As a freelancer, you’ll quickly become familiar with the project lifecycle. This is the process followed when taking on a new project. It begins with quoting and proposals and ends with billing. Below you’ll find an outline of the Freelancer’s Project Lifecycle. There are many applications and solutions out there that help make each part of the cycle easier. However, I’ve had a hard time finding a single application or solution out there that will help you manage all of it. That’s a problem Media Sundry is going to attempt to solve.

The Problem

1. Creation
   1. Proposal/quoting (optional)
   2. Contractor invitations
2. Contracts
   1. Terms of Service Signing
   2. MOU, work order, contract Signing
   3. Tax
      1. W9 management
3. Work
   1. Milestones
      1. Invoicing
   2. Time tracking
   3. Proofing, editing
   4. Contractor invitations
      1. Contract payments
   5. Expense reporting
      1. (ie. Buying a stock image for a product, etc.)
4. Completion
   1. Invoicing
      1. Taxes
   2. Payment receiving
   3. Payment processing
      1. Contractors
      2. Tax 1099 management
   4. Reporting
5. Support and follow-up work (repeat process)

The Solution

Coming soon…

It’s been a while since you’ve heard anything from Media Sundry. And when I say Media Sundry, I mean me, Ryan. In September, I moved to Lansing, MI, started working full time at a software company and said some vows to a girl named Elizabeth. When all of this “life” began to happen, I decided to put my freelance work on hold until at least January of 2010. Despite my decision, I still found myself working with several clients and a mind brewing new ideas.

Many of the ideas I’ve had go beyond what Media Sundry currently offers: “diverse media from a freelance designer.” The essence of this business has been it’s singularly freelance nature. The capacity of Media Sundry is limited. By me. Media Sundry can only take on new work if I can handle it or fit it into my schedule. Media Sundry is limited in it’s ability to perform based on my skills and availability. Media Sundry could not effectively offer programming or hosting/domain management services because my skills were not necessarily in those areas.

Media Sundry does not currently live up to the promise of it’s brand in two ways:

• Media – Media Sundry should offer solutions for multiple “medias” or “mediums.”
• Sundry – Media Sundry should offer a “sundry” of services.

Because my vision for Media Sundry is larger than just Ryan Feyer, what exists now won’t do.

Introducing Media Sundry

So let me take a minute to introduce to you how Media Sundry will now be structured:

As you can see, Media Sundry is broken into three segments: Media Sundry Apps, Media Sundry Services and the Media Sundry Network. Let me talk a little about each segment.

The Media Sundry Network

The Media Sundry Network is network of websites in which Media Sundry participates. For example, ideacus is a website friends Johnny and Jim, and I have created. This makes it a Media Sundry Network site. However, ideacus will also become a Media Sundry App (hence the dotted line to “Apps”).

Media Sundry Apps

Media Sundry Apps are web-based applications (most likely following the SaaS model). One application in the works right now is a survey tool – to be used for customer satisfaction, website satisfaction, etc. Another application in development is a freelance management tool that helps freelancers (or firms, etc.) manage projects, clients, invoicing, expenses, proposals, legal, goals and even taxes.

Media Sundry Services

Media Sundry Services is basically what Media Sundry has been in the past: a media, design and development business. However, Media Sundry Services is much more broader than Media Sundry used to be. Let me bullet point out some of the services (items in italics are new services):

• Media Services
  • Filming and Capturing
  • Video editing
  • Photography
  • VHS-to-DVD services and beyond
• Marketing Services
  • E-mail marketing
  • Social networking
  • SEO
  • Usability
• Design Services (poorly named at the moment)
  • Print design (and other forms of graphic design)
  • Web design
  • Web development and programming
  • Hosting/domain management

The Future and You

I think it’s quite obvious that alone it would be hard for me to offer every single service and application listed. That’s why I’m not doing it. Media Sundry is going to be more than just Ryan Feyer – and it may include you.

Do you have any of the skills, knowledge or resources necessary to excel in any of the above services?

Do you have any of the skills, knowledge or resources necessary to help develop one of the above applications?

If so, I’d like to talk to you about how you can be a part of this new team. You can contact me through this website, my e-mail or twitter.

Check out my video demo reel I just uploaded and added to my portfolio:

http://www.mediasundry.com/2009/07/video-demo-reel/

Let me know what you think!

Last night when I thought I was doing some cleaning around my server, I accidental deleted the database named “ryanfey1_wrdp2″ – who knew it was the database that held MediaSundry.com together.

Needless to say, I made a new database, much more appropriately named, and I’m on my way to getting everything back in here.

Wisdom: Update your databases and WP often!