Resourceful Designer: Strategies for running a graphic design business

Do you remember every design job you've ever done? Please think of this as a PSA, a public service announcement from me to you. Remember what you've done. This week's topic came about after three separate incidents this past week. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but after the third time, I just knew I had to talk about it. Incident #1 The first incident happened this past weekend. My son asked me if I had a certain Tom Clancy book. Rainbow Six, to be exact. He's looking for something to read and wanted to give it a try. So I told him I'd have a look. I keep most of my books in rubber storage bins in my basement. I have a tough time parting with books I've enjoyed and have several large bins full of them. So one night this week, I went digging through our storage area in hunt of this novel. We don't just have books stored downstairs. There are all sorts of things down there in bins. As I was sifting through them, I came across a plastic bag. Inside was a baseball cap with an embroidered logo I had designed for a client. It was a logo for an over 50 beer league hockey team. The team was called the Old Timers. The logo I designed was an old-style alarm clock. You know, the kind with the two bells on the top. The clock face was one of an old man. And the clock had legs and arms and was using a banged-up hockey stick as a walking cane. Seeing that logo brought back so many memories. I designed it 15 or 20 years ago. And I had completely forgotten about it. So much so that if you had asked me before that if I had ever designed a logo for a hockey team, I would have only thought of one. The one I created for our local minor hockey league. I would never have remembered that old-time hockey logo. Remember what you've done. Incident #2 The second incident happened a couple of days ago. I was on my way back home from Walmart when I saw flashing lights ahead of me. It looked like a big accident, and I could see cars making U-turns and coming back my way. Instead of driving up only to be forced to turn around, I decided to turn off and use side streets to go around the accident. This took me through a part of town I hadn't been in for several years. As I pulled up to a stop sign, I noticed a business on the opposite corner. A storage facility where you can rent units to store your things. It had a double horseshoe logo that caught my eye. There was something familiar about it. Then I realized it was familiar because I designed it almost 25 years ago when I worked at the print shop. Trust me. It's not a logo to be proud of. In fact, I might have based the two horseshoes off a stock image I had found. Here again, within just a couple of days was another design I had completely forgotten about. Remember what you've done. Incident #3 The third incident happened yesterday. I have a filing cabinet in the corner of my office. I use it to file away receipts, insurance papers and whatever else you store in file cabinets. Yesterday I was filing away some investment reports when one of the sheets slipped back and fell behind the bottom drawer. I don't know if you've ever tried to remove a drawer from a filing cabinet, but it's not that easy to do. Especially when it's full. But after tugging and grunting, I finally managed to get it free. As I retrieved the sheet of paper, I saw something else on the bottom of the cabinet—a book. As I picked up the book, a flood of memories came back to me. The book is titled Of Curds And Whey. And it's a history of cheese factories from our area. Not real a page-turner, I know. But as I flipped through the first couple of pages and there it was. Copyright 2005. Cover and interior design by Mark Des Cotes. I spent the next 20 minutes or so flipping through that book, remembering the time I designed it. Once again, within the span of a few days, there was something from my past that I had completely forgotten I had done. Remember what you've done. These three incidents got me thinking. What else have I forgotten over the years? This leads me to dig out an old hard drive containing client files from 2010 and older. I spent time going down memory lane. I found logos, and websites and print jobs that I hadn't thought about in years. Many for people or businesses who are no longer around. It actually made me a bit sad, wondering what else don't I remember doing? I spent 15 years designing stuff at the print shop. And I don't have a written record of what I did back then. How many great projects have I designed that are lost to memory? Thinking back, I wish I had kept a record of them. I know for websites, I used to keep a bookmark folder of all my client sites. Even if the site was gone, I kept the bookmark as a reminder. But for some reason, I haven't added any bookmarks to it in a long time. I think I'm going to start again. But what about other work? How do I keep track, so I don't forget all the amazing projects I work on? I really don't have an answer. We used to print out and frame every logo we designed and hang them on the wall for everyone to see at the print shop. But once we ran out of room, we stopped adding new ones. I'm not going to do that here. But I would like to find a way to keep track so that 20 years from now, I can look back and see everything I've created. If you know of a good way to keep track of your work, I would love to know. Or better yet, leave a comment below for everyone to see. Take this as a warning. You are creating amazing things. Things that deserve to be remembered. What are you going to do so that 5, 10, 20 years from now, they don't fade from your memory and are forgotten? Do something today so that you can remember what you've done.

Have you ever had to chase delinquent clients for money? The life of a home-based designer, a freelancer, is a precarious one. You spent a lot of time learning your craft. Whether you went to school or learned on your own, you invested a lot in yourself to get you to where you are today. Now clients hire you to design wonderful and functional things for them. You spend hours, if not days working on and perfecting each project until you and the client are satisfied. After doing all of that, you expect to be compensated accordingly. So you send your invoice to the client feeling good about your accomplishment. And then you wait and wait, and wait some more, but no payment is forthcoming. Has the client stiffed you? Have they simply forgotten to send your payment? Are they purposely delaying things? Did they even get your invoice, to begin with? These are all things that go through your mind when a client fails to pay your invoice within the allotted time. Luckily this is the exception to the norm. 99.99% of clients will pay you for your work. But it's almost inevitable that at some point in your design career, you'll have to deal with a delinquent client. In the 16 years I've been running my design business, there have only been three invoices I was unable to collect. The first was a local embroidery shop. It was in my first or second year of business, and the owner of the shop hired me to vectorize images for his embroidery machine. We had an agreement where he would send me images throughout the month, and I would keep a tally and invoice him at the end of each month. It was an easy and well-paying gig. Then one day, the owner called and asked me to hold off depositing his $300 cheque. He told me there was a mixup at the bank and needed to wait until the following week to deposit the cheque. He was a good client, so I thought nothing of it. The following week I called to see if It was OK for me to bring his cheque to the bank, and he informed me that he had declared bankruptcy. The cheque I had was no longer any good, and he would not be paying my last invoice. What could I do? He had declared bankruptcy, and I was out $300. The second time I was unable to collect on an invoice is a bit of a mystery. The client was a chef who owned a local restaurant. His 10-year-old son had died a few years prior, and he asked if I could photoshop his son's head onto an image of a young boy in a chef outfit. He wanted to frame and display the photo in his restaurant. We agreed to a price of $100, and once done, I emailed him the digital file and an invoice. A few days later, he called to say I could drop by the restaurant any time, and he would write me a cheque. However, when I stopped by a couple of days later, the restaurant was closed. I tried several more times over the next couple of weeks, but it was never open. One day as I was driving by, I noticed someone inside, so I stopped and knocked on the door. The woman who answered told me the chef was her brother and he had disappeared a few weeks earlier and nobody has seen him since. They found his wallet and keys in his apartment, and the police were investigating. I saw the framed photo of the chef's son on the wall, but there was no way I was going to ask his sister to pay the past due invoice. I never found out what happened to him. The third delinquent client was the owner of a paintball field my son frequented. While talking to the owner, I mentioned in passing that I was a graphic and web designer. He asked me if I would offer suggestions for his old, outdated website. I took a look and offered to build him a new one for $600. This was back around 2007-08 when I was charging low prices for websites. He agreed to the price, and I got to work. I transferred his domain to my registrar and moved his old website to my hosting server. A couple of weeks later, I presented him with a brand new website. He loved it, and everything seemed fine. But when it came time to pay, he kept delaying things and giving me excuses as to why he hadn't sent the money yet. This went on for a few months to the point where I took down the website and told him I would put it back up once I received payment. I even threatened legal action if he didn't pay my invoice. He called my bluff and told me to go ahead and take him to court. I mentioned this to my accountant, and he told me $600 wasn't worth the time and effort to go after, and I was better to write it off. It was this third instance that convinced me to start using contracts for design projects. The point of telling you these three stories is to say some clients won't pay their bills for some reason or another. I was lucky that I only lost $1,000 between these three clients. And all three of them occurred within the first three years of my business. They taught me a lesson, and I'm happy to say that I've never failed to collect an invoice since then. But that doesn't mean I haven't spent time chasing down payments over the years. I hope you're never in that situation. But in case you ever are, I want to share ways to get delinquent clients to pay. First, let me emphasize that different clients, especially larger ones, have their own internal payment policies. This doesn't mean they are not paying, just that they have a longer than normal payment window they work in. When I did work for our local shopping mall, I learned to expect a 90 day wait until I received payment. My local municipal government has a 60-day payment policy. Some companies send out payments at the end of the month. So if you invoice them on the 25th, you'll get your payment in five or six days. But if you invoice them on the 1st, you can expect to wait the full month for your money. These are not delinquent clients, just clients with longer than normal payment policies that you'll have to learn to live with. But what if payment policies are not the issue? Protect yourself in advance. The best way to deal with delinquent clients is not to have delinquent clients to begin with. Lay out some groundwork to protect yourself from situations like these. Make sure you have every client sign a contract. Make sure your clients understand your payment schedule. Make it easy for clients to pay you by using an online payment portal. Whenever possible, get paid upfront. Don't Assume Anything. When payment doesn't arrive as expected, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that the client is delaying payment for some reason. But until you know the situation, don't assume anything. Just because you sent an invoice doesn't mean your client received it. Even billing software that tracks when a client opens an invoice sometimes registers a false positive. It's also possible the client did receive your invoice but didn't see it. Have you ever clicked on an email, realized it's not the one you were looking for and clicked on another without giving it a second thought. That first email is now marked as "Read," even though you never looked at it. Maybe that's what happened with your client. Before jumping to conclusions, send a reminder message saying you just wanted to make sure they received your invoice. Confirm the recipient. If you've emailed the client and haven't heard back, try picking up the phone and calling them. Don't feel bad about checking up on a past due invoice. You never know. Maybe the person you emailed it to is on vacation or maternity leave and didn't set up an out-of-office response. Or maybe your contact is no longer at the company, and nobody is checking their email. Any time you call a company about a past due invoice, always ask for accounts payable. This gets puts you in contact with the person in charge of sending out payments. Be understanding but firm when you explain the situation, and hopefully, it can all be handled right there. Decide if it's worth pursuing. At some point in this process, you need to ask yourself if going after the money is worth the hassle. Yes, what you do is valuable, and you deserve to be compensated for your work. However, sometimes you could end up spending more time chasing the money than it's worth. Figure out if the amount owed to you is worth pursuing. Offer a payment plan. If, for some reason, your client is hesitant or straight out tells you they are unable to pay. Before getting angry or threatening them, perhaps you can offer a payment plan. A client who wants to maintain a good relationship with you might agree to an option of paying by installment. This is a great way to build client loyalty. They'll remember your understanding once they're back on their feet. Offer a discount. Depending on the situation, you may want to offer a discount. If it sounds like the client is hesitating, you may want to offer them a deal if they pay their invoice immediately or within the next couple of days. A limited-time discount may entice a strapped-for-cash client to pay the bill now to save some money. It's better to lose a little of what's owed than risk losing all of it should the client not pay at all. Seek a legal solution. Before starting legal action, send a letter warning of legal action. This will inform the client you plan on seeking legal action without actually starting anything. Give them a deadline to submit payment and if it isn't met, Follow through. Do not threaten legal action if you don't plan on going through with it. Oftentimes the mere mention of legal action is enough for clients to find enough money to pay your invoice. When all else fails, your last resort is to seek a legal solution. Let me emphasize. Seeking a legal solution should only be used when nothing else has worked. Even offering a discount is preferable to taking a client to court. If nothing else worked and the amount owed isn't too big, you can take the client to small-claims court. This will require you to take time away from your business, so weigh the option against the amount owed and decide if it's worth it. If you are going after a larger sum, a letter from an attorney may be all you need. The thought of litigation is not something to take lightly, and most clients will want to avoid it when at all possible. Be careful of going after larger clients in this way. If they have an attorney on staff or retainer, they may be willing to battle your complaint. Communication is key. If you're lucky, your situation won't escalate to the point where lawyers get involved. Your best option is to communicate clearly with the client and work out a satisfactory solution for both of you. Don't stress over it. If, for one reason or another, you never receive the payment owed to you. Try not to stress too much over it. Your time is better spent working with your paying clients and trying to land new ones than it is fretting over your loss. No matter what the sum is, it's only money. You'll make more of it. And one day, you'll look back and realize it wasn't as big a deal as you made it out to be. Get advice If you find yourself in an unfamiliar situation, don't be afraid to ask for advice. Many people have been in similar situations before you, and they'll be more than willing to offer their advice. Remember, clients, are rarely being underhanded or petty. Most of the time, they don't pay your invoice because they simply forgot or hadn't gotten around to it yet or perhaps they needed to delay payment for a very valid reason. It's extremely rare to have to go to extremes to collect what's owed you. But it's nice to know the options are there should the need arise.

Do you pitch retainer agreements to your clients? In the Resourceful Designer Community Slack group, we have a channel called #Bragging-Rights. It's a place where community members share their most recent wins. Things like Katie telling us her client approved the logo she asked us to critique a few weeks ago. Or Brian sharing the completion of a huge website project with an extremely tight deadline. Or Mike sharing yet another signed design proposal. Whether it's landing a new client or having their design business showcased in a magazine, everyone in the Community is genuinely happy for the person sharing the good news. That's what being part of a community is. But nothing seems to garner more congratulations than when someone says they've landed a new retainer client. We don't even have to know the details. The fact that it's a retainer client is huge and worth celebrating on its own. You see, having a client on retainer is considered the pinnacle of client acquisition. What is a retainer agreement? So what does having a client on retainer mean? It means guaranteed work. It means guaranteed income. It means a fixed schedule. And most importantly, it means better clients that you can create long-lasting relationships. A retainer means your client pays you in advance, regularly, in exchange for whatever work you outlined in the retainer agreement. You see. One of the drawbacks of being a freelance designer is the unpredictability of income. You don't work a 9-5 at a set hourly rate. Nor are you working in a salaried position with a guaranteed income. There's no predictable paycheck arriving on a fixed schedule. That's one of the sacrifices we home-based designers make for the freedom of working for ourselves. But a retainer brings us closer to that predictable, guaranteed income. It creates a steady cash flow you can count on. This is great since you know how much money you are guaranteed every month, which helps with monthly expenses. Not only that. But a retainer helps provide both stability and consistency in your work instead of learning how to deal with new clients every project. It reduces the need to pitch and win new design projects constantly. On top of all that, Retainer agreements attract better clients and allow you to build a deeper relationship with them. Plus, clients treat designers they have on retainer with more respect and as an expert and professional. These clients understand the long-term benefit of working with you. They are not looking for the least expensive designer. No, they're looking for someone who can consistently contribute to their business. They want an expert and are willing to invest in one. Another benefit of retainers is your schedule. In most cases, you know in advance how much work you will have from your retainer clients every month. This makes it much easier to plan your schedule. If you're contracted to create a weekly blog post image and want to take a two-week vacation. You know in advance that you need to create three images the week before you leave. Knowing your schedule in advance allows you to manipulate it when needed. How does a retainer work? A retainer is a contract between you and a client that states the service or deliverable you will provide them regularly in exchange for how much. Most retainer agreements work monthly. A client pays you a fixed fee every month in exchange for what you provide to them. You can also have a yearly retainer payment where the client agrees to pay for the full year in advance. Or a lump-sum payment where the client pays you a certain amount, and you work it off or supply deliverables until the money runs out, at which time the agreement is ended or starts over. Retainer benefits to the client Why are retainer agreements appealing to clients? Oftentimes, retainers have built-in discounts that make them more appealing for the client. For example: If your rate is $100/hour, you might offer a retainer of $900 for 10 hours of work each month. Your client saves $100 each month, and you sacrifice $10/hour in exchange for the guarantee of payment. If you don't charge by the hour, you can set up retainers for deliverables. For example, you agree to create four blog post images and 16 social media images every month for a fixed rate of, let's say, $500 per month. The client can then budget $500 every month knowing you will deliver the images. It gives them peace of mind knowing it's taken care of. How do you pitch a retainer to a client? The idea of pitching a retainer to a client can seem scary if you're not used to it, especially if the client came to you with only one project in mind. The trick is to determine what value you can provide to the client beyond the project they brought to you. What service or deliverables can you provide them regularly that benefit their business? Some things to consider could include. Monthly newsletters Marketing campaigns Social media imagery or posts Blog post images The list is endless. Website maintenance plans are a form of retainer. You agree to update, backup, protect and upkeep the client's website for a fixed monthly fee. Web maintenance plans are a great form of a retainer and guaranteed income. For any retainer to work. The client needs to understand the value and be able to explain it to others within their organization. Get to know the client. Before you pitch a retainer to a client, you need to get to know them and their business and figure out how you can use your skills to advance their interests. Luckily, getting to know the client is part of any good project brief and discovery meeting. While you are prepping your project proposal, you should also be looking for ways to help the client beyond the project. Do they have a monthly newsletter? If so, is there any way you can help them with it? And if not, could they benefit from one? Are they active on social media? If so, who handles it for them? If it's an employee, could you take that off their hands and allow the employee to be better spent their time on other aspects of the business? The more you understand about the client and their business, the easier it will be to figure out how a retainer agreement will benefit them and convincing them you're the person to have it with. The retainer pitch Once you've figured out how you can help the client on an ongoing basis, it's time to pitch your retainer idea. Some designers like to pitch the retainer idea as part of the project proposal. In comparison, some like to bring up the idea after pitching the project. There is no right or wrong way to do it. I prefer to do it at the beginning myself. I personally think it helps build some credibility by showing the client you're not just in this for the one project, but you are willing to build a long-term relationship with them. This works especially well with website projects. You can show that you will understand the client and their needs by the end of the web project, allowing you to better support the website you build for them and provide some ongoing support to help them grow after the launch. Bringing up the retainer agreement at the end of the project also works since the client has had a chance to get to know you and see how you work and can see the value you can bring to their business. So there's no right or wrong way as long as you do it. How to structure a retainer agreement The two most popular forms of retainer agreements are for deliverables or hours. A retainer agreement for deliverables means the client pays you a certain amount in exchange for a fixed number of deliverables, such as social media images. This allows you to bill for the value of the actual work you create, not your time. When using this method, it's important to clarify a fee should the client require more than the allotted number of deliverables or what happens should the client not require the full amount that month. The second option is a retainer agreement for a fixed number of hours per month. When choosing this method, it's important to determine what happens should you need to go over the allotted hours or what happens should you not use up the allotted hours. Are extra hours billed at a discounted rate or your standard rate? Are unused hours lost or rolled over to the next month? There is a third form of retainer that is not as popular. That's for a client to pay a monthly fee for priority access to you. This puts you at their beck and call. Meaning they pay you to drop whatever you are doing and work on their project any time they need you. I don't recommend this third option as it could jeopardize your relationships with other clients, especially if you end up missing a deadline because your retainer client needed you. A Retainer Agreement is a contract. A retainer agreement with a client is a contract of its own and should be signed separately from any project contract you enter into with the client. A retainer agreement contract needs to clearly define the work expected of you to prevent scope creep. It also needs to outline exactly what happens should extra work be needed or not enough work in a given month. The agreement also needs to outline what is not covered under the contract. If your retainer agreement states you provide social media images and the client asks you to design a brochure, for example. Is there a condition for additional work? Or does your agreement stipulate that additions work requires a new contract? The agreement should also stipulate timelines. If you agree to provide 16 social media posts per month, is that 4 per week or can you provide all 16 by the end of the month? Retainer Agreement Time Frame An essential part of your retainer contract is establishing a time period for the agreement. This can be anything you and your client agree upon 1-month, 6-months, 1 year, or more. Whatever timeframe you chose. Your contract should indicate when you can renegotiate or terminate the agreement. Perhaps you raise your rates every year. Or you realize the work is more involved than you expected and want more compensation. Or, you decide after a time that you no longer want to be doing this kind of work. Make sure you have it in your contract when you can renegotiate or get out of the agreement. Stipulating a payment schedule for the retainer agreement. The whole point of a retainer agreement is a guaranteed steady income. To accomplish this, you need to state a payment schedule. Will the client pay a lump sum upfront, monthly, quarterly? Or perhaps they pay a fixed price per delivery. For example, the client agrees to pay you a certain amount for every 10 blog images you create for them regardless of the time frame. Introduce retainer agreements to your design business. That's retainer agreements. As I said at the start, they're the pinnacle of client acquisition. Having several retainer clients can give you peace of mind, knowing you don't have to spend as much time trying to acquire new clients. Instead, you work with a small handful of clients regularly as you build long-term relationships with them. It's a win-win for both sides. One last thing to remember, Any time you enter into a retainer agreement with a client, there are three parties to consider. How does it affect you? How does it affect the client? And, how does it affect your other clients? Before you enter a long-term agreement with someone, make sure the work and time commitment won't interfere with your existing clients and commitments. The next time a client approaches you with a new design project. Take some extra time to figure out how you can help them long term and pitch them on the idea of hiring you on retainer. You never know what will happen. Resource of the week Lambdatest Lambdatests offers Cross-browser compatibility testing tools. Perform live interactive cross-browser compatibility testing of websites and web apps on the latest mobile and desktop browsers, different operating systems and even differing resolutions. You can also test geolocation from over 27 different countries. These are not screenshots. Lambdatest lets you take control of whatever browser you want on whatever system you want. Their free plan offers 60 minutes of real-time browser testing per month. For unlimited testing, they offer a $15/month billed annually plan. No more guessing or calling your friend that has that specific Android phone and asking them to check a website for you. You can do it all from the comfort of your own chair with Lambdatest.

Do you suffer from Imposter Syndrome? I don't know if it's the pandemic, the stress of everything we've had to endure over the past year. But lately, I've seen more and more designers struggling with Imposter Syndrome. I've seen it in the Resourceful Designer Community. In Facebook groups. And just talking with people, I know in the design space. I don't know what's causing so many people in our profession to doubt themselves and their abilities. But if you're one of them, let me tell you a little secret that may make you feel better. Although everyone feels Imposter Syndrome at one time or another. It's most often felt by high achievers who have trouble celebrating their success, no matter how large or small. So if you suffer from Imposter Syndrome, there's a good chance you're a high achiever. That's a good thing and something that should make you feel a bit better. In case you are unfamiliar with the term Imposter Syndrome, it refers to an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. In other words, you don't think you're as good as other people think you are. Imposter Syndrome An internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be I suffer from Imposter Syndrome when it comes to illustrations. If you're a long-time follower of Resourceful Designer, you've heard me on several occasions say that I am not an illustrator. And yet, the truth is, I can draw. I've been drawing my whole life. Maybe not regularly; I haven't honed my skills, but it's not like I've never doodled before with some degree of success. And I've had many people over the years tell me I'm good at it. But in my mind, I'm not. I look at what others like Andrew or Kat, or Krista from the Resourceful Designer Community can do, and my skills pale compared to theirs. In my mind, the only reason people tell me I'm good at illustrating is that they don't want to make me feel bad by telling me the truth. That's Imposter Syndrome. And you know what? In this case, it's ok. It's ok because I've never wanted to be an illustrator. So if I don't think I'm good enough, so be it. I'm ok with that. But that's not the issue I've seen lately among fellow designers. Imposter Syndrome becomes serious when it involves what you are trying to do to earn a living. What I'm seeing is a lot are people with the skills, talent and knowledge to do something well but who feel they are not good enough to be compensated for what they're offering. People who are competent web designers but don't think they're good enough to charge $5,000 or $10,000 or even $50,000 for a website. Or people who are talented logo designers who have never charged more than a couple of hundred dollars for a logo project. That's Imposter Syndrome. These people have this idea in their head that if they charge that much, others will think they're a fraud, and they'll be exposed. These people are afraid to approach clients they really want to work with because they don't think they're good enough to work with them. Is that how you feel? Are you unable to internalize your success because you're afraid of being outed as an unqualified fraud? Let me tell you something. You are not alone. In fact, everyone battles imposter syndrome at one point or another—even those who seem to have it all. Actors Tena Fey, Emma Watson and Tom Hanks have all said in interviews that no matter how well they do, they always feel inadequate and that at any moment, someone's going to find out they are not good actors and don't deserve the success they've achieved. Best-selling author John Green, who's won several literary awards and whose books have been turned into major motion pictures, says he feels like a fraud all the time. He's said that he doesn't feel like he knows how to write a novel and doesn't think he ever will. He finds pleasure in the process of writing, but he thinks everything he writes sucks. If talented, successful people such as this suffer from imposter syndrome, what chance do you have? The truth is, you have as much chance as them and as everyone else. To overcome that feeling, you have to realize that everything you've done in your life so far, every achievement you've achieved, no matter how small, was something you were not qualified to do before you actually did it. You weren't able to walk - until you did. You weren't able to ride a bike - until you did. You weren't able to use the software you use daily - until you did. You weren't able to complete a design job for a client - until you did. You are the person you are today because you've successfully achieved thousands, if not millions, of things you were previously not able to do. That's life. It's how we grow. It's how we mature. And that means that everything that you don't think you're qualified for right now is just something you haven't achieved yet. I want to share something with you, and I wish I could remember where I first heard it to give credit where credit is due. But I heard this many years ago, and it changed the way I look at life. Somewhere, right now, there are people who are less skilled, less talented and less knowledgable than you are, doing the exact thing that you don't feel you're qualified for. Think about that. Regardless of your abilities, there are designers out there who are not as good as you, who are succeeding at the thing you want to be doing. When I first heard that statement, it changed the way I look at life. It helped me breakthrough my inhibitions and become the person I am today. I no longer look at obstacles as something I'm not good enough for. I look at them simply as things I have not achieved yet. That mentality has helped me grow and achieve things I once thought impossible. I faced Imposter Syndrome before starting the Resourceful Designer podcast. I thought, "who am I to be talking to you about running a design business? Many other designers are much more successful than I am." But I pushed through anyway and launched this show. And even though I know I'm not the most qualified person to instruct you; I still have something to share. And the thousands of people who listen to each podcast episode must think so as well, or they wouldn't keep listening. And neither would you. You don't have to be the best at something to overcome Imposter Syndrome. It just means you have to be willing to try. There is no such thing as perfections. What there is, is good enough. Nobody can ask any more of you than that. If you can design a $200 logo, there's no reason why you can't design a $2,000 logo. If you can design a $1,000 website, there's no reason why you can't design a $10,000 website. It's not because you are not qualified. It's simply that you haven't done it yet. Work, just like life, should be a challenge. You need to reach if you want to get anywhere. Because you too can succeed. And you know that's true, because of all the less qualified people than you who are doing just that. Succeeding. Don't let them show you up. And you know what? If you try something, and you fail. Chalk it up to a learning experience and then try again. You're only human, after all. Remember, feeling incompetent isn't the same thing as being incompetent, and I know you're not the latter because if you were, you wouldn't be reading this right now. If you're feeling Imposter Syndrome. Find someone to talk it out with. Sometimes, all it takes to overcome Imposter Syndrome is to talk it through with others. Especially people who understand you. That's where places like the Resourceful Designer Community are great. We've all been there and know how it feels, and we're more than happy to guide you through it. In case you are suffering from Imposter Syndrome right now and what I've said so far hasn't helped you, I want to share something from Valerie Young, an internationally recognized expert on imposter syndrome. As Valerie puts it in her TED Talk. The only difference between people who feel Imposter Syndrome and those who don't is that the same situations that trigger imposter feelings in some trigger different thoughts in others. That's it. That's the only difference. So The only way to stop feeling like an imposter is to stop thinking like an imposter. For example, someone who suffers from Imposter Syndrome might think they are not as good as the others in their group and be afraid they'll be discovered as a fraud. Whereas those who don't suffer from imposter Syndrome know that even if they are not as good as the others in their group. That's OK. They can't be the best at everything, after all. Valerie has literally written the book on Imposter Syndrome. I highly encourage you to watch Valerie's TED Talk. It's only 6 minutes long and well worth the time. And here's a link to Valerie's 10 steps to overcome Imposter Syndrome, which you might find interesting to read. But if you take one thing from this today, I hope it's what I shared with you before. The statement that made such an impact on my own life. Somewhere, right now, there are people who are less skilled, less talented and less knowledgable than you are, doing the exact thing that you don't feel you're qualified for. So get out there, and do it.

Their competition might not be who they think it is. Have you ever heard the term "The Curse Of Knowledge?" According to Wikipedia, The Curse Of Knowledge is a cognitive bias that occurs when an individual, communicating with other individuals, unknowingly assumes that the others have the background to understand. Curse Of Knowledge: A cognitive bias that occurs when an individual, communicating with other individuals, unknowingly assumes that the others have the background to understand. You see this a lot with instructors. The instructor is so familiar with a subject that they forget the person or people they are instructing don't have the same background and therefore might not understand their teaching them. Like a web designer giving a presentation to a group of fellow web designers and falsely assuming they all know CSS. Where in fact, some of the web designers may use Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy Web Builder or Webflow. Platforms where knowledge of CSS is not necessary. Why am I talking about the Curse of Knowledge? It's because, as graphic and web designers, we sometimes take for granted that our clients know what we know. Especially when it comes to identifying the competition. But let me tell you. Many, if not the majority of clients, don't have the background and knowledge that we do and therefore fail in their competition identification. Case in point. I'm a member of a grant approval panel for my local Business Enterprise Centre. Every year, our BEC receives government funding and hands out grants to help new businesses start and get off the ground. The grant process requires each applicant to have a business plan, a three-year financial forecast, and a presentation to the grant approval panel saying why they believe they should receive a grant. Over the past couple of years, I've seen dozens of these presentations. For my part, I read every applicant's business plan and follow up their presentation with questions to ascertain their merit regarding the grant. Part of their business plan requires a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Under the Threats part of the SWOT analysis, each applicant identifies their competition. After sitting through dozens of these grant presentations, I've learned that most startups don't know who their competition is. Some do a good job, but on average, the bulk of them don't realize who they are competing with. Most of them don't realize that every business has two types of competition. Direct Competition. Meaning those who sell or provide the same or very similar product or service that they do. And Indirect Competition. Those who might not sell or provide a similar product or service but are still competing for the same target market. It's this second one where almost all of them fall short. That's why I brought up the curse of knowledge earlier. I've been in the design field long enough, and I've dealt with enough clients over the years that it's become second nature for me to not just think of direct competitors but the indirect ones as well. Let me give you an example. One of the presentations I sat through was for a couple who were in the process of opening up an escape room business. If you don't know what an escape room is, it's an entertainment venue where you and a group of friends are locked in a room or group of rooms and have a deadline to figure out puzzles to get out. So you're up against the clock as you all work together to decipher the clues you find in your surroundings. If you've never tried an escape room before, you should really give it a shot. They're a lot of fun. Anyway. This couple was in the process of starting an escape room business. They leased a building, and construction had begun. They applied for the grant to help offset the cost of building supplies. I noticed something while reading their business plan and hopped they would clarify it during their presentation. But instead, they excitedly said they were sure they were going to succeed because escape rooms are becoming more and more popular AND they have no local competition. The closest escape room is over 100 km away. They stressed this point. After their presentation, I called them out. I pointed out their direct competition being over 100 km away. But then I asked about their indirect competition. The response I got was, "what do you mean?" I asked if they had conducted any analysis on their local indirect competition, such as the local movie cinemas or the theatres where they put on plays. I asked about the dance clubs, the bars with live entertainment, the local miniature golf course, etc. They looked at me confused and said, "We're not competing with them." I asked the applicants how they can think they are not competing with them? They're starting an entertainment business. It offers a fun outing for groups of people that lasts 1-2 hours. So does every other venue I mentioned. When a group of friends figure out what to do on Friday night, they better believe they're competing with all of those other places and many more for that group's attention. One person in the group might want to see a movie. Another might want to spend time outside at the mini-golf. Another might suggest they go to a club that offers a live band. The couple opening the escape room business didn't realize they were competing with every option that might prevent someone from choosing their escape room for their fun. And that was just one of the grant applicants. A massage therapist failed to see she was competing against not only fellow massage therapists but also chiropractors, acupuncturists, and physiotherapists. Not to mention electric neck or back massagers you can buy at various stores. The one that really got me was the craft brewer who thought his only competition was other craft brewers. He completely failed to realize that he's making beer, and therefore he's competing with all the big beer labels as well. As a designer, a problem solver as we like to call ourselves, our job is to not only design amazing things for our clients. But to also help them identify their shortcomings. And that means making sure your client understands not only who their direct competition is, but even more importantly, who their indirect competition is. You're not just designing marketing material in the hopes that someone will pick your client's escape room over another escape room. You're designing marketing material trying to persuade people to chose your client's escape room over any and every other entertainment they could choose. The same principle applies to identifying target markets. There are direct target markets, and there are indirect target markets. Some clients don't know who they are targetting. Several years ago, I designed a logo for a client starting a science kit subscription box for kids ages 5-12. Each monthly box would contain fun science facts and a couple of experiments the kids could do around the house. When I received the written copy for their brochure and website, I immediately questioned the material. When I asked the client who they were trying to target, they told me their target market is young boys and girls ages 5-12 who enjoy doing things like learning about bugs or digging through dirt. The client completely missed the point. I explained that their box might be geared to 5-12 year-olds, but their actual target market was the parents who would subscribe for their kids, not the kids themselves. The wording they had provided me was written for the kids and not the parents. There was also a secondary target market they could target in grandparents and aunts and uncles who may want to send a monthly subscription box as a gift to the young ones in their lives. This client had failed to identify their actual target market through all their research, just like my previous examples had failed to identify their competition. What I'm trying to say is don't become a victim of the curse of knowledge. Don't assume your clients have done their homework and identified their competition. Or their proper target market, for that matter. A few years ago, I thought only a small percentage of new businesses got it wrong. But my time sitting through dozens of grant presentations has taught me that what I take for granted is not something most people think about. I'd estimate less than 40% of the businesses I saw truly understood who they were competing with. Take it upon yourself to educate your clients. It will show them your value, and they'll appreciate you all the more for it. Help them in identifying the competition. Resource of the week Gravity Forms I've been using Gravity Forms for several years, and I love it. It's the easiest, most trusted tool for creating advanced forms on your WordPress website. Packed full of time-saving tools and features, Gravity Forms is more than just a form creation tool; it's a form management platform. Build and publish simple or complex WordPress forms in minutes. No coding or guesswork required. Simply choose your desired fields, configure your options and embed the form on your website. It's that easy. And with so many built-in integrations with some of the most popular partners on the internet, Gravity Forms makes it extremely easy to connect your website to platforms such as PayPal, MailChimp, Dropbox, Freshbooks and so many more. I install Gravity Forms on every single website I build. What else can I say?

It's OK to have one of those days. Wednesday this past week started like any other day. I got up around 7:45 to see my wife off to work, then went to the kitchen to feed our cat and dog before going to the living room and turning on the TV. I fast-forwarded through SportsCentre, which I record every day at 4 am. I watch the hockey and soccer highlights and then usually skip through most of the other sports. Once done with SportsCentre, I switched on a Canadian morning news show called Your Morning. As a designer, the show's logo drives me crazy, but I like the hosts, and they usually cover some interesting topics. It's been part of my morning routine for years. This takes me to 9 am when I normally start my day. But on Wednesday, when Your Morning wrapped up, instead of turning off the TV, I sat there as Live with Kelly and Ryan started. I don't usually watch this show, but I decided to sit through their opening dialogue. After 20 minutes of this, I realized why I rarely watch the show and turned it off. I made my way to my office, which is only 10 steps away from where I was and sat down to begin my day. I had an issue with a website the day before and had sent an email to the support team at SiteGround to see if they had any ideas. I normally don't look at my email first thing in the morning, preferring to wait until noon to read through them. But I checked it on Wednesday morning and found the anticipated reply email from Siteground waiting for me with the info I had been hoping for. I made the necessary adjustments to the website and then sent an email to my client saying the problem was fixed. With that out of the way, it was time to look at my To-Do list. I had seven things on my list, Design podcast cover artworks for client A. Design podcast cover artworks for client B. Start a new website for client C. Finish website for Client D. Create social media header images for Client E. Perform a podcast brand audit for Client F Read and reply to an RFP (Request For Proposal.) None of them had a pressing deadline, and none seemed very appealing at the time. I couldn't decide which one to tackle first. Instead, I decided to have a shower. 45 minutes later (I lost track of time standing under the showerhead,) I was back at my computer. I saw my email program was still open and decided what the heck, and went through my inbox, which killed about 30 minutes and brought me to 11:30 am. Looking again at my to-do list, there was nothing there that would only take the 30 minutes I had until lunch. Let me interject here. I've been doing IF, Intermittent Fasting for the past couple of years. It's a way of managing my weight without actually dieting. The way I do it is to only eat between the hours of 12 noon and 6 pm. I can eat anything I want, within reason, of course, as long as it falls within that window of time. From 6 pm until noon the next day, all I have is water. That means that by noon each day, I'm hungry. And the idea of starting a new project 30 minutes before my eating window opened was not very appealing to me. So instead, I decided to go for a walk. We've had an unusually mild week this past week, and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and get some exercise. I walked around the block, a 2.5 KM loop or 1.55 miles for you Americans, before arriving back home in time for lunch. During lunch, I turned on the TV again and switched to Netflix. I've been watching Suits lately and am really enjoying it. I was halfway through season 2, so I put on an episode while I ate. This episode had a guest character that I recognized but couldn't remember where I had seen before. You know how it is. You know the person but can't place them. It keeps nagging at you. So when the episode was over, and I went back to my office, I opened up the trusty IMDB and looked up that episode instead of getting to work. The actor was Scott Grimes, and the show I recognized him from was The Orville, where he plays ship pilot Gordon. That was one nagging thing satisfied. But now I was wondering when The Orville would return. So I searched for that. I couldn't find any definitive answer as to when The Orville will return, but in my search, a couple of the websites I visited had sidebar mentions of the new Disney plus show WandaVision, which I had watched the first 4 episodes on the weekend. The links were talking about all the Marvel Easter eggs in the series. Curiosity peaked, I clicked through to a YouTube video that went over episode one. Now I'm not going to go over all the videos I ended up watching, but needless to say, YouTube is a rabbit trail, and I was there for much longer than I planned on. Luckily, I had set myself a 10-minute reminder for a video chat I had scheduled at 2 pm with a new podcast artwork client. After refilling my water bottle, I set up my equipment and launched Zoom. The guy showed up right on time, which was nice. Plenty of them schedule a meeting and then show up several minutes late. Anyway. These meetings normally last between 15-20 minutes, where we discuss things about the podcast they're starting. Things such as what their topic will be? What makes them qualified to talk on this topic? What is the purpose of starting a podcast? Who is it for? What format are they going to do (Solo, interview, mixed)? And so on. As I said, these meetings normally last between 15-20 minutes, but this guy seemed very eager but also very naive to all things podcasting. So I started asking him questions that had nothing to do with the artwork he was hiring me to design. We ended up talking for 45 minutes before ending the call. It was now 2:45 pm, and I decided it was time for a snack. I stuck my AirPods in my ears, started up a podcast and when to the kitchen to find something to stuff my face with. I chose a 30-minute podcast and decided to finish it before getting back to work. When I finally did, the first thing I did was open up Facebook and check in on the Resourceful Designer group. I read through the various posts, leaving comments whenever I deemed them. Then I checked a few other groups I belong to before saying enough is enough and shut it down. Then it was back to checking my email and replying to a few. Then checking in on the Resourceful Designer Community on Slack. Right around this time, Andrew, one of the members, asked an innocent question. "How many browser tabs do you have open right now?" Of course, I had to check. The answer was 51. I then decided to go through them all and see what I could do to lower that number. I read several articles I had been saving so I could close the tabs. I made bookmarks for a few of them and saved a few to Evernote for later review. I managed to get it down to 37 open tabs before I heard the garage door open, indicating my wife was home and it was time for me to end my workday. My to-do list still had seven unscratched items on it. Why did I tell you all of this? I shared this story to tell you that it's ok. It's your business, your entitled to do what you want with your time. I didn't realize it at the time. But when I left the TV on that morning, instead of turning it off at 9 am like I normally do. It was an indication that I was not in a creative mood. The projects on my to-do list, projects I'm very enthusiastic about, I might add, didn't appeal to me that day. I didn't feel like working, and that's OK. Creativity is not something you can turn on or off at set times. If I was under a deadline, could I have created something for my clients in the state I was in? Absolutely. I've been under that crunch before and have always come through. But knowing that none of the items on that list were pressing gave me the freedom to say, nope, not today. I'm just not feeling it. And that's OK. Looking back at that day, I managed to solve a client's web issue first thing in the morning. I build a great foundation for a client relationship by turning a 15-minute artwork meeting into a 45-minute strategy session. And I managed to catch up and read several articles I had wanted to get to. So the day was not a total loss. Did I do any of the to-do items I had planned for the day? No. But once again, that's ok. It's your business. You're entitled. Don't feel guilty when you have one of those days. We all do from time to time. Just don't make a habit of it. If you start feeling this way more often than naught, it might be a good idea to seek help. It may be a sign of mental health issues. And that's not something you want to brush under the rug. The stigma of mental health has come a long way in the past decade. There's no shame in asking for help. But if it's something that happens once in a blue moon, don't worry about it. As I said, it's your business. You're entitled. Take a day to sack off, and then double down and get back to work the next day. You deserve it. In case you're wondering, today is Friday. Two days after this happened. And I'm happy to say all seven items on that list have been scratched off. I obviously haven't finished the new website in two days, but my list only said to start it, which I now have. Even the most disciplined of us are entitled to a personal slack off day from time to time, including you.

Where would you spend your extra money? In the Resourceful Designer Community, we recently discussed the question, "what would you do if you had extra money to invest in yourself and your business?" There were many great ideas on how to use the extra money and, just as importantly, how not to use it. It was such a great conversation that I thought I would share my thoughts here on Resourceful Designer. Before I go any further, I must state that I am not a financial planner or financial advisor, nor do I play one on TV. In fact, I have absolutely no expertise when it comes to this stuff. As far as I know, experts who see this may tell you what I'm saying is completely the wrong approach. These are my thoughts on what I would do if I had extra money to invest in myself or my business. So here goes. Imagine you had extra money sitting around. Anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. I know, it's a nice thought. But you never know. Maybe you had a favourable tax return. Or you inherit a sum of money. Maybe you won a cash prize in some lottery or draw. Perhaps you had an outstanding quarter and have money left over once all your monthly bills and expenses are paid off. Whatever the reason, you have extra money and try to figure something practical to do with it other than blowing it on a vacation or other luxury. No, you want to use that money as an investment of some sort. But what? This is the order of preference for how I would invest the money. Investing in your future. I believe the most important thing any business owner can do is invest in their future. That future could mean next year, or it could mean retirement in many years. The idea is to use the money to help you down the road. As a solopreneur, your income relies on your ability to work. In most cases, if you are unable to work, you don't make any money. That's why I believe padding your future is one of the most important investments you can make. This may mean putting money into a savings account to act as a three to six-month buffer in case things get tough and business slows down. Work in our field is never guaranteed, and even the best of us experiences lulls from time to time. This buffer can help tide you over and help cover your expenses until work picks up again. Or maybe an accident or illness will force you to take a medical leave. Having a buffer to get you through that period may mean the difference between staying afloat and being forced to close your business. And then there's retirement to think of. Saving for retirement is something you should start doing as soon as possible, especially if you want to continue living the good life in your later years. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to save up. I don't know about you, but as a creative person, it's hard to think I'll ever retire. I believe I will be creating and designing things until the day I die. But the fact is, one day I may not want to spend 8-10 hours a day in front of my computer anymore. And that means less money will be coming in. Not to mention that even though designers are like a good wine, we get better with age; some people may not want to hire a 65-year-old to design the brand for their hip new startup. These two reasons alone. For short absences such as dips in work or medical leave and retirement are why I believe investing in your future is the first thing you should do with your money. I know it's hard when you have bills and debts to pay. But even a few dollars here and there will add up over time. If you do come into some extra money, this is where I suggest you invest it. In your future. Investing in your present. Next on my list is investing in your present. Investing in your present means putting money to use towards immediate self-improvement. Learn a new skill. Invest in is things such as tutorials, courses and programs to learn new skills or improve your existing skills. These may be design-related, or they may be business-related. There are many great places to learn new skills, such as Udemy Skillshare LinkedIn Learning Creative Live Let's say you design Wix websites and have had to turn down several clients because they wanted a WordPress site. You may put your extra money to good use by learning WordPress and expanding your service offerings. Or you may want to take a course or webinar on growing your business through social media. Or learn more about SEO or Google Analytics. The possibilities are endless when it comes to learning new things. Not only can you learn something to grow your business, but you may learn a skill you can offer to your clients to make more money. Invest in yourself by reading books. Invest in business and self-improvement books that will help you grow. I prefer listening to self-improvement audiobooks. I just recently finished listening to The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and next up I have Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck. But if you don't have time to sit and read a book. Audiobooks are a great way to still learn from the experts while out and about. If you've never tried an audiobook, you can get one free book of your choice when you sign up for a trial Audible account. If you decide it's not for you, cancel without paying anything, and they let you keep the free book you downloaded. Join Networks. Join networking groups or communities such as the Resourceful Designer Community to grow as a designer and business person. Or join a group such as Toastmasters who can help you fine-tune your presentation style when pitching to clients. If you have extra money, after you've invested in your future, that is, I suggest using it to improve your current situation. The little bit you spend now can bring exponential growth for you and your business. Your future self will thank you for it. Side note: I know I just said you should invest extra money in tutorials and courses and such. But don't go looking for things to learn just because you have money to spend. It's never a good idea to spend money on courses and such just for the sake of learning something. Only invest in things you want or need to know. Otherwise, invest the money in your future instead, as I mentioned earlier. If you're unsure if it's important enough to learn now, go back and listen to episode 8 and episode 94 of the podcast. In both of those episodes, I talked about Just In Time Learning which plays right into what I'm talking about today. Investing in your business. The final category on my list is investing in your business. This means putting your extra money to use by improving the infrastructure that helps you perform your job. Update your computer and equipment. Purchase software and design resources. Update your brand Update your website and marketing materials. Update your working environment However, just like with investing in your present, there's no point in spending money on a new computer or equipment unless you actually need it. You are better off saving the money for when you do. Invest in growth. There are more ways you can invest in your business. Use the extra money to hire outside help, such as photographers, copywriters, developers, etc., to help with your own promotional materials. Hire a virtual assistant to help you with certain tasks and activities. I speak from experience that hiring my VA is one of the best investments I've made for my business. If you haven't done so already, use the extra money to register a trademark for your business name and visual assets. It's always good to protect yourself. And finally, Spend the money on growing your business through marketing, advertising, sponsorships and networking. Remember, the more people who know about your business, the faster you will grow. When in-person conferences were cancelled in 2020 due to COVID, many of them went the virtual route. I took the money I would have spent on travel, hotel and expenses to attend PodFest Multimedia Expo and instead invested that money to become a sponsor for their online event. That opportunity put my brand, Podcast Branding, in front of thousands of people in my niche and helped boost my business in ways that attending the conference in person could have never done. So after you've invested in your future and your present, it's a good idea to invest in your business. Bonus Here's a bonus afterthought. If you're satisfied that you've covered the three categories above, you can always use the extra money to thank your clients. Sending a gift basket or special gift to a client, or even sending a client something as simple as a coupon for a free pizza, can go a long way to strengthen your relationship. Imagine creating a new logo for a client and then sending them a glass mug with their new logo etched on the side? That sort of thing can go a long way. You can never go wrong when you invest in your client relationships. As I said at the start, I'm not a financial expert. However, I believe you can't go wrong if you use any extra money you have to invest in your future, your present and your business. It's how you grow. Where would you spend any extra money? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Tip of the week Refine search results by excluding unwanted domains If you're searching for something on Google or other search engines and are tire of unwanted results such as Pinterest pins or YouTube videos showing up, you can refine your search by adding "-Pinterest" or "-YouTube" to the end of it. Doing so tells the search engine to not display any search results pertaining to those platforms. Give it a try.

If you change the way you think, you'll win more clients. Not long after I went full-time with my design business, I met with a fellow local designer for lunch. I was somewhere between six months to a year into my entrepreneurial journey, and my business was growing fast. My clientele was increasing, and most people who contacted me ended up hiring me as their designer. Fifteen years later and I still win more clients than I lose. The guy I had lunch with was a very talented designer. I knew him through the print shop where I worked before going out on my own. He would bring in projects to be printed for his clients, and his work was always beautiful. He started his design business several years before I began mine. And when I was at the print shop, I thought he was living the dream. He doesn't know this, but he was an inspiration in helping me make the leap to solopreneurship. During our lunch, he mentioned how much he was struggling. He was finding it harder and harder to win over new clients. He said that no matter how hard he tried to convince clients to work with him. Only a small percentage ever did. In fact, I learned during that conversation that several of my clients had contacted him before eventually hiring me. I didn't tell him that. What I also learned, which is the focus of this post, is that he and I had two completely different approaches to acquiring new clients. Where he was trying very hard to win each new client. I, on the other hand, was trying not to lose them. When you consider those two concepts, you'll realize that my way is much easier. Let me ask you this. Which is easier. Acquiring $100 or holding onto the $100 you already have? I think you'll agree that it's much easier to hold onto $100 than it is to acquire $100. That's the mentality I take when dealing with new clients. And that's what made me different from that other designer. Where he was doing his best to win each new client. I was doing my best not to lose them. Because in my mind, I had already won them the moment they contacted me. Let me tell you a secret. Are you ready? Clients don't enjoy looking for a designer. In fact, they would much rather be doing countless other things instead. So when a client emails, calls or meets you in person, they are hoping you are the right person for the job. They want you to be the solution to their problem. Think about that. No client will ever contact you, hoping you're not a good fit for them. None of them are saying, "I'm going to contact so and so designer about this project. I really hope they're the wrong person and waste my time." No, every client who contacts you wants you to be the last designer they contact. When you take that concept into consideration, it means you are starting off every new contact with a client in the position that the job is already yours. Your position from that point forward is not to convince them to hire you. But to convince them, there's no need to look for anyone else. And that completely changes the way you communicate with the client. Does that make sense? Let me repeat it. You are not trying to convince the client to hire you. You are trying to convince the client they've made the right choice in contacting you. This is how I've started every new client relationship since I started my business. As soon as the client and I introduce ourselves, we are working together until one says otherwise. If you approach each new contact with that in mind, you'll find yourself winning more clients than you lose. How does this work in practice? It's simple. You have to have the mindset that every time you speak with a potential client, you are working with them. From the moment the conversation starts, you are working together until you or they decide otherwise. Here are some pointers. Always speak to the client as if you are already working together. "I understand your situation. Here's how we'll tackle it." "We'll look at what your competition is doing and figure out a way for you to stand out." "The new brand we'll create will be a strong foundation for you in your market." Do you see the way I've structured those sentences? I'm not saying, "if you hire me, we'll look at your competition." or "I would love to create a new brand for you." No. I talk to the client as if they've already made the decision to hire me. "This is what we'll do." "I'm going to do this for you." After all, as I said earlier, the client is hoping you're a good fit for them before they even contact you. So show them they were right. When it comes to conversing with the client, you must take the initiative by leading the conversation. This proves to them that you know what you are doing. Clients want a designer who shows initiative. Someone who can take the lead. Someone who can work independently and get the job done. Clients have enough on their plates. They don't want to dictate or micromanage what you do. That's why they're looking for an expert to handle their project. Now we all know those people who do try to micromanage or dictate things. My experience shows that once you take the initiative and prove you know what you're doing, most of them will be happy to hand you the reins and back off. Anyone who doesn't isn't worth working with. When talking to the client: Listen attentively to what they are saying. This shows you care. Ask pertinent questions. This shows you're interested. Show you understand the situation. This shows you're knowledgeable. Show your willingness to help them. This proves you're a professional. Try to identify their pain points, their problems as early as possible. This shows you're an expert. Offer solutions. This shows you are confident with their project. If you can do all of this, there's little chance the client will look elsewhere. Create a sense of urgency. Whenever possible, create a sense of urgency for the project. The more urgent the project is, the less time the client wants to spend finding a designer and the higher the chance they hire you. Plus, if you can show them you're on top of things, they'll trust you even more. Ask the client if they have a deadline. Then backtrack from their deadline to now. If a client needs a package design for their new product that launches in 60 days, work backwards. Two preferably three weeks at the printer. One week for prototyping. Two weeks to develop concepts and get the designs approved. Add one week as a buffer in case of emergencies. That's seven weeks total. Since the deadline is 60 days (eight weeks), you must start the project within the next seven days to meet the deadline. Showing this sort of initiative and expertise proves to the client they made the right choice. Of course, you can't do this with every project. But the more you exhibit a confident "take charge" attitude. The more the client will appreciate you. Set Expectations Another way to ensure the client they're making the right choice in hiring you is by setting expectations from the start. Let the client know how often you will be updating them on your progress. How will you be communicating with them? Will it be via weekly phone calls, emailed progress reports, a client portal using a CMS, or what? Clients don't like to be kept in the dark. So if you show them from the start how interacting with you will be, they'll have more confidence in you. Explain what the whole process looks like. Explain each stage from research, concept and designing, right through to final approval and production if needed. Remember, a client contacts you because they are hoping you are the right person for the job. Don't give them a reason to think otherwise, and 9 times out of 10, the project is yours. All of this to say, your attitude plays a massive role in whether or not a client decides to hire you. The client wants you to be the right person for the job. They don't want to be forced to contact someone else. They want their project off their plate and in the hands of an expert, like you, who will see it through. Keep all of this in mind and stop trying to convince the client you're the person they should hire. Instead, start showing the client they made the right choice by contacting you, and there's no reason for them to look elsewhere. Stop trying to convince them to hire you. That's how you win more clients. Resource of the week Google Advance Search This is a simple little trick that has helped me out of a jam many times over the years. If you find yourself in need of a certain company's logo and don't want to jump through hoops trying to get it. Use this trick. In the Google Search Bar type "site:companywebsite.com" followed by "filetype:pdf". What this does is return search results displaying all PDF files at that particular domain. Open the PDFs one at a time until you find one with a good-looking logo (you can usually tell by zooming in). Download the PDF and open it in a program such as Adobe Illustrator. If you're lucky you will have a perfect vector logo you can use. You can also accomplish this by visiting Google's Advance Search page, but I find simply typing the parameters into the regular search bar is much faster.

Without these skills, your design business will struggle. It sounds so easy. You're good at designing, so why not start freelancing or start your own design business? For the record, my definition of a freelancer is someone who does design work on the side while working another job in or possibly not in the design space. If you design things for clients on your own, and it's your only source of income, meaning you don't have an employer elsewhere, you are not freelancing; you are running a design business. But regardless of whether you call yourself a freelancer or a design business owner. Working for yourself requires a different skill set than simply being a good designer. You could have the most amazing portfolio of design work. You could be a wiz in Photoshop or Illustrator or InDesign, or maybe WordPress, Webflow or whatever tool you use. It doesn't matter what skills you have as a designer. If you want your business to succeed, you have to run it like a business. And to do that, you need business skills. There are numerous business skills that will help you get ahead. Most of them, such as file management, you can learn along the way. However, there are five essential skills you need to succeed. Skills that the most successful designers use, be it freelancer or owner of a design business. They know the importance of these skills, and they know the success or failure of their business depends on their ability to master them. If you don't possess these skills, you need to develop them ASAP if you want to ensure your endeavour's success. So what are these all-important skills I'm talking about? Communication skills. Building Relationships. Thinking Strategically. Time Management skills. Money Management skills. 1 Communication Without good communications skills, your business is doomed to failure. The ability to communicate properly is one of the most important skills you can have as a business owner. Every client you talk to, every design proposal you write, every pitch or presentation you make will succeed or fail based on your communication skills. Not only are good communication skills required to articulate and understand ideas. But clear communication can also save you and the client time and money. The better you are at communicating, the more comfortable clients will be working with you. The better you are at communicating, the more professional you will appear to people. The better you are at communicating, the easier it will be to build and foster relationships with your client. Plus, good communication skills can help you when dealing with different personalities or when discussing difficult topics. Many designers are introverts. Myself included. But being an introvert doesn't mean you can't have good communication skills. You might have to work harder at it than an extravert does, but that's easily accomplished. Improving your communications skills will help you stand out from other designers who lack this skill. Not only will you be seen by your clients as a good designer, but also as a strategic partner and problem solver. How to Improve your communications skills. Use a tool such as Grammarly to check your written communication. Reading books such as Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People. Join ToastMasters or hire a speech coach. Record your conversations and play them back, listening for areas you can improve on. (you need a client's permission to record them) Improving your communications skills will go a long way to ensuring your business's success. 2 Building Relationships. Have you heard the saying, it's not what you know, but who you know? Relationships are one of the key elements to any business's success, even more so for service-based businesses like yours. The most successful designers out there know the importance of building relationships. Not just with clients but with everyone they meet, including fellow designers. Every person you meet is an opportunity to start a relationship. Why is this important? Because every connection you make can lead to referrals, new clients, new projects, friendships, maybe partnerships and who knows what else. If you're a people-person, this should be fairly easy for you. But even if talking to people comes naturally to you, you have to learn to do it with purpose. Stay professional while you build your rapport. Building relationships takes time. But the payoff is enormous. My Podcast Branding business grew to what it is today because of the relationships I've made in the podcasting space. You never know when one of the many relationships you've nurtured will lead to a new client or project. So keep building them. Even when a relationship isn't working out, it should still be nurtured as you back away. That means being cordial and considerate, even while turning down a client. You don't want to burn any bridges because if you think good word of mouth spreads, let me tell you, bad word of mouth spreads so much faster. How do you build relationships? Do it slowly by making small connections with people. Try to remember small details about a person and bring them up in conversation. Ask about their kids or their recent holiday. Keep in touch with your clients, even when you have no active projects with them. Attend networking events and meet new people. Read How To Win Friends and Influence People. It may sound scary, but building relationships is a skill every good business owner needs to master. 3 Thinking Strategically Being able to think strategically can transform an average freelancer into an extremely successful business owner. Thinking strategically is the ability to envision the future and plan accordingly. It will help you spot trends. It will help you understand how your client is different from their competition. It will help you contemplate ideas and directions your clients may not consider. Thinking strategically will help you with your business and the work you do for your clients. Strategic thinking is what differentiates a designer who designs logos from a designer who creates brands. Any brand strategy requires strategic thinking. Thinking strategically will help you develop goals for yourself and your business by envisioning your future. Where do you want to be 6 months, a year, five years from now? Strategic thinking is going to help make the decisions, make adjustments, and tell you what you need to do and what not to do to reach your goals. How do you think strategically? Regularly take time to envision your future and figure out if you're on the right path. Make time to work on your business strategy. Instead of waiting for the next new client to show up, figure out how you're going to get your next 10 clients. Read books and listen to podcasts that talk about building a business. Oh wait, you're already listening to Resourceful Designer, aren't you? If so, you're off to a good start. 4 Time Management As a business owner, you have nobody to answer to but yourself. Nobody is breathing down your neck, telling you to get back to work or making sure you're getting the job done. All of that falls on you, and if you want to succeed, you need to master time management skills. Your Time management skills or lack thereof will make or break you. When you're fortunate enough to have several clients with multiple projects on the go, all with varying deadlines, your success in dealing with all of it will depend on your skill at managing your time. And Time management isn't just about managing client projects. You also have to worry about running your business and making sure you have time for yourself. Otherwise, your stress level will increase, and burnout becomes a possibility. Time management comes down to four things. Self-motivation, the ability to get going and keep yourself going Self-discipline, the ability to focus on the work at hand and avoid the many distractions associated with running a business, not to mention the distractions of life in general. Self-management is the ability to govern yourself by setting your own timelines, breaking down tasks, and delegating when needed. Self-care, the ability to take breaks and time off. Making sure you are eating well and staying hydrated. If your health falters, there's nobody to help you out. So take care of yourself. How to improve your time management skills Plan your day ahead of time with to-do lists Prioritize your tasks by order of importance and do the most important ones first. Use a clock or timer to help you keep track of time. 5 Money Management Skills The final important skill I want to talk about is money management. Unlike employed designers who receive a weekly paycheque. Freelance and design business owners are at the whims of their clients when it comes to income. Mastering skills 1 through 4 above should help you build your clientele to the point where you always have projects on the go. However, unless you've set up your business so you collect a salary, money management may not be top of mind for you. When it comes to money skills, many freelancers are of the mindset that the money comes in, and the money goes out. They don't give much thought to managing that flow of income. How you budget your business earnings affects every aspect of your business. Good money management skills will help you set your rates and prices, so you remain profitable. Money management skills will help you determine which projects to take on and which are not worth it. Money management skills will help you maintain your business by making sure the funds are there should there be a dip in your workload or should you have to purchase a new computer. A business can generate a lot of money, but if that money isn't managed well, it can still fail. And you don't want your otherwise successful design business to fail because you lack the skill to manage your money. How to learn money management. Separate your business money from your personal money, including bank accounts. Know your overhead, the cost of running your business so you know if you're making a profit or not. Learn basic money management skills through books, podcasts, and budgeting apps. Talk to your bank or financial advisor. Good money management skills will ensure you are rewarded for all the hard work you do. Master these five skills to succeed. These are the five skills that will help you succeed as a freelancer or design business owner. As I said at the beginning, there are many more skills required to run a business. But these five are essential if you're in this for the long term. Do you have these five skills? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week Grammarly I first purchased Grammarly on a whim a few years ago during some ridiculous sale they were having. It was probably one of the best purchases I've made in recent years. Not a day goes by that Grammarly doesn't help me out. What is Grammarly? Simply put, it's a spelling and grammar checker for your computer and web browser. But it's so much more than that. As they say on their website, Grammarly leaves outdated spelling and grammar checkers in the dust. Grammarly helps me whenever I fill out online forms, when I'm designing in WordPress and when I'm posting on social media. Anywhere I write, Grammarly is there to make sure I write well. Grammarly doesn't only correct, it teaches. It tells you if you are using repetitive words, warns of things like weak adjectives, and so much more. According to their website 85% of people using Grammarly become stronger writers. I've seen it in my writing. It can be set for American or British spelling and is available for both Mac and Windows.

Follow the 10-20-30 Rule for great presentations. Have you ever heard of the 10-20-30 Rule? It's more often called the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint, but the principle applies elsewhere as well. This Rule was coined several years ago by Guy Kawasaki, a venture capitalist who sat through dozens of presentation pitches regularly. It was his job to listen to people pitch their business ideas, and after years of this, he noted that the best presentations, the ones that are more likely to close the deal, all followed a similar format, which he coined the 10-20-30 Rule. And this Rule is simple. • 10 Slides • 20 Minute Presentation • 30 Point minimum size font. That's it. According to Kawasaki, this setup gives you the best chance to impact the person or people you're presenting positively. Kawasaki was talking about people pitching business ideas to venture capitalists. But the same principle applies to you, a designer pitching your ideas to clients. Let's break it down the 10-20-30 Rule. Rule #1: 10 Slides. Kawasaki pointed out that it's tough for someone to comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting. If you try, you're more than most likely to confuse them. Follow the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid.) Limiting your presentation to only 10 slides or 10 sheets or pages does just that. Break your presentation down into 10 points, one per slide. Maybe something like this. • Slide 1: Your interpretation of who the client is. • Slide 2: Identifying the client's competition. • Slide 3: The Problem the client is facing. • Slide 4: The Solution you are proposing. • Slide 5: How your solution solves the client's problem. • Slide 6: Examples of your solution in place. • Slide 7: Projections and outcomes from Implementing your solution. • Slide 8: Timeline for the project. • Slide 9: Cost of the project. • Slide 10: Summary and call to action. This example uses a maximum of 10 slides, but you can do it in less, then all the better. Rule #2: 20 Minutes. It doesn't matter if you are allotted 30 minutes or an hour. Your actual presentation should take no more than 20 minutes. If you can't present your idea within that time frame, you're doing something wrong. Have you heard of TED Talks? Did you know that TED Talks have a maximum length of 18 minutes? TED organizers chose this time length based on neuroscience research that says 18 minutes is long enough for a speaker to flesh out their idea and short enough for a listener to take it in, digest what they are hearing, and understand all of the vital information. Not only that, but they know that shorter presentations require you to edit things down to the most important and relevant material. If you have more time allotted to you, use it for introductions and setting up your equipment. You should also leave time for Q&A after your presentation. Plus, you never know when an emergency might arise and cut the meeting short. 20 minutes is the ideal time to keep someone's interest in what you are showing them. Longer than 20 minutes, and you risk their mind wandering to other things and possibly missing critical points you're trying to make. Rule #3: 30-Pt Font. As a designer, I trust you know that slides or presentation papers are most effective when they contain very little wording. I'm hoping I don't have to explain that to you. This 10-20-30 Rule was written for people pitching a product or business idea, not for experienced designers. But just the same, it's something to remember when you create your presentation slides or handouts. Using a larger point size forces you to cut back on unnecessary verbiage. The only reason to have a smaller type on a slide is to cram on more text. But by doing so, your client may think you're not familiar with your material and that you need your slides to act as a teleprompter. And that, in turn, may make them feel like you are not invested in them. Not to mention, the more type you have on a slide, the more the client will focus on reading it and not listening to what you're saying. You know what I mean, we've all done it before—reading ahead while ignoring the presenter. Avoid this by using 30 point or larger fonts. Forget the bullet list and instead, tell your clients the key points. It will mean much more coming out of your mouth than words on a screen or sheet of paper. As a comparison, Steve Jobs, a great presenter in his time, insisted on a 96-point type on all his presentation slides. If it's good enough for a multi-billion company, it should be good enough for you. Bonus As a bonus to his 10-20-30 Rule, Guy Kawasaki also said that the most persuasive presentations he's sat through, typically used white type on a black or dark coloured background. The way he puts it is, anyone can put black type on a white background. It's the default in all programs. However, white type on a dark background is something you have to conscientiously, and shows that you've put effort into your presentation. Not to mention that white type on a dark background looks classier and is easier to read. Don't believe me? Think of movie credits. How often do you see black credits on a white background? Hardly ever. You can learn from that. Do you follow the 10-20-30 Rule? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Tip of the week Capture Full-Screen websites on your iPhone. If you are an iPhone user there's a nifty feature you may not know about. The ability to take full-page screenshots of webpages. In Safari, take a screenshot of any webpage. Edit the screenshot. At the top of the page, you can toggle between "Screen" and "Full Page". Selecting "Full Page" allows you to save the entire webpage as a PDF to your Files folder. This is a quick and easy way to capture the mobile view of any webpage.