Some of my creative coaching clients think that being poor makes them actually more creative. What do you think: does poverty make you more creative? Do you have this idea in your head ‘to suffer for your art’? Do you love ‘make and do’? That frugal attitude might help you to save money in the [...] Read more »
The Design Doctor: Help, a department store wants to place a bulk order
Dear Design Doctor I have a company wanting to take my products to a meeting with a very large department store, and they have requested information from me as below: prices per unit when ordered in batches 25/50/100/200/500/1000? to provide lead times on above amount? can i give Exclusivity? Is this product covered by your [...] Read more »
The Design Trust webinar: Speak like a TED Talker, become better at public speaking with Sarah Lloyd-Hughes
Do you find public speaking scary? Most of us do! Whether you are pitching for business, doing a talk, or running a workshop or training session, there is no better way to influence and inspire people and potential clients about your work than through powerful, passionate and authentic public speaking. Sarah Lloyd-Hughes is a coach, [...] Read more »
The Design Doctor: How to write a design brief and design quote?
Dear Design Doctor I am a recent furniture design graduate and a client has approached me to work on a small design project designing and making an outdoor bench. I am really excited, but don’t really know how to go about this. Where do I start? The Design Doctor for this challenge is Patricia van [...] Read more »
The Design Doctor: How to make terms & conditions for my graphic design business?
Dear Design Doctor I am a graphic designer and I need to make my terms and conditions. Can I just use somebody else’s or do I need to have this written up by a solicitor? The Design Doctor for this topic is Patricia van den Akker, Director of The Design Trust: “Terms and conditions [...] Read more »
How to start or improve your craft or design blog: The Design Trust’s personal journey and favourite blogging resources
Many designers and especially crafters want to start a blog. Why? To showcase your latest work and portfolio, to get new clients or new work. To share your inspiration and images with your friends, colleagues, (potential) clients. To be creative online, tell stories, develop ideas in the process and share with others. To promote yourself, [...] Read more »
What is niche marketing? And 8 good reasons why you should bother and not worry about loosing out
There is a lot of talk on small business websites about the importance of creating your own niche. So what is that all about? What is niche marketing? A niche is a focused, targetable part of the market. You are a specialist providing a product or service that focuses on specific client group’s needs, which [...] Read more »
How much should I spend on marketing? 8 questions to set your crafts or design marketing budget
A good question! But a difficult question … how long is a piece of string? Firstly I think it is much more important that you invest time in clarifying your marketing goals, and then spend time on doing marketing and selling to achieve these goals. But money obviously does help … so what should your [...] Read more »
How to identify your niche market?
As a creative business adviser and trainer I regularly see clients who have identified a target market because they think it will make the most money. Many of my crafts business clients focus on the high end luxury market, but they actually hate working for rich people who don’t appreciate their skills and love for [...] Read more »
How to prepare for a craft show or design trade fair? The 4 essential stages
Doing a design or crafts show requires a lot of planning and organising! Especially if you haven’t done a show before, you might feel pretty overwhelmed as there are so many things to think about! Would it help you to have a simple action plan and checklist so that you know what to do at [...] Read more »