Resourceful Designer

This is a special episode. If you are new to Resourceful Designer please start with one of the previous episodes before listening to this one. The Resourceful Designer Community and Mastermind Groups will launch in 2019. Find out about the community and how you can become a founding member.

It’s November, and that means the holidays are just around the corner and everyone is looking for gift ideas for friends and family. I don’t know about you, but every year I dread the question “what do you want for Christmas?” I don't know what to say when someone asks me that question.

One of the best marketing tools available to your design business is your local Chamber of Commerce. If you are not taking advantage of how this organisation can help you grow, you are missing out. Big time.

Sometimes, all it takes to improve your designs or to break out of a creative slump is to alter your perspective on how you go about designing.

Many freelancers have a full-time job and run a home-based design business as a side gig. Here are 4 things you should know if you're one of them.

When was the last time you reviewed your design contract? In this week's episode of Resourceful Designer, I share a case study where a poorly written design contract cost a web designer her fee for the client site she built.

Running a home-based design business is stressful work. It takes motivation and dedication in order to avoid burnout. But what do you do when that motivation and dedication is waning?

Doesn’t matter if you are new to design or a veteran designer, there's always one recurring question. How much should you charge for your design services?

I love that line “Failure is always and options”. I first saw it on a T-Shirt worn by Adam Savage of Mythbusters. In his case, it applied to science and engineering, but it applies just as easily to the world of design.

Are you afraid to be stuck with a client from hell? Knowing how to turn away clients politely is a skill you better learn in order to be a happy designer.

Bad Design Clients can ruin a business and destroy your love of design. Luckily there are certain Red Flags to help you spot bad clients before things go too far. 

Whether or not a potential client decides to work with you relies heavily on your pitch to them. If they like the presentation but view the cost of hiring you as an expense, they may choose to look for more affordable options. However, if they consider the cost of hiring you as an investment, there's a good chance they'll decide to work with you.

After visiting hundreds, if not thousands of designer sites over the years I've concluded that the ones most likely to convert visitors into clients are the ones who list the benefits. The ones who clearly let potential clients know what's in it for them.

Building client relationships is one of, if not the most important thing you can do as a designer. One of the best ways to build relationships is by downselling to your design clients.

When running your own design business sometimes one of the best skills you can have is knowing when to say NO to your clients.