I expect to hear back from you?
A: “ You will receive emails from me weekly. IF you have a pressing matter, you can reach out to me at anytime. We are still a small-boutique agency, so it can be hard sometime to answer everyone’s questions at the same time. The best way to contact me is by email”.
Q: Is this partnership right for me?
A: “You will have to ask yourself this question. We generally try to make this relationship a “no-brainer” opportunity. You sit back, do nothing and receive potential opportunities. This is not like a Toptal, or Upwork situation. We DO NOT take a cut of your project. We DO NOT make you down-bid OR LOWER YOUR PRICES. We just want to (selfishly) find the right developer for OUR CLIENTS. ”.
For Active Partners
Q: Why did you choose me as a partner?
A: “Because you’re hungry. We appreciate your tenacity and willingness to grow your business. It’s not easy, and we would much rather want to work with someone who has a vision in mind, and know it costs time, effort and money to grow a business”.
Q: How many partners are on your list?
A: “I have to apologize to you, but we don’t share this kind of information. Privacy, security and intimacy are things we take VERY SERIOUSLY. The conversations that you and I have, are exclusive at all times. Something important to know is that it also doesn’t matter. I have noticed that the same 5/6 firms are landing all of our clients. Why? Not because we choose them, but our clients see all of the right “trust signals”. This is something we’ll dive deeper into later”.
Q: Why do you need more than “one” partner?
A: “As I mentioned earlier, it’s not because WE want more partners, but our CLIENTS need more options. The single introduction route doesn’t always work unfortunately. When we cannot pair our clients with the right developer, we leave somewhere between $20,000.00 USD - $65,000.00 USD on the table, every time.”.
Q: When can I expect to see project opportunities from you?
A: “Weekly. At any moment we have 3-4 projects in the pipeline, and an additional 3-5 active projects that are receiving our design services. Do all of these translate into development projects? No, but as we scale, we envision a lot more opportunities for you”.
Q: What is the submission process?
A: “This is VERY EASY. I will send you an email with the project info with a clear CTA that says “claim this project”. Next, you will then have an administrator, or yourself fill out your company name, location and portfolio. We then take your information and send it to our client for review. YES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE”.
Q: Do I have to submit a proposal for each project?
A: “NO. Never submit a proposal. It’s a big headache, takes a ton of work and doesn’t guarantee the project. IF the client wants to schedule an interview, at the time of acceptance is the best time to pursue this option”.
Q: Can I present a bid, along with my proposal?
A: “NO. it’s a headache, takes a ton of work, and doesn’t guarantee the project. IF the client wants to schedule an interview, at the time of acceptance is the best time to pursue this option”.
Q: Who decides if I get the project or not?
A: “The client. We have no influence on the process. If we did, what would be the point of having a list of development partners?”.
Q: Can I speak to the client directly?
A: “NO. We purposely don’t share the client information, to protect their privacy. If you contact the client, and use our brand as a reference without a personal introduction, YOU WILL BE BLACK-LISTED FOREVER. NO EXCEPTIONS”.
Q: What key “TRUST signals” are the clients looking for in a portfolio?
A: “ I mentioned earlier that we would discuss this, and I am happy to list them out for you (see below)”.
Good looking website.
Client testimonials
Case-studies
Real pictures of you and your team
Brand & Social Media presence
Guarantees
These signals vary from client-to-client, but generally these are the common traits of our most successful development partners”.
Q: How do I increase my changes of winning a project?
A: “If you don’t have a website up that covers the aforementioned trust-signals, get started right away! It doesn’t matter if client’s say you CANNOT show the work, or you are under NDA. Clients WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO. If you cannot show it, you cannot get projects. If you have projects that are NDA, simply put them behind a password-protected wall.
Sorry, but excuses don’t get you paid”.
Q: What if I do not want a potential project that you send?
A: “Simply ignore it. It’s 100% free!”
Q: How can I become a more exclusive partner?
A: “There is no secret pay-wall to becoming a more exclusive partner, what it really means is that you want to be proactive in the growth of your agency. EVERYONE says, give me a project, and I will use that money to grow my agency. Sure, this could work, IF you get the projects. This is the same philosophy regardless if you work with us, or on your own.
Real entrepreneurs know that it takes rocket-fuel to take their business to the next level. So do we. We’ve spent THOUSANDS of dollars on different marketing techniques, which ultimately failed, but IT WAS NOT A WASTE. It was a learning experience and a paid crash-course education on our own business model. If we didn’t invest the money, time and resources we would not have the success that we are having”.
after winning Our Clients
Q: Can I pay you a commission once I have been awarded the project?
A: “No. We will kindly decline. We make our money in design. If we want your development dollars, we’ll just go into business as a development firm. That money is better with you. Projects are not easy, billing is hard to get correct, requirements are at times missed, clients can be difficult. WHY ON EARTH would you want to give away your HARD-EARNED MONEY?”.
Q: Do you stay on the project once I have won it?
A: “It depends. Generally no, your firm should be well-equipped to handle documentation, testing, product management and development. With that being said, if the clients want us on board, we are more than willing to help. This is what we call post-design consulting”.
Q: Who is responsible for gathering further requirements?
A: “YOU ARE. We do our best to put the client in a position to be successful with documentation, designs, prototypes, animations, workflow diagrams and more. Although, once you win a client over, it’s your firms responsibility to confirm the requirements we have created, and to establish a policy that prevents scope creep or changes to the requirements”.
Q: can I negotiate with the client?
A: “Yes, but only after you’ve had an interview or won the client over. You can do whatever you want, but remember, it’s your client to lose. ”.
Q: who handles day-to-day communication?
A: “Your team does. Even if the client retains our team for post-design consulting, you must have a recurring schedule booked for project updates, changes or shipments”.
Q: Who handles payments? You, or the client?
A: “Generally this is between you and the client. Depending on the client, they will ask us to act as a form of escrow for the project. We charge a separate fee for this”.
Q: who negotiates milestones?
A: “You do. Use the documentation that we have created for the client as a place to start, but through continued communication you may find more things to document, which can better help you define the terms of payment(s)”.
Exclusive Partnerships - Download the partnership guide
Q: What are the benefits of being an “exclusive” partner?
A: “Everything that we do, is for you. We build you an exclusive list of leads, we handle lead nurturing, we convert these leads into paying customers, and then we make soft introductions between you and the lead. We also act as the face of your brand. This is important if your firm is out-of-state (or country) and the client prefers to interface with an in-state (or country) team”.
Q: What are the costs of being an “exclusive” partner?
A: “The costs are flexible, not fixed. We work together to build a list of potential business that can be worth $10,000.00 or $1,000,000.00+. This depends on the goals you have set for yourself or firm. ”.
Q: How do you justify the costs of being an “exclusive” partner?
A: “We only ask our partners to pay 50% of the costs that it takes to find a new lead. The truth is that we are going to spend 100% of the cost without you. If any of our leads convert, and you aren’t the exclusive partner, someone else could take this business from you. It can be MORE EXPENSIVE to let a $100,000.00 project slip between your fingers, than just paying for an exclusive list of leads”.
Q: What is a “lead”?
A: “We define a lead as a person or individual who shows HIGH-INTEREST in our services. The want or need can be agnostic, but as long as it covers the space of application technology, or technological implementation (IOT, Food, etc..), we would consider it a lead. We find these leads at local events, or through sponsorships. These leads have not paid us yet, or made a transaction with us at any point. ”.
Q: Where do you find these leads?
A: “While it does cost us more, we find real leads (real people) at real events. These are people that we can shake hands with, have coffee with, have a conversation with. We find these real people at local events in Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle Washington, Austin & Dallas Texas and more”.
Q: How do you qualify these leads?
A: “We do the best we can to qualify leads early-on or “at the top of the funnel” through highly-curated engagements. For example, we may put on a paid-event locally on a topic such as Artificial Intelligence. We have have 120 - 200 signups, and 80 - 100 attendees. This gives a list of highly-qualified individuals that would pay us to learn more about the services we provide and how it can benefit them”.
Q: How many leads do I need before getting a new project?
A: “On average, it takes us about 100 leads for us to convert 3 - 6 design projects, which will equate to $20,000 - $50,000.00 USD in design revenue. You can expect at least 1-2 development prospects from this cohort. Budgets range between $20,000.00 - $60,000.00 USD”.
Q: How does the lead-generation process work?
A: “First we find the leads. Then we nurture the leads through promotional offerings and email marketing. Even if we have to take in-person meetings we will make it happen. Once we’ve converted a lead into a design client, we will immediately let you know. We keep you involved throughout the client prospecting and design process.
If we’re lucky the client will ask technical questions early, giving us an opportunity to make an organic connection before they even ask for the development services”.
Q: How do you nurture the leads?
A: “There are many ways, email marketing and promotions are just a few examples. Taking dinners or having coffee are others. At the end of the day, the potential client or lead is just looking for an agency that they can trust. We will go above and beyond to make sure that we can establish a relationship early-on, so that they are easier to work with throughout the product creation process”.
Q: How long does it take to turn a “lead” into a “design client”?
A: “On average it takes us 3 - 4 months to turn a new lead into a design client. For you this means that it can take 6 - 9 months to get a new development project from this same pool of leads. We have had some unique situations when clients sign up for design on the first day, or a year later. Every situation is different!”.
Q: Will I receive frequent updates on the lead-nurturing process?
A: “Yes! You will receive 3 - 6 updates per month, sometimes multiple updates in a single week. We will make sure you are receiving all of the same nurturing emails that we send to our clients. We also send monthly reporting on your list, for campaigns sent, open-rates, click-through rates and much more”.
Q: Will I be notified when a “lead” converts into a “design client”?
A: “Yes. The moment is happens. No later!”.
Q: When can I expect to be introduced to the client?
A: “This varies. We try to make the process as organic as possible. The latest would be once the client is ready to actually meet a developer. The earliest would be if the client has technical questions during the design process, which happens very often”.
Q: Can I have a copy of the list?
A: “Yes, but only if you want the leads cold. Cold leads are a list of people that we have prospected at an event. We can then package this list of leads and send you a .CSV file of all of the leads. Of course this has a much higher cost, and a much-lower conversion ratio.”.
Q: when can I expect my first development project?
A: “From the leads that we work together to generate, normally it takes us 3 - 4 months to convert these leads into design clients. For development, you can expect to see your potential projects starting to kick-off in the 6 - 9 month range. Sometimes it can take longer, or happen faster, but this is an anomaly. ”.
Q: How much revenue can I expect per project?
A: “Out of the 120 clients that we have accumulated some interesting data (see below)”.
5 projects were from Enterprise companies. Budgets ranged from $100,000.00 - $500,000.00 USD
21 project were from mid-sized companies and boutiques. Budgets ranged from $40,000.00 - $85,000.00 USD
90+ projects represent the Startup & Institutional type of client. Budgets ranged from $10,000.00 USD - $65,000.00 USD
We cannot guarantee you a specific range. You could get lucky and land only Enterprise clients (not likely), or land all startups (highly likely). The more time, resources and energy that you invest into this, the greater your opportunities are”.
Q: What if I win a project, but the budget is too low?
A: “You alone can decide if the project isn’t right for your firm. You could make a recommendation to another firm that you trust, and take a small referral fee from the recommendation. This is a good way to earn back some of your investment”.
Q: What if I win a project, but the budget is too high?
A: “Believe it or not, we have partners whom have turned down jobs due to the sheer size of a budget or project. We understand why they didn’t want to bite off more than they could chew. It could ruin your business. Again, you alone can decide if a project is or isn’t right for you. If you don’t want to take the project, just let us know and we will find an alternate”.
Q: What if I win a project, but the client doesn’t want to work with us?
A: “This also happens. Some people cannot be convinced, and that’s ok. There are more opportunities out there for you. For some interesting ways on how clients can be lost, please refer to page 33/35 of our Synergy Partnerships Deck. This will give you some insight into a few experiences we have had with losing clients”.
Q: What if I win a project, but I don’t agree with the technology stack?
A: “Most clients don’t even know what they want. Obviously we should always try to service our clients in the way that they request, but if a client wants an IOS & ANDROID app, but only has the budget for a single-platform product, then React Native may be the cross-platform solution they’ve been waiting for. We are happy to help you negotiate the right technology stack for the client. Worst-case scenario, we can take this design client and refer them to another firm for a referral fee to help you recover some of your initial lead investment!
Q: What if I win a project, but I don’t want it?
A: “This isn’t a very common scenario. It would entail that you openly applied for a project, met with the client, negotiated the price and cost that you wanted (maybe) and then turned down the work. Sure, it’s not common, but it could happen. Ideally, we would only ask that you try your best to decide if you want the prospect early on, and not let it get to this point.
There are clients out there that are difficult, or that can be a headache, but as long as your firm is well prepared to handle any type of client that we recommend, then you should be able to execute and deliver!”.
Q: do you have a trial package opportunity?
A: “Yes, it’s new! We’ve talked with a few of our different partners to better understand what you need. We get it, our prices are high, but they are at best only 50% of the cost it takes for us to find these leads. We are exposed to the same type of risk that you are, but we understand that it takes hard marketing to get your brand out there.
So we’ve introduced a new lead generation program. We will give you 10 HIGH-INTENT, exclusive leads every month. This way, by the end of a year, you’ll have over 120 leads in your account. Does this guarantee conversions, no, but once you reach the 100+ lead mark, you’ll start to see turn over and new opportunities for revenue.”
Would you like to get started with 10 new exclusive leads each month? If yes, click here.
“other” questions
Q: What can you guarantee me?
A: “What we can guarantee you is that the leads are real people, local, high-intent and interested in application technology. What we cannot guarantee is conversions. The benefit for you is that we (selfishly) want the potential revenue from design business of this lead. This makes our relationship more strategic than any other marketing firm out there, all without being a marketing agency”.
Q: Do you have a refund policy?
A: “Yes, you have a 5 business day grace period to reconsider your commitment, 100% money-back guarantee. After the grace period, there are no refunds, because we have to dedicate the funds towards getting leads”.
Q: Is this a good investment?
A: “If you planned on spending money in digital ads or brand recognition, I TRULY believe that this is the best type of partnership you could form. We’re a company that wants the same thing YOU DO. Successful tech projects. We just want different pieces of the same thing, which makes it WAY better and more contextual. Consider any investment opportunity at your own risk.”.
Q: Why don’t you run online ads?
A: “You can’t trust them. Click-farms, competitor click-fraud, it all exists. Even if you do land some quality leads, they are SOO “TOP-OF-THE-FUNNEL” that it could take years before you get a conversion. We want to make revenue RIGHT NOW. So we put our boots in the ground and go out to find real people. Maybe one day people will just come to us!
We are open for other types of sponsorships or partnerships, but we are just investing in what we know works best for us, which benefits you!
Q: What makes you different from a marketing agency?
A: “Marketing agencies offer you lead-generation services. We offer you lead-sharing services. Traditional marketing agencies will take your budget and work with you to build a list of leads for you or your company. This works, but the problem with this is that the leads are usually very “top-of-the-funnel” with low-intent, and no promise of conversions for you.
We offer similar services to our partners, but the difference is that we have a stake in the process. Because we make money on design services, we want to find the best leads for us first. This bodes well for you. Essentially we are targeted different components of the same individual. This systematically puts pressure on us to find the most highly-qualified leads out there. The more honest we are with our selves, the better the leads. The more leads, the more design conversions, which pays us well. Lastly, and most importantly, the more design clients, the greater the chance that you will receive new development projects”.
Q: What are the real risks involved?
A: “The risks you will experience are the exact same risks and difficulties that we experience. We’re just as nervous and scared as you are, but we know that if we don’t take the leap we’ll never know what’s on the opposite side of opportunity. Look at us to be your long-term partners that will guide you through the process. We’ll help you build the trust signals you need to close our clients. If something is going wrong, it benefits us to make sure you fix it. If we refer our clients to you, and you don’t do a good job, that’s a HUGE risk for us”.
summary
why us?
A: “You won’t find another design agency out there that has the capabilities of a marketing agency with the honesty, integrity and transparency of a law-firm out there. We work hard to do the right thing, because doing good business, is good for business. We want to benefit just as much as our competitors, but we’ve had the luck of taking the slow route to success. It hasn’t been overnight, but everything we do is with slow, meticulous thought.
We believe that the rising tide raises all boats. We just hope that your boat is in the right place at the right time. Join us on our mission!”.
What are next steps?
A: “If you haven’t joined our list of partner developers, please do so by clicking here. If you are already a partner, please consider giving our lead-sharing program a try. It is 100% free to be one of our partners, but when you become an exclusive partner you get exclusive treatment. It’s easy to get free opportunities, it’s harder to build a real money-making business”.
review our partnership policy
review our partnership pricing
bring in $25,000.00 - $100,000.00 uSD in revenue for your agency
A: “If you’re TRULY ready to bring your business to the next level, let’s give an exclusive partnership a try. We’re in it for the long-haul. Are you?”.
