‘MANAGE A PART-TIME BUSINESS’

A 2-part online course for creatives

available now

Create a profitable and enjoyable creative business that fits your real life, your energy and your ambitions.

Stop trying to squeeze a full-time business into part-time hours.

Whether you’re combining your business with another job, parenting, caring responsibilities, retirement, study or health challenges, this practical two-part online course will help you create a more realistic, sustainable & financially viable creative business - part-time.

In this short course we’ll explore what business models, income streams and marketing approaches work particularly well for part-time creative professionals with limited time (and energy!) so that you can focus on what matters most and stop feeling that you’re constantly ‘behind’.

By the end of this short course (5 hours) you will:

Understand what your part-time business really needs financially and what ‘success’ means for you.
Discover which specific creative products, services & sales channels are better suited to creative, part-time businesses.
Feel more confident about focusing your limited time & energy where it matters most.
Learn with other part-time creative professionals who understand the realities of juggling real life & business.
Leave with a practical six-month action plan and much more confidence about what to do next.

THIS COURSE HAS TAKEN PLACE ALREADY and you will get immediate and full access to the 2 video training recordings &presentations till 31 March 2027.

This short online course is designed and hosted by Patricia van den Akker, the award-winning creative business adviser, trainer and coach, and director of The Design Trust.

Manage a part-time business

£79.00

One time

Practical & thought-provoking 5-hour online course for part-time creatives to help you define success, manage your time & energy better, and find out what income streams & marketing channels work best for you.

✓ 5 hours training - start today

✓ Business training especially for part-time businesses

✓ Create your own 6-month action plan

✓ Access till 31 March 2027

The Key Facts

Format

2 x 2-hour practical online course Recordings immediately available
Outcome

Understand your challenges & motivations. Create a more part-time-friendly business model and your own 6-months action plan.
Especially for

Creative professionals who work part-time, and want less stress and more freedom, creativity and joy in their life & business!
Your tutor

Patricia van den Akker, creative business adviser & trainer, and the Director of The Design Trust

Do you sometimes feel as if you’re trying to do everything, but never quite catch up?

Perhaps you have (recently) taken on a part-time job because money has become tighter. Maybe you’re combining your creative business with family life, caring responsibilities, study, health challenges or retirement. Or perhaps you’ve consciously decided that you do not want your business to consume every waking hour!

Whatever your part-time circumstances are, you’re certainly not alone.

We’ve spoken to many, many creative professionals who have moved towards part-time business hours (in the last year especially!). Some feel relieved by the financial extra security of a job. Others feel frustrated, guilty or worry that somehow they are no longer running a “proper” business.

And yet I believe something quite different.

There is nothing wrong with running a creative business part-time!

In fact, for many people it can be a smart, strategic and enjoyable way to work.

But there is one big challenge:

Most business advice out there assumes you are working full-time.

It assumes unlimited hours, unlimited energy & capacity, and the ability to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity.

That’s simply not the reality that we see for many creative professionals. Trying to follow full-time business advice when you only have two or three days a week available often leaves you feeling exhausted, guilty and permanently behind.

I believe a part-time creative business isn’t a failed full-time business.

But it deserves its own strategy.

And that’s exactly what we’ll explore together!

This short course is for you if …

The Design Trust works especially with creative professionals, so this two-part online course Managing Your Creative Business Part-Time is designed especially for craftspeople, artists, illustrators, freelancers, photographers, creative teachers and other creative professionals who are running their business alongside real life.

Perhaps you currently have another job or studies and want your creative business to provide additional income and fulfilment. Maybe your (grand)children still need your support, or you’re caring for elderly parents. Or you are dealing with your own or other people’s health issues and have limited time and energy. Or perhaps you’re approaching retirement and want your creative work to bring both joy and extra income – without creating another full-time job.

This short online course will be especially valuable if you often find yourself feeling overwhelmed, trying to fit too much into too little time, or comparing yourself to people whose circumstances are completely different from your own.

And if you’ve ever wondered, “Can I really create a successful creative business working part-time?”, then this workshop is definitely for you!

THIS course IS not ABOUT DOING MORE!!!

One of the biggest mistakes I see creative professionals make is trying to fit a full-time business into part-time hours.

No wonder so many creatives feel exhausted!

Instead, we’ll explore how to design a business that fits YOUR current reality.

We’ll look at which products, services and business models naturally suit people with limited time We’ll identify what to focus on and, equally importantly, what to STOP doing. Together we’ll explore how to make better decisions so that your business supports your life, rather than the other way round.

One of the things I often say to clients is:

“Build your business around your capacity, not around your guilt.”

During these two practical workshops we will explore:

Session 1: Understanding your reality & making the numbers work

2 hour audio-visual video training recording now available

We’ll start with your reality and current situation, because pretending your constraints don’t exist isn’t helpful.

We’ll explore your motivations and circumstances, the advantages and frustrations of working part-time, and the beliefs that may be holding you back.

We’ll also look at the financial side of your business and help you understand what income you really need and whether your current products, prices and income streams support the life you want.

You’ll have time to reflect individually, share experiences with others and begin to see your business in a new way.

We’ll give you a little bit of homework for the next session.

Session 2: Designing a more part-time-friendly business

3-hour audio-visual video recording now available

Very little business advice talks about this: Some business models work much better for part-time businesses than others. Some products, services and marketing approaches require constant attention and endless energy. Others can provide greater income, more enjoyment and more flexibility. Together we’ll explore which options are the best fit for you as a part-time creative.

We’ll look at creating a more sustainable business model, improving your focus, managing your time and energy, saying ‘no’ more confidently, and creating a realistic six-month plan for you & your life and business.

During the live sessions there were opportunities to reflect and learn with other part-time creative professionals who understand exactly what it means to juggle a business alongside everything else life throws at us.

WHY PEOPLE LOVED THIS WORKSHOP LAST YEAR

Last year we hosted this as a 4 hour online workshop for the very first time.

It was one of the most popular workshops I taught last year!

But, it was frankly a bit much in 4 hours … so we have broken it down now into 2 sessions of 2 - 3 hours each (much easier to fit in for part-time creatives!).

What participants appreciated most wasn’t just the practical advice, but the sense of relief that came from realising they weren’t alone.

Many told me that they had never come across business advice specifically aimed at people working part-time.

One participant summed it up beautifully: “I realised I wasn’t failing. I was simply trying to run a full-time business in part-time hours.”

Another shared: “This workshop helped me stop feeling guilty and gave me permission to focus on what really matters.”

And perhaps my favourite comment was: “I finally understood that my business needs to fit around my life, not the other way round.”

Meet your tutor

Patricia van den Akker

Creative business adviser, trainer & coach and director of The Design Trust

For over 25 years Patricia van den Akker has advised and trained thousands of designers, makers and creative professionals. As Director of The Design Trust, she specialises in helping creative businesses become more profitable, sustainable and enjoyable.

Her approach combines practical business advice with honest conversations, thoughtful reflection and a deep understanding of the realities creative professionals face.

Expect far more than just information.

You’ll have space to reflect, practical exercises to work through, breakout discussions with like-minded part-time creatives and the support of others who truly understand the challenges and opportunities of running a creative business part-time.

This is the course that I wished had been around when I started The Design Trust business school part-time with a young family in 2011.

FAQ: Got any further questions?

This online course has 5 hours of online content. As the course has taken place already, you will now have access to the recordings, so you can do it at your own pace.
We will give you a little bit of practical homework in advance and afterwards, but frankly this is about deciding what you will do LESS of, rather than more!
To finish your 6-months plan you probably need 2 hours or so afterwards.
Most people who signed up for this course last year were working at least 2 days in their business. If you have less than half a day each week available, then this will slow you down in your progress and you will need to be realistic.
However, the fewer hours you have available, the more important it is to make thoughtful decisions about what to focus on and what to let go of. This short course will encourage you to focus, make the most of your time.
Yes! Many creatives are doing exactly that.
Especially in the last year as many creatives are finding it harder to make money. This short course will help you think strategically about how your employed work and creative work fit together and how to create a business that feels sustainable and financially worthwhile for you.
Our private online platform (where we will post the presentation + recording) is really easy to use too.
You’ll only need basic computer literacy in order to navigate it.
We completely understand that especially as you’re working part-time that money can be a bit of an issue, so we really have tried to make this short course affordable for you! You can pay in 3 monthly instalments by selecting the ‘Paypal Later’ option at the check out. Our Business Club & Dream Plan Do Club members get 15% discount on this course as part of their membership. See the homepage of the BC and DPD courses or recent emails for details.
When you buy an online workshop from us then you purchase a single license, which means that you can NOT share the recording or presentation with others. Like you, we are a small creative business, and this online course is full of our copyrighted material and expertise that Patricia has developed over many years. If you share with others who haven’t paid then you are basically stealing from us. We know you wouldn’t like it if others did the same to you. So THANK YOU for not sharing with others.
You will be able to sign up for this course till October, and the course will be accessible till 31 March 2027.
The course will start on Monday 22 June at 10am, and we will record both sessions and give you access to the recording and the presentation till 31 December 2026. After this course has started we will not offer any refunds as you can still access it whenever you like. If you need to cancel before this course starts (22 June) then please email us for a full refund. Please make sure that we acknowledge receiving your email. Unfortunately it takes 5 – 10 working days for the money to be returned to your bank account due to the slowness of most banks.
If you have any other questions then please get in touch with us. We are always happy to help.