Creative Sanity Snippets is my weekly newsletter with quick 1–5 minute reads on pricing, sales, proposals, systems, processes—the real stuff it takes to run a profitable creative business. Join thousands of creatives who get a weekly dose of sanity in their inbox.
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…
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…
Michael Janda and Tom Ross (CEO of Design Cuts) discuss the importance of being “human” in your social media marketing. It isn’t about the big number, it is about building genuine connections, one on one, with your audience to have a dramatic impact on engagement.
Having trouble keeping a website project moving forward? Are your clients always late with content and assets, holding up the whole project? At my agency we developed a system that I call a “Phased Production Strategy.”
Work in the creative industry long enough and you will inevitably run into each of these eight clients. Watch for them and be extra careful if you decide to engage in a working relationship. They may just put your business at risk.
Speaking at the Synergy Digital Forum was the highlight of my amazing adventure to Moscow in March of 2019. It was a great conference filled with 2,500 ambitious marketers.
I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new YouTube channel! Since founding my agency, Riser, in 2002, I have been passionate about operating my business in a structured and systematic way. This passion drove me to create turnkey processes and strategies that helped my agency land clients like…
I am thrilled to announce the official release of my new book, The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing! My first book, Burn Your Portfolio, contains a short chapter called “The Fixed Bid Pricing Dartboard,” where I explain in a couple pages that when we price creative work we should take…
Over the past several years I have been fortunate to connect and build friendships with some amazing people all over the world. One of those awesome people is Eugenia I. in Moscow, Russia. Eugenia is the owner of a successful interior design company based in Moscow and an online school…
For the second time, I was honored to be included in HOW Design Live’s speaker line-up. (I previously spoke at How Design Live 2016 held in Atlanta.) The HOW Conference is one of the largest design conference in the United States attracting designers from all over the nation. This year’s…
