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14 Reasons You're Not Booking Clients Consistently

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14 Reasons You're Not Booking Clients Consistently

There was a time when I couldn’t afford a McDonald’s meal.

It was 2012, I had recently started a graphic design business so I could work online and travel the world but... clients weren’t exactly knocking down my digital door (aka. inbox), so money was tight. Really tight.

My friend and I were in town when she said she wanted to go to McDonald’s. Not wanting to tell her I couldn't afford it, I followed her in and got in line. I was SURE my card would decline and I didn’t want my friend to see, so I told her I had forgotten my purse and asked if she could pay for my lunch and I'd pay her back.

Fast forward to now and things are wildly different.

  • I built a six figure business working three days a week and traveling the world.

  • I saved £110k+ in my twenties.

  • I have the time and financial freedom to travel for 3-6 months a year. (I’ve lived in New York, Seoul, Central America, London and traveled to over 17 other countries.)

Map Out Your Step-By-Step Design Process

Map Out Your Step-By-Step Design Process

Designers- are you stumbling through your design process? Have you mapped out your process on paper (or onscreen), or have you never bothered to because you don't have time?

Here's the danger with having a process in your mind and not writing it down:

You forget things.

That email signature that's part of your design package? You totally forget it until the client points out that you haven't done it yet.

That logo that only includes two revision rounds? You complete four revision rounds without realizing because you don't tick them off as you go through them.

That training session you're meant to offer clients at the end of your project? You're left feeling stupidly unprofessional because your client had to remind you of it.

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5 Things You Should Do Before You Become A Freelance Designer

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5 Things You Should Do Before You Become A Freelance Designer

Remember a while ago when I wrote 5 ugly truths about being a freelance designer?

Well, today's email follows on from that. If you read those truths and thought "I can take that! I can push through those!" then HURRAY- freelancing is the right path for you. (I'm so excited for you!!)

You now know you're cut out to do this freelancing thing. But where do you go from here? How do you get started?

A lot of creatives who want to become freelance designers ask me:

What should be the first thing I do to kickstart my freelance journey?

What should I do before I start freelancing full-time?

How can I prepare to freelance full-time?

How can I give myself the best chance of succeeding at running my own business?

These are the kind of questions I love because it shows me that (A) you're serious about freelancing, and (B) you're SO serious, you want to make sure you have the best possible start.

How I went from shop assistant to freelance web designer in 3 months

How I went from shop assistant to freelance web designer in 3 months

If you're going to read my blog posts every week, I want you to know who they're from. I want you to know about my past, my journey as a designer and how I can help you.

Basically, I want us to become friends!

So if you have a spare 10 minutes and you're curious about who these emails are from, read on. I'm getting brutally honest about my journey today.

The start of it all

In 2010 I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. One day I wanted to be a teacher, the next day I wanted to be a writer. So, I didn't do anything. I waitressed in Pizza Hut for a while so I could at least bring in a bit of cash, and I worked in telesales for day. (Six hours of cold calling and I was outta there.)

In 2011, I worked in as a shop assistant for Calvin Klein Jeans. It wasn't the most glamorous job but it paid the bills. My boss became seriously ill and had to leave for six months, so I took her place as manager and learned what it takes to manage a department, deal with angry customers, handle employees, work ridiculous hours and hustle towards sales goals (or suffer the wrath of Head Office if I didn't.)

I didn't know it at the time, I was learning what it took to be my own boss.

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