You tried every tactic in the book to extract your client’s budget. “How much do you want to spend on this?” “Are you wanting a high-end solution or a low-end solution?” “An Audi R8 and a Chevy Malibu will both get you from point A to point B. Which of…
“Too many cooks in the kitchen” can lead to traumatic projects. You’ve probably been there. The client greenlights the project. Everyone is thrilled to get started. In fact, they are so thrilled it seems the entire company wants to have input on the direction and deliverables. You might have seen…
Is this you? A potential client approaches you for a new project. You have an initial conversation. You’re excited! They seem excited. Everything appears to be going smoothly; you have the “cat in the bag,” as the saying goes. You work up the scope and create what might just be…
As I was laying by the pool yesterday, relaxing in my full on midlife crisis birthday (it was number 52, if you really wanted to know), I had a flood of thoughts come to mind. It was a lot of stuff I wish I would have known when I was…
We’ve all been there: a client approaches us with a project, and in their mind, it is going to change the world. Unfortunately, their “world-changing” idea is attached to a budget that is too small to accomplish their vision. You want to politely tell them they are unrealistic and need…
At the start of my business journey, I was like most other creative freelancers. I was decent at my craft, but I had no clue about how to run a business. Opportunities came because I could do the work, but I knew if I wanted to grow beyond being a…
Get More Sales With This New Year’s Resolution During my 15-year agency run, I was mostly a passive salesperson, far too passive. I built great relationships, and the work would come, but in fear of ever coming across as “a salesy scumbag,” I made the error of being far less…
The First Time I Had to Call a Business Lawyer Cost Me $52,375: Here Is How You Can Avoid It My agency was just pulling out of the recession that brutalized us at the end of 2008 and through 2009. Finally the bigger projects started coming again at the beginning…
Hope and the End of Your Rope: Encouragement and Perspective for Creative Entrepreneurs I’m deep in the trenches with many creative entrepreneurs via 1:1 coaching and my community, More Creative Academy. There are many creatives struggling right now. Some have had a rough year and others just a rough final…
The Fearful Freelancer: 05 Mindset Tips to Help Your Business Grow When I embarked on my freelancing journey in 2002, I was gripped by fear. My wife was not employed at the time, we had two children, and the weight of a California-sized mortgage payment loomed over me. The overwhelming…
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