As a graphic designer for 10 years, Kelli knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and frustrated by all the administrative work and processes involved in dealing with a client. This took her away from what she loved doing – designing and wowing her clients with stellar service. So Kelli traveled down the long road of spending lots of money on classes on designing amazing websites, communicating with clients, and how to streamline a process. Once her systems were in place, she kept getting comments from fellow designers and other business owners on how pristine and organized her process was and that’s how Kay + Co. Studio was born. Their signature done-for-you VIP Services will result in newfound confidence as their clients (you) take the reins of their (your) business in as little as 3 weeks. Why Designers Need Client Relationship Managers When it comes to your design business, a client relationship manager (CRM) can help you build that relationship with your clients, provide a great experience, and build better communication. From the initial inquiry, your CRM is making the first impression. It also helps with the communication process all the way to the proposal and invoicing—your CRM manages this for you. It can serve as an all-in-one platform to handle every single aspect of your client communication. When you start to dread the onboarding process and getting started with a client, that’s when you should consider consolidating all of your processes into one platform. CRMs for Designers If you’re looking for a CRM for your design business, the top two in the industry are Honeybook and Dubsado. (Bonnie uses Honeybook in her own business.) While there are dozens of tools out there, these two are robust, yet simple enough for ease of use for designers. Common Mistakes Designers Make with CRMs Overall, when a designer chooses to use a CRM, they’re choosing to work smarter, not harder. A CRM offers so many things for designers, but here are a few mistakes you may be making: * Not using templates—canned emails, proposals, etc can be templated.* You don’t have to attach everything to a workflow. Try Honebook at bisforbonnie.com/honeybook. Creating a Thoughtful Experience for Your Clients One of the first things to consider with your CRM is how are you creating a thoughtful experience for them. As you onboard a client, it can be easy to overwhelm them—look at how you’re communicating with them in the first email. Is it bombarding them with information? You can ease them into your work together through multiple emails. Another consideration is reminder emails, because while you may set due dates, your clients need to be reminded of them! Lastly, look at any frequently asked questions you have to request from your clients to determine if there are things you can adjust in your workflow so that you’re not always asking for it. There is always room to adapt and improve in the work that you’re doing and the processes you set up! Try Honeybook Long gone are the days of using 50 different apps and tools to work with your clients! Instead, leverage Honeybook to transform your client experience from start to finish.  Position yourself as a pro AND save yourself precious hours every single week with Honeybook. Are you ready to take your client experience to the next level, friend? Then click below to save 50% off your annual su...

Over the 10 years I’ve been in business, I’ve had hundreds of conversations about the time creatives are spending into their business and the amount of revenue they’re generating. Your time is a valuable resources—you need to protect it. In today’s episode, I’m sharing how you can reclaim your time in your business by building a profitable design business in under 20 hours per week. Time in Your Business I don’t believe that the more time you spend in your business increases the amount of revenue you earn. Once I cracked the code on what this looks like in my business, I knew I had to share it with others to see what this could look like for you. No mater what your goal is, you are in control of how much you’re working in your business. You’re also in control of what that goal is and today’s episode will help you meet that goal! Important Stats in Women Owned Businesses If one of your goals is to hit six figures in your business, let’s review a few stats so you can understand the accomplishment you’re striving for. When I crossed that 6 figure mark in business, I celebrated this huge accomplishment. Although I was excited, I honestly didn’t feel like it was all that unique as a business owner. I decided to do a little research into the numbers: * Only 6% of women business owners ever hit this revenue bracket of $100-250k* Only 12% of women business owners are generating in the level of $100k and above. When you look at that, this means you’re hitting a huge goal as a six figure business. Let’s normalize women hitting these revenue goals without clocking 80+ hours a week at your desk. I’m living proof of this. At the time of recording this episode, I’m clocking just 8 hours a week in my business with a small, but mighty team. I want more women to be able to experience this if it’s part of their journey and goals. Finding Success in Your Business There are so many goals you can set in your business, but the most important thing to consider is how you’re measuring those goals. Let’s walk through these steps: * Know your goal. ex: Having a profitable design business without working more than 20 hours a week* Know how you’re measuring success. ex: Hours per week to work and the revenue goals.* Review those frequently to know what you’re hitting. Now, think about what that goal is, because it doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s goal. You may not want to hit six figures or work less in the office. You may want to simply reduce your hours to spend with kids or family. Whatever your goal, find those measurable components and that’s how you’ll find success. It’s also crucial that you do not divide your focus on unnecessary actions. Seek Out the Support You Need If you want to get to a place where you’re able to hit your goals, you may need to seek out support. For me, in order to continue to run my business and still only work 8 hours per week, it means I’ve found support from the following: * Having an assistant* Having a community manager* Having a podcast producer* Support in home* Personal support trough therapy* Outsource grocery shopping Look at your own resources and needs in your life and business. Support doesn’t mean hiring full-time help—it could start small and grow as you need it to. I see a lot of designers who think they can do it all themselves,

Are you on the verge of burnout in your design business? I think we’ve all been there, but you can prevent it! In today’s episode Lucinda Nixon joins us to share practical ways to prevent burnout. Listen in as she shares her experience in overcommitting, coming down with shingles, and what she put in place to avoid it happening again! Lucinda Nixon is the owner of Hello Luci, a brand identity design studio based in Tampa, Florida. She is passionate about working together with creative founders to craft sustainable businesses through brand strategy and intentional design. Outside of design work, she loves helping new designers build their design careers by sharing educational tips & resources through her YouTube channel and digital products. Experiencing Burnout as an Entrepreneur Lucinda has been hustling since college, where she was managing school, work, and freelance design work. She started seeing the first signs of overextending herself and burnout during that time. From mistakes in her design work to not paying attention in classes, Luci quickly learned what burnout could look like for her. Around 2017, Luci started a new full-time job and taken on a big project at the same time. In overcommitting to too much, Luci ended up getting sick and developing shingles. This left her unable to really complete any projects for a full two months. This was a turning point—to stop doing too much. For the first time, burnout for her hit her physically and her body told her that she needed to stop. This meant it was time to look at ways to prevent burnout. Practical Ways to Prevent Burnout Prior to this experience, Luci had been saying yes to any and every project she could book. She decided to take a look at her schedule, determine what her working hours were, and how she could build out a realistic schedule. This took her work schedule, time for rest, and how much she could dedicate to projects into consideration. Once she went through this process, she realized she can only take 2 projects per month for her branding clients. She immediately implemented a waitlist and set aside more time for rest in her calendar. Once she started putting boundaries up, she had to overcome the guilt that came with saying no to clients. If you’re struggling with this, it’s okay. You can say no to projects that you just can’t take on or don’t want to take on. Saying yes to all the things will lead to unhappiness and cost you your wellness. Actionable Boundaries Along with understanding how you can review your time to prevent burnout, Luci has incorporated a few additional boundaries that help her navigate work and avoid burnout: * Is the client a good fit? By looking at the industry of the client, is it something she’s passionate about, and do her values align with the clients’?* What are the communication styles of the clients and do they match her style? When you’re working long term with a client, you need to be on the same wavelength for communication.* Nailing down services and projects that she was invested in and passionate about. Guided Journaling for Designers If you’re looking to really hone in on setting boundaries for your design business, you can join Luci in a 4-week guided journaling series, made just for you. After enrolling in this free series, you will receive prompts once a week in your inbox, for reflection throughout your week and during certain seasons of your design journey.

While I avoided sales calls for as long as I could, I quickly realized that as I raised my rates, I was getting pushback in email communication from potential clients. That’s when I started to realize just how important sales calls were. Potential clients needed to feel that connection, trust, and importance in my time by hopping on a sales call. I truly understand the fears that come along with sales calls, especially as an introvert, but as I started to dig more into sales psychology, I realized that I needed to focus on how to plan for these sales calls. Enroll in Brand Strategy School Today’s episode is brought to you by Brand Strategy School, where I teach the blueprint to my signature process as outlined in today’s episode, to designers create their dream design business and connect with their ideal clients. Inside Brand Strategy School, I’m peeling back the curtain on my signature brand development process I’ve used to transform my business from blending in and barely making it to thriving and crafting heartfelt brands that authentically convert for my clients! ENROLL NOW Using Sales Calls to Your Advantage Sales calls are important tools that you can use to gather information and qualify your leads, but they need to have a structure. By creating a structure and knowing the questions I’m going to ask on the call, it creates such a huge difference in my preparation and in how the call goes. It ensures I’m not wasting their time and that I’m gathering all of the information I need. Within Brand Strategy School, I share my exact sales call structure as a bonus for my students! You can check out more information on Brand Strategy School here. Qualify Your Leads  Before you jump on a sales call, it’s important to qualify your leads. If your inquiries are hopping on sales calls but they’re not the best fit, you may not be attracting the right type of clients in your marketing or messaging. A few things to do to avoid this is include timelines, goals, and budget on your inquiry form. This will qualify them or open the door for you to send a referral to someone else. Navigating Your Calls Once you’ve qualified and jumped on the call with your potential client, we want to make sure you’re using the call wisely. Get to know the client and the project along with what they’re defining success by. This shouldn’t be where you try to sell your services, but rather help your potential client feel seen and heard. Once you’ve further qualified them and know if they’re a good fit, you can share a little bit about what you offer, but now you should focus on connecting the dots for them. Connect the Dots to Transformation Your potential client wants to know that you can provide them the transformation. Your work is the bridge to the desired destination, so you need to connect those dots for them. Then you can dive into the services and investments with them. Believe in Your Offer The last thing you need to consider is how you’re pitching yourself.

We share about brand strategy here on the podcast pretty often, but in today’s special episode we’re talking about the importance of brand imagery and the impact it can have on how your brand is perceived online. Shay Cochrane of Social Squares joins us to discuss the barriers that small businesses face with online presence and how they can overcome those barriers with styled stock imagery. As a commercial photographer and product stylist, Shay’s clients spanned the globe (brands like Sugarfina, Pure Fiji, Truffle bags and Simplified Planner to name a few). But powerhouse female entrepreneurs like Marie Forleo, Jenna Kutcher and thousands of others know and love her for her Social Squares Membership where she puts her years of work as a commercial stylist and photographer into a monthly styled stock subscription that supplies elevated stock images + digital marketing education for female-owned online brands. She has been married for 15 years to her fellow entrepreneur husband Graham Cochrane and they call sunny Tampa, Florida home along with their two daughters. How Imagery Impacts Your Online Brand Have you ever found a brand or been given a recommendation for a brand and head over the their website or Instagram only to be let down by the quality of their images? It often shows a lack of professionalism on their part and pushes you to question their trustworthiness. Bottom line, first impressions matter. Nowadays, first impressions happen online and your brand imagery impacts with that first impression. In the eyes of a potential customer, the value of your product or service is only as good as the images you use to promote it. By not taking care of our online presence, you could be losing money. When you do prioritize brand imagery, you’re setting your brand up for success. Barriers that Small Businesses Overcome Online In many small businesses, there are barriers that they need to overcome online to succeed. A few of these include: * Small business owners will launch something but have no way of driving traffic to their site.* Not showing up consistently online on your platforms.* Not showing up uniquely online with your imagery. That’s where brands like Social Squares can help you overcome these barriers. It all starts with the missing link for lead generation in driving traffic to your site. If you have some sort of content for your lead generation, you will likely need imagery for it. Your imagery will support your lead generation plan. Additionally, in a good marketing strategy, you’ll have consistency in the content you’re pushing out. Ways You Can Use Stock Imagery When you’re looking at how imagery is used in your brand and if stock imagery from a brand like Social Squares is right for you, let’s look at how you’re posting on social media. Imagine that you only post on one platform, like Instagram, three times a day, five days a week, that’s around 64 images per month. Then look at platforms like Pinterest, for every piece of content that you’re driving traffic to, you need to be creating 10-30 fresh pins for that piece of content. What does that look like for you if you’re doing one piece of content per week or even three pieces of content per week? Social Squares Curated Catalog Now that we’ve established what impact your imagery can have on your brand and how many images you could potentially need in your marketing, let’s take a look at how you’ll source those.

As a new designer, or even a designer that’s been around for a while, you may feel like you’re struggling to gain the clients you want or provide a memorable experience for your valued clients. In today’s episode, I’m looking back over the last 10 years in business and how I went from struggling to sought-after in my design business. Listen in as I share the steps I took to turn my business into the best experience for my clients while providing results! Today’s episode is brought to you by Brand Strategy School, where I teach the blueprint to my signature process as outlined in today’s episode, to designers create their dream design business and connect with their ideal clients. Inside Brand Strategy School, I’m peeling back the curtain on my signature brand development process I’ve used to transform my business from blending in and barely making it to thriving and crafting heartfelt brands that authentically convert for my clients! ENROLL NOW Launching My Business Wasn’t an Overnight Success When I first graduated from college, was in the middle of wedding planning, and also preparing to move across the country, I decided to go all in with my business. I knew I wanted to offer brand design, but it wasn’t a simple as just putting the offer out there and having the masses of clients roll in. Taking that first step in sharing my business and services was so vulnerable. So of course, I was sad and disappointed when I didn’t book out. I knew that I wanted freedom and flexibility in my business, but also an income. I was saying yes to anything. This meant I was in a constant state of hustling—while making it equate to my worth, not my work. Don’t Hustle for Your Worth In the process of hustling for my worth, I was making it all mean something about me. Learn this lesson from me, your self-worth is not tied to your business. You don’t need to charge your worth. Stop trying to make your work and your worth the same thing. Taking My Business to the Next Level It’s important to find a focus and a passion within your business. In the beginning I didn’t do that. I was learning what I could do and focusing on bringing in more clients. Before I decided to take my business to the next level, I was struggling. Once I decided to find my focus, I started making consistent 6 figures, I retired my husband from corporate work, and began working 12 hour work weeks. Because I know what this looks like, I want to help designers learn how to streamline this. Let’s review what actions led to that traction. Become the CEO, Not the Freelancer I decided to become the CEO in my business, not a freelancers. While this concept of being a freelancer comes with a lot of freedom, in order for some businesses to grow, you have to get out of the freelancer mindset. To get out of that mindset, I had to stop focusing on actions, behaviors, and thoughts that were keeping me in this place of just being stuck. I had to stop focusing on hourly packages as well. Once I stepped into the role of CEO, I realized I could get paid based on my systems and results, not the hours I’m logging. When I chose to step into being a CEO and I focused on creating a really consistent and strategic client experience that delivered wildly profitable results for my c...

Are you interested in running Facebook or Instagram ads for your business? While you may be hesitant to try out a new platform, Facebook and Instagram’s platform has made it simple for you to get started and test out a paid ad strategy. In today’s episode, we’re joined by Jesse Morquecho of Till Agency, where he’s sharing encouragement to small business owners who are ready to test out paid advertising channels in their business. Till Agency has a single goal: Helping businesses scale through digital marketing. The founders and their team of 12 specialize in helping clients grow through social advertising and SEO. Till owners include Davey Jones, Jesse Morquecho and Ryan Akins. Learn more about the team at https://till.agency. Stop leaving money on the table and learn how to start running Facebook and Instagram ads TODAY! In this guide from Till Agency, you’ll learn: – How Facebook + Instagram ads actually work – The anatomy of an effective Instagram or Facebook ad – Our top 3 tips for ads that convert – The anatomy of an effective Instagram or Facebook ad – How to set up a campaign in Ads Manager (the easy way!) GRAB THE GUIDE Why Facebook & IG Ads Work for Small Businesses Investing in advertising is a tough decision, but what’s even tougher is figuring out which platform and how to manage it. With so many advertising and marketing platforms out there, where do you even start? Luckily Instagram and Facebook, together offer a simple platform that makes it easy to get started. Did you know that 75% of the US is on one or the other platform—this means your audience is likely already there. With the interest based targeting, this provides a bit more of an advantage to you on this platform. How to Determine If Your Ad Strategy Is Working? When you’re spending advertising dollars on a platform, one things you’ll want to do it understand if it’s working. Start by having a goal that you want to see, which will help you with planning out your advertising. If you’re trying to drive traffic to your site, you can take a look at the clicks on your ads. If you’re attempting to convert your audience into leads, you can use the pixel to help track. Whatever your goal, make sure that you’re tracking it! You’ll also want to consider your Customer’s Lifetime Value, because while you may acquire a new customer for your services, that one time ad spend could lead to a long-term agreement. Over the last few years, we have seen digital privacy make it a little more difficult to track. This means that you’ll really have to keep an eye out for trends and upticks in your business. You should trust your gut when it comes to increases in your metrics that drive your business. Your data will be the overarching metrics that you’ll want to keep an eye on in order to determine if your ad strategy is working. Weighing the Cost of Advertising In your business, there are so many ways to get your name in front of potential new clients. Whether you’re focused on content creation, SEO, organic marketing, guest posting, etc., you’re putting in the time and effort in all of these.

The idea of going all in on your design business can be scary, no matter what that looks like in your business. In today’s episode, we’re talking through how you can cultivate the courage to go all in. Listen in as I highlight where your fears originate from, how you can eliminate them, and why trusting yourself is so important. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brand Strategy School, where I teach the blueprint to my signature process to designers create their dream design business and connect with their ideal clients. Inside Brand Strategy School, I’m peeling back the curtain on my signature brand development process I’ve used to transform my business from blending in and barely making it to thriving and crafting heartfelt brands that authentically convert for my clients! ENROLL NOW What It Means to Go All In Before we get into what going all in looks like for you, I first want you to acknowledge what your own definition of success looks like for you. Going all in looks different for everyone. When you’re going all in, you’re going after a dream that matches the success you want. Don’t let someone else’s idea of success influence what it means to go all in for your business. Give yourself the permission to dream big, but ask yourself what you want. How does your business fit into your life? Your business gives you the freedom to build the life that you want. Is Fear Holding You Back? The biggest thing that I hear from designers in regards to what’s holding them back is fear. There is always a but that is lead by fear. Doubt creeps in and it comes from fear. Fear can be used as a tool. The goal here is to acknowledge fear and observe it without trying to let it influence you. If we look at it as something that is trying to bring you awareness, we can notice that it’s a tool and it teaches us what might happen. Fear is your brain trying to keep you safe. The challenges we face in our design business are not something to truly be afraid of. Your Fears Don’t Originate Within You Oftentimes the fears we face in our business aren’t from within us. These fears have been placed on us by peers, mentors, parents, etc. They usually come from someone who doesn’t see the possibility of what bein an entrepreneur can look like. This isn’t a fear that you told yourself. Fear is striving to keep us small, because when we stay small we stay safe You do not have to stay small to be successful in your design business. Eliminate Your Fears with Data When we feel fear as a roadblock, we can shine a light on it by looking at the data. Take a look at the data, facts, and proof. Your emotions are drumming up the fear, where your data can back up your plans with truth. If you’re looking to take a leap in your business, but are struck with fear, look at what you’ve already accomplished and how this could be successful for you When we look at the data, there is typically more proof of success than there is for doubt, fear, and failure. Find a balance in your emotion and data, because your data can support you and eliminate that fear. Trust Yourself When you are thinking about going all in,

We&#8217;ve all seen the fun quizzes online that help define something about your personality or business, but have you considered creating one as a lead magnet in your business? In today&#8217;s episode, Jessmyn Solana from Interact joins us to share exactly how you can use a quiz to generate highly qualified leads into your business! Listen in as she shares what makes a quiz a unique lead magnet, how to get started in using quizzes as a marketing tool, and what you need to consider before you dive into creating a quiz! Jessmyn Solana is the Digital Marketing Manager at Interact Quiz Builder and host of Interact’s Creator Stories Podcast. Jessmyn is the strategic mind behind Interact’s flyover content, which helps entrepreneurs build their quizzes and stay connected to the brand. She is dedicated to telling the entrepreneur journey through the Creator Stories Podcast in hopes to give others a sense of belonging and community. Interact is the easiest way to convert curious people into loyal customers and happy clients by using a lead generating quiz. If you&#8217;re ready to try out Interact and build a quiz that will generate real leads and inquiries in your business, head to the link below and use code BSP25 for 25% off any Interact plan! TRY INTERACT Are Quizzes the Right Lead Magnet for You? As a business owner, you&#8217;re likely familiar with using lead magnets to generate leads and potential inquiries in your business, but how do you know if a quiz is the right option for you. When it comes to using quizzes as a lead magnet in your business, you&#8217;re immediately posing a question to your audience that prompts curiosity and intrigue. That guides them to following through with completing the quiz to get the answer. This curiosity is what sets quizzes apart from other lead magnets such as a free download. With free downloads or opt-ins, you&#8217;re providing a free resource, but you may not be able to create the intrigue that converts like with a quiz. Implementing Quizzes as a Marketing Tool Before you decide to use a quiz as a marketing tool in your business, it&#8217;s important to know what your goals are and what you want to accomplish in your business with a quiz. Once you know what you want out of it, then another important question to ask yourself is why should someone take your quiz—this shows the value you can provide for them. Creating the Right Quiz for Your Business While creating a quiz within interact&#8217;s platform doesn&#8217;t take very long, the thing that holds people up in creating a quiz is the planning, strategy, and build out of the concept. You need to consider what your quiz will answer, the actual answers, the questions that will guide the user, and the actions you want your answers to promote. While this may take a bit of planning, Interact does offer templates to help you get started in creating the right quiz buildout for your idea! Interact is the easiest way to convert curious people into loyal customers and happy clients by using a lead generating quiz. If you&#8217;re ready to try out Interact and build a quiz that will generate real leads and inquiries in your business, head to the link below and use code BSP25 for 25% off any Interact plan! <a class="wp-block-button__link" href="https://info.

Is it time for you to scale your business and get strategic with how you&#8217;re growing? In today&#8217;s episode, I&#8217;m sharing my tried and true method that I used and still use to skyrocket my design business. Listen in as I walk through this three step blueprint method that has created freedom with my time, a seamless client experience in my business, and continues to provide me with ideal client inquiries. Enroll in Brand Strategy School Today&#8217;s episode is brought to you by Brand Strategy School, where I teach the blueprint to my signature process as outlined in today&#8217;s episode, to designers create their dream design business and connect with their ideal clients. Inside Brand Strategy School, I&#8217;m peeling back the curtain on my signature brand development process I’ve used to transform my business from&nbsp;blending in and barely making it&nbsp;to&nbsp;thriving and crafting heartfelt brands&nbsp;that authentically convert for my clients! ENROLL NOW The Brand Strategy Blueprint When I first started my business, I had a really tough time with imposter syndrome. So much so, that I applied for and was offered a corporate job to escape it. I knew I was at a crossroads and how I handled it would impact my career. So I took a leap and tackled my business head on by turning down the job offer. Coming out of that experience, I put everything I had into setting myself apart, which skyrocketed my business. Today, I&#8217;m walking you through the three step process that I followed to take my design business from struggling to what is now a sought after multiple six figure business. It has allowed me to not only do the work that I love, but to have an incredible deep impact in the lives of not only my custom design clients, but also the hundreds of designers that I have coached over the years. The Brand Strategy Blueprint is the step-by-step strategy that I teach in the Brand Strategy School. Focused on Super Charging Strategy&nbsp; So many of my peers were focused on the design rather than the strategy. In this industry, I found that strategy is a key that unlocks your earning potential as as designer. You’re able to create lasting results for your clients in addition to a beautiful brand. Why does strategy play such an important role for you as a designer? If your clients aren’t seeing direct measurable ROI, then your strategy process isn’t doing what it can for you or your clients. You can create powerful and measurable results for your clients when you dive into strategy. Strategic brand development allows you to create scalable income in your business. How do you utilize strategy for your clients? As a designer, you have to go deeper than just the demographics or the shopping habits of your client&#8217;s ideal client. Get into what matters to them, their ideals, and how they’re making decisions—this will allow you to design for them in a way that impacts their decision to book your client. Guide Your Clients with Confidence The next step is to guide your clients with confidence. If you struggle with imposter syndrome like I did, let&#8217;s work to release that! Imposter syndrome impacts your confidence, which impacts your client experience. Once you&#8217;ve released that, you can guide with confidence through expert posit...