#41 Is your MO to respond immediately to calls, e-mails and texts from clients? Stop! You're not helping yourself or your client by being so fast to reply. In this Creative Brief episode, I cover 5 reasons freelance designers shouldn't respond to clients right away.

#40 A lot of designers have heard about niching but are hesitant to do it. Stephanie Campanella, who's built several profitable niched-based businesses, talks about why she niched her business, how she did it, and the benefits of niching.

#39 Designers have to pay attention to details. Clients don't want to babysit, and you don't want to feel like they're looking over your shoulder. Find out what to check before sending design proofs to keep your work sharp and have you looking like an expert.

#38 Native design files are a designer's secret recipe, yet some designers hand them over free of charge. But, unless it's a work for hire, you have every right to charge for these files. Find out why clients want them, why you should charge for them and more

#37 In this Creative Brief episode, I get into 7 things graphic designers can do during dry spells. These efforts could help you win more work now or in the future. Some of these are more active, some are more passive, and some you can do on an ongoing basis.

#36 Paul Koullick from Keeper joins me to talk about tax write-offs that freelance graphic designers might miss. Find out if you're forgetting any of them and find out what you need to know about estimated taxes.

#35 Ever get stuck in a creative rut? No more! Here are 45 ways to get design inspiration whether it's for a logo, typographic, print or web design project.

#34 Guest Amy Celona talks about how she crafted a custom web design package, how it solves her audience's problems and how she made it profitable. She also talks about how she gets little pushback with design changes and saves time on proposals.

#33 This Creative Brief episode is about proofreaders' marks—what they mean to graphic designers and how to decode them if and when you get them from a client, proofreader or editor.

#32 Your freelance business does not need to feel like a circus. But you do need to be the ringleader. Here are 6 types of problem clients and how to fire them. I'll also talk about when it's not you, not them, who is the reason for the breakup.