A Dozen Things You Need To Know Before Starting Your Creative Business

One of the nicest things about being your own boss is being able to negotiate your rate. Everything is negotiable; don’t be offended if a client asks you to come down a bit, but know that you have the power to negotiate just as much as a client.

When you set your rate, make sure you go high enough so that if you decide to come down in price, you are still making enough money to turn a profit on the project.

Your portfolio is the best example of your talents as a creator. To put a portfolio together, gather as many examples of your work as possible.

Most clients only want to see 1-3 pieces so it’s important that when you want to show potential clients your portfolio make sure it is tailored to their job descriptions, this helps you put your best foot forward.

The goal of a strong portfolio is threefold:

• You want it to highlight the range of services you offer
• Show off your capabilities, and
• Resonate with the prospect so they will hire you.

Working 40+ hours per week for an employer while adding your own business to your plate is certainly a challenge. Without much time for charging your batteries, it is a recipe for creative burn-out. I found the following recommendations from Khierstyn Ross really helpful:

1. Set aside 1 hr per day for your business (before or after work), and 1 day on the weekend.
2. Plan your week ahead of time.
3. Batch task (ex. Writing emails for the month)
4. Know what your priorities are before you start working on them.
5. Define what “done” looks like on a project so you can get momentum and check it off.
6. 1 day off a week.
7. Consider hiring a VA for admin tasks.
8. Can you habit stack? Listen to the content at the gym/audiobook while driving.
9. Work on the important, not easy.
10. Have a “dailies”/”weeklies” list of non-negotiable things you need to do every day or week.