Tag: entrepreneurship | Page 7

I’d Love to, But I Can’t: 6 Tips for Saying No

Thursday, November 29th, 2012|

Being a freelancer brings many benefits especially the opportunity to control your work/life balance. Success breeds success and eventually you may find yourself unable to take on any more clients without either the work or the life suffering. Here are some tips on saying no to new work without burning a bridge with a potential client:

Don’t give an excuse—As tempting as it is to claim another commitment and make it specific, it could be an opening for negotiation that you don’t want. Just not being able to fit it in is fine.
Say thank you—Even if you can’t or don’t want to take on a particular project, it’s nice to be asked. Don’t let “thank yous” fall through the cracks.
Be firm—Some clients will be extra persistent and if they get a feeling that you are not sure, they will keep asking, especially if they are looking for spec or pro bono work. After all, they really need someone to say yes. Stick to your guns.
Stay on a schedule—Detailed planning is a big help in deciding whether to say yes or no to a project so make sure you have planned out the next month ahead of time. It’s much easier to know whether you have an open 10 hours if you know where the rest of your time will be spent.
Refer a friend—A great referral can get you a lifelong client if it works out. Don’t be afraid to send the project to a talented friend you trust.
Not now, but soon—If you just have too much on your plate right now, a delay might make all the difference. If you really want to do the project, see if you can schedule it for the near future.

At the beginning of your time as a freelancer, it is easy to say yes to too many projects, but the longer you freelance, the easier these questions are to answer. You have a better idea of how many projects you can handle in how short a time and what workload is too much for you to do your very best work. And don’t forget to schedule a day off now and then!

Wendy Stackhouse for Artisan Creative

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Boss vs. Leader

Thursday, October 18th, 2012|

As the country celebrated Bosses Day this week, it got me thinking about some of my own bosses over the years. It also got me thinking about leadership – about how some of the best bosses I’ve had not only managed my work but also allowed me to be part of the process.

But what’s the real difference between a “boss” and a true “leader”?

The Boss

We think of a boss as an authority figure. Someone who makes decisions when they need to be made, including hiring and firing. Someone with a vision of the company, who sees the bigger picture. Who delegates tasks to others and keeps the machinery of the company moving, hopefully smoothly.

All of those things need to happen, but in a top-down culture, a Boss can also neglect some things that leaders never do. Does a Boss:

Ask for input before making decisions?

Take employees’ needs and desires into account?

Welcome feedback?

Allow employees to try new strategies that he or she did not think of?

Seek out talent who know more than they do in their area of expertise?

I’m sure we all agree that a great Boss does all these things. Sadly, many Bosses do not.

The Leader

A leader takes the role of “boss” a step further. A leader:

Knows and respects the knowledge and experience of his or her team and utilizes both

Rewards employees for creative solutions

Gives credit where credit is due

Nurtures talent and helps it to grow deeper

Is happiest surrounded by a talented team

One of my favorite sayings is: “If you find that you’re the smartest person in the room, find another room.” No person grows without being challenged and companies don’t grow without true leadership.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Freelancing: What Do You Charge?

Thursday, October 11th, 2012|

Conversations with potential clients often begin with the bottom line: what do you charge for your services? It may feel odd, but by putting off the cost issue until you’ve established your value, you can actually put yourself in a better place to negotiate.

Your potential client, of course, is trying to rule out vendors who charge more than their budget can bear. However, they may not understand what your services include or what you think they really need. When clients ask the money question – be sure to tell them that you will answer the question, but that you need more information to provide the right answer.

Find out why they are calling you. Then sit back and listen actively. Express empathy with their frustration and understanding of their issues. Empathy and understanding will help build a relationship with you and not someone else.
Ask questions to clarify what they require, find out where they are in the process and what kind of timing and resources would be needed. Answers to these questions help you determine the value of this opportunity overall. Remember, what you charge isn’t always about the numbers. Sometimes growth potential, client partnerships, new technology or timing could play a factor in what you are willing to charge.
Tell them about a similar problem you solved for another client. Establishing your experience with a story will build your credibility. This is also a great way to sell the client on other benefits you can provide without sounding “sales-y.”
Tell them what you would do to solve their problem. At a certain point in the conversation, you should have a pretty good idea what the client needs and what you would do to solve their problem.

Now it’s time to talk rates and negotiate.

If you have done your job correctly, the client has seen that you understand their plight and have the experience to deal with it. This puts you in a great position to ask for the fees that you deserve with confidence.

Wendy Stackhouse for Artisan Creative

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Artisan Founder Jamie Douraghy on Time Management

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012|

Before he left for Turkey to participate in the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Istanbul University this month, Jamie Douraghy, Founder of Artisan Creative, gave an interview to Map Consulting on how their time management techniques have helped our business grow and prosper as well as given him more time to pursue his personal goals and those of his employees. Enjoy!

Having everyone at Artisan, top to bottom, on the same system of goals and accountability has freed Jamie and the rest of the team up to work more productively and achieve a better work/life balance. We all appreciate it!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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7 Freelancing Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

Thursday, September 13th, 2012|

A few weeks ago, we posted a link to an article on InspiredMag, 5 Unforgivable Mistakes in Freelancing which it turned out a lot of people were interested in reading. We have some comments on those mistakes and a few more to add.

Inspired’s Mistakes:

Stubbornness. You know what you’re doing and, rightly, feel that the client should trust you to know how to do it well. However, it is important for your client to both be listened to and feel that he or she has been listened to. You know your business, but he knows his. He really does have insight that you do not. Use your EQ and practice active listening.
Lying. Oh, dear, no. Transparency is essential. If you make a mistake, let the client know, preferably after you’ve fixed it, of course, or have a good strategy for fixing it if not. When (not if) a client finds out that you have not been truthful, you have lost that client forever and your reputation with their network which could be catastrophic. Owning up to a mistake could lose you a client, but it won’t lose you everyone they’ve ever met.
Overpricing. Getting a lot of money from a naive client is a short-term benefit with a long-term consequence. That client won’t be a newbie forever. Your bid should be fair and pay you a living wage. Build in the costs of phone calls and meetings and your overhead. Make a profit. But don’t take advantage. Gain a lifetime client, not a one-time windfall.
Lack of Communication. You don’t want to interrupt your work on your project to send emails, but you need to. Progress reports and check-ins are a way of reminding your client you are on the job and alert to her needs. Give her a chance to ask questions and keep her informed of how the job is coming along and she will support your process.
Apathy. If you, like me, love freelancing because of the creativity of the work, the flexibility of the schedule, and the control of your life it gives you, keep that love at the front of your mind when you get deep into the weeds of your project. Not every task on every project is creative and stimulating, but keeping your mind on the big picture can keep you motivated, even during the duller stages.

We would like to add a couple more:

Underpricing. You might be new to freelancing and not know how to price your work or afraid that the client will choose another provider, but you must make sure you are earning enough money for your project that it is worth your time. It’s easy for apathy to set in if you feel underpaid and overworked. As above, do the math and charge what is fair for both you and the client.
Poor Time Management. Getting the work done is important and so is taking breaks. Especially if you are working on multiple projects, take the time to schedule your day or your week in clear blocks, including time off. It will keep you focused on the task at hand and make sure you take the time to recharge that all creatives need to do their best work.

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you know that I love freelancing for the reasons laid out above. Avoiding these mistakes should help you add success to the list of joys that freelancing can bring!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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The Elements of Happiness

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012|

What makes us happy at work? Money? Stability? Lack of stress? Not really, it turns out, but these are elements that we might think of if we were asked.

A recent article in Forbes talked about the elements of our employment that really impact our happiness and the author was surprised. Are you?

Autonomy–Having control over what you’re doing and when you are doing it is a huge boost to happiness at work. Whether you are most comfortable having a predictable routine and knowing when you are finished for the day or whether you like to have an individual plan for each day and vary the pattern, having a choice is empowering. And that empowerment affects your productivity and your work product.
Mastery–When you start a new job, it is such a relief when you finally feel like you have your feet under you. It takes about 90 days. Before that time, there is no reason to be concerned about not quite having it all together. But after that, when you’re trained and acclimated, what makes us happy is continuing to learn, to improve our skills, to bring more innovation to our work. If your employer doesn’t offer “continuing education” opportunities, seek them out yourself. It will increase your value–and your happiness–to keep learning.
Purpose–We need to feel that we are contributing to something larger than ourselves. This is where we can all benefit from thinking like an entrepreneur. Even if you work for a large corporation, if you think of yourself as your own business, everything you do is contributing to a bigger goal. You really aren’t just a cog in a machine, you are a living, breathing, growing business. If your employer is committed to giving back, even better. Get involved in community service projects and you will have a higher level of commitment to your job as well.

Your job can be stressful, it can be uncertain, it can even pay less than an ideal salary. But if you have control over your life, can be actively learning, and see a purpose in your work, stress feels more like excitement, uncertainty like spontaneity, and even money is less important than making a difference.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Winning

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012|

Watching the Olympics the last couple of weeks has had us all experiencing–if vicariously–the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Will you ever forget Usain Bolt’s gold medal sprint? Or Oscar Pistorius’ finish in the Semifinal of the 400 meters? You have to admit that was thrilling! The Semifinal!

We read a lot about the need to fail and what to learn from failure, but what can we learn from success?

Think about what you did right–It’s easy to obsess about mistakes and imperfections, but there is a lot of value in making sure you know what you did well and what you would do again. Reinforce the correct choices you made so you will remember to repeat them.

Don’t put it all down to luck–A little luck is a great thing, but very few real wins come just from being lucky. Most success comes from preparation and hard work. You did that preparation and you did the work necessary to create your success. Enjoy that feeling and give yourself the credit for what you accomplished.

Be positive–The day after a big win, you could start worrying about your next chance to fail. Better than worry is making a proactive choice to move forward confidently, knowing that you are able to succeed. Don’t throw away the confidence you gained from your victory!

We all need to make mistakes–and we do–but not all the time. Sometimes we win the Gold, sometimes a victory is just being there in the stadium to hear the Spice Girls, but don’t let your wins get away from you. Embrace your success and understand it.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

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Artisan Interviews Animator Kenny Roy about his KickStarter Project Success

Thursday, July 5th, 2012|

Over the years, Artisan has been fortunate to work with many talented creatives on a variety of projects. Back in 2003, we were first introduced to Kenny Roy, Owner/Director of Arconyx Animation Studios, LLC when we worked together on a number of animation projects for the SyFy Network. A great relationship was formed and we remained a big supporter of both his business and talent as each continued to grow.

Earlier this year, eager to take a short animation project literally from dream to reality, Kenny began a quest to raise funds for his passion project – The Little Painter – on Kickstarter. The overwhelming response he received not only enabled him to far surpass his original fundraising goals but also create the most incredible community of support he never knew existed!

Our interview with Kenny explores his creative background, exciting project, and excellent lessons on how creatives can make their creative visions a reality.

Tell us about your life as an animator from your start in school to running your own animation studio?
The great thing about animation is that it is an amalgamation of so many different artistic pursuits. You have acting, drawing, directing, cinematography, staging, storytelling, and an extra bonus if you like working on computers (which I always did.) So as I grew up, I felt I was being pulled in many different artistic directions and couldn’t decide on what I wanted to do. To make matters worse, I was rejected from CalArts on account of not being able to draw as well as was required of Character Animation applicants.

When I found computer animation, I felt like I was ‘home’. Everything that I was interested in had been assembled in a single, insanely difficult but equally rewarding package. I put everything into animating until I found myself working on some major feature films, traveling around the country and world following my dream. Then in 2006 I was approached by an old employer who had a project that needed animation, and I saw it as an opportunity to strike out on my own. 6 years and some really challenging projects later, Arconyx is still going strong.

What do you love most about the world of animation?
The community is pretty incredible. I have been a mentor at AnimationMentor for 7 years and especially the students have a zeal and a passion that is infectious. Even most of the veterans I know still get almost a childlike giddiness when we see some breathtaking animation. This industry, if you are passionate about the art, can really be very…preserving. All it takes is seeing a Pixar film or an inspiring short on YouTube and you feel the same way you did when you got your first job. I can’t imagine really any other industry that can offer that.

How long has The Little Painter been a dream?
I dreamed it (literally) two years ago visiting family in New Zealand. Of course, I immediately wrote it down and spent the rest of my vacation tweaking and pitching it to my niece and nephew over and over. It was a while before I got it back out again and started designing, boarding, and modeling the characters. That was about a year ago. The thing about stories like The Little Painter is they really sustain your motivation. Every time I’ve had a chance to take the project and work on it a little bit between paying projects has been almost like a little vacation all over again.

Is this your first passion project?
I’ve done short films before in school that I was really passionate about, but the thing that sets The Little Painter apart is the clarity with which I see the entire project finished. It starts with dreaming the story, start to finish. In my dreams I am always in my own body, except when I was dreaming this story it was like I was in a theater, watching the entire thing as an audience member. My passion for this project now stems from a NEED to make it as great as when I first “watched” it in my dreams.

What’s been the hardest thing you’ve experienced between the time you were inspired and now finally seeing funding for your project?
I think most animators and freelancers, in general, will agree that the hardest thing to do is find the time to work on anything. It can get very frustrating without the funding to really dedicate the time you need to a project like this. The only advice I can give is that every little bit helps. I read a story once about a person that worked 5 minutes a day on an animated film that was Romeo and Juliet retold as seals in the ocean. If he had more time, then great. But at least 5 minutes EVERY DAY, he worked on the film. It might mean he only gets two drawings done, but the film progresses. I tried to do as much as I could in the very little free time I’ve had. But in the end, I had enough that I could clearly show my KickStarter backers the tone and the feel of the film and they liked it enough to fund the project and then some!

Why did you choose Kickstarter to fund your project? What other alternatives had you considered?
I considered only Kickstarter and IndieGoGo. The only reason I chose Kickstarter over IndieGogo is that it seemed that because of the urgency of having to fund your project 100% or get nothing at all, that your backers were more motivated to help you along. People like to feel like they are part of the project, and the funding doesn’t have to be a cold, businesslike moment in the life of the project. Giving out great rewards, interacting with the backers, and putting some ownership in their hands to help you hit 100% is very exciting. IndieGoGo didn’t have the same feel for me.

How did you get the word out about your project? Who did you connect with?
Since I’ve been teaching animation for so long, I have hundreds of students who are unbelievably supportive of me. They really showed up. Through animation, I have around 2000 friends on Facebook, maybe 5000 on LinkedIn, 600 Twitter Followers, and a few hundred that have come through my training site. This combined network was basically a machine that just needed to be fed the information and turned on. The incredible people supporting me did the rest. All my FB posts were ‘liked’ by 100+ people and reposted by dozens, same with the Tweets.

I should also point out that it was a huge boost to the project to do a funding launch event and a funding close event. I chose to animate LIVE and broadcast a video stream for 24 hours for the first day of funding. An average of 406 people watched the ENTIRE broadcast and raised $19,500 the first DAY. Then, on the last day, I announced a super special reward level during the last two hours (also webcasting), and we went from $33,000 to $50,246. I can’t stress how important it is to have awesome rewards that are catered to your most dedicated supporters. They’re just looking for an excuse to pledge more!

Having finally reached (and far surpassed) your goal how do you feel?
As of writing, it’s almost a month later, and it STILL hasn’t sunk in. I think the best way to describe the feeling is after the initial shock of walking in on your own surprise party. After you are startled a bit, you look around and see these faces smiling back at you, and you get a little overwhelmed (almost embarrassed?) by the gesture these people have made. I feel so much love for all my supporters, it’s hard to contain. I wish I could hug them all!

What excites you most about the whole experience?
Something that I didn’t expect was the number of students in the animation community who I haven’t even had in my classes pledging very large amounts. It’s very exciting to have fans and supporters that are more than one-degree of separation from you. It feels like we’re part of a community that all want to create something beautiful.

What advice would you have for other creatives who are eager to follow their own dreams and bring unique concepts or ideas to life?
If you are a passionate person, I promise there are people around you who are just WAITING to prop you up, support you, see you achieve success. Let them in. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be too proud to accept it. Nothing beautiful is ever created in a vacuum.

What’s next for Pierre? For Kenny?
Pierre is going on an adventure, and I’m going with him!

I don’t know about you – but we’re eager to see where the adventure takes them both!

Looking forward to seeing The Little Painter completed? Stay tuned to our blog for clips and updates in the coming months as the project nears its finish.

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager – Artisan Creative

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Facebook, Email and Other Tweaks to Help Your Job Search

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012|

Did you know that 37% of employers are using social media to search for and research candidates? And 11% more are planning to start in the next year?

That is a whole lot of hiring managers that might come across you on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and get in touch with you because you seem like you might be the perfect fit for their job opening.

How can you optimize your social media presence for your job search? Let’s start with Facebook!

Just yesterday, Facebook gave everyone an email address on their system and made it the only address visible on your Profile:

Go to your “About” link on your Timeline and Edit your Contact Info to have your regular email address show on the Timeline and the Facebook address hidden. This way, if you want someone to be able to contact you via email from your Facebook Timeline, it will end up in your Inbox, not in Facebook’s.

We have talked earlier on the Artisan Blog about being careful what you post to Facebook and also what level of access you should allow potential employers. Here are a few more tips:

Have a Facebook Page as well as a Profile. Use your Page as a place to put links to projects and things that are interesting to you as an entrepreneur. Put a link to your Page on your resume and your LinkedIn Profile.
Don’t post anything publicly to Facebook that it would be illegal for an interviewer to ask you about. Facebook lets you customize the audience for your updates so that even if you are friends with business contacts, you don’t have to show them your more personal posts. Use your Privacy Settings wisely.
If an interviewer asks for your Facebook Password, decline politely but firmly and, unless it’s your dream job, go on to your next interview. It is inappropriate to ask for your personal passwords for any social media platform.

Facebook’s settings change often—and just as often they don’t give anyone a head’s up. We here at Artisan will try to keep you up to date so check back for more help with social media and job search!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Tax Tips for Freelancers—For Next Year!

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012|

Although you still have until midnight tonight to file your taxes (or an extension), it is never too early to think about how to handle your taxes better next year.

As we are neither tax professionals nor claim to be so, but rather a community of freelancers and freelance placement specialists – we can only recommend the following tips to help keep our freelance talent organized for Tax Time 2013:

• Track your mileage – Especially if you drive to pick up work or deliver it to your clients, keep a record of trips back and forth. You can’t count commuting miles, but if you work offsite, mileage to and from meetings can add up to a hefty sum.

• Create a dedicated office space – You can only take a home office deduction if your space is used exclusively for work. But it doesn’t take a lot of space to count as a home office. Dedicating a small area of your home to work can help with deductions for part of your rent and utilities expenses.

• Keep your Receipts – Depending on the nature of your business, there are often a number of deductions you can make for things like Equipment, Advertising or Entertainment Expenses. Save your receipts and work with a tax professional to help you determine what can actually be written off as part of your business.

• Save some money – Depending on your situation – you may end up owing some tax next spring. You don’t want it to be a surprise. Therefore, it’s always best to put a bit of each paycheck into a seperate account – just for tax payments in the following year. Worse case, if you have nothing to pay – you can always give yourself a refund!

• Make a list – If you work for a lot of different clients over the course of the year, it’s a good idea to keep a list of each client, their contact information and how much you made while working for them. There are a number of invoicing programs out there to assist with this as well. NOTE: If you go over $600 for anyone client, they should send you a 1099 in January 2013. This list can help you follow up with any late documentation come Feb or March.

These are just some things that have helped my family at tax time. Do you have any great tips? We would love to hear them in the comments!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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