I am Michael Janda, an executive level creative leader with more than 25 years of experience in both in-house creative departments and agencies working with some of the greatest brands in the world including Disney, Google, Fox, ABC and NBC. I create books, courses, workshops, lectures and other training materials to help creative entrepreneurs run successful businesses.
Everyone starts the project with good intentions. You’re excited for some income infusion into your business. Your client is excited to finally get started on the project they hope yields big returns for their business. “Let’s do this,” you all think! A few weeks later, reality sets in. You’ve been…
“Nobody knows their numbers,” I said to my wife after, yet another, coaching session with a creative entrepreneur. Truly, I’m amazed at how many entrepreneurs (not just creatives) there are out there who have no clue of the data of their business. Truth be told, I didn’t have a very…
Buy Low and Sell High? I started investing in the stock market pretty heavily 19 years ago. In the early days I tried to “time the market” which consists of trying to “buy low” and “sell high.” Well, I quickly learned that it is better to “buy good companies and…
Understanding the Target Audience is Marketing 101 Who are we trying to reach? What messages will reach them? What visual design will resonate with them? What action do we want them to take? As designers, we’ve all heard these questions and consideration of them should be part of our standard…
In the mind of some people “selling” is a bad word. I’ve seen content shared that says things like “don’t sell, serve.” Good advice, for sure, because serving someone leads to a trusting relationship and a trusting relationship can lead to a sale. But guess what? It is ok to…
Life as a creative entrepreneur can be rewarding, invigorating, life-changing, and downright terrifying! Do you ever wonder: Will I ever land another project? Will my money last? Will this bad project ever end? Why does this client seem to hate me so much? Why am I so afraid to hire…
I know I talk a lot about pricing and profitability. It really is something I am passionate about. After all, you’re running a business and if you aren’t generating a sizable profit, then what is the point? There is a “usually” less traumatic life to be had working for someone…
Last year was a “hit and miss” year for me on content sharing. I had some moments of active sharing on Instagram and I increased my content volume on YouTube a bit. However, other than my newsletter, I wasn’t super consistent in any platforms. I plan to change that in…
Branding your business is an ongoing, never-ending, always-changing endeavor that should keep you asking yourself, “What should I do next?” In preparation for a recent Instagram Live conversation, I asked myself just that. What should I be doing to improve my brand positioning, reach, and retention? The answer to that…
