Running a business can be hard, but the truth is a lot of the time we make things harder than they need to be. Not to say that what you are doing already isn’t fabulous, but there are easy ways to simplify and streamline your design business for the better!
I’ve always found that it’s hard to look at my business and easily see what needs to be changed so today we’ll cover 5 ways you’re over complicating your design business and how to fix it ASAP.
Low-paying clients
When we realize we want to make more money, the most obvious solution is usually to take on more clients. In reality, that might not be the best solution.
Of course clients are important and a great thing for a business, but a lot of time, low-paying clients aren’t. These are the clients that tend to be needy, expect far more than they were quoted for, and zap all of your energy.
In general, these types of clients are less enjoyable to work with, which leaves you in a pretty negative mindset. We don’t need anyone bringing you down, okay?!
A fix for this issue is to simply raise your rates. A higher price point means higher quality clients and better income. This could also leave room in your schedule to focus on other sources of income like passive products or different services you are excited to offer.
Don’t worry, I’m not saying you need to go triple your prices in one shot, but take small steps over time to get your rates where you want them to be. My prices have made very small jumps over the past few years to increase from $800 for a custom website to where they are now at $2500.
Refusing to outsource
When you think about it, running a business is a lot and there comes a time when it shouldn’t all be on you. It can get to be too much for a single person to keep track of everything, complete each task, satisfy each client, AND keep their head.
Bringing in help to your team or outsourcing work is the way to go for this one. Start small, outsourcing one thing with a VA for a few hours per month and working your way up from there.
Get more info on what I outsource and how I make it easy here.
Too many (or lack of) service packages
When you have a set number of specific packages for your services, everything can be systemized and automated. That’s because all of your packages will have a set process and you can repeat that for each project.
Without set services packages, you have to make things up on the fly as the project inquiries come in. If you take this route, you’ll never develop a set process for your projects. This makes items like timelines, materials needed, etc. extremely difficult with each client. (Trust me, I did this to myself for a couple years before I discovered the magic of packaged offerings)
To help with this issue, narrow down your services to 3 set packages that give your clients a specific outcome. It makes it easier for everyone!
Too many social media platforms
Right now you might be in a place where you feel like you should be on aaaall the social media platforms. However, keep in mind that managing multiple accounts takes up a ton of time and resources. It’s a lot to keep track of, especially if you’re not really seeing significant traction on some platforms.
When you really elevate your social media marketing, you’re likely seeing a return from 1 or 2 platforms. Which ones are those for you?
What if, instead of being everywhere, you moved your focus from the platforms there weren’t helping you grow to those?
Determine which platforms give you the biggest return, double down on those, and ditch the others.
Not having a written process
All the things that you do on the daily have a process, and if you don’t have a record of it somewhere, it’s a lot you have to keep in your head.
Without a step-by-step record, you have to start from scratch each time you do a repeated task. Plus, you are more likely to mess up the task, leading to more time spent redoing the work. No thanks!
Set aside an hour per week to start writing out your processes. This will be so valuable in the long run, especially if you begin hiring a team or outsourcing tasks.
While these ideas are pretty simple, some of us are pretty stubborn when it comes to just doing the darn thing to simplify things. I encourage you to set aside the time and make it happen to incorporate these changes into your business! Your sanity will thank you!
Really ready to simplify? Grab your free ticket to the Simply Profitable Designer Summit!
