To celebrate The Design Trust Business Club launch at New Designers and to help recent graduates launching their careers and businesses, we decided to create a celebratory guest blog post.
We invited 13 successful designers, crafts people and advisers to give their own personal tips and insights to creatives just starting out in their careers and businesses: ‘When I started out, I wish I had known …’
Enjoy!
Doug Richard – Entrepreneur www.schoolforcreativestartups.com
“Marketing is the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do. We tend to underestimate how difficult it is to reach people, and more importantly to keep their attention. Throwing money at something never necessarily solves a problem and having a voice and personality is one of the most effective tools anyone can master.
Similarly, having a small team fueled by a few very skilled people is infinitely better than having a large staff. Having huge numbers of people at your disposal can definitely be counterproductive.
Finally cash will always remain king. Businesses only fail if they run out of cash as opposed to not making a profit, and this is one of the most important lessons everyone has to learn.”
Max Fraser – Design writer, editor of London Design Guide and Deputy Director of London Design Festival www.londondesignguide.com www.londondesignfestival.com
“When I started out, I wish I had known… that the core part of what you set out to do, be it designing or writing in my case, benefits from only a small percentage of your dedicated time.
The rest is taken up with finding new work, admin, phone calls, emails, meetings, and the unexpected.
Amid all of this noise, it’s important to make the time for your core skill and learn to delegate the other areas of your business as it grows.”
Cany Ash – Ash Sakula Architects www.ashsak.com
“When I started out I wish I had known … how my success would depend not on my talent but on my business acumen. We should have worked address books, worked the politics, teamed up with business orientated partners who were excitable about winning.
However back then I had a lethal bit of rebel in me to deal with… and still do at times. So I guess I would have be a very different designer if I had followed the money.
No regrets then, but recessions will shake off the sugar and let you see the bones of your enterprise. Still practising and inventing survival tactics… One branch of design.”
Robin Levien – Designer www.studiolevien.com
“I wish I had known how important it is to know what I was are trying to achieve, which direction I wanted to go. There are many people willing to help you but it is so much easier to get help when you have a clear objective.
A common dilemma for example is, ‘am I an Artist or am I a Designer?’ There are people who might be able to help you make that decision but many more who can help you be a successful Artist or a Designer once you have decided.”
Chris Haugton – Illustrator, designer, social entrepreneur www.chrishaughton.com
“When I started out I wish I had known … to go with my gut.
I think the work that I have done that people have responded the best to, are things I knew I liked but I didn’t see much commercial possibilities for.
I spent too long as a graphic designer doing my best to make things look nice and even when I should have got straight down to drawing accident prone animals. It was only later I found a home and a possibility for using my drawings to their strengths.
Amelia Gregory – Editor www.ameliasmagazine.com
“When I started out I wished I had known that it’s really tough to do what you want to do.
As a graduate I spent years trying to get a foothold in the creative industries, subsidising my internship adventures with part time waitressing and bar work until I finally decided that if no one would employ me I’d just have to create something for myself.
And at that point I wish I had realised just how much running my own business would take over my life: but there’s no going back now because once you have created a brand that is well known it’s very hard to let go. Amelia’s Magazine has become a beast of its own!”
Sidsel Dorph-Jensen – Mentor & designer silversmith www.dorphjensen.com
“When I started out I wish I had known … how to feel comfortable selling at shows. The whole experience of exhibiting your work to the public is very intimidating. It is quite paradoxical, really, because you’re at a trade show or craft fair to sell your work, but it’s also a situation most creatives I know feel very ambivalent about. Yes – we want to sell, but no – we don’t believe we’re any good at it, yes – it’s why we’re there, but no – we dont feel comfortable.
There’s a mind shift between being in a designing, making and creating state, and being in a sales situation. They probably live in different parts of the brain – but I’m not going into that.
What I do want to pass on? The most important thing I’ve learned about selling at shows, and being comfortable doing it, is – that it’s not ‘about me’.
Let me explain: When you create you’re in a very focused space, it’s all about you and the piece. You’re constantly evaluating, analysing and solving problems. It’s a very personal process. If you’re still in that mind frame when you’re at your stand – you’re bound to get hurt. Because you are the creator – the pieces almost become like your babies, and it’s very difficult to be objective about your babies.
What you need to do is leave that mind frame and put on a detectives mind frame instead. Imagine that you’re not there exhibiting your babies, but your there to investigate your customers.
So, it’s not about you and your work, it’s about them and your work. Listen to what they say, observe how they interact with your work and react to your display. Be a real detective – ask them questions about what they think – why they think what they think, about their hesitations and worries regarding your work. What do they like about it and why? Ask them how you could make your work the most amazing experience for them. And don’t be scared – people love talking about themselves – and they love giving advise.
What this different mindset does, is it turns you into someone who is willing to serve them – and shoppers love to be served (so do you), and it gets rid of the artist waiting to be praised or criticised.
I saw an amazing shift in the way I experienced being at a craft show – I suddenly enjoyed it – not because my sales went up, but because I had fun interacting with the customers.”
Angie Boothroyd – Designer jeweller and author www.angieboothroyd.com
“I wish I had known how to do financial planning when I started out.
I also wish I had known how important it is to invest in making your workspace as comfortable and ergonomic as possible.”
Dominic Crinson – Designer www.crinson.com
“When I started out I wish I had known that … outsourcing work would free up so much more creative time for myself. From little things such as the cleaning the studio to actually getting the products made for you.
I can imagine that I wasted a year of my life on doing such things that I wasn’t really skilled enough or even too skilled to be doing. I now outsource everything I possibly can bar the creative work.
The most exciting change we have had to our business was to get involved in cloud computing so now the everyday running of the business such as the accounts, the customer relationship manager, sales and production are all set up in a cloud and now I can work from anywhere in the world.
Greetings from Melbourne (Australia), by the way!”
Deborah Henry – Pollard www.catchingfireworks.co.uk
“As a coach/mentor, I often get asked this and my answers include:
When I started out I wish I had known …
… that I would work harder than I ever had before, but that ‘work’ was what I defined it to be, so that in between business planning, marketing, etc., I could also include going to exhibitions for inspiration, taking a walk to get head space; no two days would be the same; and that I could work to my own rhythms. (For example, my best thinking time is very early in the morning and my ‘doodling’ time is mid-afternoon.)
… that although I am fully responsible for my own business, I don’t have to do it on my own. There is a wealth of expertise and information online and through events and that people are incredibly generous with sharing their experiences. There are also great opportunities for collaboration.
… that tax is much easier than I thought it was going to be! The HMRC offer great free workshops for newbies and as long as you keep up with your receipts etc., monthly, it can be a breeze.
… that it isn’t all plain sailing but by keeping my overall vision of what I want to achieve keeps me going through the odd frustrating day.
… that those times when it all works get more and more frequent and my feeling of achievement each time I get a result is just the best!”
Sarah Thelwall – Creative finance services www.mycake.org
“When I started out I wish I had known … that there’s not just one price for my time:
Clients will always ask you questions about the rates for your time, whether it’s by the hour or the day. Initially I thought there would be just one answer to this: a fixed daily rate.
The reality however is rather different and the advice I’d give is to have a range of prices, which vary depending on how demanding the work is, whether it requires your best innovative skills or is just rolling out something invented by others, how good or bad your cash flow is (only take on top price work when you’re busy already) and whether the work connects to your overall interests or you’re just doing it for the income.
Based on the data held in our organisation www.mycake.org the fee ranges for young businesses are: recent graduates charging clients some £150-£300 a day depending on how skilled and experienced they are, and up to £800-£1000 a day a few years down the line once people are recognised as leaders in their field and offering specialist or bespoke services for which there is relatively little competition.”
Medeia Cohan – Programme director www.schoolforcreativestartups.com
“I wish I had known that it’s all going to be alright and that anyone can do it with enough hard work and self belief. If I had known that when I was young I could have saved myself from hours of worry and self doubt.”
Patricia van den Akker – Director www.thedesigntrust.co.uk
“I wish I had known when I started out that my business would grow with me, and that I would grow with my business. Your core, strengths and passions will stay with you, get stronger even, but the details will change over time. Your priorities and decisions will change over time, depending what comes on your path.
When I first started freelancing more than a decade ago after having had 2 jobs in arts administration I completely failed, as I lacked ‘the address book’ and confidence to succeed. I also got really worried about money, and craved a regular pay cheque.
Three years ago I became self-employed again, and this time it has been a lot more successful! I had from the beginning some potential clients and projects in the pipeline, I knew much better what I wanted to do and for whom. Being a freelancer and working from a home office is much easier now than it was then, with email, Skype and online learning giving fantastic opportunities to connect and do business with others across the world. I also knew that I couldn’t work 9 – 5 any longer, as I have a family with young children, so I had to just make it work this time round. Having a family makes me even more focused and determined to succeed.
Create a business that works for you, based on your strengths, your passions, your life style. Work with your ideal clients, who challenge you, give you energy and passion, for whom you will create your best work and add the most value. Listen very carefully what your clients tell you, and be creative.
You might work voluntary, part-time, full-time and freelance, you might take some time out in the years to come, but learn whatever you can. As long as you keep listening, learning and tweaking, you will never fail.”
Wow, some great insights and tips in this post. What did you learn? What did you get out of this post? Or do you want to share your own experiences? Feel free to use the comments box below. If you liked this post, please share with others through tweets or ‘likes’.
Great advice, I especially liked Sidsel’s tips for exhibiting, really good insights. Thanks so much!
Thanks Deborah & Lisa for leaving your comments. It’s always great to get reader’s feedback. Sidsel is a designer jeweller and on a mission to stop the era of the starving creative, so she is really aware of the personal challenges to overcome to turn your ideas into a business.
Lisa, I’m glad you found it helpful!
Sidsel. That is the best piece of advice I have heard. You are soooo right- everything we create is one of our babies. Yes, let it go in order to remember we are there to serve. Thank you!
Deborah, you’re so welcome.
Juggling the different mindsets can be a bit difficult at first, but a way to ‘get into it’ is when you get dressed. So your workshop clothes represent the creative mindset and the business suit – well the detective and service minded business person!
Great advice from everyone, especially Sidsel Dorph-Jensen’s comment on detachment. I’ve been running a copywriting business for four years and I wish I’d known how to detach long before I did. I also wish I’d known how much time would be spent marketing and selling, I had vision that I’d spend 9 – 5 crafting beautiful copy but most of my time is spent marketing and selling!
A wonderful read! thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise : ) very helpful indeed
A very useful and informative article, thanks. As a designer/maker all we want to do is design and make but you can’t continue without also selling and making a profit. Many of us don’t realise when we set out that we also need to be able to sell, and that’s a very different skill entirely!
A really great collection of wisdom! Doug, Robin and Sidsel were spot on.
Sidsel’s advice in particular was very timely for me – my husband and I just completed our first-ever selling exhibition and it was a tremendous lesson for us. Wish I would have read Sidsel’s advice before doing it as I am sure the outcome would have been a lot more positive. Oh well! We have another chance at it in September so will put all this wisdom into practise then and sell, sell, sell!
If you’re quoting text, the beginning (but not the end) of each paragraph within the quote needs an additional quote mark.
This is priority reading material for anyone considering starting a business. I think Max Fraser has an excellent point, don’t let the tasks of owning a business neglect time for your core skills. It’s important to remember why you started the business in the first place.
I myself started a business about five years ago, and one thing that I wish I had known during growth was that keeping an outdated computer system, and ignoring the internet, is something that you will pay for. It took a lot of coaxing from employees to update the computer systems with ERP Software Solutions and hire a social networking manager, but after doing so, it really made the difference.
Wow there is so much great advice here for every aspect and stage of business. I will definitely be using the tips on selling at craft shows this holiday season!
One of my favs: “… that it isn’t all plain sailing but by keeping my overall vision of what I want to achieve keeps me going through the odd frustrating day.”
Yes! Nurture that spark through tough times!
Thanks for the great post.
Thanks Jen, this has been a really popular post. It’s great to get some real life insights like this, isn’t it?
Wow some great great advice.
My favourite from Medeia Cohan that everything will work out in the end. Yes I have wasted way too much time worrying about things that never happened, creating self doubt for no reason. Knowing this has certainly put me at greater ease and therefore more productive and efficient!
I am about to start with a team of people. I am sure I’ll have more ‘things I wish I had known’ as I progress.
Thanks for great article
Hi Val
Great you like it. You also might like to know that we will be doing more posts around managing people and projects very soon, so keep an eye out for those too!
Great advice. I’d add that it helps to have the confidence to know when you’re not suited to the work you’re doing. I’ve always known I enjoyed the act of creating, designing and making commissions. But for years I worked in the wrong medium (I was a jeweller) – having moved medium (now a print maker) it has never been easier to work harder – and thereby be far more successful.
Such great advice! I too found Sidsel’s advice very insightful and helpful. I have a very hard time at shows, and art openings are horrid for me. I will really try to change my perspective now I was shown the tools! Thank you so much;-)