Creative, Inc. summary

Once you’ve established your brand, it’s time to show the world what you and your business can do. An impressive portfolio is the most powerful tool available to showcase your talents.

One simple way to ensure your portfolio does its job is by keeping it up-to-date. An artist’s style can change over time, so it’s worth maintaining a portfolio that reflects your current output. This makes client interactions smooth, as prospects will know exactly what it is you specialize in, and they’ll be less likely to ask you to produce work you no longer enjoy.

Designing a brand and developing a portfolio may, for an artist, be the enjoyable parts of starting a business. However, you need your business head screwed on to guarantee profits.

A business plan is not to be overlooked – it’s crucial to success. Though they may seem rather dull, business plans are great for setting your goals and determining your needs. These include financial projections and overheads such as office space.

Now it’s time to make sure you spread the word. There are many effective advertising strategies, but some of the most common are the simplest: business cards, websites and blogs.

Business cards should always be carried with you, just in case. Small in size, they are perfect for transferring from your wallet to your potential client’s hand. Remember to keep it short and sweet: your name, contact details and an idea of what you do should suffice to grab a customer’s interest.

So it’s going well and you’re getting some interest. With a reputation to build, however, think carefully before taking on jobs. As much as you might like to, you cannot say yes to everyone.

When starting out, approach suitable clients. Your input is likely to make a bigger difference to a smaller company, so don’t approach the big guns straight away. Additionally, when approaching the project, research your client. This will allow you to understand their needs better and see where they might want to head so that you can work with them more effectively.

Whether your client has an office down the road from you, or is based on the other side of the planet, maintaining good communication throughout the job is crucial. So how you do this?

Ensure that expectations on both sides are clear from the beginning. When you have established the brief, the estimate and the timescale, ensure that both parties sign a contract. This ensures a professional approach and protects you in the case of potential disputes. If the client initiates the contract, make sure you read the small print!

While working hard on your design might be fun and rewarding, you can’t make a success of it if you don’t get out what you put in. So take the time to sit down and work out your finances.

Consider how much your talent is worth. To secure the ideal job, you may wish to undercut the competition. This option is probably more appropriate for young freelancers or those starting out: it will help build your portfolio and reputation.

As your business expands, a talent agent may help you spend less time negotiating contracts or sorting out administration and more time simply being creative.

An agent can help secure work and deal with communications. Agencies can be extremely well-connected and know their regular buyers well. This may lead to you gaining opportunities you may have struggled to find on your own.

With a flourishing career to manage, it might be tempting to continue throwing everything you’ve got at continuing your success. However, this can be all-consuming, so it is important to take a step back and ensure a healthy work/life balance.

Be aware of signs you are becoming a workaholic and recognize when to step back. If you are seeing less of your family and friends, or having difficulties switching off at night, you might be letting your business take over too much of your life.

After the first few years of freelancing, you will have gained plenty of experience and have an idea about whether or not you made the right decision. It’s time to ask yourself some key questions. One of them might even be: Is it time to give up?

If things aren’t going well, you may want to consider returning to a full-time job as someone else’s employee. If you aren’t getting what you hoped for from freelancing, be it a healthy salary or more time with your family, it is perfectly reasonable to return to full-time work.