Creative business owners often delay working on their business because of lack of time. Good news is, with a focused mind and a clear goal you can get heaps done in 30 mins.

When we ask creative agency owners how things are going we often hear the same answer.
“We’re busy, not profitable enough and feeling burnt out”

There’s a silent change that has crept up on the creative industry. It’s not about tech, nor is it about $. It’s not even about clients. It’s about isolation.

Busy and profitable are very different things A busy diary can be one of the most dangerous indicators in a design business.

There’s a moment most designers recognise: you present work with confidence and all goes until the discussion moves to budget. Your confidence evaporates.

Here’s three questions that sound perfectly reasonable but guarantee you’ll get information you can’t actually use

When the economy is tight, clients are more risk-averse. They demand research and evidence the design direction is valid. What does that look like in practice?

Understanding resistance as a natural human response changes how you approach client presentations and feedback sessions.

We combine travel with work and this year we’re heading to Europe. We work while holidaying, meeting with like-minded designers to investigate what’s happening in design businesses in other parts of the world.

Good designers don’t just create great work. They create the conditions where the work gets approved and implemented. They influence client behaviour ethically.

The difference between clients who haggle and those who invest in strategic design? Their position on the design ladder. Here’s how to move them from “make it pretty” to “help us innovate”

Clients think agency websites lack clarity because they all look the same. They want to understand what we do better than another – that’s clarity in positioning. We’ve found 3 good examples …