Skip to Content

Search Results for "Patricia van den Akker"

Costing & Pricing Your Creative Work Confidently – Spring 2024

Written by

Costing Pricing your creative work confidently course logo Feb 2022

Are you charging enough for your creative products, commissions or craft training? Do you know how to calculate your cost price, daily rate or wholesale prices? Do you need to increase your prices but are you worried about losing clients?

Is your business profitable and making you enough money to cover your business costs and salary? Want to become more confident around money & pricing?

We created this practical but strategic and thought-provoking one-week online course for creatives like you!

We will take you step-by-step through the various stages to cost & price your creative products and services confidently.

Over 5 consecutive mornings (12 hours in total), from Monday 29 April – Friday 3 May, you will go into depth about how to calculate your cost price and hourly rate, how to price for wholesale, how to increase your prices and (finally!) charge what you are worth AND you will create a financial forecast to make your creative business viable and profitable. In the final session, we will focus on how to cost & price workshops and commissions and two participants will get a ‘hotseat’ coaching session and you can ask any costing and pricing questions you may have.

With the increase in costs and the Cost of Living crisis it’s even more important that you charge properly for your hard work!

Want to get confidential one-to-one advice about your costing & pricing challenges? Then choose the upgrade to get an expert session of 45mins with Patricia which will take place online after the course in May – July. We have only got 10 places for these 121 sessions.

Can’t make it live that week? Although we highly recommend that you try to join us live … all 5 sessions will be recorded and you will have access till 1 November to do the course at your own pace.

Money a little tight? You can pay in 3 monthly instalments. Pay 1/3 today, a 1/3 in 30 days, and the final 1/3 in 60 days.

Get your costing & pricing sorted this spring!Sign up to this powerful course below:

the key facts:

  • 5 online live workshops in one week – Mon 29 April until Friday 3 May from 9.30am – 12noon (UK)
  • Especially for creatives, incl. products, art, freelancers, illustrators, craft workshops, commissions
  • Tutor: Patricia van den Akker, award-winning creative business adviser, trainer and coach
  • Time commitment: There will be 2 x 1 hour homework to calculate your own cost price, retail price, and do your financial forecast.
  • Do you want private advice on your costing & pricing? Make your business profitable? Upgrade to get private coaching from Patricia
  • Can’t make it live? No problem! You will have access to the course recordings, presentation + course hub till 1 November 2024

‘The course made me realise that I am too expensive for retail. I always thought that it was prestigious to sell to galleries or shops, but I have realised that it is no good if that comes at a loss or just a break even’.

Yvette Green – Mosaic Artist

‘My pricing now includes all my costs, including a decent salary and my overheads. It turns my stomach to think of all the money left on the table. That is behind me now and I have moved forward and are committed to proper numbers now’.

Kim S. Joy – Glass Artist
Creative woman getting organised Image by Bruce Mars via Unsplash

THE COMPLETE COURSE FOR CREATIVES TO COST & PRICE YOUR WORK … CONFIDENTLY!

Back by popular demand! Our Costing & Pricing Your Creative Work Confidently workshop has been one of our most popular courses in the last 9 years.

Especially created for creatives, this live online course shows you EXACTLY how to do the calculations to cost your work and time, shows which common pricing mistakes to avoid, and gives you the skills and confidence (!) to actually increase your prices or design fees and make your business profitable.

This course is full of creative practical exercises and expert advice to help you charge the right prices and fees for your products, art, illustrations, design services, commissions, craft workshops and more.

Whatever stage you are at with your creative business, costing and pricing your work professionally and confidently is crucial for your success.

This Costing & Pricing for Creatives course is hosted by Patricia van den Akker, the Director of The Design Trust, an award-winning creative business adviser, trainer and coach who has worked with 1,000s of creatives for over 25 years. This is a live course that will run over 5 consecutive mornings from Monday 29 April – Friday 3 May from 9.30am – 12noon (UK).

In 5 sessions of 2.5 hours each, we will take you through the key steps for becoming more confident in charging confidently – from costing and pricing your work, to what to do if you are too expensive or too cheap, to how to charge what you are worth.

session 1: Do you charge enough? Costing your creative work – Mon 29 April 9.30am – 12noon (UK)

In this introductory workship we will focus on costing your products, services and time:

  • Why is costing & pricing your creative work so difficult?
  • How to calculate your cost price, wholesale price and retail price (with the easy 7 step calculation which shows you exactly which costs to include)
  • How to calculate your daily/hourly rate (as a freelancer)
  • Homework: Calculate your cost price or hourly rate
  • Why charging an hourly rate might be a mistake for your creative business
  • Why keeping time sheets is so important (with examples of time sheets)

BONUS: Get Excel templates to calculate your cost price, wholesale price, retail price and hourly rate

session 2: Pricing is an art form – tue 30 april 9.30am – 12noon (UK)

In this 2nd workshop we will focus on pricing:

  • What’s the difference between costing & pricing?
  • The 5 most common pricing mistakes creatives make
  • 15 ways to price your creative products & services. Which ones are best for your creative business?

Homework: Decide on the right pricing strategies and start to price your creative products or services properly.

session 3: Pricing for wholesale + what to do if you are too expensive – Weds 1 may 9.30am – 12noon (UK)

In this 3rd workshop we will focus on costing and pricing for wholesale (e.g. for galleries and shops) and what to do if you are too expensive (which is often the case when you start selling wholesale)

  • What are the 3 major challenges when you start selling wholesale?
  • Why do shops and galleries charge so much commission?
  • Homework: Create a visual price list (for trade)
  • 16 different ways to increase your prices confidently and charge what you are worth! From strategic decisions to really practical ideas

Homework: Create a mini-action plan to increase your prices

session 4: make your creative business profitable – thu 2 may 9.30am – 12noon (UK)

This is such an important strategic session that will open your eyes to how to make your business viable and profitable!

  • We will start with The big 3 Financial Questions Exercise to make your creative business viable!
  • Homework: Set a financial goal for 2024 and create a financial forecast for 2024. Patricia will take you through this process step-by-step so you get clarity on what you need to do to create a financially sound business.
  • What to do if your numbers don’t stack up? Practical and strategic solutions to make your creative business profitable.
  • How to become more confident and charge what you are worth.

Homework: Create a mini-action plan with practical actions & strategic decisions to make your business profitable and you more confident!

session 5: pricing of commissions & workshops AND q&a – FRI 3 may 9.30AM – 12noon (uk)

In this final session, Patricia will explain how to cost and price (craft) workshops and commissions, and she will work with 2 – 3 students on their specific costing or pricing challenges. A great opportunity to get specific expert advice!

  • How to create a quote & proposal for a creative service or commission
  • How to budget, cost & price (online) workshops
  • How to talk about money with your clients
  • Costing & Pricing hotseats: Patricia will work with 2 – 3 students on their specific costing & pricing challenges.

Can’t make it live on 29 April – 3 May? No problem! All workshops, presentations and the course hub will be available to you till 1 November 2024.

want to get private expert advice on your costing & pricing challenges?

You can upgrade and book a 45min online coaching & advice session with Patricia to discuss any of your costing & pricing questions or challenges. She will give you honest and practical advice, looking at your goals and motivations, your specific products and services, and much more!

Your 121 session will need to take place by the end of July 2024.

meet your tutor

patricia quote

Patricia van den akker

director

Patricia has developed this practical Costing & Pricing your Creative Work Confidently course over the last 9 years.

She knows why costing and pricing your creative work can be so difficult … because it’s often a combination of things: You need to know what your costs are and how much time it takes to create, so there are maths and calculations involved. (She will give you those calculations in this course!)

But then there are ‘softer’ and more psychological elements like what is the perceived value for the client, how well known or unique are you, and what are your clients prepared to pay for your creative products and services? Plus … how confident are you to charge what you are worth?

In this step-by-step course, Patricia will tackle all these different elements around costing and pricing your creative products & services so that you know how to charge properly in the future. She will give you the knowledge to calculate your cost price and hourly rate, how to avoid common pricing mistakes, how to raise your prices and influence how your clients might see you and position you, and … she will give you a confidence booster too!

Patricia has been a creative business adviser, trainer and coach for over 25 years, and has worked with 1,000s of creatives. She loves talking about money and challenging creatives to get them to tackle their finances! To get them into action to charge the right amount, and to create a more profitable business.

Be prepared to do the practical homework exercises in between the sessions to make the most of this course.

Got any questions about this practical online course?

Click on the arrow in the circle to get your answers

  • Who is Costing & Pricing your Creative Work Confidently for?

    This 5-half day live online course is designed specifically for creatives at any stage of their business who want to cost and price their creative products and services properly, and confidently!

    Whatever your creative skills or products (from handmade jewellery to giftware), craft workshops, creative services and beyond, we will help you charge the right amount for your creative work.

    You might be a recent graduate, a part-time maker or you might have been selling for many years … if you want to learn how to calculate your cost price or hourly rate, how to increase your prices, or why shops charge so much, or you want to create a more profitable business in 2024 this practical online course is for you.

  • This is an online course. What if I am not very tech-savvy?

    The Design Trust is an online business school and Patricia has been teaching online for over a decade now, and has worked with 1,000s of creatives, so she knows how to create engaging online courses.

    We make it as easy as possible for you to join the live 5 workshops, and to access the private online learning hub for this course which is available until 1 November 2024.

    We will give you clear and simple instructions, and show you how to sign up for the live sessions and access the private course hub.

    You can post your costing & pricing questions and your homework at any time in the private hub … up until 1 November 2024 to get a personal answer!

    The 5 online workshops will take place on 5 consecutive mornings, between Monday 29 April – Friday 3 May. You will have to sign up in advance for each session individually if you want to join us live. You will get a reminder email and then two reminder emails if you can join us live.

    During the live sessions you can ask questions via the chat or unmute. You just need to have access to a computer with reliable WIFI to join our online classes.

    Can’t make it live? No problem at all! You will have access to the recordings until 1 November 2024, so you can do the course at your own pace.

  • Can I get extra support if I get stuck?

    We have loads of different ways to help you succeed!

    We recommend that you join us live so that you can ask questions immediately. Also do the homework exercises to help you, and you can post any additional questions on the private course hub at any time till 1 November 2024. We will give you individual written feedback till then!

    During the final session on Friday 3 May we will have ‘hot seats’ where we will invite 2-3 participants to share their specific challenges around costing and pricing their creative work. Any participant can put themselves forward for these live online coaching.

    We will finish the final session with a Q&A, when Patricia will answer as many questions as possible.

    Need more? Want confidential & private advice? Then upgrade to book a 121 coaching session with Patricia after the course has finished.

  • Can I share this course with a friend or colleague?

    Sorry, you can’t.

    When you purchase this course it’s for you only. You will get a single use license.

    If you work in a formal partnership then you can share it, but please do not share with others who have not paid for this course.

    Like you, The Design Trust is a small creative business and this course is based on our 25 years+ experience. It’s full of our proprietary knowledge and copyrighted strategies. Please do not share it with others.

    We can provide access to the Costing & Pricing Your Creative Work Confidently course as a group course or offer a bulk discount. Get in touch with us at [email protected] to find out more.

  • Can I get a refund if it’s not for me?

    Yes! We want you to be completely happy with your purchase. That means that if you decide the course isn’t for you, you can claim a full, no-quibble refund any time BEFORE your first scheduled online workshop on Monday 29 April 2024. All you have to do is request your refund in writing to [email protected] before that date.

    If you suspect you might change your mind about the course, please make a careful note of the date of your first workshop.

    Once the course has started we are unable to give you a refund.  This also includes your 121 coaching session, which needs to take place before the end of July 2024.

    Remember that if you are unable to attend the live sessions then you can catch up with all the recordings on our private course hub till 1 November 2024.

join today … and start charging what you are worth!

Costing & pricing your creative work confidently – spring 2024

Written by

Costing Pricing your creative work confidently course logo Feb 2022

Dear , a very big welcome to your ‘Costing & Pricing’ hub home page

We hope you are super excited to get started with this course consisting of 5 consecutive online morning sessions. All sessions have now taken place and you can find the recording + presentations at the bottom of this page under ‘What You’ll Learn’:

  1. Do you charge enough? Costing your creative work
  2. Pricing is an art form
  3. Pricing for wholesale and what to do if you are too expensive
  4. How to make your creative business profitable
  5. Costing & pricing of workshops and commissions, and Q&A session

Once the course has started you can use the private hub here to post any questions and your homework to get additional feedback and suggestions.

On the course pages below you will find two ways to navigate through the course: at the bottom of the course pages, and on the right hand-side in the mint column. That’s how you move to the next page.

You can also click the button ‘course completed’ to keep track of what you have watched already.

If you get lost then click the ‘course home page’ at the top under our logo to return to this home page.

You will have access to this course until 1 November 2024.

We love to hear from you!

Patricia van den Akker – The Design Trust

Categories: ,

Tags:

The 7 lessons I learnt about intellectual property for creatives

Written by

Many creatives are concerned about intellectual property – How do you protect your work online and on social media? How to stop people copying your best ideas (especially if you teach craft workshops!)? How do you avoid big brands copying your latest products or ideas.

Throughout July 2019 we have been talking about intellectual property for creatives in our Business Club with exclusive sessions with Dids MacDonald of ACID (Anti Copying in Design) and IP lawyers Briffa & Co. We published a blog post with useful resources about intellectual property for creatives, and textile & paper artist Jennifer Collier talked frankly and inspiringly about how to respond if somebody copies you, plus we published ceramicist’s Amanda Banham’s experience when somebody copied her – with practical tips of what to do and not if somebody steals your ideas by intellectual property lawyer Margaret Briffa.

We anticipated that intellectual property was going to be a big topic. But we have been overwhelmed by the response! Sometimes very emotional responses. We received many many emails about intellectual property problems from creatives who wished to stay anonymous. Thank you for sharing with us. And for trusting us.

This blog post is my personal take (Patricia van den Akker, Director of The Design Trust) on intellectual property for creatives, and what I have learnt in the last month but also in the previous 20+ years as a creative business adviser about intellectual property for creatives:

Lesson 1: Intellectual property is (surprisingly) emotional

Although many creatives prefer to put their head in the sand when it comes to anything to do with law, the reality is that many creatives have quite strong opinions and emotions around intellectual property, and especially when it comes to protecting their creations.

Over the last few weeks and years we have heard from many creatives whose work was copied or at least very strongly influenced by.

But we have also heard from creatives who have been wrongly accused of copying others.

And that’s very painful too.

Last Autumn I spotted on Kickstarter a campaign for a planner called Dream Plan Do. For anybody who knows what I do – I have been self-publishing the Dream Plan Do planner journals for the last 3 years. I was so furious when I found out! Although … it very quickly turned out that the design, audience and quality was rather different than ‘my’ planner. But I still was out on revenge!

However, when I digged a little deeper it turned out that this lady in the USA had been self-publishing her Dream Plan Do planner … since 2015! Two years before I launched our Dream Plan Do planner. Oops. I had to calm myself down very quickly. Sometimes it’s true: people come up with the same names or ideas (more about that later!).

On the other hand, there was also a planner designed in Italy with a very similar name, feel and audience as ours, which we got removed from Kickstarter. And there are at least two very similar business planners for creatives around that look remarkably similar to our concept, but we can’t really do anything about. We just hope that clever and professional creatives spot the one that’s the best! 😊

Being copied really hurts. It’s not flattery at all.

Many creatives have told us how it really hurt them deeply when they found out that they have been copied. They often put their soul into their work, and have developed very personal techniques and quirks over many years and sometimes decades. If they are known for a specific technique then their identify is often closely aligned with it.

When somebody then just copies that they feel really lost.

As if somebody has stolen their identity.

Something that was deeply ‘theirs’ got taken away.

Unfortunately, the reality is that unless your work is copied in detail and you have proof that you were the first to develop this, then it’s unlikely that you have a legal case. The difference between imitation and inspiration is very small indeed. Although you might feel like it’s a copy, most specialist IP lawyers would need to see clear evidence and would probably disagree.

You might feel that you have the moral right. But unfortunately, you have often limited legal rights. And many creatives know that and feel very powerless. Especially if it involves big brands or other small creatives.

You can read here ceramicists Amanda Banham’s story about what happened when somebody was heavily inspired by her ceramic rainbows and houses – with very practical tips on what to do and what not by IP lawyer Margaret Briffa of Briffa & Co.

Lesson 2: The dubious role of social media in copyright infringement

Increasingly we see social media guerrilla campaigns to point out and often have-a-go at copycats, attracting regularly 100’s of comments and shares. Such as in the case of jewellery brand Tatty Devine accusing Claire’s Accessories of stealing their unique dinosaur design and other icons, which quickly got them mainstream press interest and the case was indeed swiftly settled out-of-court afterwards.

However when we spoke to various intellectual property experts they all were very cautious about using social media. It might help as a last resort tool but it is strongly adviceable that you get specific legal advice of what to do and write exactly. If your case comes to court then your social media actions might work against you. If you accuse somebody of copying your work while this isn’t (entirely) true then they might sue you for defamation. Use specific words and avoid others. Be careful.

Lesson 3: Unfortunately many amateurs start with copying

When you are learning something new then you need to start somewhere. And as crafts and handmade are super popular right now, many new creatives look for ‘inspiration’ on popular social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Often copying the work of professionals who have developed their styles and techniques over many years.

It’s one thing to copy a design for yourself, your own use or as a gift. It’s something very different if those copied pieces than appear online or on social media for sale.

If you want to be a professional creative then please be original. We all need inspiration, but make sure that you add your own unique take on what you create. Especially if you are promoting and selling your work.

Many new creatives are not aware of intellectual property or copyright. If your work is copied (but make sure that you have got a case – see Margaret Briffa’s tips here!) by a fellow (new) creative then a good first action point is to get in touch with them by email or letter, and explain that you believe they have copied you, you clarify your rights, and very often they will take it down immediately.

For example: a couple of years ago our software alerted me that nearly 40 of The Design Trust’s blog posts had been copied on to another creative business support’s website. They had removed all our links to our site and referred them back to their own pages. I got in touch with them in writing immediately, explained that it was my copyright (and very hard work to write these original blog posts based on over 20 years experience … “thank you very much …!”) and requested that they were removed immediately. I suggested that it was fine to refer to short quotes and refer back to specific pages, but that copying 40 blog posts in their entirety was an infringement of my copyright. They apologised and removed them immediately.

This is very often the case. A simple letter explaining and confirming your copyright is all that it takes. Many people do not know what copyright is and how it works, and might infringe your copyright without realising it. If a stronger letter needs to be send then a formal cease and desist letter from a lawyer can work well too.

This takes us neatly to my next intellectual property for creatives lesson:

Lesson 4: Educate yourself. And other creatives.

Many creatives are very scared about intellectual property and prefer to put their head in the sand. Although IP law should be really straightforward, it’s actually one of the most complex! (Hence, we as The Design Trust do NOT provide any legal advice. We are not legal specialist and we suggest you get in touch with any of our recommended intellectual property organisations here.)

There are many myths around intellectual property for creatives, and it’s rare that art colleges teach the basics around intellectual property (more about that later).

Many creatives are very worried about being copied, but then often do the ‘wrong’ things such as leaving samples or send high res files to potential large clients or manufacturers, or ‘free’ competitions (in any of these cases your work can be very easily copied!).

Not knowing the basics of intellectual property might stop you from pursuing potential opportunities with bigger retailers or clients, or for undervaluing your worth in licensing agreements.

But this is also about you NOT infringing somebody else’s intellectual property! Do you know that your photographer is very likely to have the copyright on your images (unless stated clearly in your contract!)? Did you know that you can’t use quotes on products and books, unless you have explicit written approval?

Indeed, a couple of years ago we fell unknowingly foul of the latter. We had commissioned 3 designers to illustrate quotes from creatives and business owners for our first Dream Plan Do planner journal to be included at the start of each month. I wasn’t aware that I needed explicit written confirmation and we had to change and delete these illustrated quotes the week before we went to print. Very stressful indeed, but at least we didn’t run into problems later on, when we potentially would have had to stop selling our planners. You can read here a useful article on the Etsy website about intellectual property infringement and how they deal with it. 

Another example is my own sister who started her fashion-for-disabled-children business 12 years ago and received within 3 days of her opening her online and bricks-and-mortar shop a very threatening letter from an IP lawyer. It turned out, that although she had done some basic trademark research, she hadn’t checked out the trademark register in the Netherlands in detail when launching her new business.

It turned out that a trademark had been registered in the fashion category and hence this business had a claim on ‘her’ business name. She had to change her new business name immediately, and completely rebrand her website and all promotional material including business cards and brochures – immediately. The cost of replacing everything was huge, and of course this wasn’t the business launch she had had in mind! To avoid a similar issue for your business you might like to check out this blog post by the IPO on trademarking your business name.

Indeed, it’s very easy to become more ‘IP savvy’ and educate yourself about intellectual property and how to protect yourself. Use the copyright icon. Be careful what you share with whom.

We reviewed the most useful books and resources around intellectual property for creatives in this blog post. Feel free to share!

Lesson 5: Be extremely careful when you teach

We have had many creatives contacting us about copyright infringement as a direct result of teaching craft workshops. Our advice to anybody who teaches:

  • Do make it clear in writing before and during the course that this work or design is your copyright and explain that that means that your students can’t copy and then sell it as their own. When sharing any templates or patterns then it’s recommended that you include the copyright icon with your name and the year. Make it clear in writing that it is for their own personal use only, and not for commercial use. It might be good to have a conversation about it during the class, and even have this included as part of your terms and conditions.
  • You might also consider to teach certain projects that are easier to make, but not offer similar projects for sale. This will avoid any painful situations in the future.

You can read here the personal story of ceramicist Amanda Banham about what happened when she taught friends her raku ceramic techniques.

Lesson 6: The role of the bigger players, journalists, art colleges and (trade) fairs

It’s extremely frustrating when any of the ‘big boys’ steals from a small creative business. There seems to be a certain group of big brands that tend to copy from smaller businesses, sometimes by buying their products, sometimes by inviting them in for a meeting or through ‘free’ competitions. Be aware of the companies that have a bad reputation in this case. Do ask more experienced creatives about their experiences. And be careful to jump happily into meetings without being IP savvy! ESPECIALLY with some of the big names. 

Many small creatives feel very upset when they get copied by big brands. It does often feel like David and Goliath.

Not just does it feel extra unfair, but also are they missing out on a potential lucrative deal.

Plus small businesses often don’t have the capacity, energy, money and knowledge to fight cases against much more powerful big companies.

A few years ago a very small knitwear company on the Scottish Fair Isles managed to win a case again copyright infringement by French fashion giant Chanel. I had the pleasure to meet the very inspiring Mati Ventrillon a couple of years ago, and I was amazed how she personally dealt with such a big case like this.

If you experience a copyright infringement by a big company like this we strongly recommend that you get immediate professional advice as copyright law is more complicated than you think. See here our list here for recommended organisations for intellectual property for creatives.

I am also very pleased to hear about the lobbying work that membership organisation ACID (Anti Copying in Design) is doing with the big UK companies around intellectual property and how they are working with big companies to make it part of a broader ethical stance on doing business. As individual companies it’s very hard to fight big companies, but together we can achieve much more. I would love to see organisations like the Design Council and the Crafts Council do much more in this regard. Although the Design Council has some basic information about intellectual property for creatives on their website, it’s not at all mentioned on the Crafts Council’s website.

However, I also would call out to journalists, awards organisations and (trade) fair organisers to be more vigilant around work being copied. I regularly visit events or are part of a judging panel and notice then regularly work that’s very strongly influenced, in particular at graduate events. Recently I was a judge in a graduate show where I spotted a series of woven pieces that were very reminiscent of a well-known British weaver. I was very surprised to see that this young weaver then was selected for a large article in a major design magazine by a journalist who should frankly have known better. Stop supporting copycats please. And dare to call people out on it. Especially if you are in a place of influence. 

I also strongly believe that art colleges and universities in particular have a much stronger role to play in combating intellectual property infringements.

I strongly believe that universities can provide much-needed advice early on, by:

  • teaching their students the basics of intellectual property for creatives,
  • but also to teach them more about the history of their craft (so they know their roots!),
  • and a far stronger focus on being original and where you can find your own inspiration (away from the internet and social media!).

The University of the Arts London used to have a specialist intellectual property department called Own-It, which was very useful and pro-active in providing intellectual property advice. They have a useful two-page resource on intellectual property on their site here now.

Lesson 7: Sometimes similar ideas happen at the same time

Yes, sometimes similar ideas happen.

A couple of years ago my husband, who works in advertising, was part of a team that was about to launch a mega-big advertising campaign. Then a week before their multi-million pound launch a close competitor launched their own campaign with a very similar idea. They checked, but nobody was to blame. They pulled the entire campaign (at great cost) and came up with a  new idea.

The thing is with intellectual property: You can’t protect ideas.

You can only protect the finished thing.

It’s the execution that counts.

But if it feels too close to what others have been doing, and potential clients could confuse you, then do walk away.  It’s the professional thing to do.

Did you find this article about my lessons about intellectual property for creatives useful? Then please share it so that more creatives are educated and know what to do. We would love to hear your comments, and especially if you learnt something in this post or from the resources we shared above. Or if you know of any additional intellectual property resources then let us know too.

Sell More Online 2024

Written by

Sell More Online Colour

Dear , a very big welcome to the Sell More Online 2024 course

We hope you are super excited to get started with this really practical and action-orientated 7-week course and accountability group. We want to show you over the next few weeks how to improve your website, branding, and your online marketing incl. email marketing and social media too.

The course exists of 4 online workshops & 1 bonus session:

  1. Are you and your website ready for more online sales? On Friday 24 May from 9.30am – 12.30pm UK time
  2. The 4 key strategies to drive better and more traffic to your website On Friday 7 June from 9.30am – 12.30pm UK time
  3. How to turn interest into actual sales On Friday 21 June from 9.30am – 12.30pm UK time
  4. How to use Arificial Intelligence for your marketing On Friday 5 July from 9.30am – 10.30am UK (1 hour session)
  5. Sell more on Etsy + two ‘hot seats’ and Q&A On Friday 12 July from 9.30am – 12.30pm UK time

You will have access to this course till 1 November 2024.

We also recommend that you reserve around 6 – 8 hours each week in your diary between end of May and mid of July to work on your own website and online marketing. What would work best for you? To do it all in one day, or in two blocks or maybe one hour each working day? We have found that participants who put in these blocks into their diary before the course starts are much more likely to take action!

After each of the 3 workshops we will give you practical homework and we will invite you to identify 5 specific actions to DO and focus on, and to share these with us here on the private course hub. Then we can give you additional feedback and suggestions too.

How to access the course, presentations & recordings?

If you scroll down below then you will see an outline of the course. As we go through the course we will be adding the presentations and recordings to the course.

Welcome aboard. We are excited to be working with you!

Patricia van den Akker & Anne-Marie Shepherd

Categories: ,

Tags: , , , ,

Sell More Online – May/July 2024

Written by

Sell More Online Colour

Do you want to sell more online and get sales and trade orders for your creative products, commissions or workshops?

Are you frustrated by your social media performance and the lack of visitors to and sales from your website or Etsy shop?

Do you know that your website, branding or photography needs some work and extra love, but you’re not sure where to start?

Do you want to drive more and especially better traffic to your website through keywords, social media, and email marketing, but you’re not sure what to do?

Our 7-week intensive Sell More Online ‘bootcamp’ will show you in 4 Friday morning online workshops EXACTLY what to do to increase traffic and get more online sales. From what improvements to make on your website and brand and how to drive traffic with SEO, creative and personalised email marketing and social media; to how to turn your visitors into actual buyers!

The short BONUS session on how to use artificial intelligence will help you with your marketing and writing PLUS we finish with a Q&A and a special session on how to get more sales on Etsy with a successful Etsy seller.

This is a practical, hands on course: You will write your own product or project pages with the right keywords and a promotional email too. You will get written feedback on both from us in our private hub!

This workshop isn’t just for product-based creative businesses, it’s very useful to help you promote your commissions and craft workshops too.

This is an action-orientated, practical, results-driven course with an accountability group. Full of inspiration and with loads of real-life, affordable ideas – especially created for small creative businesses!

Do you want individual advice & feedback on your website & social media? Then upgrade and get a 121 website review with Anne-Marie Shepherd, our Business Club & Social Media Manager.

If you want to work on your website & online marketing to get ready for the busy Christmas season, then sign up here:

the key facts:

  • 7-week online course – Friday 24 May, 7 + 21 June, and 5 + 12 July
  • 4 live workshops of 3 hours each + 1 bonus session = 13 hours training in total
  • Outcomes: Be proud of your website! Drive more regular creative traffic and get more online sales and orders.
  • Especially created for: Creative professionals who are disappointed with their online visitors, sales, orders & commissions
  • Tutors: Patricia van den Akker and Anne-Marie Shepherd of The Design Trust
  • Time commitment: To get sales results we recommend 4-6 hours per week throughout the course to work on your own website, branding and online marketing.
  • Maximum 40 students: to guarantee personal feedback and support

I had to tell you … I’ve just published my 2nd newsletter since embarking on the Sell More Online course and whoo hoo – again more sales within minutes. I am so chuffed – thank you!

surface pattern designer Katie Smith, Tablet + HAAR

Do you want to get more online sales or orders from your website or Etsy shop?

Are you getting frustrated by the lack of visitors or sales to your website?

Do you want to promote and sell your products, your craft workshops or commissions better online?

Of course you do!

In the last 4 years, website and online sales have become even more important for small creative businesses. More people are buying online and are often prepared to spend more online too! With live events and wholesale orders still struggling, it’s crucial that you have a professional website throughout the year to present yourself and your work in the best possible way.

But … is your website as good as it can be? Is your website truly at the heart of your creative business? Are your images and branding attracting the right people? Do you regularly & creatively (!) drive traffic to your website with emails or social media – in a creative and personal way? Do you know how to turn your website visitors into actual buyers & commissioners?

Having a professional online presence is absolutely crucial now to run a successful creative business. Without a website you won’t be taken seriously, plus it is the BEST place to get online sales and orders throughout the year!

Having a website is only the first step.

You also need to reach out regularly and creatively to drive the right traffic to get visitors, and ultimately sales.  

Right now in may until early July is the perfect time to work on your website, branding & on driving traffic.

May, June and July are often not-too-busy-months, and are perfect for working towards your rebrand or relaunch just before the summer holidays start. Or why not use these months to get organised early and get ready for the busy autumn and Christmas selling season?

what’s the sell more online course & accountability group?

Our Sell More Online course & accountability group will take you step-by-step through 3 stages:

  1. To make your website, branding , photography & online offer better! For you and your ideal clients. If you are not proud of your website you won’t want to invite visitors!
  2. To attract the right + more visitors to your updated website.
  3. To turn these new visitors into sales, orders & commissions!

Each workshop is full of practical advice, specifically tailored for creative businesses, and we will give you loads of inspiration and ideas too to improve your website and marketing. After each of the 3 core workshops you will create your own action list and DO the work before the next workshop.

It’s a bit like a gentle ‘bootcamp’ … You will be part of a supportive group of like-minded creatives who are all working on their website, branding and marketing. Throughout the 7 weeks you can ask us questions during the live workshops and on our private course hub.

We know from experience how super useful and motivating this extra support and accountability is in getting you to make improvements to your website and marketing!

At the heart of this course are 4 practical, action-orientated workshop sessions plus a final session where you can ask any questions:

  • Get ready: you, your products & your website: Friday 24 May 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)
  • Get better traffic with SEO, email marketing, social media & traditional marketing: Friday 7 June 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)
  • Turn interest into sales and orders – the 4 stages of the buying process: Friday 21 June 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)
  • BONUS: How to use artificial intelligence for your marketing & writing: Friday 5 July 9.30am – 10.30am (UK time)
  • Final session: Sell More On Etsy + ‘Hot Seats and Q&A’: Friday 12 July 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)

Online workshop 1 : Are you and your website ready for more online sales? FRIday 24 MAY 9.30AM – 12.30PM (UK)

This first workshop focuses on what to do to improve your current website or Etsy shop, so that it is as good as possible to start inviting more of the right visitors to it.

  • Create your own website & online selling action plan: What do you need to improve? Set your own goals and targets for your website and online marketing and sales. What are the numbers that you want to track? Do you know how many visitors you get, which pages they go to (and leave)? We will share a strategic action plan for you to download to really focus on to create your own plan to improve your website.
  • What stops you from selling more online?: Do you know which creative products & services sell well online? How can you make yours more sellable? How can you organise your website so it’s easier for people to find and then to navigate?
  • Our marketing mantra at The Design Trust is: “People only buy from people they know, like & trust” … so how can you build your profile, credibility and trust into your website more?
  • How can you create a stronger online brand to attract your ideal clients? With better images. We will go in-depth into branding and how to create a better brand online (on a shoestring budget!) You will identify your brand values and what you want to be known for, and find exactly how to improve your branding and images (not just useful for online, but also when you are selling at events!).
  • How can you sell higher-end work and commissions online; we give you lots of great creative examples.
  • We give you top tips on how to make time for marketing and work on your website in the coming weeks, during the course, and beyond – especially if you are busy with loads of other jobs & responsibilities too!
  • Accountability homework: Which 3 – 5 tasks will you work on before the next session? We will show you how to choose the right actions for your business and website, and how to make them specific, juicy and do-able. Share them in our private hub to get feedback and more accountability!

Online workshop 2: The 4 key strategies to drive better and more traffic to your website. friday 7June 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK)

This second workshop takes place two weeks later, focusing on getting more and better visitors to your website or Etsy shop:

  • What’s the best way to get more traffic to your website? The answer is SEO (Search Engine Optimatisation) or keywords: Patricia will explain when SEO is especially important, and when it is not. We will give you a handy checklist to identify the best key words for your own work and brand, and how to use these keywords to get found and exactly what to do to increase your ranking on Google and Etsy. We will show you how to write a good product or commissioning page with a key-word rich title and description, and then we’ll invite you to write your own and share it with us in the private hub to get personal feedback. We have some really great examples of great product & creative service pages. Very useful homework!
  • Email marketing: Did you know that email marketing is 10x more effective for getting sales than social media? We will explain why along with the most common email marketing mistakes creatives makes, how to get more people to subscribe (very popular!), how to get your emails read, and how to write better emails too. We will share lots of examples that show how creative email marketing can be!
  • Social media: Are you frustrated with how low the engagement on social media is these days? We are too! Do you know which social media is best for sales? Do you know what to do and focus on to make your own social media much more effective? We will show you how to create your own social media calendar for the next 3 months with loads of really practical advice and creative examples that you can use too.
  • Traditional marketing: What would you do if the internet didn’t exist? We will share some really creative and memorable ways to drive traffic to your website that won’t involve emailing or social media. Really useful for local marketing too.

This session has some very useful and creative homework actions! After this session, we won’t just ask you to identify and share your 5 actions to work on your own website, but we will also invite you to identify your own keywords and write a product or commissioning page, identify 5 specific topics to write about in your blogs or emails, and create your own social media calendar. You’ll be getting the work done in real time!

Online workshop 3: How to turn interest into actual sales. FRIDAY 21 JUNE 9.30AM – 12.30PM (UK)

Two weeks later is our final workshop when we’ll focus on turning those extra new visitors into actual buyers:

  • We’ll look at the 6 fundamental online selling techniques to turn interest into sales – from continuing to build your profile & credibility and becoming more memorable, to the 4 stages of the selling process (and what stops people buying from you) and how to get more repeat business from existing clients. How to get people to buy from you NOW?
  • Plus Patricia’s 12 expert tips to get more online sales, orders and commissions.  
  • We will finish this session again with you committing to 5 specific tasks to focus on improving your website and marketing, and getting more online sales.

BONUS 1 HOUR SESSION: HOW TO USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR MARKETING & WRITING . FRIDAY 5 JULY 9.30AM – 10.30AM (uk)

In the last year AI has made a huge difference to marketing and writing. In this bonus session Patricia will show you how you can use ChatGPT to help you write better emails, blog posts, get ideas for Pinterest boards and much more! Especially useful if you are not a great natural writer.

FINAL SESSION: sell more on etsy + ‘hot seats’ and q&a. friday 12 july 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK)

The final session is slightly different, and consists of two parts:

  • How to get more sales on Etsy. We have invited paper artist, successful Etsy seller and ex-Etsy Brighton Captain Silvina De Vita to join us and share with us her real life advice on making your Etsy shop successful. She will be sharing advanced techniques on Etsy SEO, looking at stats and what you can learn from them, how to get more repeat business from existing clients, and how Etsy makes it easier to sell to clients in the EU. This will be a one-hour session + Q&A with Silvina who gets a good salary from her Etsy sales!). Not just useful for Etsy sellers, this sessions also helps you learn how to manage a successful online business single-handedly. (Silvina sells a lot to wholesale too.)
  • We will finish our course & accountability group with a Q&A and some ‘hot seats‘: Participants can ask questions around how to get more online sales, we can look at websites and Patricia and Anne-Marie will answer as many questions as we can that have not been answered before.

can’t make those days live? No problem!

Although we highly recommend that you try to join us live to make the most of this practical course (and the extra accountability!) we understand that you might not be able to make it due to other responsibilities or living in a different time zone!

This is an online course, so all 5 sessions will be recorded and posted on our private online training platform after each session, and you will have access to this course until 1 November 2024.

To make the most of the perfect timing of this course, the momentum and the accountability group we do recommend that you watch the recordings asap after each session so that you stay in sync with the rest of the group.

If you prefer, you can do this entire course at your own pace, whenever it suits you best throughout the year.

PatriciavandenAkkerDirectorofThe Design Trust 1

who is the ‘sell more online ‘ course for?

The Design Trust’s Sell More Online course & accountability group is aimed at creative professionals who are serious about wanting to sell more online. It’s a bit like a gentle ‘bootcamp’. You have been selling online for at least one year or more and you have got a website, Etsy shop, and / or are on Not On The High Street, and you want more sales, orders, bookings for your workshops or commissions. 

Frankly you are a bit disappointed with the amount of online visitors and sales you get and you know that with a bit of extra work you can do so much better! You want to know what really works to get better online visitors and sales.

You want to work on your website and be really proud of your work and yourself again. (If you aren’t proud of your website you will not want to encourage visitors ….so that’s the first step to work on!) You know your website is not presenting and positioning you in the best possible way to your ideal clients, but you aren’t sure what you need to work on. You want to learn about SEO and keywords and how to write better titles and descriptions. You want to use email marketing and social media more effectively and creatively to attract visitors.

You want to get creative inspiration and motivation to work on your website and marketing step-by-step with clear action plans, and you need a bit of extra support to make it all happen. You want to stop wasting your time on doing a bit of this and that, and get into action with a practical online marketing plan that works.

be warned: this is an actiON-ORIENTATED COURSE … ARE YOU READY & COMMITTED TO IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE?

We created the Sell More Online course especially for creatives who are ready to take action and put in the extra work to improve their website, branding and online marketing. This is a very action-orientated programme with 3 practical workshops, a bonus session on how to use artificial intelligence for marketing & writing, an advanced Etsy session, with a Q&A ‘hot seat’, and an accountability group throughout the 7 weeks. We suggest that you commit to 4 – 6 hours per week of working on your own website and online marketing throughout this programme to really see the results you want.

You are busy already but know that you need to make more time for your website and online sales! This 7-week course will help you to get and stay focused, to set some consolidated time aside to learn, plan and implement your website improvements. Being part of a creative group who are also working on their websites can be very stimulating and inspiring to get the job done!

These online workshops are created especially for creative professionals who sell products such as crafts and handmade objects (jewellery, fashion accessories, glass ceramics), stationery (post cards, note books), art and prints and other home and giftware. We will also talk about how to get more craft commissions, and online sales for craft workshops. This course is also relevant for people who sell the work of other creatives (e.g. event organisers, shops, galleries, popups, agents, curators etc) and businesses who make handmade beauty products or creative food products.

We are sharing advanced website improvement techniques and tools. This course is NOT aimed at creatives who are very new and who do NOT have a website yet. 

Please note that we need a min. of 20 participants to run this course and accountability group.

Got any more questions? Then scroll down to the FAQ below.

want to get more individual support?

upgrade to get a private website review & coaching session

Would you like to get more individual & expert advice on your website, photography and how you drive traffic and get online sales?

Now you can!

You can sign up for one of the 8 private one-hour website review & coaching sessions with Anne-Marie Shepherd, The Design Trust’s Business Club & Social Media Manager.

The session will take place online on Zoom.

In advance of your 121 session, Anne-Marie will check out your website and social media. (So you will get more than one-hours worth!) We will ask you to identify the strengths and improvements you want to focus on, and she will give you really practical but also strategic personal advice and action points. These are really supportive and inspiring sessions.

Sounds good? You can upgrade to get your website review with this course below.

Once the course has started, we will get in touch with you and you can book your one-hour session with Anne-Marie at the start of the course. Your website review session must take place between June – mid September.

We only provide these private coaching and website reviews as part of this course, and not separately.

Want to improve your website + branding? get more online sales? drive traffic to your website? BE ready for christmas?

MEET YOUR TUTORS

Patricia van den Akker The Design Trust portrait 3

Patricia van den Akker

Director

Patricia van den Akker is the Director of The Design Trust. She has been a creative business adviser, trainer and coach for more than 25 years.

This Sell More Online course is based on her experience of launching and growing 4 websites as a creative & social entrepreneur in the last 10 years.

Her first website only reached a handful of people … our current The Design Trust website gets over 30K visitors each month! We have close to 90K social media followers, more than 14K email subscribers and our revenue is over £100K. 

This action-orientated and result-driven course has evolved over the last 6 years that we have been running it with 100’s of creative clients. Learning and improving each time. Discovering what works and doesn’t work for specific creative businesses.

We know what makes a successful website and what gets you online orders. We will share our own website success secrets. And tell you which mistakes to avoid. So that you can focus on what you do best: creating!

Patricia will be hosting the 3 core workshops + bonus session + Q&A Hot Seat of this Sell More Online course.

Patricia is known for her very practical, inspiring, thought-provoking and action-orientated style of teaching. She has got a very strong creative and ‘can-do’ approach to growing a business, and wants to help other creatives to create businesses that they are proud of too.

Presenting yourself professionally and confidently online is crucial if you want to create a sustainable business. Especially now when it’s a lot harder to get sales, commissions and orders.

We want to give you not just the knowledge to get more online sales, but also the inspiration and creativity to be more unique and professional online, and the confidence and consistency to stay on track.  

Anne Marie Shepherd square

Anne-Marie Shepherd

Marketing and Social Media Manager

Anne-Marie has worked in the arts industry for over 16 years and understands how important it is for creative businesses to get themselves in front of the right audience – whether that be via editorial, emails, print, online or social media.

Anne-Marie was the Marketing Manager of Made London and Made Brighton, a well-known art and craft events organisation for 12 years, and has experience and knowledge of what it takes to produce and market successful arts selling events. 

She works part-time at The Design Trust, as the Business Club & Social Media Manager and works closely with Patricia on marketing, blog and resource creation. Anne-Marie also works as a freelance PR and marketing consultant for other arts organisations. 

Anne-Marie Shepherd will support you in our online hub to answer your marketing questions and provide additional feedback and advice there. She will also do the individual website reviews or private coaching sessions for creatives who have upgraded.

Got any further questions?

click the arrow to get your answers

  • Who is Sell More Online for?

    This 7-week Sell More Online course & accountability group is aimed at creatives, designers, and makers who want to get more sales from their website.

    If you’ve been struggling to make online sales, get workshop bookings, secure commissions, or you just need help getting the attention of your ideal clients, this course is for you.

    Feel like your website doesn’t show your best side? We’ll show you how to improve your branding, images, descriptions, navigation, and marketing channels for better results.

    No matter your creative niche, your price point or how long you have been in business for Sell More Online offers you a step-by-step action plan to get more online visitors, sales, and orders.

  • How does this online course work?

    Sell More Online consists of:

    • 3 core workshops,
    • a one hour bonus session on how to use Artificial Intelligence to help your writing + marketing,
    • and a final Sell More On Etsy session with and Etsy expert, and a Hot Seat/Q&A session to get all your questions answered.

    The course is spaced out over 7 weeks so that you can do the practical homework of improving your website and online marketing in between those weeks.

    In each online workshop, you’ll receive in-depth training on what to focus on to create a successful website and how to get more visitors to your website.

    Each workshop is full of practical, creative, and low-cost (but aspiring!) examples to inspire you to improve your website, marketing, and social media. In each session, you’ll be assigned practical and creative homework tasks to work on. 

    We also invite you to commit to 5 specific actions after each workshop that you will do to improve your website and online sales. We suggest that you make time in your diary to do the work in May till mid July. You’ll need to spend around 30min. planning your tasks after each session, then about 4-8 hours per week on completing the tasks to improve your website performance.

    All our workshops take place on Zoom so you can join from anywhere in the world.

    During the live session you can ask questions, and you will be working on your own plans and with others too.

    Our sessions are very interactive! Each of the 5 sessions will be saved to your private online hub which is very easy to use.

    You’ll get access to the course till 1 November 2024, so you can catch up and learn at your own pace! And don’t forget a crucial part of the course experience – our accountability group. Share your 5 key actions with the group after every session. Ask questions, share your successes, and record your progress with like-minded creatives who are working on their website too in our friendly and supportive online private hub. You won’t be doing this alone!

  • What about the accountability group?

    Glad you asked! We are huge fans of accountability at The Design Trust!

    No matter how motivated you are, everybody needs a little support to stay on track sometimes.

    Luckily, we’re experts in ensuring you have the help you need to make things happen.

    After each workshop session, you’ll be invited to share 5 key actions you want to commit to in our private hub. We can then give you personalised written feedback and additional advice and recommendations too.

    Sharing your goals and actions helps you to stay focused and take action. If you have a question, want to think through your challenges, or simply want to find a supportive ear, then you can do it in your private accountability community which is monitored daily throughout this 7-week course.

    We’ll answer your questions in the private hub till 1 November 2024.

  • What equipment or knowledge do I need beforehand?

    This Sell More Online course is aimed at creatives who have a website or Etsy shop already, with a basic understanding of emails and social media.

    For the online live Zoom workshops, you’ll need access to a computer with reliable Wi-Fi or broadband.

    You will be able to join us live without having to download the app. The private course hub is very easy to use, and we will show you how to access this during the first session.

    Most of the examples and marketing techniques that we share in this course are low-cost and can be implemented by most creatives by themselves.

    However, if you want to make more complicated changes to your website design, branding, or structure, then you might need to learn new software technology or work with a developer, photographer, or designer.  We are happy to recommend creative experts who you can work with.

  • How much time will this course take?

    The Design Trust courses are very action-orientated.

    Taking part in the online workshops is just the start; it’s what you DO with your new knowledge that will make a difference to your online sales!

    If you want to get better results and get more visitors and online sales then be prepared to spend between 6 – 8 hours each week during this 7-week course on your website and driving traffic to make the most of this Sell More Online course.

    Put in the hours … and you’ll see the results you’re looking for!

  • What if I am not very tech-savvy?

    We use Zoom for our online workshops – an online platform that’s very easy to access.

    Our private online course platform is really easy to use, too. You’ll only need basic computer literacy in order to navigate it.

    To get the most out of the course, you’ll need to be able to make changes to your website or have somebody make changes for you.

    Remember, Sell More Online is an action-oriented course.

    Come prepared to do the work. We find that a willingness to learn and finish what you start is more beneficial than knowing the latest technologies!

  • I can’t make the scheduled dates. Is that a problem?

    We recommend that you join the live sessions if at all possible. It’s the best way to connect with your fellow students, to ask questions live during the workshops, to make plans, and to stay on track.

    However, if you have other commitments or you live in a different time zone, then remember that all the sessions are recorded.

    The sessions will be posted in the private hub, together with your homework within a few hours of the live session finishing. You will have access to the hub till 1 November 2024.

    If you can’t make the live sessions, then we highly recommend that you use the private hub or upgrade to get the website review to make the most of the course and to stay on track. That way, you’ll still get the accountability and feedback that you are looking for.

  • I only want to work on my social media. Can I just buy that class?

    Unfortunately not.

    Sell More Online is a comprehensive course designed to improve ALL aspects of your online sales process, and to find out and rectify what’s stopping your ideal clients buying from you! We explore everything that could have a negative impact on your online sales.

    This multi-pronged strategic and practical approach often works and gets you the results you need.

    Social media is an important part of the puzzle but there are other ways to drive traffic. Even if you have great traffic because of social media, that’s no guarantee you’ll get the online sales you want.

    Your website might not show your work in the best way or be attractive to your ideal clients.

    Or you may need to be more consistent with your marketing efforts or reach out to the right people, in the right way.

    That’s why you’ll need to engage with Sell More Online from start to finish.

    If you only want to work on your social media skills then check out our Business Club membership, as we have several super practical sessions with social media experts there. (It’s only £38,- per month!)

  • I have got an Etsy shop. Will this course help me to get more Etsy sales?

    Absolutely! This Sell More Online course is very adaptable to any website, software, or online platform. Including Etsy and Not On The High Street.

    We’ll show you loads of visual examples from various website types to make the course relevant to you.

    PLUS we have invited a successful Etsy seller and expert this year to share with us in the final session exactly what she does to get more online sales and repeat business from her Etsy shop.

Successful Craft Commissions 2024

Written by

Successful Craft Commissions Course Logo 1

Dear , a very big welcome to our ‘successful craft commissions’ 2024 course!

We hope you are super excited to get started with this really practical in-depth online course.

We are really passionate about creative commissions and the opportunities they can bring to creatives like you. In creative terms, financially but also personally and the deeper and more meaningful relationships you will build with your clients.

the ‘successful craft commissions’ course

This course exists of 3 online workshops and 3 bonus interviews with successful creatives:

  • Workshop 1: Intro to commissions & fundamental marketing On Tuesday 7 May from 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK) You can find the recording and presentation for this session at the bottom of this page under ‘What you’ll learn’.
  • Workshop 2: Marketing commissions, on boarding clients and common mistakes On Tuesday 21 May from 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK) To sign up for this workshop on Zoom click here.
  • Workshop 3: How to manage commissions professionally & charge properly On Tuesday 4 June from 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK) To sign up for this workshop on Zoom click here.

We also have invited 3 creatives to join us for a one hour each to share their specific knowledge & experience with us:

  • On Tuesday 14 May from 1pm – 2pm: Contemporary hand-embroiderer Hanny Newton, who shares how she implemented the planning & marketing strategies to organise commissions better after doing this course two years ago. She now focuses especially on doing large scale hand-embroidered projects and online teaching and has completely changed her business model. To sign up for this 1 hour session click here.
  • On Monday 20 May from 1pm – 1.45pm: Designer Artist Pippa Ryan will share with us how she manages, promotes and prices here commissions, incl. memory boxes. To sign up for this 1 hour session click here.
  • On Tuesday 11 June from 10pm – 2pm UK: Furniture designer Nick James will talk about how he promotes and manages his commissioning projects and clients. To sign up for this 1 hour sessions click here.

Technical issues?

If you haven’t received an email from us a week before the course starts then please get in touch with us as there might be an issue you not receiving our emails. Get in touch with [email protected] asap.

You will have access to the entire course and all the recordings, presentations and the homework till 31 December 2024.

Really looking forward to working with you.

Patricia van den Akker – The Design Trust the online business school for designers, makers & other creative professionals. www.thedesigntrust.co.uk @TheDesignTrust

Tags:

Successful Craft Commissions – 2024

Written by

Successful Craft Commissions Course Logo

succcessful craft Commissions online course – tuesdays 7 may + 21 may + 4 june + 3 live creative interviews

Commissions are one of the best opportunities for designers, makers, visual artists & print makers – creatively, financially & personally.

Commissions are a great opportunity … to create more unique work at a higher price point, using your best skills, and to get paid upfront! To create a truly unique item, often very personal and meaningful to the customer or to be shown in public spaces, offices or museums, is truly amazing.

But … many creatives find it difficult to promote themselves to get those better commissions, to get paid properly for their time and talent, and to organise themselves, their clients and their commissioning projects.

Why? Because managing creative commissioning doesn’t get taught at art schools. In fact there are very few books or courses around this important topic! We launched this practical and in-depth online course 3 years ago and it was very popular. Many of our students went on to get much better commissions and to manage and present themselves better and much more confidently. Yes, this course pays itself back really quickly!

This 12-hour onlinecourse consists of 3 core online workshops spread over one month, hosted by our director Patricia van den Akker on marketing, costing & pricing and managing your craft commissions better. Plus, we have invited 3 creatives to share their experience and knowledge in 3 x 1 hour interviews/presentations. A great opportunity to learn from creatives who manage commissions successfully.

If you want to get individual strategic or practical advice about your commissions and process, you can upgrade and get an online coaching/advice session with Patricia (total 60min) anytime before the end of October.

Can’t make it live? No problem! All sessions are recorded and you will have access to the private course hub until 31 December 2024.

Want to make more of your commissions too? Join our 2024 course below – pay in full or in 3 monthly installments:

The key facts:

  • A 12-hour practical online course: 3 x 3hours online workshops on Tue 7 + 21 May and 4 June 2024 (9.30am – 12.30pm UK time) plus 3 x 1-hour expert/creative interviews
  • 3 live, online expert workshops in 1 month + 3 interviews in total. All sessions will be recorded and available until 31 December 2024
  • Want individual advice? You can upgrade and get a 121 coaching/advice session (60mins) with Patricia by end of October.
  • Especially created for: designer makers who want to get better + higher-end craft commissions, charge properly and be more organised.
  • Outcome: To have the knowledge + confidence to market yourself better; to charge properly for your time and talent; to have systems in place to manage the commissioning process, yourself and your clients better
  • Tutor: Patricia van den Akker, Director of The Design Trust. With 3 successful creatives.
  • Time commitment: Depends entirely on your current knowledge level and what you want to achieve in terms of marketing, pricing and management of commissions.

Commissions are truly one of the biggest opportunities for professional creatives, makers, designers, illustrators and visual artists – financially, creatively & personally.

Often with a commission you can charge much more than for your creative products and get paid upfront so they are a great opportunity to make money with fantastically unique work!

But … many creatives struggle to market their commissions, to charge properly for their time and skills, and to manage commissions and their clients, and to set boundaries (especially for themselves!).

Do you want to learn …

How to get better, higher-end commissions? Market yourself, raise your profile, find the right people or organisations who commission?

How to create proposals, tenders or financial quotes for potential creative commissions?

How to get paid for your development time? And charge properly for all the time you put into commissions?

How to avoid problems with difficult clients? How to get them to share their budget or commit? How to stay in touch? Set boundaries?

The problem is … there are very few books, courses or resources about how to market, organise & price creative commissions.

Three years ago we at The Design Trust decided to create this new practical online course (12 hours in total, spread over one month) to help creatives do just that: get better commissions, be more professional and organised, and price properly for their time and work!

PLUS we asked three creatives to talk about how they work with customers and create professional commissions.

We also share very useful tools such as a financial forecast template in Excel, examples of design briefs and financial proposals, terms & conditions, useful commissioning resources, and more! You can download these and adapt them for your own situation … saving you a lot of hassle, time & tears!

PatriciavandenAkkerDirectorofThe Design Trust 1

“successful craft commissions” – 3 x 3 hour online workshops + 3 creative interviews

This practical online course will be hosted by Patricia van den Akker, the Director of The Design Trust, on Tuesday 7 & 21 May and 4 June. The 3 bonus interviews with experts & creatives will be held in May – mid June.

Can’t make these sessions live?

No worries! The 3 core workshops and all 3 interviews will be recorded and you will have access to them in our private course hub till 31 December 2024.

Learn and work on your commissions at your own pace.

online Workshop 1: Introduction to commissions & fundamental marketing – Tuesday 7 MAY 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)

  • AN INTRODUCTION TO COMMISSIONS:
  • What is a commission? What’s the difference between personalisation and commissions? What makes commissions special or different from creating a product or art work?
  • Why are commissions such a great financial & creative opportunity for creatives? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of commissions?
  • And … why do YOU want to do commissions? What’s your motivation and goal when it comes to commissions? Let’s start a plan with your clear goals!
  • FUNDAMENTAL MARKETING FOR COMMISSIONS:
  • Who are your potential commissioning clients? Who commissions & how can you identify potential commissioning clients (individuals & businesses)? What’s their motivation to commission, and why is that important to know?
  • Where to find individuals or businesses who commission? We will share some very useful resources of where to find commissions.
  • FAQ: How to get your first commission? Where to start if you don’t have a lot of experience or profile (yet)?
  • The pro & cons of working with a ‘middleman’, such as a gallery or agent.
  • How to position yourself for higher end commissions. With specific tips to sell to rich clients. (Oh, this is fun and soooo useful!)
  • During and after this session you will start to create your own commissioning action plan, with specific steps for you to work on your marketing. You can share your actions with us in the private course hub for additional feedback + accountability!
  • HOMEWORK: Start a list of potential commissioners. Our marketing mantra ‘People only buy from people they know, like & trust’ is essential if you want to get more and better commissions. What will you do to build your profile, credibility & trust with the right people? An important first marketing step!

online workshop 2: marketing commissions, onboarding & common mistakes – tuesday 21 may 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK)

  • MARKETING COMMISSIONS:
  • Patricia will share 14 (!) creative opportunities to market yourself & your commissioning services. Really practical marketing tools and specific marketing activities to promote your commissions to potential clients, including how to use SEO/keywords, case studies, email marketing, blog posts, PR and other creative marketing tools to get better creative commissions. All with great examples of case studies and pitch letters. Throughout this workshop you will be creating your own marketing action plan to get better & more commissions.
    • The importance of following up after the commission, how to get great testimonials and stay in touch with clients to get potentially more or bigger commissions in the future.  Repeat business and word-of-mouth is key with commissions!
    • ONBOARDING:
    • Create a friendly but effective onboarding process in 6 steps for your commissions and create a pipeline. This is partly marketing and partly professional customer care, but will also help you to become more effective and organised and manage your time better, stop the time-wasters and get paid for your design concepts!
    • COMMON MISTAKES:
    • This session will finish with the most common mistakes & problems with managing commissions; how to help your clients make decisions and stay in touch, so you won’t have to worry if they will like it at the end of the process! This will help you to get ready for our final workshop on finances & organisation.
    • Again, you will create your own commissioning action plan, that you can share in our private course hub for additional feedback and accountability.
  • HOMEWORK: Create or improve a commissioning page on your website + write and publish 3 commissioning case studies. Share with us on the private course hub for additional feedback.

Workshop 3: How to manage commissions professionally & charge properly – tuEsday 4 JUNE 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK).

  • HOW TO MANAGE COMMISSIONS PROFESSIONALLY:
  • How to organise your commissions and set boundaries for yourself & your clients.
  • Patricia will take you step-by-step through the 4 stages of the creative commissioning process, which will help you to break down the project for your own time management, and help you to create more accurate financial forecasts and commissioning proposals.
  • COSTING, PRICING AND THE PAPERWORK FOR COMMISSIONS:
  • How to charge properly for your commissions with 6 different pricing strategies. You will create a financial forecast, terms & conditions, and a financial proposal, and learn how to avoid the biggest pricing mistake … !)
  • How to create a design brief, internal financial forecast, a quote/proposals, and terms & conditions. Patricia will share examples of each with you that you can download & use for your own commissions.
  • FAQ: How to make money from small commissions? (below £1,000?)
  • FAQ: How & when to talk about money and the budget with your client openly & more confidently (or find out what their budget is) and get paid upfront. How to negotiate with your client at the start of the commission.
  • We will talk about the legal stuff around commissions, including contracts, insurance, copyright & licensing, health & safety.
  • And you will finish creating your commissioning action plan.

3 BONUS INTERVIEWS WITH CREATIVES & COMMISSIONERS

The 3 online core workshops of 3 hours each, hosted by our Director Patricia van den Akker will give you the theoretical foundation of how to promote, price and manage your craft & creative commissions better.

But you will learn so much from successful creatives who will share their knowledge and experience with you! We are really excited that as part of this course we have invited ..

Hanny Newton squared
Hanny Newton embroidery artist

Hanny Newton, a contemporary hand embroidery artist who explores a contemporary approach to historical goldwork techniques that date back 800 years! She works from her studio in the North Shropshire Borders and specialises in large scale interior projects, with recent projects including commissions in Serbia, America and London.  In 2022 she won one of the QEST Scholarships.

In this presentation Hanny will share in detail how she has created new planning systems and paperwork in her business since doing this course two years ago. She made some big changes, and now earns much more and works a little less hard. Very insightful.

We have also invited furniture maker Nick James to talk about his commissions, and how he promotes and manages multiple projects at once. He will talk to us on Tuesday 11 June from 1-2pm (UK time).

Further speakers will be announced shortly.

want extra specialist individual advice?

Do you want to get additional expert advice about your commissioning?

How to manage your time, yourself (!) or your clients better? How to charge more or share your financial forecasts? Or how to create a proposal or a quote and get individual feedback on that?

When you do this course you can upgrade to get a 60 min coaching/advice session with Patricia before the end of October to discuss any aspects of your commissioning process – from money, to marketing & management!

There are only 10 spaces for this additional advice, so book now.

At the end of this course you will:

  • Know where and how to find potential commissioning clients, and how to approach them professionally and creatively.
  • Have started to create your own marketing action plan to get better and more commissions, with specific strategic improvements in positioning yourself, and practical marketing activities to get more commissions.
  • Know exactly how to create a financial forecast, proposal & quote for a potential commission.
  • Be more confident in promoting yourself and charging properly for commissions.
  • Know how to avoid the most common commissioning mistakes, including how to get paid upfront, and how to avoid that people ask you to copy a more established creative at a low cost (very cheeky! And not ethical at all!)
  • Learnt from other creatives & experts about how to promote, take on & manage commissions.
  • Have access to useful downloadable templates (for design briefs, financial forecasts, time sheets), handy checklists and a list with commissioning resources to make your commissions more professional and easier for you to manage.

This course will give you a lot of really practical advice to get better and more commissions, and it will save you a lot of time too!

make creative commissions work …

for you & your clients

Who is this course for?  

This short online course (of one month – 12 hours in total) is extremely useful and has been created especially for designer makers and crafts people, but is also suitable for visual artists, photographers, print makers, illustrators etc who want to get more or better creative commissions, charge better fees and manage their commissions better.

You might be a creative who is thinking seriously about taking commissions on in the near future, or you might already do commissions but want to become more professional, reposition yourself or charge more.

Note that this course is especially aimed at craft & creative commissions whereby a ‘product’ or art piece will be created for an individual or business, rather than commissioning of design services such as interior design projects, editorial illustration work or graphic design/branding projects. Although much of the advice might be relevant for these design services projects too.

This course will focus mostly on private & corporate commissions rather than public art commissions, which are often much larger in scale and scope and have much more legal and health & safety issues.     

meet your tutor

Patricia van den Akker banner image portrait 1

patricia van den akker

director of the design trust

Over the last 25 years Patricia van den Akker has been a creative business adviser, trainer and coach for 1,000’s of creatives. She has worked at the Crafts Council, product design agency Studio Levien, cultural agency CIDA and run The Design Trust since 2011.

Patricia is passionate about helping creatives create successful businesses that reflect their unique talents and have a positive impact on the world. Creative commissions have huge potential for creatives to create unique, truly personal & meaningful works of art that might be treasured for a very very long time.

Commissions are also a great opportunity in financial terms as they are often at a higher price point, and ideally you will get paid upfront so they require less investment than regular stock. Especially useful right now.

When Patricia realised that there is very little professional information available on how to promote creative commissions, price and manage them she decided to create short online course in 2022. We hope you will get as excited about commissions as we are and that they will become a great creative, financial, personal & profile-building opportunity for you too.

faq click the question to get the answer on these common questions about the course

  • I am a very new creative. Is this course for me?

    This course is aimed at both creatives who are new but serious about wanting to do craft & creative commissions, and creatives who have done commissions already, but want to improve the marketing, organisation and financial side of their commissions.

    However, if you are a very new business then it might not be very realistic to take on big commissions. How ready you are to start taking on commissions is up to you … and of course we all have to start somewhere!

    Doing this course might help you to learn from ‘best practice’ example of how to promote yourself, build your profile, credibility, how to charge for your time and how to organise yourself and your commissions.

    This course will save you a lot of time, money, energy and will help you to become a more professional creative sooner as you will learn from creatives and experts, rather than having to learn from your own mistakes.

  • I can’t make it live on the course. Is that a problem?

    No, not at all!

    The 3 live workshops with Patricia and the creative interviews will all be recorded, and you will get access to our private course hub till 31 December 2024 to access the recordings of the 3 workshops and the expert/creative interviews, the presentations, homework exercises and the useful downloads.

  • What about design or surface pattern commissions from businesses?

    Great question!

    This course focuses especially on craft and ‘art product related’ commissions e.g. where a unique art work or piece of jewellery will be created, rather than a design service.

    However we believe that many parts of this course might also be relevant to you if you provide design or creative services to businesses, especially the marketing and the management parts.

  • Can I get extra individual advice or support?

    Yes you can!

    If you join this Successful Craft Commissions course then you can upgrade to book a 60mins private & confidential online expert coaching & advice session with Patricia.

    You can then ask any questions, share your financial proposal or quote, or discuss your marketing materials or website, or any other aspect of your commissioning process with her. This session will need to be booked by end of October 2024. Note that once you have started the course there are no refunds, incl. your coaching session.

  • Can I get a discount?

    Money a little tight at the moment?

    We offer a 15% discount off this workshop to all our Business Club members (see the Business Club homepage or the weekly emails for details)

    You can join our Business Club today and get access to over 180+ online recordings on a wide range of small business topics – for details about our Business Club click here.

    We share the discount code that you need to use on The Business Club homepage.

    Please note that you can also pay in 3 monthly installments – one today, one in 30 days’ time, and one in 60 days’ time.

  • Can I share this course with a friend, students or with colleagues?

    Sorry, you can’t.

    When you purchase this course it’s for you only. You purchase a license for one person.

    If you work in a partnership with one partner then you can share it, but please do not share with others who have not paid for this course.

    Like you, The Design Trust is a small creative business and this specialist course is based on our 25 years+ experience. It’s full of our proprietary knowledge and copyrighted strategies from ourselves and the 3 creatives.

    Please do not share it with others. You wouldn’t like it either if somebody would steal your copyright. If we find out that you have shared this content without permission then we will immediately remove you from the course and we will not allow you to join any future courses.

    If you infringe our copyright then we will take appropriate legal action against you.

    We can provide access to this workshop in bulk or as a group course. Get in touch with us at [email protected] to find out more.

  • Can I get a refund if it’s not for me?

    Yes! We want you to be completely happy with your purchase. That means that if you decide this course isn’t for you, then you can claim a full refund any time before Tue  7 May 2024 at 9.30am (UK) when the course starts.

    All you have to do is request your refund in writing to [email protected] before that date.

    If you suspect you might change your mind about this workshop, then please make a careful note of the date.

    Once we have started the first session we are unable to give you a refund on the course or your upgrade for private coaching.

    Remember that if you are unable to attend the live sessions or if you have any technical or digital issues then you can catch up with the recordings in our private course hub till 31 December 2024.

get better commissions. get paid for them properly. get organised.

Making It work – London Potters & The Design Trust

Written by

Dear , welcome to Making it Work!

Making it Work professional development programme The Design Trust

Thank you so much for signing up for the full ‘Making It Work’ programme!

This new professional development course was developed in partnership with London Potters, and it’s a great course that will boost all the important parts of your business.

We recommend that you bookmark this page to make it super easy for you to return, as this is an important part of the programme.

‘Making It Works’ exists of 5 online workshops:

  • Create a Business Plan for 2024 incl. create a visual one-page-one-year business plan with specific actions for yourself, your marketing, finance & creative production. Plus goal setting & time management tips and how to overcome procrastination etc. ​
  • Marketing Fundamentals for Ceramicists & Makers incl. Create a mini-marketing plan, get to know your ideal clients, and most useful … what the exact marketing activities are to focus on to get more online sales, galleries, events, commissions, workshops, …
  • Create a brand & a better website to stand out incl. What do you want to be known for? Identify your brand values and turn that into a better brand that attracts your ideal clients. How to improve your website design & navigation.
  • Get More Online Sales incl. What sells well online?, drive traffic to your website incl. SEO keywords product titles & descriptions, beautiful & useful email marketing, make your social media work and local marketing. And AIDA: How to turn visitors into buyers!
  • Making Money – How to create a profitable ceramic or craft business incl. costing & pricing intro, pricing options for ceramicists / makers (incl. licensing), is your business viable and what to do if your numbers don’t stack up, how to charge what you are worth?

All sessions have now taken place. You can access the recordings and presentations by scrolling down to the bottom of this page under ‘What you’ll learn’ and click on the titles to link and access all recordings + presentations + homework. You will have access to this course hub with all the recordings + presentations till 1 October 2024.

bonus because you signed up for the full programme …

  • You got an extra 25% discount because you signed up for all 5 sessions at once! And if you are a London Potters member or The Design Trust Business Club member you got even more money off!
  • You’ll get access to this private course hub, where you will be able to post your questions and homework till 1 October 2024. We will show you how to acces the course hub once the sessions have started.

I am really looking forward to work with you this spring to boost your business, finance, planning + marketing skills and make positive changes to your craft business!

Patricia van den Akker – The Design Trust – the online business school for designers, makers & other creative professionals www.thedesigntrust.co.uk @TheDesignTrust

The Design Trust 2024 one-page-one-year business plan (free with our wall planner)

Written by

Dear , a very big welcome to your one-page-one-year business planning workshop

welcome to your free one-page-one-year-business plan session

2024 wall planner planning side top left as square

Thank you so much for the purchase of our popular 2024 wall planner.

On one side of your wall planner you will find all the dates of the year, with space for your key appointments and events, and all the public holidays and the main craft & design events in the UK and abroad.

On the other side you will find a very handy creative business planning tool that Patricia van den Akker, the Director of The Design Trust has developed over the last 15 years working with 1,000s of creative professionals.

As part of your purchase you get access to a 98mins creative business planning video training: to take you step-by-step through the stages to create your own one-page-one-year business plan for your creative business.

You will have access till 31 December 2024 so you can come back whenever you like.

You can watch this recording by clicking on the triangular button. If you want it full screen then press the four-arrow button in the bottom right of the recording. If you want to go back again to small screen then press the Esc button on your key pad.

We have annotated this session (see the broken line at bottom of the recording) to seperate the recording into different ‘chapters’, to make it easier for you to stop/start the session. or return quicker to a part you want to watch. Hover your mouse over the broken links to show the titles.

You can download the presentation of this session here below. Please note that this is for your own personal use only and should not be shared with others who haven’t paid for the wall planner + training. Thank you!

Download “The Design Trust One Page One Year Business Plan workshop – 2024”

the design trust 2024 one-page-one-year business planning workshop

In this 98mins practical workshop Patricia van den Akker, the Director of The Design Trust and the ‘inventor’ of the business planning tool for creatives, will explain step-by-step how to make the most of the planning tool side of your A2 wall planner. She also shares some really useful goal setting, time management and how-to-get-stuff-done tips in this session!

A couple of things before you get started with this training:

We have created this training to help you create your own one-page-one-year business plan, so we recommend that you bring your A2 wall planner, some Post It notes and also some coloured pens to start creating your own creative business plan for 2024.

We recommend that you need about 2-4 hours to create your own plan with our guidance. Make some time to work ON your business and find yourself a nice & quite space where you can dream, think, reflect and make some decisions on where you want to get to by the end of 2024, and what you want to do, create, learn and focus on next year. Enjoy!

This is a 98min session, but you can stop and start the session whenever you like and return to it as often as you like too!

Watch this session on a computer screen, not on your phone or ipad as the screen will simply be too small to read the slides.

In this session Patricia will share with you:

  • Why is our one-page-one-year planner so useful?
  • What kind of business plan do you need for your creative business?
  • How do sustainable creative businesses spend their time? Ohhh this is so useful!
  • How to juggle all these different parts of your creative business? Without dropping too many balls?
  • Step 1: Start with the end in mind … what do you want to do, create, learn in 2024?
  • Step 2: Are your goals juicy & SMART? How to turn your ideas into more specific & realistic actions.
  • Step 3: When are your clients most likely to buy from you? How launching at the right time can make a huge difference, and how to become more strategic about your product development throughout the year (super useful!)
  • Step 4: What are you committed to already? And how to commit to YOURSELF too!
  • Step 5: What needs work? Your strategic 90-day projects and how seasonal/quarterly planning can make all the difference to get the IMPORTANT jobs done too!
  • Step 6: Get into action … break big jobs down into smaller tasks and other time management ‘tricks’.
  • Stage 7: Use the quiet times to get ready for the busy times. Become more clever with what you do and when. Including our recommendations on how much time to spend in your creative business on different jobs. (Very useful!)
  • Step 8: Making time to do the work … Planning is step 1, but executing is step 2. How to stop overthinking and procrastination and start taking action.
  • Step 9: It’s a work in progress … how to keep your business plan alive.

Enjoy!

got a question or want to share your 2024 goals with us?

We love to hear about your plans for 2024! Or have you got a planning, goal setting, time management question for us? Then do post it below in the comments box.

Tags: , , ,

2024 Dream Plan Do course (incl. 2024 diary or journal)

Written by

Dear , a very big welcome to the 2024 Quarterly Dream Plan Do Club

2024 The Design Trust club with stack of diaries diary pages palm computer

We are very excited that you have decided to join our Quarterly Dream Plan Do Club for 2024.

And that you have made the decision to deliberately make time for you and your business at the start of each quarter.

the 4 quarterly dream plan do workshops

The 4 Quarterly Dream Plan Do sessions will take place live on the following dates:

  • Friday 19 January 10am – 1pm UK time – Scroll down to the bottom of this page to the grey area ‘What you’ll learn’ to access the presentations.
  • Friday 22 March 10am – 1pm UK time
  • Friday 28 June 10am – 1pm UK time
  • Friday 27 September 10am – 1pm UK time.

You will receive an email about 2 weeks before each Dream Plan Do day with details of the preparation homework & how to sign up for the 3 individual sessions.

Remember that they will be live only, and that we will not be sharing any recordings as these sessions really are very practical with you doing, planning and working on your own business, facilitated by Patricia van den Akker.

2024 diary & journal hub … access 8 hours of business planning training

Everybody who purchases our 2024 diary or 2024 journal planner was invited to two live online planning, and finance/marketing planning workshops. The recordings of these two sessions are now available in the course hub for the 2024 diary & journal planners.

You will also find there sessions on

  • the End of Year Review
  • One-Page-One-Year-Busines-Plan which is a great intro if you want to make the most of your A2 wall planner!
  • Quarterly Reviews & Plans – this is a great session to show you exactly what to do each quarter.

You can watch all these sessions now here in the private course hub for the 2024 diary & journals here. These sessions are great to help you get started with the diary or journal planner!

Thanks so much for joining us. We are really excited to be working with you!

Patricia van den Akker & Anne-Marie Shepherd

The Design Trust – the online business school for designers, makers & other creative professionals

www.thedesigntrust.co.uk @TheDesignTrust