Why I started my small creative business and blog and how to start your own
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So it’s the new year and you’re wanting a professional challenge. You’re not sure what you want to do or what area of expertise you want to pursue.
I’ve done a few posts about what small business goals I want to accomplish this new year in 2020. But you might be curious as to why I started my blog and my own small creative business?
I’ll start with the fact that I’ve always been ambitious. It never mattered what I was trying to accomplish, but I have always tried to excel at various pursuits over my professional career.
When I finished my degree in English and Journalism from the University of Missouri in 2015, I was excited to start learning more about design within the journalism industry. I lasted about 3 years learning all I could about designs, layouts, and anything I could get my hands on regarding newspaper design.
I knew I wanted more though. I was finding newspaper design helpful in starting my career in graphic design but I wasn’t finding many challenges after a while.
I started looking for additional work as a graphic designer but was finding my skills lacking compared to other graphic designers and agencies where I was applying.
So, I decided to return to school. I enrolled and attended the University of Wisconsin to learn more about graphic design and get a bit of experience under my belt that wasn’t related to newspaper design.
Now, I have a great job at Oklahoma State University(Go Pokes!) as a graphic designer within their Business School. It’s allowed me to keep my ambitious nature and work on a variety of products, compared to the newspaper templates I was working on before.
Now that you are all caught up on my professional career: here is why I decided to start my blog and small creative business, and how to start your own!
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Why I started my small creative business (and money-making blog)
I started my graphic design business because I was still seeking a challenge. I was finding plenty of new work within my full-time job at OSU but I was missing a variety of subject matter, along with something that wasn’t completely obsessively orange.
I had contemplated starting a money-making blog for a while. I had started one about a year before creating Creatively Working, under the same name, but I didn’t have the same dedication or the resources that I’ve had in the past year.
I decided to start with blogging. As my cousin and fellow graphic designer, Jessica Freeman, has told me: “… if you don’t like doing it as a hobby, you know you won’t really like it as a business.”
Blogging was much more difficult than I originally anticipated but I’ve learned to enjoy looking at my improvement in my Squarespace and Google analytics. Not only do I see my improvement through analytics but I can also see how my writing and graphics have developed through growing and introducing affiliate links throughout my content. My ambitious nature had surely been piqued once I started.
While I did see starting my creative business start-up as a way to increase my income, I knew it wouldn’t be a quick or easy fix. I’ve read many blog posts that have said they were unable to make money from their blogs or business’ that had been at it for a year or more. I knew I wanted to start something but I knew I also didn’t want to have money as my sole business goal, or even one of the main business goals.
My creative business has been focused on helping other small businesses and freelancers learn more about their creative prospects for their small business and professional ventures. You might not be ready to have all the works for your business start-up, and that’s fine! Consult with a graphic designer or web designer and see what would be a good step or plan for your small business to have quality content that you can afford and is manageable for your business.
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When I started my small creative business (and money-making blog)
You might be wondering after what stage did I decide to start my money-making blog and small creative business?
I didn’t start anything when the time felt right. I would never start anything if I did that.
I didn’t start either my blog or my small business on a whim. Nothing would get done and I wouldn’t make a dime doing that.
I debated about starting a money-making blog (again) for a few months. The final trigger for me to start my small creative business and money-making blog was talking with my cousin.
So, sitting in a McAlister’s deli, I decided to put my writing, design, and marketing skills to fruition and dive in. I made a few charts and went back over them for good measure. And then, I wrote my first post. I would try to plan a few weeks of posts beforehand, so you are set and ready to go before having to look for more content in the beginning. If you want to stay organized and on top of your schedule, I’d suggest ordering a content or editorial calendar, like CREATE Blog and Editorial Planner: Create Exceptional Content, Get More Done and Smash Through Your Blogging Goals.
My first blog post was not that great. I’ve since made some adjustments and revamped the original post, but am usually surprised when I still receive traffic from the post even now, usually from Pinterest.
For some of you, it might not take a few weeks to start your creative business. It might take you months; it might take you days to solidify a business plan. No matter your pace, you should always be willing to start, regardless of timing in your life.
If you feel as if you aren’t financially able to start your creative business, save up a bit of money to invest in yourself. If you feel like you aren’t prepared technically, start working on your skills as a hobby or volunteering to hone your skills. There are many ways for you to start your business without actually starting your business.
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How I started my small creative business (and money-making blog)
Despite knowing the process of setting up a blog and creative small business, there are many additional steps you should take when you start a money-making blog or a small business.
As I’ve said, I started my pursuits by making a money-making blog. I knew one of my main goals for my blog was professionalism. I started with that main niche topic and went from there into other sub-categories.
Not only did I not anticipate creating content for my blog, I was also not anticipating how I would stick with my niche. I was all over the place when I first started my money-making blog. I knew my main focus but I had no clarity for what that would be.
I finally got some help once I attended a few branding webinars, such as You! Branded, Melyssa Griffin, and Ruth Soukup. No matter how you identify your niche, it’s very important to determine your branding, marketing strategies, and target audience before or at the beginning of starting your money-making blog or creative business start-up.
I learned more about my small business when I invested more in myself and started completing CREATE An Intensive Biz Playbook & Planner: Scale Your Online Business, Create Explosive Growth and Build a Brand You Crave. Meera Kothand has been a big help in establishing my vision, goals, and foundation for my small creative business.
I’m very supportive of taking a course, working through a workbook, or finding a coach to encourage your growth as a professional. Investing in yourself is one of the best ways in how to start your business start-up on the right foot.
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Where I have gotten clients for my small creative business
Many of you who want to start your small creative business might be curious about how I’ve grown and looked for clients for my business start-up.
There are many different ways to get a diverse and reliable client base. It depends on where and how you look for the right type of work.
A few of my clients have been found through Facebook. It can be overwhelming when looking at the competition on Facebook when someone posts a #job-opp in a group. It’s not impossible to gain new clients this way, despite how daunting it can seem at the time.
I’ve also gotten clients by responding to job postings on LinkedIn or Indeed. These jobs tend to be more on the lines of contract or part-time positions, so if you’re looking for more regular work compared to one-time freelance projects, this is a good starting place too.
I’ve known other people who rely on an email list to encourage loyal customers and brand activists for their clientele. There’s a whole slew of ways you’ll be able to acquire clients once you learn what you’re comfortable with and how to approach them.
Do you have dreams of starting your small creative business or money-making blog? Join my e-newsletter to receive tips and instructions on how to be successful in your business start-up and blog.
