5 things stopping you from creating the design business you dream of
Here are the five things I see designers get wrong and why they aren’t seeing the results they want from their business.
1: The wrong plan (or no plan)
⭐️ Do you have a strategic plan for what you are doing and what you want to achieve?
⭐️ Have you set revenue targets you are aiming for?
⭐️ Do you know how many clients you need to hit those revenue targets?
⭐️ Are you tracking your time and metrics carefully so you know whether you are making any money?
⭐️ Is your sales funnel mapped out and you are tracking where leads are getting stuck along the way so you can fix that part of the process?
Without a plan you are driving your business completely blind. 🤦🏻♀️
2: Too much consumption - not enough creation
Social media (and the internet in general) are designed to hold our attention and be addictive.
They want us to stay on their platforms and consume more and more information.
The more we consume, the more ads they can show us = the more money they make. 💰💰
Make sure you are spending more time creating content for these platforms than you are sitting and consuming content from others.
Contribute to the conversation and help people with their problems.
If your consumption/creation balance is out of balance then you need to fix it!
3: A lack of daily action on the right tasks
A lot of designers I meet don’t have the business they hope for yet because they are spending too much time on the safe, easy, ‘busy work’ and not enough time on the right tasks.
What are the right tasks?
✅ proactive lead generation (see below)
✅ following the fastest path to revenue (not working on a website for weeks on end)
✅ creating new products/services (and actually shopping them)
✅ analysing your sales funnel and tracking your leads - where is your process falling down at the moment (this is what you need to fix!)
✅ delivering an exceptional experience for your existing clients
✅ creating systems and processes to free up your time
4: Not enough proactive lead generation
Almost every designer I meet who complains about not having enough clients or enough revenue are simply not doing enough proactive, daily, consistent lead generation.
And I don’t mean simply posting an image on your Instagram account each day and waiting for clients to come to you!
I mean the scary stuff like:
💡 reaching out to potential strategic partners and building relationships
💡 actively seeking out client referrals
💡 using social media strategically as a business and lead generation tool
💡 building connections and networking about your business everywhere you go
💡 reaching out to your network regularly to find new potential opportunities
5: A lack of patience
Sometimes designers feel frustrated after launching their business that they don’t get clients right away.
They’ve posted a few times on Instagram and wonder why that hasn’t resulted in any clients yet.
Building a successful business takes time and patience. ⏰
It also takes a willingness to get out of your comfort zone and do the scary things you might not want to do.
When you’re new nobody knows anything about you.
It’s your responsibility to get out in to the world and change that.
If you don’t - you will never build that business you dream of. 🤔
Need help with any of this?
Then check out my business short courses. My business short course platform has been designed specifically for designers, architects and others working in the design industry.
We focus entirely on the right tasks and the right strategies for our industry.
Check out the different courses I have on offer if you are sick of working on the wrong things and you’re ready to finally start moving your business forward!
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
DO YOU WANT TO….
Improve your professionalism?
Find more clients?
Bring in more revenue?
Create better systems and processes?
Then check out my business courses and templates for designers and architects.
These courses and templates leave you with work done - not just a long list of things you need to do next. We have a really strong focus on taking action and getting things created that improve your business.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
