If you complain about "uneducated" clients,
If you complain about endless revisions,
If you complain about not being able to make any "real" money,
If you think graphic designers on Fivver and Upwork are your competitors,
Then the truth for you is you'll probably never own a profitable graphic design business.
Now, if you think or want to think and believe there is a better way and that owning your business is worth every tear every sleepless night, every dollar spent or borrowed, every obstacle, and every “no” you'll hear.
Then stay with me.
The real truth is that are no secrets. There is no magic wand. But, there certainly are things you must get right – especially in the beginning.
But that's the thing about beginnings.
You know what you know. You probably know what you know you don't know. But do you know the things you don't know at all?
No. Of course, you don't – otherwise, you'd know them. Right?
The school of hard knocks is the typical way new entrepreneurs learn the things they know they don't know and the things they flat out don't know.
It works. We did it that way.
Even though I have a Masters's Degree in Business/Finance, I'm here to tell you they don't teach you how to run a business and certainly don't teach you how to run a profitable graphic design business.
The school of hard knocks is time-consuming. It's expensive. It's frustrating. It's often humiliating.
And, it's unnecessary.
It's also lonely.
Being on your own doesn't have to mean doing it all on your own, being alone, or being lonely.
There is no extra bonus or gold star for locking yourself in your office and pushing through the "fear." There's no consolation pay for good intentions, putting the finishing touches on things that do not, and never will, translate into ideal paying clients, or reading one more self-help book.
Now, there are a LOT of gold stars and a LOT of continuous profit when you focus on the things that matter.
We're talking about those very few things that will result in an ongoing stream of ideal prospects that you turn into ideal clients and eventually advocates for your business – also known as a highly successful, joyful, profitable, and sustainable business.
There's an old saying – so old I can't remember the guy who said it (my apologies) – but this old saying is absolutely true…