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The freelancer's plateau (and how to overcome it)
In the career of every freelance designer comes a plateau; a moment when you simply can’t make any more money because you don’t have any more time to give to your business.This has always been the...
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20 Unique ways freelancers can use business cards to find new design clients
Business cards are important for designers to have. They sum up what services/products you offer and how somebody can contact you on a small piece of paper. However, most designers don’t take advantage...
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The designer's guide to killing distractions and getting more done
A designer’s life nowadays is very hectic. We have to keep up with our clients, our finances, our personal life, our professional life, and generally anything on the internet. Our minds are constantly...
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The Designer's Guide to a Successful Business Website
Every web site has a purpose. And when designing web sites that are meant to generate business and income for a company, it’s especially important to do it well. Today’s post will teach you all about...
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My secret to making steady money as a freelance designer
I share money-making tips here at GDB all the time. They include upselling your design projects, generating passive income, specializing in a particular discipline or skill, and many many more.But...
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Are you giving your design business the time it deserves?
If you’re anything like me, you have a lot to do.Running a design business isn’t easy and there are a million different pieces to your design business. It can be pretty common to let some...
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Common mistakes designers make with clients – Part 5: Missing deadlines
This post is part 5 of a series. Read the rest of the series here: Common mistakes designers make with clients – Part 1: Not signing a contract Common mistakes designers make with clients – Part 2:...
View ArticleHow to get design clients to come to you, instead of chasing them down
Recently, on the Graphic Design Blender facebook page, one of our fans, Sarah Grant, asked a question about cold-emailing (like cold-calling, but via email) to promote her design business.In essence,...
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Help me name my design business! + tips on naming yours
GDB readers, it’s time to name my freelance business, and I really need your help. But first, a little back story:When I got laid off last February after 5 years with the company, I was devastated.I...
View ArticleHow to handle hard-to-reach design clients
A few days ago, I published a post in response to one reader’s question about overcoming fear as a freelancer. The post was such a hit, I decided to tackle another question posed by a designer named...
View ArticleHow much should a freelance designer make?
Since I’ve been answering a lot of reader questions lately, I’d like to turn the tables today and ask you a simple question:How much should a freelance designer make?I recently had a facebook fan ask...
View ArticleIs your location killing your freelance business?
One of the beautiful things about being a freelance designer is the freedom to live where you want, be it within walking distance of the ocean, near family, or three floors above the most awesome...
View ArticleHow to grow your freelance business without hiring more staff
If you were around at the beginning of the year, you remember that in late 2011, GraphicDesignBlender.com was seriously hacked. The site was down for a few weeks and it was quite a challenge to recover...
View ArticleHow I took my design hobby to the next level and created a business
Last year I knew I wanted to take freelancing as a career more seriously. Not for just work on the side or for extra cash, but to actually call myself a freelance graphic designer and make a living off...
View Article6 painful lessons I learned as a rookie web designer
It was 2007 and business was booming. I was getting 2-3 requests for web development work a day and could barely keep up.To cope with the growth, I brought my brother and a friend into the business...
View ArticleHow to receive payments: 10 tools for freelancers
Working as a freelancer undoubtedly has wonderful perks and advantages – like being able to take on a job in the convenience of your own home and having more free time for yourself.However, there’s...
View ArticleWhy I never explain my designs before revealing them to my client
In 2009, I wrote a post titled “7 tips on presenting logos to a client” and more than three years later I got this tweet from @thomshouse:I was curious of the order in which you present a logo… Do you...
View ArticleWhere do you fit on the business-art spectrum of freelance designers?
I’ve noticed something fascinating recently on a post I wrote a couple weeks ago.In just two weeks, “What your pricing strategy says about you as a freelance designer” has quickly become one of GDB’s...
View ArticleHow safe is your “job security”? Is it time to start freelancing?
Hands down, the most common reason GDB readers haven’t made the change to freelancing is because they fear the loss of “job security.”And while I’m a huge advocate of having a day job (only if it adds...
View Article9 business terms all freelance designers must know to succeed
Taking the plunge into freelancing is scary – we all know that.One of the reasons we’re so afraid is that we’re great designers but often know little about running a business (and that’s why many...
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