How to Earn Passive Income as a Designer // Michael Janda and Jacob Cass discuss ways for designers to earn passive income, to smooth out the income rollercoaster caused by project by project engagements.

Over the past couple months both Tom Ross and Michael Janda have been sharing their thoughts and strategies on Instagram about niching in your business. In this video clip they both discuss their perspective and approach to finding a niche for your business and how it affects your marketing.

Managing Stress & Worry // This simple technique has helped me one million times during my creative career. It is easy to get burdened with stress and worry. Clients are frustrated. Deadlines are looming. Employees haven’t fulfilled assignments. Cashflow is tight. All of these worries can pile up and create…

Line-item Price Breakdowns. Michael Janda with G’Day Frank // Giving you client a proposal with line-items broken down by deliverable is giving them a menu of items they can pick apart to reduce the price to a budget they are comfortable with. But giving them line-items broken down based on…

When a Client Wants to Pay with Trade, Michael Janda and Cassi Nicole. // How to handle a client who wants to pay with a trade of services. // Clients offer to trade all kinds of crazy things for design services. I once had a client offer my agency a…

Focus on Your Strengths, Michael Janda and Cassi Nicole. // It seems we breed self-judgement, comparison, and insecurity right from the first day in design school. “Ok, everybody put your designs on the wall for the rest of the class to see and critique. Now, go out into the world…

How Do You Find Your First Design Job? // Michael Janda and Jacob Cass discuss ways for designers to find their first design job…especially the mindset a designer should have while they are searching for this first opportunity.

Keeping your billings balanced with completed work is the best way to keep animosity from entering into the client relationship. This video is an excerpt from a coaching call with Bryan Jimenez, a super talented designer and agency owner based in Austin, Texas.

Bad Logos & Good Branding. Michael Janda and G’day Frank // Branding takes time and distribution. There is evidence that anything can be effectively branded over time. Take a look at Goodle’s original logo…which they used for many years, effectively building a multi-hundred billion dollar company. The visual brand matters,…

Your Business is a We // Referring to your business as “we” can help your clients start seeing you in a bigger light. Many clients feel like they can order freelancers around since it is just a single person and in their perception “not a real business.” By referring to…

How do you ask for client feedback? // Michael Janda and Jacob Cass discuss proven methods for asking for client feedback. Always present the work. Train your client on what types of feedback are most valuable before you show them the work. Make sure there is one mouthpiece for the client. This person…

Michael Janda with Tom Ross // Michael and Tom discuss what it means to build a culture in your business and some of the considerations you should have. Your business culture is intentional. Be deliberate. Define your culture and write it down and then hire people who agree with and…