It’s easy to be envious in this business. As creatives, our work is so visible, our clients are status symbols, and our lifestyles are showcased to prove we’re legit.

For decades, if you wanted someone to distribute your content to their audience, you had to pay them to do it. Not anymore.

Sales don’t just happen. They are an alchemy of need, trust, value, clarity, visibility, and a call-to-action. 

A “productized service” is a bit of a buzzword these days, in large part due to a viral YouTube video about a graphic designer with a business called DesignJoy. But are they legit?

This pipeline of brand to agency to production company to freelancer carries a set of issues. Namely, if someone changes their mind, who pays for it?

I struggle telling people what I want to accomplish, asking for favors, and talking about unfinished projects.

There’s a bellcurve of efficiency in creative projects. Working too slow creates waste. Working too fast creates waste, as well.

When you run your own business, it’s difficult to decipher which tasks you should be doing, and which tasks you should be outsourcing.

It’s interesting to consider underlying incentives. Everyone says they’ll work quickly while prioritizing good work. Eventually, they lean toward one or the other. 

If your business becomes famous tomorrow, and clients are kicking in your door to work with you, what is the most amount of money you could make with your current model?

When I started my career, I was obsessed with the idea of setting up multiple income streams. Looking back, I can describe what was going on with two words: fear and distraction.

Many of us have no problem dreaming big, but when it comes time to take a swing at our big dreams, we do so with reservation and doubt.

Both are great business models, but they are virtual opposites in their approaches. One sinks in, while the other flies above.

Be wary of low-paying clients who tell about their “big plans” for the future, or who ask you to “grow with them.”

As a younger person, I loved compromises. What’s not to love about people agreeing on a plan they can both accept? Why does one person always need to win? 

Are you really on the wrong path? Or have you just not been on the path long enough?

This is a lesson I’ve been learning at the poker table recently.

While I don’t believe all business is a zero-sum game, there is credence to the idea that a sale someone else makes is a sale you don’t make, at least in that moment.

I bought a book about the publishing industry. One line, about 90 pages in, might just change everything for the next phase of my career. 

“What’s your budget?”

“What’s your rate?”