JSTM #25 - Stories From The Trenches (Freelancers/Consultants/Agencies)

We've received a lot of requests from members interested in a talk or panel discussing the ins/outs of working as a freelancer, subcontractor, or running your own agency.

Topics of this panel discussion will include:

Best Practices for winning business, growing, and generating more revenue. How to manage clients and their expectations. Getting into the game. Maximizing you value (and hourly rate). Managing the balance of developing your own products while doing client work. and much more...

The Panel will include:

Jay Decker, Founder or http://sproutlet.io Adam Saynuk, Founder of bkry.org Mike Jaffe, Freelance Contractor w/ 10+ years experience
Bret Morgan, Founder of http://DBLSystems.com , http://BandsOnABudget.com , & Cowerks (http://Cowerking.com).
Chris Palle, Founder of Wisdom and Craft (http://wisdomandcraft.com).

Panel will be moderated by Kevin Fricovsky, Chief Architect Web Strategy and Development for Broadway.com, Co-founder of Asbury Agile, Co-Organizer Jersey Shore Tech Meetup.

About the panelists:

Adam Saynuk is a graphic designer, and has managed the branding, marketing, creative, and technology for various in-house and client projects as an employee and consultant for over 17 years. {party trivia: though Adam's employment history seems to start in 1998, he had actually been freelancing and doing client illustration work since much earlier in his teens}. Adam launched BAKERY, a different kind of creative studio, in early 2011 and builds branding and creative with small- to medium-sized businesses in tech and financial markets. {party trivia: about a third of BAKERY's clients are repeat business, with many having onboarded as clients soon after the company started}.

Prior to founding BAKERY, Adam counts himself lucky to have worked in private and public companies, managing teams of creatives, marketing/communications associates, and technologists. And he's enjoyed the experience of managing the brand and creative execution of companies through acquisitions and an IPO, and building internal teams of brand evangelists. {party trivia: Adam led rebranding and brand integration through about $650mm in acquisitions and a $245mm IPO in 2008 at RiskMetrics Group, which brought the company's market cap to $1.078b. RiskMetrics Group sold in 2010 for $1.55b, a price inflated by the high value of the brand, as the acquiring company openly admitted.}

Chris Pallé is a user experience and brand strategy professional as well as the co-founder of Wisdom & Craft, Inc., a start-up consultancy focused on design thinking and is driven by exploring and uncovering innovative solutions to their clients’ toughest product and service design problems. Whether it’s a solid content strategy, a dynamic mobile device interface or an optimized business process, Wisdom & Craft’s unique Discovery and Design methods get their clients to the big, profitable ideas.

Chris has had over 16 years of strategic, creative, and analytical user experience-related practice with top-name companies such as: Merrill Lynch, McGraw-Hill, BMG Columbia House, TribalDDB, just to name a few. In addition to his work, Chris has taught and given lectures on design and social media to graduate students at NYU and MediaBistro. He also serves as a local leader for the Interaction Design Association’s New York City chapter. On the fun side, Chris indulges in outdoor running and spends time with his wife and two children.

Michael Jaffe is a Senior Applications Architect with over 18 years of digital experience with numerous accolades and accomplishments. He was an integral architect in the development and build of highly successful online properties including JibJab and DoubleClick. In 1998 Michael was a founding employee and Technical Director at JibJab.com helping guide the company to a leading online destination. Previous to JibJab, Michael worked for DoubleClick supporting and maintaining their web advertising product, "Dart," now the top ad serving engine online.

Bret Morgan
I am the co-founder of BandsOnABudget.com, a start-up that makes merchandising simple and affordable for bands, brands, and businesses.

I am also a co-founder of Cowerks, Asbury Park NJ's first and only co-working community. In addition, I am the founder and lead developer for DBL Systems, a Ruby on Rails development shop servicing agencies, development shops, & marketing companies based in and around New York City & New Jersey.

I am also the founder of the Jersey Shore Tech Meetup, a group aimed at fostering technology and entrepreneurship at the Jersey Shore. Lastly, I am also a co-founder of Asbury Agile web and technology conference and the NJ Spark Summit, a conference for start-ups and entrepreneurs.

In my spare time I practice and teach Ashtanga yoga, surf, rides bicycles, and travel to remote locations of the globe, sometimes all at once.