Following my previous post discovering Shipshape Studio, Emily has kindly written a guest post sharing her personal 5 top tips for a creative business that both Emily and partner Adam put into action when setting up Shipshape Studio.
See below for her wise words!
5 Business Tips for Creatives.
It’s tough to know where to start in business. You’ve got an idea and you think you could make it work, but what next? Here are a few tips to make that jump a little bit smoother.
1. Have a plan
Maybe you want to freelance in an existing company or you want to set-up your own business. Well, first you’re going to need a plan. Have a long old think about exactly what it is you want to do. Do you enjoy spending time on your own or do you prefer to be around others? Are you a self-starter or do you thrive on working through set tasks? What sort of skills are you going to need? Where do you want to be in five years’ time? These are all questions that you need to ask yourself. There are lots of different things that you can do and it’s important to find the one that is best suited to you. You don’t want to jump straight in, spend a lot of energy (and probably money) setting something up, only to realise that it doesn’t really make you happy.
2. Don’t always go with your first idea.
Often your first idea is your best idea but that doesn’t mean you should go with it right away. Could it be done more efficiently? Could you find a more cost-effective process? Mull it over it in your mind and think about ways that you can turn that good idea in to a bloomin’ brilliant idea.
3. Be organised
Organisation is key! The best plans and ideas can come completely unstuck if you don’t organise your time. We all know how stressful it is when you’re rushing to complete something because you haven’t budgeted enough time, and you don’t want to let anyone down. Think about what works best for you – maybe it’s a diary, using a certain email client, synching a diary between your phone and computer, or perhaps a notebook full of lists and ideas. Try and find something that fits in with the way you already work as then you’ve got a better chance of sticking with it.
4. Be realistic
There’s a lot of pressure that comes with working for yourself. You want to secure clients and give great service, and it’s easy to feel that you’ve got to do everything as quickly as possible. However, if you’ve set your deadlines too short you can end up letting people down and missing targets, and that’s not a good look. Think about what other work you’ve got on, which is where organisation comes in, and how long it’ll take. That way you can set a realistic date that you can complete on a new project.
5. Take a break
Everyone needs to take a break. Go for a walk, meet up with friends and get inspired! If you’ve got a big project or deadline that you’ve been working really hard on schedule in a treat after the work is done. It’ll be something to look forward to and it’s good to reward yourself. When you’re working for yourself you’ve got to keep your happy levels up and make sure you don’t burn out.
I’ve learnt a lot since setting up my own business, Shipshape Studio, but there’s always more to learn! What are your top creative business tips?
If you like this post and are keen on entering the world of a creative business, then perhaps you will be interested in Shipshape Studio’s Illustration and Design forum which is happening on the Sunday 15th April. Designed to help those who are looking for a career as a designer or illustrator the Illustration and Design Forum is an opportunity for you to have an intimate experience discussing careers in the creative industry with panel members (Emma Block, Alice Potter and Rachel Lewis). The event will cover many crucial aspects such a social media and marketing yourself and will be followed with Q&A time.
The Illustration and Design Forum seems like an opportunity that cannot be missed if you are looking for support and advice in a creative career!
You can get more information from here, where you can also purchase tickets for the event.
