By Jenn Zellers
5
22 ratings
The podcast currently has 15 episodes available.
Welcome to Season 2 Episode 6 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! I'm psyched about today's episode because we're going to be talking about something you don't hear a lot in creative business circles: how working for exposure can be GOOD for your business! Elizabeth, the artist behind By Elizabeth Hope, is joining me today to share how and when exposure can be truly beneficial for your business's bottom line and how to figure out when it's okay to work for exposure.
Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Elizabeth's intro, 1:03
"Exposure is the bad guy!" 2:05
Elizabeth's experiences with working for exposure, 2:45
How to find the right opportunities to work for exposure, 5:29
Know your audience before working for exposure, 6:57
Working for exposure when starting your creative business, 10:13
Working for exposure as practice for working with clients, 11:06
Should you get paid for other work before working for exposure? 12:41
One of the most effective digital marketing methods, 15:17
NEVER PAY TO WORK FOR EXPOSURE, 15:53
Get creative with the value from working for exposure, 17:51
How to use working for exposure as marketing, 18:26
How to use working for exposure as business networking, 21:02
Presenting yourself professionally while working for exposure, 21:41
Improving your creative business through working for exposure, 22:23
Choosing when and who to work for exposure, 24:22
Finding GREEN flags before working for exposure, 25:53
Other times to work for exposure, 27:01
Vetting someone before working for exposure, 28:47
Elizabeth's closing thoughts on working for exposure, 31:34
Where to connect with Elizabeth, 33:15
Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...
If you're working for exposure simply because you don't think anyone will pay you for your creative work - STOP. That is the worst time to work for exposure and it'll only degrade your confidence as a creative entrepreneur. We mentioned this several times in this episode because it's such an important point.
Some folks are confident enough in their creative work before they make a sale that it's okay for them to work for exposure before that. If that's not you, though, wait until you make a few sales before you seek out or accept exposure work. Knowing your own value will help you communicate that to your work-for-exposure clients and keep you from getting suckered into a bad experience.
Working for exposure can be good for creative entrepreneurs, but you have to know yourself. Give yourself a self-evaluation to determine if you're mentally ready to work for exposure or if you should wait.
You may have heard Elizabeth mention that SHE sought out her work-for-exposure clients, not the other way around. This is the opposite of most work-for-exposure stories. By seeking out her clients, Elizabeth was able to validate the opportunity before accepting it.
One of Elizabeth's key criteria for accepting a work-for-exposure project was the charities the project would support. When she and her client have a mutual goal for the project, it helps Elizabeth know they share some of the same values and that they aren't in it to take advantage of her.
Another good way to vet a client before working for exposure is to ask if they have a plan for marketing. If you can create a marketing plan with them before starting the project, you'll both be more likely to get good returns from the project. If they aren't willing to...
Welcome to Season 2 Episode 5 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! Crystal over at Crystal Clear Photography is a killer product photographer. If you're a product-based creative entrepreneur and you haven't checked out her work, you definitely should! I invited her onto the podcast today to share her best tips to help YOU improve your product photography. It doesn't have to be as hard as it may seem!
Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Crystal's intro, 0:59
How to improve your product photography lighting, 1:56
How to handle product photography shadows, 3:12
Should you use ring lights in product photography? 4:20
What to use instead of ring lights, 4:39
How to style your art photography or product photography, 7:03
Know your branding! Listen to Episode 2 of Season 2, 7:34
Why knowing your ideal audience is important for product photography, 7:57
How to use your ideal audience to style your product photography, 9:05
Tips for lifestyle product photography, 10:39
Taking photographs of your art, 12:08
Get even more product photography tips and tools! 12:27
Creating a story with your product photography and brand photography, 15:19
How to edit your product photographs, 16:21
Color temperature in product photography, 17:46
Should you use Lightroom on your phone? 19:07
Lightroom Mobile vs. desktop, 20:18
Storing your product photographs, 21:48
Make time to practice your product photography! 22:45
Check out Crystal's product photography course and presets, 23:32
Where to connect with Crystal, 24:59
Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...
A lot can be forgiven in product photography if you have good lighting. After all, if you can't see the product in the photo, you're probably going to ignore it! Crystal recommends using natural light as much as possible, but if you don't have access to a location with good natural light for your product photography, there are alternatives.
Crystal recommends avoiding ring lights unless you're doing beauty photography or something along those lines. However, softbox lighting kits are a great alternative that won't break the bank. I finally bought a softbox kit after Crystal and I recorded this episode and it's crazy how much of a difference it can make!
If all you can control is the lighting for your product photography, DO IT. It's the first step toward professional-looking product photos and can be the difference between someone buying your product or ignoring it.
Knowing who your ideal audience is can be an important factor when it comes to styling your product photography. Your ideal audience may be different than the audience of another creative entrepreneur and because of that, you may need to style your product photography differently than they do. If you style your product photography for the wrong audience, they won't connect with it and you could lose sales!
If you don't know your ideal audience's tastes very well, check out Episode 2 of this season and soak up Britt and Kelsey's tips. Establishing a solid brand, including knowing your ideal audience, can have a big...
Welcome to Season 2 Episode 4 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! I'm super excited to introduce you to Laura today. In case you missed the Accelerate Your Creative Biz Summit in spring 2019, Laura was one of the speakers and she had so many fantastic nuggets of wisdom that I knew I needed to have her on the podcast as well. Today, she's going to be giving you her best tips for increasing referrals - aka essentially free advertising! - to get new clients in your creative business. It may not be what you immediately think of, either, so don't miss this one!
Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Laura's intro, 1:04
Get access to Laura's summit session, 2:12
Laura's secret to increasing referrals, 2:59
Laura's story of increasing photography referrals, 4:27
How client experience helps increase referrals, 7:12
Can a neutral client experience decrease referrals? 9:08
Client communication is key! 10:32
Why you need a standardized client experience, 11:58
Do you use your clients' first names? 14:55
Do you struggle with email marketing? 16:19
Why managing your energy is crucial for referrals, 16:54
You can transfer your energy to your clients! 20:23
You need to create a referral program, 22:14
Be proactive and not reactive in your creative business, 25:20
Give memorable client gifts after a project, 27:35
Laura's closing thoughts on increasing referrals, 29:42
Where to connect with Laura, 33:15
Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...
No matter what kind of creative business you run, a good client experience can make or break when it comes to getting referrals. If someone has a bad client experience, you'll get negative word of mouth, but if they have a so-so client experience, they just won't talk about it at all! As Laura's experience shows, having a stellar client experience can net you dozens or even hundreds of additional referrals than you would get otherwise.
You can start with something as simple as addressing your potential clients by name. Do this in email, in person, and when referring to them on social media or to other people. That little bit of personalization can go a long way!
Do you provide a fantastic client experience for your customers? If it's not the kind of experience that they HAVE to tell their friends about (and thus send you referrals!), it's time to step up your game and make it outstanding!
Again, no matter what kind of creative business you have, this is key. Without a standardized workflow, it's a lot harder to provide a stellar client experience! You end up scrambling, forgetting things, and letting your clients down. And no one wants that!
If you don't have a workflow in place (and hopefully at least partially automated!), Laura and I strongly encourage you to get that set up. If you're a photographer, Laura has workflow guides, email templates, and more in her shop.
Bonus tip: if you're an artist, photographer, or designer, I highly recommend Dubsado to help you automate your workflows. It's a tool created for creative entrepreneurs by creative entrepreneurs that helps you with everything from lead capture to invoicing and workflow management. It can be a serious sanity saver!
Take a moment to create or update your creative business workflows today! Taking that time now can increase your referrals tenfold down the road.
It's easy to think that referrals will be organic and 'just...
Welcome to Season 2 Episode 2 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! In this episode, I talked with the amazing Britt and Kelsey from Launch Your Daydream, where they provide branding and web design for photographers. These ladies are pros at helping creative entrepreneurs master their branding and stand out in a crowded market. After they spoke at the Accelerate Your Creative Biz Summit, I knew this dynamic duo would be perfect for the podcast too. I can't wait to dive into branding with them, so let's get started!
Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Britt + Kelsey's intro, 0:57
Branding foundations, 6:14
The Brand Pizza, 6:59
Establishing your niche, 9:28
Fears and the importance of niching down, 12:09
-Take some things off your business plate!-, 14:00
How to niche down as an artist or maker, 14:38
Finding your differentiator, 19:30
Helping customers remember you, 22:44
A branding exercise for you! 26:20
Where to find Britt + Kelsey online, 26:32
Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...
Britt and Kelsey talked about their Brand PIzza framework and it's a great reminder that there's SO much more to branding for creative entrepreneurs (and really anyone!) than just having a good logo. Building a solid brand foundation is crucial to your branding success. Without a good foundation, your creative business 'house' is going to crumble eventually.
Don't rely on your logo or any single piece of your branding to carry you! Make sure to establish your brand foundation to make the most of your creative business.
Have you established your brand foundation? If not, it's not too late! Use the strategies and exercises Britt and Kelsey shared in this episode to create your own creative business brand foundation.
Do you take every client that comes your way or sell to every Joe Schmo that shows up to your booth at a craft fair? While that's fine at the beginning of a creative business, you don't want to do that forever. Finding a specific audience that you LOVE to serve can make or break your business!
When someone looks for a specific solution to their problem, whether it's finding a photographer for a special occasion or looking for the perfect art for their home, they want to find someone who's GREAT at that specific thing. Specializing in a particular area can actually help you get MORE clients, not less! When you're the go-to person in your creative business niche, it's easier for folks to refer you to new customers.
Have you figured out who your favorite customers are? If not, keep experimenting until you find them! Once you know who you want to work with or make your creative product for, focus on them.
Everyone has something that makes them different, even if you don't think that's the case. (I promise, it's true!) Britt and Kelsey shared some fantastic ways to find your own differentiator to help set your creative business apart from the crowd. If you're not sure what makes your creative business unique, it's time to dive in and figure it out!
If you haven't found your differentiator, grab a friend and find THEIR differentiators while they find yours. It's a great way to get an outside perspective on you and your creative business!
We've all had bad customer experiences, right? That's why having a fantastic client experience is so important as a...
If you want to take your creative side hustle full-time, you know it's a lot of work. Today's guest, Joyce from Modern Creative Pursuits, did just that, taking her calligraphy business from a side hustle to her thriving full-time career, and she's here to share her tips on how to make the transition to full-time. And even if you're not ready to go full-time, these tips can help you improve your side hustle, too!
Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Joyce's intro, 0:59
Taking All The Jobs, 4:20
Giving yourself grace, 5:40
When and how to educate yourself, 7:25
When Joyce hired a business coach, 9:08
What to do if you fall out of love with your business, 10:53
Outsourcing to boost business growth, 13:18
Automating to boost business growth, 15:20
Why community is key to business success, 17:40
It's going to be okay! 19:24
Where to connect with Joyce online, 19:55
Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...
It's really easy as creative entrepreneurs to get inside our own heads and feel like we have to do everything right - and get it right the very first time! The truth is, businesses change, sometimes on a daily basis. What you did last year likely won't be what or how you do it this year.
That's a good thing!
Without exploring your business and giving yourself grace when things don't go as expected, you won't be able to grow quite as well. Both Joyce and I have changed our business trajectories and we wouldn't exchange those 'failures' for the world!
Learn how to reframe your 'failures' into learning experiences. This isn't just a cliche - it's a way of life as a creative entrepreneur! Give yourself grace when things don't go to plan and roll with the punches.
Have you ever listened to one podcast episode or read one blog post... only to realize two hours later that you just kept going? That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you aren't implementing what you learned, you've wasted that time.
Joyce talked about how she used to consume, consume, consume other peoples' content. Even if she wasn't at a point in her business where she was ready to implement it, she consumed it for 'later, just in case.' If she had waited to consume that content until she was ready to implement, she could have implemented other strategies that might have gotten her to that point sooner.
If you find yourself consuming a lot of content (even this podcast), STOP. Take a moment to reflect on whether you can implement the education within the next quarter and if not, start a list (in Google Drive, Evernote, or wherever you take notes) of content you want to come back to. Categorize it so it's easy to find when you know you need advice on a particular topic, too!
When you're running your business by yourself, you can quickly end up feeling isolated. That isolation can in turn lead to despondency and eventually you just stop following through on business tasks because "hey, what does it really matter? No one's watching anyway." That's why community and accountability are so important for creative entrepreneurs!
If you aren't already plugged into a creative community, I invite you to join me over in The LAB for Creative Entrepreneurs Facebook group or join Joyce over in the Creative Biz Society Facebook group! Getting to know other creative entrepreneurs who will understand this crazy business journey can light a fire for your creative business.
Accountability is crucial to your...
Welcome to Season 1 Episode 9 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! Today I'm chatting with Mariah from Mariah Magazine. She's a web strategist and designer who helps entrepreneurs optimize their websites. Her business systems are a bit scattered, so she wants to get them whipped back into shape, both for her own sanity and so that she can confidently hire an assistant. We're going to talk about both the technical side and the personal side of creating systems and preparing to hire a VA.
Here is a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Mariah's intro, 0:26
Mariah's current systems and client process, 1:27
A new workflow - start with a lead capture form, 2:48
Splitting workflows for different target audiences, 3:28
Triggering workflows, 6:42
Systemizing the project process, 7:52
Getting content from clients! 11:20
Canned emails to improve processes, 12:11
Automatically creating tasks for you and clients in Dubsado, 12:56
Splitting and pausing workflows, 13:25
-Link to the Dubsado Facebook group we mentioned-
Getting processes and systems ready for a VA, 14:58
Managing a virtual assistant- email newsletters, 15:35
Prep your VA for your own brand of crazy! 16:40
Creating a system to assign and monitor VA tasks, 18:04
Give a new hire some adjustment time, 20:36
Document specific tasks for your new VA, 21:07
Don't be afraid to trial a few VA's, 22:08
Where to connect with Mariah! 24:57
Don't forget to grab your free trial of Dubsado to help you manage your clients and workflows!Let’s dive a little deeper into a few solutions to help you expand your local marketing and clients, though!
If you feel like you're going to pull your hair out when you think about all the moving parts in your client and project processes... it's time for an automated workflow. In this episode, I talked with Mariah about how she can turn her go-with-the-flow processes into a streamlined system. The tool I suggested was Dubsado because you can automate your entire workflow from start to finish!
For Mariah, that means she can embed a lead capture form on her website that allows the lead to select a field that will trigger a specific workflow within Dubsado. It then automatically takes the client through the proposal (based on what they selected in the lead capture form) to the contract and down payment on their invoice. Mariah can also build in some delay so that she can check in and make sure they're suited for the package they've selected. If not, she can pause the workflow, adjust things, and restart it.
Once they've paid the down payment, the client will move through the rest of the workflow. Dubsado can automatically create tasks for Mariah and her clients, enabling the clients to watch Mariah's process as she checks off tasks as well as get reminders to upload necessary content to their personal client portal. This can save Mariah HOURS of time that she would normally spend fielding emails about where she is in the process and trying to hunt down the content she needs to move forward with a project!
In other words, if you want more time to relax and enjoy NOT babysitting clients (hey, we've all been there), you need to automate...
Welcome to Season 1 Episode 8 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! In today's episode, I talked to Lyssy, a wonderful hand-letterer and calligrapher from Singapore. She has a great online following, but she wants to expand her local clients. We brainstormed ways that Lyssy can reach more of her local target market and grow her business!
Here is a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Lyssy's intro, 0:54
The problem of marketing yourself, 0:20
Promoting yourself authentically! 1:44
Lyssy's current promotion and marketing efforts, 1:58
Who is your target audience? 4:10
Honing on on ideal corporate clients, 5:03
Client outreach funnel for introverts, 5:42
Creating passive online income as a creative, 6:12
Setting your courses apart from the rest, 9:00
-Grab the secret weapon to more time in your business!- 12:35
Promoting yourself authentically over email, 13:20
Getting clients rather than just sales, 16:11
Finding complimentary service providers, 17:05
Connecting with business resource centers, 19:30
Thinking outside the box with partnerships, 20:22
Keep the wheels turning for new partnerships! 22:36
Where to connect with Lyssy! 23:35
Let’s dive a little deeper into a few solutions to help you expand your local marketing and clients, though!
Do you hate the term "selling yourself" as much as Lyssy and I do? It seems to be a buzzword in some circles, but it just feels icky. Rather than feeling sleazy while marketing your services, let's talk about promoting yourself authentically!
Approach your marketing efforts from a place of giving and connection. While you do need to make sales to pay the bills and all that, I'm betting that's not the only reason you're in business. You love what you do and you want to help your clients, right? That's where marketing starts. You're filling a need - in Lyssy's case, she's teaching people how to reach their own hand-lettering and calligraphy goals, as well as providing hand-lettering services to entrepreneurs and local businesses.
When Lyssy talks to these local businesses, she doesn't need to go in trumpeting her lettering prowess. That will speak for itself when she shows them her work! Instead, she can humbly approach the business owners and show them how her services can help them improve their client experience and grow their own business.
If you approach marketing from a place of giving and connection, you'll be able to promote yourself authentically.
If you're an introverted entrepreneur, you're not alone! One of the great things about working for yourself is... well, working for yourself. Your social reservoir doesn't have to be depleted just by doing your work and that's great. However, you do still have to find and connect with new clients to keep your business going and that can be a huge challenge for introverts.
In this episode, I introduced Lyssy to my own client outreach 'funnel.' That's the best term I've come up with for it, but it's essentially just an organic form of outreach that makes connections easier. To get started, you can send a simple letter or postcard, introducing the business owner to your services. They may or may not read it; that's okay either way. The point is that you sent it and maybe they at least glanced at it.
A few days after you expect your note was delivered, you can follow up by phone or email. Just tell them you're following up on the note you sent a few days ago; have they had a chance to look at it? Even if they haven't, it still gives you a connection point to tell them a bit about your services or products and how it can benefit them.
From there, you can set up a meeting with them or, if you don't get hold of them during the follow-up phase, you can go to their business in person. It's much harder to ignore an actual person than it is a phone call or email! You may even decide to skip the second phase if the business is somewhere you frequent. Regardless of which steps you take, sending the first point of contact gives you something to talk about right away. This eliminates the awkward tension that can arise from a cold call. Hooray!
Give the client outreach 'funnel' a try and see how it goes. You might be surprised!
Don't stop with the ideas you come up with yourself. Ask your friends, family, and business acquaintances where your services might be helpful. Having a referral can be huge, and even if it's just a suggestion of somewhere that your friend or family member knows of, it's still a starting point.
Asking for suggestions also keeps the wheels in your head turning. By the time we wrapped up this episode, Lyssy was excited and coming up with even more ideas for potential clients! Her sister had sparked one of those ideas and it snowballed from there.
Don't discount suggestions from those you know. They often know you best and can have fantastic ideas!
P.S. You can get your free trial of Dubsado (and save 30% off your first month or year if you end up subscribing) by clicking this sentence and signing up!
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Welcome to Season 1 Episode 7 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! In today's episode, I talked to Amber, a fantastic wedding photographer from Arizona. She knows who her ideal client is, but has been having trouble finding and connecting with them. We brainstormed some ideas to help Amber grow her photography business so she can go full-time!
Here is a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Amber's intro, 0:52
Finding Amber's ideal clients, 1:39
Amber's current marketing and outreach efforts, 3:04
Expanding services and client follow-up, 6:10
Partnering with other local businesses, 7:10
Capitalizing on special interest groups, 8:12
Localizing your online efforts, 9:00
-How to automate your workflow/process!- 9:29
Local networking while having fun! 10:35
Optimizing your vendor email funnel, 11:25
Setting yourself apart from the masses, 14:14
Incentivizing interaction from qualified leads, 15:55
Where to connect with Amber! 18:38
Let’s dive a little deeper into a few solutions to help you connect with your ideal clients, though!
When you're working towards freelancing full-time, your signature service might need some boosters to get you started. Amber's main service is wedding photography and she supplements it with engagement sessions. One of the things she can do to expand her services and keep her clients connected with her is to offer anniversary sessions. It's a natural progression from wedding photography - Amber's clients will already be familiar and comfortable with her, after all!
By doing something as simple as adding a client's wedding date to her calendar with a yearly reminder and then sending a Happy Anniversary card with a 10% off coupon before their anniversary date, she could start to book consistent return clients for anniversary photography. People like to be remembered, even if it's just a quick handwritten note with a memory of their wedding. This is a simple action that could have a huge return on investment!
Go beyond what you already offer and find complimentary services. These little extras and personal touches can set you apart from your competition and bring your clients back time and again!
Networking DOES NOT have to be a drag or a chore. There are so many ways to organically network. After all, one of the first questions that many people ask after meeting someone is, "So what do you do?" This is the perfect opportunity to tell them what you're up to in your freelancing career without being pushy or salesy. If Amber goes to a Harry Potter trivia night at a local bar, she'll meet plenty of other Potter nerds. When they ask what she does and she responds that she's a wedding photographer, there may be someone who says, "Oh my gosh, my best friend Suzy just got engaged and you guys would get along so well! Can I have a business card?"
Don't write off organic networking opportunities! They can be even more powerful for client referrals than traditional networking.
Getting leads is great, but if they aren't qualified (aka aren't your ideal client), they can end up being a waste of time for both of you. Amber had gotten a great response to a date night giveaway that she did at a bridal show,
Welcome to Season 1 Episode 6 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! In today's episode, I talked to Anni, a creative consultant for ethical and sustainable businesses. She has a mish-mash of tools cobbled together to form a makeshift client onboarding procedure, but it isn't her dream system. Anni would like to move her client onboarding to a single program (i.e. a client relationship management system like Dubsado) as much as possible, but she first wants to have a concrete plan in place for how to set it up. That's what we're talking about on Sparking Growth today!
Here is a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:
Anni's intro, 00:55
Anni's current client onboarding system, 1:40
Dubsado: Anni's new CRM, 3:43
How workflows will help Anni's client onboarding, 4:40
Reducing your email inbox overload within Dubsado, 7:12
Setting up a new client onboarding system within Dubsado, 8:24
Budgeting and why a CRM like Dubsado is worth the cost, 10:41
The importance of a CRM's customer service, 12:43
Back to the client onboarding workflow! 14:05
Invoicing and accounting in Dubsado, 15:36
-If you're looking for an accountant, here's the link I mentioned for my accountant Shaneh!- (Don't forget to tell her I sent you. ?)
Dubsado's 3-client trial, 17:50
-Here's the link we mentioned for Dubsado's Facebook group-
Dubsado's canned emails and free template library, 20:33
-Here's the link I mentioned for Dubsado's list of upcoming features-
Where to find Anni! 22:42
Let’s dive a little deeper into a few solutions to help you improve your client onboarding system, though!
Whether or not you have a system in place already, moving to a CRM like Dubsado can drastically improve your client experience and reduce the administration time you have to spend on each project. Dubsado works for SO many types of businesses - photographers, consultants, coaches, even retail locations! By setting up workflows within a CRM, you can streamline your system and make it seamless for your clients.
For example, Anni could set her workflows up like this:
A lead fills out the inquiry form on her website → Dubsado sends them an emailing thanking them for their inquiry along with a questionnaire based on which service they selected on the inquiry form → Once the questionnaire is filled out, they receive an email with Anni's scheduling link
As of the time of this writing, Dubsado's upcoming built-in scheduling tool isn't available yet, but once it is, these two workflows would merge. For now, after Anni meets with the lead, she could trigger a second workflow that could look something like this:
After the meeting, Dubsado sends the client Anni's proposal → If the client accepts, they just have to sign and initial as indicated → Dubsado automatically signs the...
The podcast currently has 15 episodes available.