March 21, 2024
Dear Reader,
Say yes. Say yes to whatever projects come your way. At least in the beginning. Niching is great. It helps you market your services with precise language that targets your ideal client. Niching has the ability to increase your earnings and decrease your headaches. It has the capacity to bring greater joy to the work you do because you are able to get the work you want.
But, if you don’t have a sustainable business in your niche due to a lack of clients, you have options depending on your situation, goals, and desires.
A random job that supports your decision to pursue design. Flexible hours and just enough income to keep your runway and dream alive.You can even try to niche early with this option. This is what I do. But, I’m looking to option 2 below to try something new and see if I can gain more traction.
Any design work that brings in clients and reviews. Word-of-Mouth and Social proof are powerful assets to building a sustainable lead generation engine and business. So, saying yes to projects you don’t know how to do is an option. You will have to figure it the f**k out. But, this is the most common trait I see among designers that inspire me. They say yes to everything in the infancy stage of their business, figure it out as they go, and then niche down later when they have sustainability from lead generation and client acquisition.
Work for an agency first. Learning first hand from people who are already doing what you want to do is always a shortcut to success.
Be inter-dependent. Find a business partner or mentor that will help you grow your knowledge and skillsets. Or team up with multiple freelancers with different skillsets that allow y’all to share clients that require multiple services. You could be a logo designer and decide team up with a brand strategist, motion designer, and copywriter to deliver a higher quality product and expand your reach. Just make sure to have a clear written agreement where everyone benefits.
I’m sure I missed some options. So please, share what worked for you or just your thoughts in the comments.
I hope to see you more.
Signing off,
Taylor
Owner | Designer