Graphic Design Business Success Secrets
As a Graphic Design business owner you are expected to do a lot of things.
Designing pays the bills but if you really want your business to take off there are some high-level business development tasks that you should be paying mind to.
Here are seven "success secrets" that I've personally used to develop my own graphic design business.
Manage Your Time - There are only so many hours in a day.
Ultra successful graphic designers seem to get more out of them then the rest of their peers.
It would do you well to study up on a few time management methods and pick the one that works best for you.
Stick with it and you'll find you are eventually taking two steps for every one step your competition takes.
Update Your Portfolio - That old saying about how the cobbler's kids need new shoes is very true.
Most graphic designers are so busy working on design projects that they never get a free minute to update their portfolio.
Or if you are like me you are so excited about what's new that it seems boring to go back and revisit old projects for the sake of the portfolio.
This is why updating your portfolio should be something you schedule time for every 6 months.
Hone Your Skills - Budget a significant amount of money every year to attend seminars and trade shows, and purchase home-study courses.
This could mean a project management workshop or a class on Photoshop or public speaking.
If you are not already spending several thousand dollars a year on personal and professional development it may seem like a lot of money, but the more skilled and versatile you are, the more you can charge your clients.
Think of it as an investment in yourself and your company.
Create and Maintain Customer Files - The most valuable asset in your company is your list of graphic design clients.
At the bare minimum you must be collecting the contact info for each of your clients.
You should also be making notes about them each time you talk.
What foods do they like? What hobbies do they have? What is their wife's/husband's name? I also recommend setting up a system that reminds you to check in with clients every 3-6 months.
The intel you capture on them is very valuable for this purpose.
If they once revealed that the love peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, then sending them a plate of those cookies is a great way to say "hey, remember me?" if you haven't heard from them in awhile.
Keep Idea Lists - Ideas are like seeds.
They are very small but can blossom into something much larger.
Most people have good ideas but they don't have a system to capture and organize them.
I use Microsoft OneNote to capture my snippets of inspiration but even a simple notebook will do.
Set a reminder in your calendar to go over your bank of ideas every 3 months.
You'll be amazed at how this simple process can lead to the fruition of great things.
Press the Flesh - Get away from your desk and go shake hands with people, not just anyone, but an influencer or decision maker that you target ahead of time.
Find out what events they usually attend and plan to go there with the intent of getting introduced to them.
Designing pays the bills but if you really want your business to take off there are some high-level business development tasks that you should be paying mind to.
Here are seven "success secrets" that I've personally used to develop my own graphic design business.
Manage Your Time - There are only so many hours in a day.
Ultra successful graphic designers seem to get more out of them then the rest of their peers.
It would do you well to study up on a few time management methods and pick the one that works best for you.
Stick with it and you'll find you are eventually taking two steps for every one step your competition takes.
Update Your Portfolio - That old saying about how the cobbler's kids need new shoes is very true.
Most graphic designers are so busy working on design projects that they never get a free minute to update their portfolio.
Or if you are like me you are so excited about what's new that it seems boring to go back and revisit old projects for the sake of the portfolio.
This is why updating your portfolio should be something you schedule time for every 6 months.
Hone Your Skills - Budget a significant amount of money every year to attend seminars and trade shows, and purchase home-study courses.
This could mean a project management workshop or a class on Photoshop or public speaking.
If you are not already spending several thousand dollars a year on personal and professional development it may seem like a lot of money, but the more skilled and versatile you are, the more you can charge your clients.
Think of it as an investment in yourself and your company.
Create and Maintain Customer Files - The most valuable asset in your company is your list of graphic design clients.
At the bare minimum you must be collecting the contact info for each of your clients.
You should also be making notes about them each time you talk.
What foods do they like? What hobbies do they have? What is their wife's/husband's name? I also recommend setting up a system that reminds you to check in with clients every 3-6 months.
The intel you capture on them is very valuable for this purpose.
If they once revealed that the love peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, then sending them a plate of those cookies is a great way to say "hey, remember me?" if you haven't heard from them in awhile.
Keep Idea Lists - Ideas are like seeds.
They are very small but can blossom into something much larger.
Most people have good ideas but they don't have a system to capture and organize them.
I use Microsoft OneNote to capture my snippets of inspiration but even a simple notebook will do.
Set a reminder in your calendar to go over your bank of ideas every 3 months.
You'll be amazed at how this simple process can lead to the fruition of great things.
Press the Flesh - Get away from your desk and go shake hands with people, not just anyone, but an influencer or decision maker that you target ahead of time.
Find out what events they usually attend and plan to go there with the intent of getting introduced to them.
