Starting up a Start-up. How to start a service design business?

This discussion follows from my interest in the fields of design thinking / service design and the perception that my country lacks such services. My immediate reaction was: "why not starting such a business?"

However, some worries (in no particular order) came to my mind.
1. Are there any recipes?
2. Is reading about design thinking / service design enough?
3. How to get support from similar companies (e.g. collaboration)?
4. How to test methodologies (i.e. experience before implementing)?
5. Being an emerging field, how do we get potential clients involved?
6. Is there anyone else with the same doubts?

Anyone with simmilar worries, potential advices or any other useful notions do please feel free to comment.
Regards,
Ricardo

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Permalink Reply by ricardojdc on June 20, 2011 at 22:50

Hi Nuno,

Pelo nome deves ser português: Olá Nuno!

But because this is a group open to other people, I will write in english.

If you read my reply to GRham Hill's fisrt comment you will get a jist of how things are going at the moment.

Feel free to drop me an email. In portuguese if my suspicious is right ;)

Regards,

Ricardo

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Permalink Reply by Christoph Oberlechner on November 28, 2011 at 12:18

hi guys,

interesting discussion going on here.

I'm also working in this field for a industrial design company and now we focus more and more on service design.

main question is: how to approach new clients? through talks, linkedin, diverse events. its not that easy. also to persuade the clients to buy service design with its more or less unpredictable results.

too fuzzy for most clients.

would be nice to refresh this thread

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Permalink Reply by Richard Hewitt on January 20, 2012 at 12:38

This may be a bit off topic, but has anyone though about starting a Service Design Network "National Chapter". I am considering starting one up in London. (http://www.service-design-network.org/sdnnationalchapter)

I am also in the process of now, finally, starting my own business, although I am only going to start freelancing at this stage.

Anyone interested, have any thoughts or ideas?

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Permalink Reply by Alper Karagoz on January 29, 2013 at 12:04

Hi to everyone,

This topic is so interesting for me because it's similar to my thesis topic. My thesis topic is generally about "to start up service design company in Istanbul"

My aim is to investigate how can I implement "service design" to my interior architecture company.

I think I need to start to visit service design companies in Europe for research part and then may be we can collaborate together with some companies in Europe

If you could share your ideas and opinions about how can I start to research. I will appreciate it.

thank you