What type of creative business suits you?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the pressure to grow bigger.

Every week we chat with creative business owners wrestling with growth decisions. They’re wondering if they should hire more people, take on bigger clients, or expand services.

But here’s the thing – bigger isn’t always better. It’s just different. And that difference can make or break your happiness (and your business).

“I felt guilty for not wanting to grow bigger, so I did. Then I realised I love being hands-on with design. Now we’re small, profitable and I actually enjoy coming to work.”

#smallbutperfectstudio, Brisbane

The people business truth bomb

Here’s something nobody tells you when you start scaling: you’re not in the design business anymore — you’re in the people business. Your days shift from creating beautiful work to leading, managing and mentoring others to create beautiful work.

Some people absolutely love this transition. They thrive on developing others and building systems. Others find themselves reluctantly trading their mouse for meetings, creating a workplace they’d actually hate working in themselves.

Three questions worth asking yourself:

do you get energy from designing or from leading others?
does the thought of managing a bigger team excite or exhaust you?
how much financial risk helps you sleep at night?

Your honest answers will point you toward your ideal business model.

Finding your fit

In our How to build a great creative business workshop, we see three common profiles emerge:.

1. The Creative Lead

Loves being close to the work
Runs a small, expert team
Values creative excellence over scale
Often partners with specialists when needed

(Think boutique studio with a reputation for quality)

2. The Strategic Director

Gets a kick out of building systems
Happy to delegate creative work
Energized by business development
Grows through smart hiring

(Think larger agency with multiple teams)

3. The Collaborative Network

Stays small but tackles big projects
Partners with other specialists
Scales up and down as needed
Maintains independence and flexibility

(Think film crew model)

None is better than the others – seriously. Success comes from choosing the model that lets you do your best work while actually enjoying working

Making it work

Whatever path feels right:

Be intentional about your choice (don’t just drift into a model)
Build systems that support your style
Hire people who get your vision
Stay true to your risk comfort zone

So what?

Don’t let FOMO or market pressure push you into a business model that doesn’t suit you. A small firm doing amazing work can be just as profitable as a large agency — and way more satisfying for everyone involved.

What do you think? Want to continue the discussion? Want more info like this? Subscribe below and tell your friends 😊

As always, happy to discuss further, just email.

Carol Mackay

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About Carol Mackay

After 30+ years running a design studio, I accumulated a pretty special network of fellow designers. One thing most have in common: a need for more information about the ‘business’ side of design. Most are impatient with any task competing for time spent doing what they love – designing so they wanted more info about how to work more efficiently and effectively.

Not me. I love that intersection between design and business. I built a career working with Ombudsman schemes, the Emergency Services sector and the Courts. My special power has always been an ability to use design to translate the difficult to understand or the unpalatable message.

I now use exactly the same skills with creative business owners. I translate the indigestible into bite-sized chunks of information. I share insights, introduce tools and embed processes to help others build confidence business decision-making skills. More confidence makes it easier to grasp opportunities. More confidence makes it easier to recognise a good client from the bad.

Outside DBC I have mentored with Womentor, AGDA The Aunties, and most recently Regional Arts NSW.
And I’m a proud volunteer and board member of Never Not Creative.

Always happy to chat, I can be contacted here.