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Nineteen years ago, my brother had his second child. They named him Thor Odin Janda…and not gonna lie, I’ve been massively jealous of his name ever since. My parents named me freakin’ “Mike!” I could have been named “Thor” my whole life?!?!?! Why didn’t anyone tell my parents that was…
Just like most designers starting out, I would just guess my prices. A client asks for a logo design and I’d think, “I can do it for $_____.” Yeah, that sounds good.” Then I would submit my price and hope to win. In fact, everything about my business was a…
I always loved making friends with other agency owners in my city. Anytime I would meet one at a networking event, I would set up a lunch to “talk shop.” It was an easy ask and an easy “yes” for them. After all, we were both part of an exclusive…
I left so much money on the table when I was scaling my creative agency. Oh man, it is so embarrassing to even confess it here. We would land a great project, then execute like prime Michael Jordan in the NBA finals. The client would be thrilled with the results….
I’ve been at this for a long time, the business and marketing game. At this point in my career, it is rare that I see something that blows me away. I’m not saying, “I know it all,” but I sure have seen a lot of great marketing and business tactics…
I got triggered. It actually happened twice. The first trigger was about a year ago when I heard about some thought leaders training chatbots to answer questions for them. This trigger drove me to create my community, More Creative Academy. My trigger thought was, “I’m going to do the opposite….
These 08 Common Mistakes Are Causing Damage to Your Creative Business I started freelancing 22 years ago. (Holy freak, how has it been that long?) You may know my story, but in one summary statement: My freelance business took off and grew into an agency that I sold in 2015….
A potential new client finally dropped into your inbox. You’ve wanted this client for so long and they are finally here with an RFP. It is almost impossible to believe it! You haven’t wanted anything this bad since you first crushed on Sally during hormone-raging, junior high years. The Qualifying…
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…
