Creative Business Success

By: Jenn | The Creative Entrepreneurs L.A.B.
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  • Summary

  • Running a business as an artist, photographer, designer, or maker can be confusing and overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be! Our mission is to help you transform from Starving Artist to Thriving Creative and create a business and career you LOVE... without the overwhelm and confusion. You CAN be a thriving creative entrepreneur and the Creative Business Success Podcast is here to help you along the way!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Jenn | The Creative Entrepreneurs L.A.B.
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Episodes
  • S2E6 | When to Use Exposure for Your Creative Business | Elizabeth

    S2E6 | When to Use Exposure for Your Creative Business | Elizabeth
    Nov 18 2019
    Welcome to Season 2 Episode 6 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! I'm psyched about today's episode because we're going to be talking about something you don't hear a lot in creative business circles: how working for exposure can be GOOD for your business! Elizabeth, the artist behind By Elizabeth Hope, is joining me today to share how and when exposure can be truly beneficial for your business's bottom line and how to figure out when it's okay to work for exposure.Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:Elizabeth's intro, 1:03"Exposure is the bad guy!" 2:05Elizabeth's experiences with working for exposure, 2:45How to find the right opportunities to work for exposure, 5:29Know your audience before working for exposure, 6:57Working for exposure when starting your creative business, 10:13Working for exposure as practice for working with clients, 11:06Should you get paid for other work before working for exposure? 12:41One of the most effective digital marketing methods, 15:17NEVER PAY TO WORK FOR EXPOSURE, 15:53Get creative with the value from working for exposure, 17:51How to use working for exposure as marketing, 18:26How to use working for exposure as business networking, 21:02Presenting yourself professionally while working for exposure, 21:41Improving your creative business through working for exposure, 22:23Choosing when and who to work for exposure, 24:22Finding GREEN flags before working for exposure, 25:53Other times to work for exposure, 27:01Vetting someone before working for exposure, 28:47Elizabeth's closing thoughts on working for exposure, 31:34Where to connect with Elizabeth, 33:15Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...1 | Know your value when working for exposureIf you're working for exposure simply because you don't think anyone will pay you for your creative work - STOP. That is the worst time to work for exposure and it'll only degrade your confidence as a creative entrepreneur. We mentioned this several times in this episode because it's such an important point.Some folks are confident enough in their creative work before they make a sale that it's okay for them to work for exposure before that. If that's not you, though, wait until you make a few sales before you seek out or accept exposure work. Knowing your own value will help you communicate that to your work-for-exposure clients and keep you from getting suckered into a bad experience.Working for exposure can be good for creative entrepreneurs, but you have to know yourself. Give yourself a self-evaluation to determine if you're mentally ready to work for exposure or if you should wait.2 | Vet your clients before working for exposureYou may have heard Elizabeth mention that SHE sought out her work-for-exposure clients, not the other way around. This is the opposite of most work-for-exposure stories. By seeking out her clients, Elizabeth was able to validate the opportunity before accepting it.One of Elizabeth's key criteria for accepting a work-for-exposure project was the charities the project would support. When she and her client have a mutual goal for the project, it helps Elizabeth know they share some of the same values and that they aren't in it to take advantage of her.Another good way to vet a client before working for exposure is to ask if they have a plan for marketing. If you can create a marketing plan with them before starting the project, you'll both be more likely to get good returns from the project. If they aren't willing to create a marketing plan with you, you may need to re-evaluate the project to make sure the client is in it for the right reasons.By vetting your clients before working for exposure, you're setting yourself up to be a success story instead of a horror story! Look for the green flags just as much as the red flags, like we talked about in this episode, before accepting a work-for-exposure project.3 | Find other value in working for exposureWhile we've all heard horror stories about other creative entrepreneurs who worked for exposure, it doesn't mean that's the case for everyone. Elizabeth is a great example of this! At the time of this recording, she was working on two projects that she was doing for exposure.The key difference in Elizabeth's story is that she knows exactly what value SHE is getting from these projects. Yes, she's giving value to the businesses she's working with, but she also has a solid plan to get a monetary return for her investment of time. If you go into a work-for-exposure project with a plan in place to get a financial return, you'll be in a much better place than many creative entrepreneurs.Whenever you work for exposure, there should be a solid plan in place for you to get a monetary gain in the end. It may not be directly from the project, but it could be from referrals or marketing opportunities that you receive from the project. Regardless, you need to get something out of the project in the end!Want to connect with Elizabeth?...
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    35 mins
  • S2E5 | How to Improve Your Product Photography | Crystal

    S2E5 | How to Improve Your Product Photography | Crystal
    Nov 11 2019
    Welcome to Season 2 Episode 5 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! Crystal over at Crystal Clear Photography is a killer product photographer. If you're a product-based creative entrepreneur and you haven't checked out her work, you definitely should! I invited her onto the podcast today to share her best tips to help YOU improve your product photography. It doesn't have to be as hard as it may seem!Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:Crystal's intro, 0:59How to improve your product photography lighting, 1:56How to handle product photography shadows, 3:12Should you use ring lights in product photography? 4:20What to use instead of ring lights, 4:39How to style your art photography or product photography, 7:03Know your branding! Listen to Episode 2 of Season 2, 7:34Why knowing your ideal audience is important for product photography, 7:57How to use your ideal audience to style your product photography, 9:05Tips for lifestyle product photography, 10:39Taking photographs of your art, 12:08Get even more product photography tips and tools! 12:27Creating a story with your product photography and brand photography, 15:19How to edit your product photographs, 16:21Color temperature in product photography, 17:46Should you use Lightroom on your phone? 19:07Lightroom Mobile vs. desktop, 20:18Storing your product photographs, 21:48Make time to practice your product photography! 22:45Check out Crystal's product photography course and presets, 23:32Where to connect with Crystal, 24:59Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...1 | Lighting is key to product photographyA lot can be forgiven in product photography if you have good lighting. After all, if you can't see the product in the photo, you're probably going to ignore it! Crystal recommends using natural light as much as possible, but if you don't have access to a location with good natural light for your product photography, there are alternatives.Crystal recommends avoiding ring lights unless you're doing beauty photography or something along those lines. However, softbox lighting kits are a great alternative that won't break the bank. I finally bought a softbox kit after Crystal and I recorded this episode and it's crazy how much of a difference it can make!If all you can control is the lighting for your product photography, DO IT. It's the first step toward professional-looking product photos and can be the difference between someone buying your product or ignoring it.2 | Keep your audience in mind when styling your product photographyKnowing who your ideal audience is can be an important factor when it comes to styling your product photography. Your ideal audience may be different than the audience of another creative entrepreneur and because of that, you may need to style your product photography differently than they do. If you style your product photography for the wrong audience, they won't connect with it and you could lose sales!If you don't know your ideal audience's tastes very well, check out Episode 2 of this season and soak up Britt and Kelsey's tips. Establishing a solid brand, including knowing your ideal audience, can have a big impact on your product photography!If you don't know who your ideal audience is right now, take the time to figure it out. Use what you know of your ideal audience to fit their style in your product photography!3 | Consider investing in LightroomNow, I know as creative entrepreneurs, the business wallet is often a bit tighter than we'd like, especially when starting a creative business. Sometimes you really do have to invest money into your creative business to make more money, though. If you sell products, whether it's art on your own site or handmade items on Etsy or what have you, Lightroom may be one of those necessary investments.While Lightroom's mobile version is free, as Crystal pointed out in this episode, using the mobile app can drastically reduce the quality of your product photography. If you can use the Lightroom desktop version, your product photography will retain its resolution and quality and look better on all platforms. If you can't afford the monthly cost of Lightroom just yet, give it a try on your phone and see if it makes enough of a difference to justify the cost.If you're able to use the Lightroom desktop version, it's worth it! If not, just remember that the quality of your product photography will be decreased by the mobile Lightroom app, so bear that in mind when using it.Want to connect with Crystal?You can find her on her website, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @crystalclearphotographyaz. Don't forget to subscribe to the Creative Business Success Podcast for more episodes and share your biggest takeaways in the comments! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    26 mins
  • S2E4 | How to Grow Your Creative Business with Referrals | Laura

    S2E4 | How to Grow Your Creative Business with Referrals | Laura
    Nov 4 2019
    Welcome to Season 2 Episode 4 of the Creative Business Success Podcast! I'm super excited to introduce you to Laura today. In case you missed the Accelerate Your Creative Biz Summit in spring 2019, Laura was one of the speakers and she had so many fantastic nuggets of wisdom that I knew I needed to have her on the podcast as well. Today, she's going to be giving you her best tips for increasing referrals - aka essentially free advertising! - to get new clients in your creative business. It may not be what you immediately think of, either, so don't miss this one!Here's a cheat sheet of some of the episode highlights:Laura's intro, 1:04Get access to Laura's summit session, 2:12Laura's secret to increasing referrals, 2:59Laura's story of increasing photography referrals, 4:27How client experience helps increase referrals, 7:12Can a neutral client experience decrease referrals? 9:08Client communication is key! 10:32Why you need a standardized client experience, 11:58Do you use your clients' first names? 14:55Do you struggle with email marketing? 16:19Why managing your energy is crucial for referrals, 16:54You can transfer your energy to your clients! 20:23You need to create a referral program, 22:14Be proactive and not reactive in your creative business, 25:20Give memorable client gifts after a project, 27:35Laura's closing thoughts on increasing referrals, 29:42Where to connect with Laura, 33:15Let's dive deeper into a few of these key takeaways...1 | Client experience is crucial to referrals!No matter what kind of creative business you run, a good client experience can make or break when it comes to getting referrals. If someone has a bad client experience, you'll get negative word of mouth, but if they have a so-so client experience, they just won't talk about it at all! As Laura's experience shows, having a stellar client experience can net you dozens or even hundreds of additional referrals than you would get otherwise.You can start with something as simple as addressing your potential clients by name. Do this in email, in person, and when referring to them on social media or to other people. That little bit of personalization can go a long way!Do you provide a fantastic client experience for your customers? If it's not the kind of experience that they HAVE to tell their friends about (and thus send you referrals!), it's time to step up your game and make it outstanding!2 | You need a standardized workflowAgain, no matter what kind of creative business you have, this is key. Without a standardized workflow, it's a lot harder to provide a stellar client experience! You end up scrambling, forgetting things, and letting your clients down. And no one wants that!If you don't have a workflow in place (and hopefully at least partially automated!), Laura and I strongly encourage you to get that set up. If you're a photographer, Laura has workflow guides, email templates, and more in her shop.Bonus tip: if you're an artist, photographer, or designer, I highly recommend Dubsado to help you automate your workflows. It's a tool created for creative entrepreneurs by creative entrepreneurs that helps you with everything from lead capture to invoicing and workflow management. It can be a serious sanity saver!Take a moment to create or update your creative business workflows today! Taking that time now can increase your referrals tenfold down the road.3 | Get a referral program set up!It's easy to think that referrals will be organic and 'just happen.' That's not always how it goes, though! It's always best to JUST ASK. If you don't ask, it's easy for your clients to forget to send you referrals. After all, how often do you remember to leave a review for something you love? Yeah, I usually forget too.By creating an official referral program, you're reminding people to do it and giving them an extra incentive to remember and intentionally send you referrals. Giving great client gifts that they'll use regularly is a great way to build on this, too.If you sell products online, you can even set up an affiliate program, making it even easier for customers to refer new business to you! Here at The Creative Entrepreneurs L.A.B., I use the AffiliateWP plugin to manage my affiliate program for the Thriving Creatives LAB and shop. If you want to create your own affiliate program for your creative business but aren't sure where to start, email me at hello@thecelab.com and I'll share my tips!Simply asking for referrals from happy customers and setting up an official referral program or affiliate program can make a huge difference in increasing your referrals!Want to connect with Laura?You can find her on her website, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @lauraleecreative. Don't forget to subscribe to the Creative Business Success Podcast for more episodes and share your biggest takeaways in the comments! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    34 mins

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