My business journey
After celebrating my first for-real, for-real year of self-employment recently, I took some time to reflect on the past year…
As designers, I think many of us start freelancing on the side, straight off the bat, and juggling full-time work with making logos for a cousin's-cousin's new business, or a flyer for some charity to make some extra pocket money.
From there, slowing building up to bigger projects or more reliable cash flow, until we either a) get tired of the extra work, or b) get bitten by the business bug (sometimes willingly, sometimes circumstantially).
Over the past decade, during my version of this journey, I worked after hours and later, part-time, on all sorts of freelance projects that stumbled my way, from commissioned portraits and straightforward design work, to somehow working on illustrations for Cadbury around 2018 (in retrospect, charging peanuts too).
There’s been a lot of rough learning along the way. Let’s just say, they don’t teach you business skills and contracts in design class...
During this earlier time of ‘easy-going freelancer’, I operated under “Amy Slatem Illustration”… or was it “Amy Slatem Illustration and Branding”? Or Design, maybe?
It was a mouthful.
So I condensed it. I registered a real business name for the first time and rebranded as Studio Slatem at the start of 2022. Hello, feeling more legit!
Then, when my part-time gig of over two years came to a close mid-last year (2023), I knew it was time to really give this a go. Both feet in! No more passive freelancer vibes, I meant business!
Fast-forward to a full year now of “own-bossing” (along with its complimentary rollercoaster rides), and I’m still going!
Looking back, here are my 7 best ideas that helped me to focus on improving the business side of things:
1. Clarifying my own brand and messaging
This is something I get my branding clients to answer at the start of their project so they can distil what it is they’re about and what they want to be known for, before any designing happens.
The problem is, we designers often glance over doing the same processes in our businesses. We often rush into making everything ‘look cool’, while avoiding the serious questions and foundations behind our brand.
So I spent a fair amount of time (read: frustration, confusion, hopelessness, excitement) going back and delving into my answers to questions like:
What do I do?
Who do I do it for?
How do I do it differently?
Why do I do what I do?
How do I want people to feel? etc.
Then making sure my visuals and words better aligned to reflect these answers.
But I’d be lying if I said I got it right in one go (if at all…), it’s more of a continuous work in progress if we’re being honest.
Also, getting to the core of who you are as a business and brand can open a can of worms when you are technically your brand. You are forced into trying to find the answers to the questions from a very personal standpoint.
“But I don’t even know who I am”, is (I’m hoping) a common dilemma faced during such a process.
2. Making internet business friends
I know social media gets a bad rep, but it’s still a magical tool for connecting with people. In particular for this scenario - with other business owners that you align with.
The only catch is that you have to put in some effort…
So over the past year, I’ve been more active in going about finding, following and connecting with other cool business owners and creatives, starting conversations, setting up virtual coffee dates to say hi, and just making an effort to support their posts and achievements.
Now, not only have I made a bunch of the loveliest online friends from this, but it’s led to many opportunities where we’ve been able to refer each other for projects that are the perfect fit. Win-win!
3. In-person networking events
Yup, another point for networking because it’s that good!
I know just the thought of attending a networking event can increase one’s heart rate and get you questioning if this “business-ing” thingie is really for you…
But, working from home can turn one into a hermit (don’t ask me how I know), so it’s a great excuse to get out there, work on an elevator pitch or practice saying what it is you do out loud to other people, while making face-to-face connections.
I’ve pushed myself to attend a number of local networking events over time and while they’ve always been totally out of my comfort zone (and often very awkward at first), they’ve always ended up being welcoming environments, and at the very least, a good personal challenge.
After a few frogs, I found a networking group I actually enjoy going to. It’s always a great time where you get to hang out with like-minded people every couple of months for a morning away from your desk, filled with good food and coffee and inspirational talks.
4. Investing in my business
This can look like many things - investing in a new computer, client management app (hello, Moxie!), branding, systems, or investing time into building business relationships.
For me, investing in a 6-month creative sales course and mentorship has been a big one for me, it’s been the push and direction I needed.
To have that outside perspective and guidance has done wonders.
It’s forced me to really look at my business and how it runs - seriously and objectively. To invest time and effort into the parts of running a sustainable business that, often as creatives, we’d rather avoid than deal with and just hope for the best.
5. Tightening up systems and processes
Continuing on from the last point about focusing on the behind-the-scenes operations – as your business starts to grow, you find yourself with less time and mental capacity to do everything.
So it’s good to start looking for ways to:
Streamline processes and get rid of unnecessary steps or hurdles
Automate things that can be automated
Outsource extra tasks to other humans or apps
Create templates for things you use often
Consider the journey your clients take, and make sure it’s professional and easy to follow
Setting up email sequences
And lots more...
6. Passion projects!
Ha, this is the only actual point about the creating work part… However, “Doing Good Work” is a given - so consider it an unofficial Point 8.
As creatives, it’s easy to get sucked into only working on client projects because of deadlines and priorities, where you have to stick to the plan and focus on getting the agreed-upon results.
But this often leaves little space for creative exploration and play, or creating for the sheer fun of it. Isn’t that the whole reason why we got into this mess in the first place?
However, making time for passion projects, like a ‘fake’ branding or packaging project for a dream client, or delving into a detailed illustration series as a creative challenge, has not only helped refill my creative juices and pash-shun but has led to paid projects from clients seeing them too.
7. Manifesting and goal setting
Okay, light some candles and put on the incense, because… ✨You need to know where you’re going and what you want out of business and life in order to get it✨.
Now, I’m not the woo-woo type at all (but the incense does smell good), however, I do like the idea that all the positive energy, thoughts and dreams you “put out into the universe” (along with actively taking steps towards it, of course), will lead you to exciting places and opportunities along the way.
You need to really bloody believe in yourself, have a dream/goal in mind, then go out there and make it happen!
P.S. If you love a good spreadsheet - I shared my goals roadmap over here to break down those goals and keep you on track.
So, to summarise / TLDR:
I’ve made it through my first real full year of self-employment, drank a lot of coffee along the way, and the points below helped me, and my business, grow:
Clarifying my own brand
Making business friends online
Networking in person
Investing in my business
Working on my systems and processes
Creating passion projects
And ✨manifesting✨
(Bonus point) Doing good work
What would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments 👇
