32 min
6 Mistakes Freelancers Make Resourceful Designer: Strategies for running a graphic design business
-
- Design
Avoid these common mistakes freelancers make. To the uninitiated, running a design business sounds easy. You find clients, create designs for them, they pay you, repeat. Freelancers, however, know there is so much more to it than merely designing. And yet, even armed with that knowledge there are still several mistakes freelancers make when it comes to running their business.
1) Not using downtime productively One mistake freelancers make is not taking advantage of downtime. When things are slow, you should be using any spare time you have on something productive to advance your design business.
Use downtime to:
Update your website Attend networking events Take a course/tutorial to learn a new skill Experiment with your software Use the time to grow your business and to make yourself a better designer. Just because you are not at a 9-5 job doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be putting in a full day worth of hours into your business.
2) Not building a team (copywriter, illustrator, VA) In episode 77of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I talked about the importance of assembling a team around your business. To serve your clients, you should align yourself with people who have skills you don't or are more suited to performing specific skills than you are.
Your team can consist of:
Copywriters Illustrators Programmers Developers Translators Social Media Experts Photographers Virtual Assistants more I made a mistake when I first started my business in thinking I needed to do everything myself. If I couldn’t do it, then I didn’t take on the project. I missed out on some great jobs and clients because the projects they presented me with were beyond my ability.
Then I learned that it’s ok to ask for help. Since then I’ve expanded my circle to include many talented people that allow me to offer services I couldn't provide if I were doing everything myself.
3) Not taking advantage of extra income opportunities The bulk of a designers income should come from client design work. But many peripherals can earn you money as well. Things like:
Print brokering Web hosting/maintenance Selling design resources (Photoshop/Illustrator brushes, patterns, fonts, other design resources) Merchandising (T-shirts, posters, etc.) more You’re a creative person. Put that creativity to work by looking around and finding innovative ways to supplement your income.
4) Not spending time working on your outreach when you're busy. There are hills and valleys when it comes to running a design business. Some weeks you have barely anything to do, while other weeks you can’t believe how much work you have. To minimise this up, down, up, down effect you need to figure out how to fill in those valleys.
The problem is, most people wait until things start to get slow before trying to drum up new work. But the time to promote yourself is when you’re busy. When you're at the top of a "hill". If you do it right, you’ll drum up work while you’re busy that will fill in those valleys and even out the terrain for you, creating a much more balanced working life.
5) Not saving money As a home-based designer, you probably don’t have a steady paycheque. Nor do you have any guarantees of how or when money will come in. If you do a good job on point number 4 and work on your outreach when you're busy you’ll minimise those slow times when money isn’t coming in, but that’s not a guarantee of income.
That’s why you should be putting aside a fixed percentage of all your income for those “just in case” or “What if” situation. You should be saving for those unexpected times when a "valley" stretches out longer than expected.
Start putting money aside for:
Slow Periods Emergencies Unexpected expenses Known expenses (taxes, licences, etc.) Time off (vacation, medical, etc.) Retirement There will come a time some day when you decide to stop, or you’re forced to stop working and then how will you provide for yourself?
6) Cal
Avoid these common mistakes freelancers make. To the uninitiated, running a design business sounds easy. You find clients, create designs for them, they pay you, repeat. Freelancers, however, know there is so much more to it than merely designing. And yet, even armed with that knowledge there are still several mistakes freelancers make when it comes to running their business.
1) Not using downtime productively One mistake freelancers make is not taking advantage of downtime. When things are slow, you should be using any spare time you have on something productive to advance your design business.
Use downtime to:
Update your website Attend networking events Take a course/tutorial to learn a new skill Experiment with your software Use the time to grow your business and to make yourself a better designer. Just because you are not at a 9-5 job doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be putting in a full day worth of hours into your business.
2) Not building a team (copywriter, illustrator, VA) In episode 77of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I talked about the importance of assembling a team around your business. To serve your clients, you should align yourself with people who have skills you don't or are more suited to performing specific skills than you are.
Your team can consist of:
Copywriters Illustrators Programmers Developers Translators Social Media Experts Photographers Virtual Assistants more I made a mistake when I first started my business in thinking I needed to do everything myself. If I couldn’t do it, then I didn’t take on the project. I missed out on some great jobs and clients because the projects they presented me with were beyond my ability.
Then I learned that it’s ok to ask for help. Since then I’ve expanded my circle to include many talented people that allow me to offer services I couldn't provide if I were doing everything myself.
3) Not taking advantage of extra income opportunities The bulk of a designers income should come from client design work. But many peripherals can earn you money as well. Things like:
Print brokering Web hosting/maintenance Selling design resources (Photoshop/Illustrator brushes, patterns, fonts, other design resources) Merchandising (T-shirts, posters, etc.) more You’re a creative person. Put that creativity to work by looking around and finding innovative ways to supplement your income.
4) Not spending time working on your outreach when you're busy. There are hills and valleys when it comes to running a design business. Some weeks you have barely anything to do, while other weeks you can’t believe how much work you have. To minimise this up, down, up, down effect you need to figure out how to fill in those valleys.
The problem is, most people wait until things start to get slow before trying to drum up new work. But the time to promote yourself is when you’re busy. When you're at the top of a "hill". If you do it right, you’ll drum up work while you’re busy that will fill in those valleys and even out the terrain for you, creating a much more balanced working life.
5) Not saving money As a home-based designer, you probably don’t have a steady paycheque. Nor do you have any guarantees of how or when money will come in. If you do a good job on point number 4 and work on your outreach when you're busy you’ll minimise those slow times when money isn’t coming in, but that’s not a guarantee of income.
That’s why you should be putting aside a fixed percentage of all your income for those “just in case” or “What if” situation. You should be saving for those unexpected times when a "valley" stretches out longer than expected.
Start putting money aside for:
Slow Periods Emergencies Unexpected expenses Known expenses (taxes, licences, etc.) Time off (vacation, medical, etc.) Retirement There will come a time some day when you decide to stop, or you’re forced to stop working and then how will you provide for yourself?
6) Cal
32 min