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 »
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 »
Design Trust webinar 1: Are you working too hard in your business? with Liz Wren
This was our very first webinar and podcast, and we are rather proud that we managed to get it off the ground! I hope very much that this one will be the start of a whole range of webinars and podcasts in the future with experts, business advisers, and successful designers and crafts people sharing [...] Read more »
The Design Trust 5 favourite books on business planning for design & crafts businesses
Writing a business plan is most people’s idea of hell …. I actually really love it! It can be a very creative process, mapping out the journey ahead in a visual way, imagining what you want to do, and then to check on a regular basis if you are still on track. Here is my [...] Read more »
What is your vision? Get clarity through these 7 big questions
That was the first question I was being asked when I started my coaching training with the Coaches Training Institute in early 2009. A big question. A scary question. A powerful question! So just give yourself some time now, to stand still and ask yourself this first question: 1. What is your dream? And to [...] Read more »
Advantages and disadvantages of creative partnerships
Partnerships can be a great way to share the workload or to combine complimentary skills and resources but – because they are often formed without an official contract – some caution is advisable too. In my experience as a business adviser this is one of the most emotional topics when things go wrong. To be [...] Read more »
How to increase my prices (confidently and without losing clients)?
There are lots of reasons to review and increase your prices on a regular interval. Many creative business owners find it difficult how to approach this topic, but in the business world it is fairly normal that prices or fees increase or change. What is really important is that you tell your clients in advance [...] Read more »
How to increase my profits? Do the profitability quiz!
Do you want to earn more money and improve your profitability? Do you want to pay yourself a bit more? Do you want to work less hours but keep the same annual income? Then it is time to start looking at what you can do to create a more profitable business! Profits is a fairly [...] Read more »