Resourceful Designer: Strategies for running a graphic design business

Are you moving the needle and growing your design business?

Let me ask you a question. What have you done today, this week, this month that will help propel your design business? How are you moving the needle towards future growth and sustainability?

Isn't that a funny saying; "Moving the needle"? It means making a significant difference, having a measurable statistic that will change as a result of an action.

So let me ask you again, how are you moving the needle for your graphic or web design business? What actions are you taking that will produce a measurable change in the statistics of your business?

Statistics such as:

• Getting more clients.
• Increasing your revenue
• Streamlining your processes.

What are you doing to move your business forward?

Businesses are like sharks.

Just like a shark can't sit still or it will die, for a business to prosper, it needs to make advancements. it needs to look forward towards the future, It needs to evolve.

Think of car companies such as Ford or Honda. They don't just develop a new car and let it be. No, every year they make advancements and evolve each one of their models. The 2020 Ford Edge or Honda Civic is better than the 2019 models which were better than the 2018 models.

Subway, the biggest restaurant chain in the world, even larger than McDonalds, did not get to where they are by riding the status quo and always offering the same sandwiches.

No, all these companies grew, because they evolved with the times, they experimented, they introduced new options and features. These companies are continually moving the needle.

Now I don't expect your design business to compare on the same levels as Subway, Ford or Honda. But if you're not consciously trying to improve your business, there's a good chance others who are will surpass you.

Even if you are happy with the current state of your business, if you're lucky enough to be making a decent living and you have plenty of clients to keep you busy, that doesn't mean it will always be that way.

If it did, your town or city would have a family run general store instead of a Walmart or other big-box chain.

No matter how great your design business may be right now, you can never forget that even the best clients can shut down, reduce their design budget or even find another designer.

New technologies and software are always emerging, that makes our jobs easier, but they also make it easier for clients to do things on their own, requiring less and less of our services.

And as time goes by, you'll need to adjust your income to accommodate your ever-changing lifestyle, not to mention inflation who's steady pace seems to be a sprint.

It's great to be happy with the current state of your business, as long as you don't get complacent. Avoid getting into habits and routines that keep you in the status quo. If you do, you'll find that eventually you'll become out of the loop and be outdated.

So how do you move the needle?

• Make sure you stay up to date with technology and trends.
• Learn a new skill that makes you more valuable to your clients.
• Find new avenues to promote your business.
• Become more involved with your existing client's business.
• Streamline your process and become more efficient.
• Build a team that can help you evolve and grow.

Once again let me ask you. What are you doing to move the needle for your design business? Take one step today that'll help you in the long run. That's what moving the needle is all about.

Growing a business is a journey; you need to do it one step at a time. Even a baby step still counts.

How do you plan on moving the needle for your design business?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Tip of the week Professional Head Shots

Clients always prefer dealing with a person over a faceless company. Having your photo visible on your website creates that sense of intimacy clients seek when hiring a designer. Seeing your face gives them comfort that they are dealing with a real person.

Since you only get one chance to make a first impression, why not give it the best shot you can by having your photo taken by a professional photographer. Not only will a professional photographer capture the best you, but visitors to your website will see that you take your business seriously enough to invest in professional photos.

Listen to the podcast on the go.

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Contact me

I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

I want to help you.

Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at [email protected]

Do you have a YES attitude when it comes to accepting design projects?

If you want to grow as a designer, you need to embrace a YES attitude when it comes to dealing with prospective design projects.

I'm hearing more and more designers, both graphic and web, who turn down projects because the job doesn't fit their skill set. It frustrates me when I hear this. It frustrates me because I've been there and I've done that.

When my design business was still relatively new, I turned down several projects and several clients because I didn't know how to do what they were asking.

I turned down a $50K website project because I wasn't comfortable enough with my knowledge of PHP and MySQL. I wasn't sure I was capable of doing the job and was afraid to try. I'm not an illustrator, so when projects requiring illustration came my way, I would turn them down.

It frustrates me now knowing how much work I turned away, and how many possible great clients I ended up not working with because I didn't have the skills for the job, so I turned them down.

I wish I knew then what I know now. Running a design business as a solopreneur, all by yourself doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself. Yes, you should take every opportunity to learn and expand yourself as a designer, but in some cases, the best option is to team up with someone proficient in the skills you lack.

Every independent designer requires a team.

In episode 77 of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I talked about how being a self-employed designer requires a team effort, how every independent designer needs to have an arsenal of peers and associates with complimenting skill sets to fill in the gaps that they have.

That's where embracing a yes attitude comes in. And it's simple. When a client asks you if you can do something, say yes even if you don't know how to do it.

Saying yes to one of these projects can open incredible doors for you. If it's doable, use the project to learn the skill you are lacking and add it to your repertoire. If it's not something you can or want to learn, find someone who can do it for you.

When I started embracing a yes attitude, it propelled my design business by leaps and bounds. I embraced a yes attitude and stopped turning down jobs on the pretense that I wasn't sure I could do them.

This doesn't mean you should take on every single job presented to you. There are still plenty of valid reasons to turn down design projects. What I'm saying, is to embrace a yes attitude for projects that sound great but that you're not sure how to do. Then figure out how to do them yourself, or figure out who can do them for you.

Grow as a designer.

Since embracing a yes attitude, I've had a client ask me if I could add their logo to a photo and make it look like a neon sign. I've had a client ask me if I could create a realistic-looking 3D type heading and make it look like it was on fire, with realistic flames. I've had a client ask me to create a title heading for their poster with the words made out of stacked ice cubes.

I didn't have the foggiest idea of how to do these things when I took on the jobs. But when they asked me I readily said yes, I could do that. And you know what? I figured out how.

You don't need to know how to do something beforehand to get it done. Learn along the way.

Grow your design entourage.

Since embracing a yes attitude I've had clients ask me for e-commerce websites, I've had clients ask me for illustrations, for video. In each case, I found someone who could do those things for me and delivered the job.

Saying yes to a client doesn't mean you have to do it yourself. It just means you can get the job done.

Solve the problem.

Remember, as a designer; you're a problem solver. It's your job to provide a solution to what your clients want or need. Solution, that's the keyword. A solution indicates that the answer is unknown and you must discover it. This challenge applies to every design project.

So the same way the answer is unknown, the skills and knowledge required to complete a project may be unknown at the start as well.

Part of finding that solution may be trying to figure out how you're going to get something done that you don't know how to do. Say yes, and then find the solution.

When you say yes to one of these design projects, you end up adding to your skill set, your repertoire, possibly to your portfolio, and of course, to your reputation.

Clients will appreciate you.

I know some designers feel like this is being deceitful to their clients. However, a client doesn't care if it was you or someone you oversaw that completed the work as long as they are happy with the outcome.

Think of it this way, whenever someone is having surgery, they want to know who the doctor operating is. But surgeons never operate alone. They have a team assisting them and doing things the doctor can't or shouldn't be doing themselves.

The same goes for your design business; you're the "design surgeon"; the client is hiring you. They don't need to know who your team is because they're putting their trust in you. As long as you deliver, they'll be happy, and they'll keep coming back.

All because you embraced a yes attitude.

What was the last project you took on that you didn' have the skill set for?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Questions of the Week

Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page.

This week's question comes from Christie

I have a question. Many times when I'm asked to do a new project, there are elements of the project that I don't know how to do. One guy needs a video along with his marketing, another needs illustration, etc. My experience is designing websites, brochures, email, mailers and I don't feel I'm very good with logos. I also don't know video, have a great camera or know how to do the backend of a website. All of these things would have been done for me at companies I've worked at before, and my freelance projects have been so random that I'm continually learning new skills. It's nice, but sometimes I don't know what to do in those scenarios since I don't know a lot of other freelancers. Can you recommend some resources or best practice? I'm just starting out.

To find out what I told Christie you'll have to listen to the podcast.

Resource of the week Your Local Library

Your local library can be an excellent opportunity for you and your design business. We often forget all the great resources libraries offer. Libraries are great for learning, getting inspiration, self-improvement, hosting presentations, and so much more.

Enquire with your local library to see what services they offer that you could incorporate into your life.

Listen to the podcast on the go.

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Contact me

I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

I want to help you.

Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at [email protected]

Finding clients at niche conferences

I had planned a different topic for this week, but after attending Podcast Movement last week, I want to share my experiences hoping they can help with your design business.

Here's a little background.

I've attended five out of the six years Podcast Movement has been around. The first year I couldn't attend, but I did purchase a virtual ticket so technically I've been part of all of them.

The first one I went to was in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2015. That was before I launched Resourceful Designer. At that time I was a TV Show Fan podcaster, in fact, I still am. If you're a fan of the science fiction television shows Killjoys or The Expanse you can check out my fan podcasts on my network at Solo Talk Media.

In 2016 I attended Podcast Movement as both a TV Show fan podcaster and as host of Resourceful Designer. But my attendee badge still listed me as Mark Des Cotes from Solo Talk Media. I changed that In 2017 and 2018. When I attended those conferences, I made sure Resourceful Designer was front and center since it was my main podcast.

Attending the conferences as the host of Resourceful Designer started to get my name out there as a designer. After all, I was doing a podcast related to the design industry, so I must be a designer, right?

What started happening was whenever the topic of podcast artwork or websites came up, my name got passed around. It would be in the context of, "you need artwork, or you need a website? Mark is a designers, maybe he could help you." Sure, my name was shared, but so was every other designer out there.

A change of strategy.

This year I did something different. In February 2019, I launched Podcast Branding; a company focused on providing professional design services to podcasters.

I've talked about niches in episodes 54 and episode 93 of the Resourceful Designer podcast. Not to mention my interview with Craig Burton in episode 174 where we talked about his work in the School Branding niche. I decided to take my advice and started a company that focused on the podcast niche. Podcast Branding was born.

Attending the conference.

At a podcast conference, the icebreaker question whenever you meet someone new is, "do you have a podcast?" After all, the majority of attendees either have a podcast or are thinking of starting one.

So at Podcast Movement, when someone asked me, "do you have a podcast?" I answered, "Yes, but I'm here promoting my company Podcast Branding," and the rest of the conversation focused on their branding needs and the services I offer.

Before I knew it, my name was being passed around to anyone interested in podcast artwork or websites. People were tapping me on the shoulder, saying, "so-and-so said I should talk to you." In some cases, I didn't even know who the "so-and-so" who referred me was.

These conversations usually ended with them asking me for my business card so they could reach out to me after the conference. Throughout the four day conference, I quickly gained recognition, not as Mark, the graphic designer who can possibly help you. But as Mark, the guy who specializes in artwork and websites for podcasters. I was the "podcast designer."

It just goes to show you that being available to a niche and actively focusing on a niche are two different things. For years, I was available to podcasters for their design needs. It wasn't until I decided to focus and target podcasters that things took off.

And for the record, I landed several new clients at the conference, and even more emails with "Hi Mark, I met you at Podcast Movement." are starting to come in.

I put my money where my mouth is and took my advice. I attended a conference where my target market was. I promoted a business that focuses on that target market, and my name is now slowly spreading amongst that market as THE person to talk to when it comes to their branding needs.

It could work for you.

If you target a particular niche, even as a side gig, the best thing you can do is go where your target market is. After all, what better place to network, than a large gathering of your ideal target market?

Find a conference in your niche market and try to attend. Before you know it, your name may become known as THE designer for that niche.

Clients know the added value of working with a designer who specializes in their industry and are willing to invest more in hiring them.

Have you ever attended a conference to pick up clients?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Questions of the Week

Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page.

This week's question comes from Juliane

I'm curious if you have any resources on how to charge sales tax for prints?

To find out what I told Juliane you'll have to listen to the podcast.

Tip of the week Dealing with stubborn or difficult clients.

Sometimes, it's easier to make a client happy by doing what they ask, even if it goes against your better design judgement. It's not worth arguing with them and possibly pushing them away just to make your point.

The client is always right, even when you secretly know how wrong they are.

Listen to the podcast on the go.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio

Contact me

I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

I want to help you.

Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at [email protected]

Are you promoting your design business through social media?

[sc name="pod_ad"]Many designers don't know how to use social media to attract design clients. They post their work hoping to attract business, but all they get is a following of fellow designers. Does this sound familiar?

I'm by no means an expert on social media. That's why I invited Andéa Jones of OnlineDrea to join me and help clear the confusion of attracting clients via social media. Andréa is a social media strategist who helps businesses build their online presence through targeted social media and content marketing solutions.

Andréa is also the founder of the Savvy Social School, where she shares her proven strategies for succeeding on social media. Savvy Social School helps businesses to stop wasting time on social media and finally get more attention, leads, and sales from their online community. Through the strategies she teaches, you learn to build a following of people who will hire you for your design services. As a Resourceful Designer listener, save $20 off the monthly membership fee.

Here are some of the topics you'll hear us discuss in this episode.

• Building your social media presence.
• Social media platforms should you use.
• The Power of LinkedIn.
• Narrow down or diversify your social media presence.
• How much time to devote to social media.
• Attracting and converting followers into clients.
• Best times to post to social media.
• What content works best for social media.
• What language to use in your posts.
• Using #hashtags.
• Turning a sigle case study into multiple social media posts.
• Are paid social media ads worth it.
• And so much more.

Here are the tools Andréa recommends for managing social media.

• Social Report
• Later
• Cyfe
• Asana

Are you successfully using social media to grow your design business?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Listen to the podcast on the go.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio

Contact me

I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

I want to help you.

Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at [email protected]

Are you competing with discount designers?

Let me start by saying that I've never lost a client to discount designers. I've had clients question my higher prices, but in the end, they ended up hiring me. I know that many designers have difficulty justifying their costs to their clients so I thought I would share what I do when a client asks "Why should I hire you when I can get that designed cheaper elsewhere?"

This is a follow up to last week's episode - Stop Competing On Prices. In it, I explained why lowering your design prices to compete with discount designers is not a sustainable way to run a design business. If you haven't listened to that episode, I suggest you do before continuing with this one.

I don't have a ready-made checklist or prepared response for when a client questions my prices compared to discount designers. Instead, I follow these guidelines.

Encourage the client to inquire about discount design sources.

I never tell a client with my true feelings about these discount design services. Doing so would seem petty and expected. After all, of course, I want their business, so why wouldn't I badmouth the "competition?"

Instead, I encourage my clients to look into whatever service they mentioned. Even if it's another local designer. Here's something I might say:

"I think you would be better off with me because I'm going to take the time to get to know you and your business before designing anything for you. By getting to know your business and its pain points, I'll be able to direct my creative energy to find the perfect design solutions for your problems. I understand if you need to consider your budget and decide to look into (insert cheap designer source here), however, if you do decide to hire them instead of me, I want to make sure you get what you truly need."

This response shows the client that I have their best interest in mind even if it means losing them as a client.

Coach the client on what to look for.

If I were to send a client off without any instructions, I would probably lose them on price alone. After all, why pay multiple times the price for what you believe is the same service. However, by coaching the client on what to look for and what to look out for, I help them make a more informed decision. Here's a conversation I might have with them:

As you're looking into (discount designers platform) for your design project, here are some things you'll want to know before deciding who to hire.

1) Are they using clip art?

According to most licenses, clip art is not allowed to be used in logos. Not all, but many of the discount designers on these platforms use clip art to speed up their process and keep their costs down. You can run into legal problems if the designer you choose uses clip art. Don't take their word that they don't. Once you see the initial proof of your job, it's your responsibility to check it against the various clip art catalogues to ensure you can legally use the design.

2) Is it copyrighted material?

Clip art isn't the only thing you need to watch out for. Make sure that whatever they design for you is not stolen from someone else, or that there isn't something almost identical out there that could again, lead to legal troubles. Some of the designers on these platforms have been known to steal other people's designs and pass them off as their own.

3) What files are they providing?

Make sure you are getting the proper files and resolutions for everything you need now, and for everything you may need in the future. Some discount designers only supply you a screen resolution JPG file. You'll want to ensure you choose someone who will also provide you with hi-res and/or vector files.

4) Are they willing to talk to you?

For a designer to do a good job, they need to know their client. Try to have a conversation with the designer you want to hire so they can fully understand you and your business. You'll know a good designer because they'll want to get to know you a bit before designing anything for you. Anyone who doesn't want to talk with you first, doesn't care about you or your business, all they care about is pumping out a design as fast as possible, because the quicker they can do it, the more money they make and the quicker they can forget about you and move on to the next client.

5) Do they charge for extras?.

Be careful of prices and add ons. A lot of discount designers advertise inexpensive designs and then charge you extra for things that professional designers include at no additional charge — items such as vector files or higher resolution files needed for print. In the end, you may end up paying multiple times what you thought it was going to cost. Make sure you find out all the prices upfront and ensure you are getting everything you need.

If you keep these things in mind when you're choosing your designer, you shouldn't have a problem. I'm here if you have any questions. Good luck.

By providing this list of things to look out for, I'm helping the client make a better decision and ensuring they are not losing out. It shows that I have their best interest in mind.

Results

As I said at the start, I've had several clients question my prices and bring up Fiverr or 99 Designs. And yet I've never lost a client to those or any other discount design platform. The trick is to be helpful and even encourage them to have a look.

If you take a defensive position and start bad mouthing discount designers, the client won't take you seriously. They'll think you're only saying those things because you want their business. Which they are correct in their thinking, regardless of how truthful you are about those discount graphic design services. You do want their business, after all.

But by being helpful, and encouraging them, they see that you have their best interest at heart, and that is a HUGE influencer in their decision-making process. A known relationship, even an unstarted potential one, is way stronger than an unknown faceless person at the other end of a text chain to who knows where.

In all my years, I've only had one client follow through and try to get something done on 99 designs. A couple of months later, he hired me after his failed experiment. For everyone else, they quickly dismissed the idea and hired me. Maybe I scared them with all the things to look out for, or perhaps they just appreciated the way I handled myself. Regardless, they all became my clients in the end.

So that's how I usually handle the question of "why should I hire you when I can get this done cheaper over there?"

How do you handle it with clients challenge your prices vs. discount designers?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Resource of the week 4-Week Marketing Boost

The Four Week Marketing Boost! is a free guide I created that will help you strengthen your marketing position, boost your brand's awareness & social presence and ultimately ensure you are in tip-top shape to offer a best first impression to potential new clients.

This guide is divided into 20 short actions that comfortably fit into your regular day and are designed to take as little time away from your client work as possible. Although you can complete these exercises quickly, it is recommended you tackle only one per day, spending no more than 30 minutes per task. After completing this four-week plan, you will be in a better position to present yourself to, and win over new clients.

You can download the Four Week Marketing Boost for free by visiting marketingboost.net. Or, if you are in the U.S.A., you can text the word MARKETINGBOOST to 44222.

Improve your business' image and create the best first impression possible to attract more clients.

Lowering your prices can hurt your design business.

I was talking to a fellow designer recently who is concerned about competing on prices. He asked me what I do if a client says they can pay less for a logo at Fiverr, Upwork, 99 Designs, or any other discount design platforms.

This isn't the first time I've heard this concern from a designer. You may have experienced this exact thing with your clients questioning your prices compared to discount design sources.

The fact of the matter is, competing on prices is a no-win scenario. There's no way that you can compete with the prices these places offer. Ok, maybe that's not true. Sure you could lower your price to their level, but what would it accomplish? You would be selling your services for a pittance, and cementing yourself in a rut that would be difficult to escape. Competing on prices is not a sustainable way to run, let alone grow, your design business.

I'm going to make this a two-part series. Next week I'm going to explain how I respond to clients who say, "I can get it cheaper elsewhere."

For now, I want to explain why competing on prices is a harmful and unsustainable way to run your business.

It all comes down to this. If you offer rock bottom prices, you will never be taken seriously as a designer, let alone a business owner.

If you try to match the pricing found on places like Fiverr or Upwork or 99 Designs, You'll end up developing an unfavourable reputation that will be extremely difficult to overcome. You'll have a tough time trying to raise your prices in the future, which you will need to do if you plan on making a decent living at this design life.

Are you familiar with the concept of a "dollar store"? There's probably at least one, if not many around where you live. The premise of a dollar store is that just about everything they sell costs between one to three dollars. They're known as cheap discount stores.

Dollar stores have a reputation for selling cheap merchandise. Not just in price, but in quality as well. After all, just how good can a $2 butcher's knife or a $1 mini speaker be? And These stores are ok with that reputation. They make no claims that they are anything but what they are. Dollar stores don't make their money by selling quality products; they make it by selling quantities of products. They make their money one dollar at a time.

Could you imagine if all of a sudden a dollar store decided to sell a crystal wine decanter for $50? Their customers would question the validity of that product. There must be something wrong with the decanter, or it must be sub-par in some way. Nobody would take them seriously, let alone believe the decanter is worth $50. It's a dollar store, after all. And their reputation for selling cheap merchandise for low prices would hurt them.

That's what happens to your design business when you try to compete by lowering your prices. Nobody will take you seriously as a designer, especially if you later decide to raise your rates.

So how do you deal with discount designers taking clients away from you? The answer is easy; stop competing with them. In fact, and this may sound weird to you, but if you feel discount designers are your direct competition, the best solution is to raise your prices.

Wait; what? How can raising prices help in this situation? I'm glad you asked.

I talked about this in an early episode of Resourceful Designer. In it, I explained how Raising your prices can lead to getting better graphic design work and more committed clients.

Recently I was listening to Tom Ross's Honest Entrepreneur podcast, episode 87, to be specific. Tom is the founder of Design Cuts. He was on episode 155 of Resourceful Designer where we talked about supplementing your income by selling design products.

Tom mentioned an excellent point in episode 87 of his show. The biggest issue with pricing low is that the lower your price, the more designers you're competing with.

Tom permitted me to use this image, depicting his idea.

Looking at this hypothetical chart, would you want to be competing against 10 million designers for a client that will pay you $10? Or would you prefer to compete against 50,000 designers for a client that will pay you $1,000?

Because there are so many designers charging lower prices, a client has more leverage over you. If they're not happy with what you're offering, they can very easily find a different designer for the job at the same or even lower price. And since the cost is so little, the client doesn't care where they get it from, as long as they get it.

However, clients with a $1k or $10k budget have much fewer designers from whom to choose. So when they find one they like, they tend to stick with them.

As you can see, offering low prices not only diminishes your income, but it drastically increases the number of designers you're competing with. Why would you want to be in that situation?

By ignoring all the discount designers and raising your prices, you diminish your competition, increase your income, and you earn the respect of those clients who hire you.

Paraphrasing what Tom said on his podcast,

"Increasing your prices goes way beyond just earning more money; it makes everything else about running and growing your design business easier."

Now you know why you shouldn't be competing on prices, and why, if you find yourself doing so, the answer is to raise your design prices.

Unfortunately, your clients don't always understand these same reasons. Next week, I'm going to share how I handle it when clients bring up the option of discount designers. And I'll give you a little tease. You may be surprised by what I tell them.

Have you ever raised your prices and discovered you had less competition and better clients.

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Resource of the week Resourceful Designer Community

The Resourceful Designer Community is an active community of designers with a common goal, a goal of improving and growing their design business.

The Community is for designers of any levels. Current members include designers just starting their business, members with agency experience, members with knowledge of web design and print design, all willing to share what they know.

The Community interacts via a private and very active Slack group, with new conversations happening every day.

There are also regular video meetings. These video chats are where the magic happens. By seeing each other's faces and interacting directly with each other, members become closer and more invested in what each of their fellow members is doing with their business. If a member can't make the live video chats, they can view the recording which is archived for members to watch at their convenience.

If have your own design business or are thinking of starting one, regardless of your skills as a designer, and you are looking for a tight-knit group of designers to help you by being mentors, confidants and friends, then you need to be part of the Resourceful Designer Community.

Turning down design work.

The idea may seem foreign to you. Especially if you're relatively new to running your design business. If you're at a stage in your freelance career where you're trying to establish yourself, you're trying to get your name out there; you're trying to make ends meat and pay your bills, then you might not be ready for this concept. Turning down design work may not be in your best interest right now.

However, if you plan on growing your design business to be more than a commodity, more than selling your time for money, then there will come a time when you will need to stop and think, "Is this a design project I want to take on?"

You see, the goal for most home-based designers is to become successful enough to be in high demand. The type of demand where you are booking new clients and new design projects weeks, possibly months in the future. The kind of demand where a client is willing to wait several weeks for you instead of finding a designer that can start on their project sooner.

When I was hand-coding websites, there were times when I was booking two to three months ahead. I don't see that as much these days since WordPress makes it much quicker to design a website, but demand is still there. And when there's demand, it means there's an abundance of work coming in. And when there's an abundance of work coming in, you can afford to be choosy in the type of projects you take on, and which projects you turn down.

But how do you choose?

I'm going to give you three criteria. Each criteria is made up of a few simple yes or no questions. Asking yourself these questions can help you decide "is this a design project I want to take on?"

Criteria # 1 Yes or no?

• Does this project sound fun or interesting?
• Will it be challenging?
• Will it push me?
• Will it make me learn new skills?

Is the project to design an event poster for a new upcoming festival, or is it to format a company's 80-page code of conduct manual? One of these two projects sounds fun and challenging and can push you to learn new skills. The other, not so much. You need to decide if the project is a YES or a NO.

Criteria # 2 Yes or no?

• Will this project get me a foot in the door?
• Will it lead to other work?
• Will it lead to more interesting work?
• Will it connect me with people I want to connect with?

What will the future hold for you by taking on this project? If it's an entry to bigger and better things, then it's a definite YES. Otherwise, it's a NO.

Criteria # 3 Yes or no?

• Is this project profitable?
• Will I make money on it?
• Will it bring me recognition or reward?
• Is it worth my time?

Note: Being profitable and making money are not always the same thing. Profitable can mean the project is advantageous, or helpful to you in some way besides monetary income. If you're trying to break into a particular niche, maybe adding a niche related project to your portfolio is worth more to you right now than the money you'll make on the project.

Adding up the answers.

Ask yourself these criteria questions before every new design project. If you answered YES to all three criteria, then the design project sounds like a dream job and you should accept it.

If you answered YES to two of the three criteria, then you should highly consider taking on the project. It sounds like an ideal job for you.

If you answered YES to only one of the three criteria, you should be leary of the project. Chances are, it's not a project worth taking on.

And of course, if you answered NO to all three criteria, take a hard pass on the project, it's not for you.

Go with your gut.

These three criteria to accept or decline design work are just guidelines. Always follow your gut when it comes to working with clients and on new projects. If you're hesitating about a job, even one that passes two or even three of the criteria, then the best course of action is to turn it down politely. Never take on a project you don't feel right about.

Are you in a position where you can afford to decline design work?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Questions of the Week

Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page.

This week's question comes from Julie.

Should I use different branding for my photography business or I should include it as part of my design business?

To find out what I told Julie, you'll have to listen to the podcast.

Resource of the week WordCamp.tv

If you can attend a WordCamp in your area, I highly suggest you do so. However, if attending WordCamp is not feasible for you, fear not, the sessions and presentations from all WordCamps are available for viewing, free of charge at wordcamp.tv.

If you are a WordPress designer or developer, attending WordCamp should be a regular part of your schedule. WordCamp is a place for WordPress enthusiasts and novices to gather and share their knowledge. Sessions and presentations accommodate all levels of WordPress skills, so everyone benefits from attending.

Have you ever considered designing in a particular niche?

Have you heard the term "The Riches Are In The Niches"? It shouldn't come as a surprise that the more focused you are on a particular sector, the more familiar with it you become. And the more familiar with it you become, the more you are perceived as the expert in that particular sector.

Graphic and web design is no different. Designers who focus on a particular sector become knows as experts and command more respect and earn more money from clients in that sector.

I've talked about niches before on the podcast. In episode 54; Should You Find A Graphic Design Niche, I explained what a niche is and the benefits of choosing one, as well as not having to limit yourself when you choose a niche. In episode 93; Targetting A Design Niche, I teach you how to go about finding and marketing to your particular niche.

In today's episode of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I'm talking to Craig Burton, owner of School Branding Matters, a New Zealand based branding agency that specialises in helping schools craft compelling visual brands. Craig found his niche and has spent the past ten years building his company and inspiring journeys in school branding.

In this episode you'll hear us discuss:

• How Craig stumbled upon his niche. Hint, he didn't look for his niche, his niche found him.
• The early days of developing his niche
• What worked and what didn't in the process
• Working within his niche before defining it as his niche.
• What came first, his niche or his business focusing on the niche.
• How Craig learns about and creates unique brands for similar and yet very different institutions in his niche.
• Conflicting branding ideas for different schools.
• How Craig attracts clients ten years into his business.
• Repeat clients, branding is more than a logo; it's a journey.
• The Pros and Cons of working in a specific niche.
• How working in a niche requires a passion for that sector.
• Competing with non-niching designers
• Working with non-niche clients.
• How Craig has changed as a designer over the past ten years.

What's your experience with working in a design niche?

Do you work in a design niche? Let me know what your experiences are by leaving a comment for this episode.

Listen to the podcast on the go.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio

Contact me

I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

I want to help you.

Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at [email protected]

Have you thought of your contingency plans?

[sc name="smartpress" ]So you're running a graphic design business. You're plugging away day after day, week after week, engaging with clients and designing amazing things for them. Life is great, and you're living the dream. But what if the unexpected happened? Are you prepared?

What would you do in the event of a national disaster that destroys your home? What would you do if all of a sudden, without any warning, you lose all your office equipment?

What would you do if something happened to a loved one and you had to drop everything for who knows how long to be by their side?

What if you were hit by a car on the way home from the grocery store and end up in the hospital for several weeks. What would you do?

Any of these events could happen and prevent your business from functioning. That's where a contingency plan comes into play.

What is a Contingency Plan?

The easiest way to define a contingency plan is to refer to it as a "plan B" for your business in the event of a setback. A contingency plan creates a clear path, a course of action to get your business through a hardship.

All of the scenarios I described above are pretty harsh, but a contingency plan doesn't have to be. It just needs a bit of time and foresight to prepare. Here are some steps to help you with yours.

Identify triggers that could affect your design business.

Imagine different scenarios that could affect your business. I've shared a few with you already, but there could be many more. Each situation will require it's own contingency plan.

• What will you do if you lose your office or all your equipment?
• What will you do if a loved one requires you and you can't work?
• What will you do if you are incapacitated and cannot work?
• What will you do if a trusted contractor suddenly disappears?
• What will you do if your electricity goes out or the internet goes down?
• What will you do if, for one reason or another, your business has a setback?

You need to identify these triggers before you can figure out a plan to cope with them. Discuss this with family and friends; they may think of something you haven't.

Create a contingency plan for each trigger.

Once you identify the various triggers that could impact your design business, the next step is to figure out what actions you will need to take to get over the hurdles.

No one's contingency plans are identical, but there are a few things you should consider including in yours.

• Your plan to notify clients of your situation.
• Your plan to deal with approaching deadlines you can no longer meet.
• Your plan to reach out to fellow designers if you need someone to take over a project for you.
• Your plan to acquire new equipment for your office if it needs replacing.

Set a timeline to help you carry out your plans. What steps will you need to take in the hours, days and possibly weeks after your contingency plan is triggered?

Who to involve.

If you have business partners, they should be involved in the creation of your contingency plan since your absence affects them. Make sure they have all the information they need to handle your side of the business until you are back.

In the event of an emergency, you should have someone you can trust to contact your clients on your behalf and inform them of the situation. The last thing you want to be doing during an emergency is talking to clients.

Protecting yourself before anything happens.

There's already enough to worry about with whatever scenario you're dealing with, and the last thing you need is more hardship that could affect your business. Protect yourself as best you can by setting the following in place beforehand.

Protect yourself in your contract.

You should have a clause in your contract that states any natural disasters, acts of god or family emergency that affects your ability to fulfil your end of the agreement automatically negates the contract. You can also offer a full refund to the client should you need to enforce this clause.

Insurance to cover your office equipment.

You probably have home/tenant insurance to protect your dwelling but does it adequately protect your business assets if you are running a home-based design business? Most home insurance companies will reimburse you for the value of your loss, not the amount it will cost to replace that loss. The money you will receive from the loss of a five-year-old computer will not be enough for you to purchase new equipment. Talk to your insurance company and see if you can include a rider on your policy that will reimburse you the current replacement costs of your losses.

Emergency Line of credit.

A line of credit can help you purchase new equipment or replace lost income due to an unforeseen business shutdown. A line of credit will allow you to pay your bills and make any needed purchases while you are waiting for insurance money to arrive.

Off-Site Backup.

In the event of a natural disaster or theft, and off-site backup is crucial for maintaining your client and personal files. Services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Backblaze are essential for all home-based design businesses.

Safety deposit box.

A Safety deposit box is useful for storing backup drives and essential documents about your business. And you can claim it as a tax write-off.

Create your contingency plans

Creating contingency plans for something you hope never happens is not fun, but if you take the time to plan for the worst, it could mean the difference between your business failing or your business surviving in the aftermaths of whatever unforeseeable event you face.

Think about the various events that could affect your design business and come up with your contingency plans to get through them.

Do you have contingency plans for your design business?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Questions of the Week

Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page.

This week's question comes from Kristy

Before I went off on my own, I used to work as an in-house designer at a local print shop. I got along very well with everyone except one person who would continually go out of his way to cause huge problems for both myself and others. After I left, there was apparently a huge fight between him and the boss and he ended up walking out. Now, he is asking if I still do design work and if can design business cards for him. I need a polite way to tell him that I absolutely do not want to work with him in any capacity that will hopefully end the conversation without further discussion. Thanks in advance!

To find out what I told Kristy you'll have to listen to the podcast.

Resource of the week Amazon Prime Day

If you are searching for equipment for your design business, Amazon Prive Day offers the perfect opportunity to acquire what you need at a discounted rate.

Here's a list of just a few of the items you may be interested in.

[easyazon_link keywords="computer monitors" locale="US" tag="resourcefuldesigner-20"]Computer Monitors[/easyazon_link]

[easyazon_link keywords="USB 3 Hubs" locale="US" tag="resourcefuldesigner-20"]USB 3 Hubs[/easyazon_link]

[easyazon_link keywords="phone charging cables" locale="US" tag="resourcefuldesigner-20"]phone charging cables[/easyazon_link]

[easyazon_link keywords="Printer ink" locale="US" tag="resourcefuldesigner-20"]Printer ink[/easyazon_link]

Note: Resourceful Designer is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon products.

Listen to the podcast on the go.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio

Contact me

I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

I want to help you.

Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at [email protected]

Do you ever feel like a fraud?

In a previous episode of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I talked about Superhero Syndrome. It's when someone takes on more responsibilities than they need or should take on. Sometimes doing things they are not qualified to do instead of doing the logical thing and finding someone qualified for the task.

Today I'm talking about the opposite of Superhero Syndrome. And that's Impostor Syndrome.

What is Impostor Syndrome?

Impostor Syndrome is a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in the face of information that indicates that the opposite is true. It is experienced internally as chronic self-doubt and feelings of intellectual fraudulence.

In layman's terms, Impostor Syndrome is the belief that you're an impostor and not qualified to do the things that are asked of you, even though you are qualified.

Several years ago, I talked about impostor syndrome on an episode Stuff I Learned Yesterday, another podcast that I shared hosting duties. That was the first time I had heard about Impostor Syndrome, and I had to do a lot of research before recording that episode. Since then, the term, and unfortunately the suffering, has become more popular.

Before choosing this topic for today's episode, I decided to do a bit more research into the subject. After reading several articles and blogs on the topic of Impostor Syndrome, I've come to one conclusion.

Impostor Syndrome is B.S.

Not the syndrome, that's real, and I believe that many people, especially designers, suffer from it, including myself.

I release a new podcast episode every week. I do this to help you with your design business. But there are plenty of times when I think to myself. "who am I to be advising the people who listen? Why should anyone care what I have to say? I'm no superstar designer. I don't have hundreds of thousands of followers like Chris Do does." That's Impostor Syndrome. And even though I know what it is, the feeling is still there. We all suffer from it at some point.

As designers, we're expected to create things from nothing using only our imagination and creativity. Businesses stake their growth on the ideas we dream up for them. That's a daunting task. What if we're not up to it? That's what I'm calling B.S. on, that view that people suffering from Impostor Syndrome have about themselves.

Am I the most qualified person to talk about the 170 plus topics I've shared with you on the Resourceful Designer podcast? No, of course not. There are plenty of designers more qualified than me. But that doesn't mean I'm not qualified in my own way. I have over 30 years of design experience, 14 of which I've spent running my own design business. Everything I've learned over that time and everything I'm still learning, that's what I'm sharing with you, and there's nobody better suited to share my experiences than me. I'm the designer, and the person I am today because of the time I invested in myself.

When I start feeling Impostor Syndrome, I remind myself that you're there listening to me. You've decided to press play on my podcast. You've determined listening to me is worth your time. And that gets me through it.

But what about you? Do you ever feel like you're a fraud? An impostor?

If you do, then I'm telling you to stop. If you are at the point in your design career where you are working with or thinking of working with clients, trust me, you earned that right. Chances are, if you weren't ready yet to work with clients, you wouldn't be trying to.

It's a common belief amongst impostor syndrome sufferers that they only got to where they are by pure luck, or by somehow deceiving others into thinking they're more skilled and competent than they believe themselves to be. No matter the evidence of their competence, those with Impostor Syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and don't deserve the success they have.

Again, it's all B.S.

I don't want to sound mean or come off as impassive. What I'm trying to say is, unless you're trying to pass yourself off as a designer but never designed anything before, then you're not an impostor. An impostor would be someone offering to create a website, but they've never done one before, or someone charging to design a logo without any knowledge of what a logo is.

Chances are you got to where you are in your design career because you deserve to be there, wherever "there" is. I believe a lot of designers should have more confidence in their abilities than they do. It's that the self-doubt that gets to them.

You've earned that degree that says you're a designer. When you were in school, you did the same projects and took the same tests as those around you. Sure some of your classmates may have done better than you, but that doesn't mean you didn't earn your passing grade.

If you didn't go to school for design, then chances are you've spent time honing your skills and learning the necessary programs and techniques to be a designer. Don't think for one second that just because you didn't attend design school that you are not a designer.

The same goes for your career if you're working somewhere as a designer. You were hired for your design position because you were the best candidate. Nobody hires a designer out of pity. They hire a designer because they see the desired traits, skills and qualifications they need.

Keep pushing yourself.

As long as you continue to learn and push yourself, you can never call yourself a fraud. Are there people better qualified than you? I can almost guarantee there are, but that doesn't mean you are not qualified yourself. Not every player on a team can be the star player, but everyone one of them made the team on their own merits. So stop looking at other people's successes and keep working on developing your best self.

Impostor Syndrome is not a mental disorder, nor is it a personality trait. It's only a reaction to certain stimuli and events, and you can overcome it. Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."

You know the term "fake it until you make it"?. That term applies to every designer who ever lived. Even the best designers in the world keep learning and improving themselves because they know they can be better. They keep learning because, in their mind, they're not as good as they want to be. I know that's why I keep learning. Because I'm not the designer I want to be. I don't think I ever will be, and that's OK. It keeps me going.

You need to get out there, do your best, keep learning, and you'll be ok.

What can you do if you suffer from Impostor Syndrome?

If you think you suffer from Impostor Syndrome here's something you can try. A conventional therapy I found in several articles says that keeping a journal of your accomplishments can help you associate them with reality. By keeping track of those accomplishments, you'll alleviate your sense of inadequacy.

Keep all those "Great Job!" and "This design is amazing!" emails and comments you receive. They make great testimonials for your website and promotional material, but they also act as a reminder that you're good at what you do. They let you know that people appreciate what you do and that you're not a fraud.

Another thing you could try when you're feeling insecure is to find people with whom you can talk. Best of all, other designers who know what you're going through. The Resourceful Designer Community is a great place to share your thoughts and build confidence in yourself.

You're not alone.

In my research, for today's episode, I came across a lot of famous people that suffer from Impostor Syndrome.

Actress and Comedienne Tina Fey often feels people will realise she's not that funny.

Michelle Pfeifer is constantly afraid that people will find out she's not very talented.

Kate Winslett wakes up some mornings thinking "I can't do this. I'm a fraud."

Even Tom Hanks suffers from Impostor Syndrome, in an interview he said 'I still feel sometimes that I'd like to be as good as so-and-so actor,' he continued. 'I see some other actors' work, and I think I'll never get there. I wish I could.'"

Even someone as talented as Tom Hanks who is recognised as one of the top actors in Hollywood sometimes thinks he's not good enough. And yet he has the awards to prove otherwise.

You may not be as famous as those people, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be where you are.

If you feel this way about yourself, if you think you may suffer from Impostor Syndrome, let me tell you this. You've played a significant role in your success. It wasn't those around you, so stop comparing yourself to them. Nobody belongs where you are more than you do. You've earned your position. You are not a fraud. You didn't get to where you are by luck. Your accomplishments are yours and yours alone.

Once you realise this, there's no telling what you can achieve. So don't hold back. If you do, you're only robbing the world of the value you can bring.

Do you suffer from Impostor Syndrome?

Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Questions of the Week

Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page.

This week's question comes from Tracy

How do you separate life and work?

To find out what I told Tracy you'll have to listen to the podcast.

Resource of the week The Logo Package Express

The Logo Package Express is an Adobe Illustrator extension that allows you to create, export and sort hundreds of logo files in under 5 minutes. What would typically take an hour or more to do can now be accomplished in minutes. Think of all that time you can put to better use.

Do you want to see it in action? Here's a demo video I recorded using The Logo Package Express.