A valuable product or service is integral to starting your creative business. Still, to run and manage your business successfully, you need to consider other factors such as:

Things You Need To Know Before starting Your 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.

Negotiations 

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

Moonlighting Tips

Branding Is About Loyalty—Not Just LooksYour branding should draw upon components of communication to give people an idea of what you’re all about and what to expect when working with you.It’s not just about logos, though the visuals on your business cards and Web site are a key aspect of branding. It’s really more about the client’s experience. You want to use your brand—logos, content development, publicity, and the like—to build credibility, convey a message, and encourage loyalty. You want prospects and clients to want you and only you.

Branding   

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:

Moonlighting

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:<ul><li>You want it to highlight the range of services you offer</li><li>Show off your capabilities, and</li><li>Resonate with the prospect so they will hire you.</li></ul>

Portfolios 

Tips that help small business owners, start and run their businesses successfully 