From my blog entry on the Digital Space blog

It’s the age of the Internet — e-mail marketing, social networking, blogs. So why would you do printed, direct mail marketing? No one reads that stuff…do they? more at Digital Space>>

From my blog entry on the Digital Space blog

One of the things I most enjoy is working with non-profit clients — it’s especially satisfying to do design that makes a difference. We specialize in this type of work and our clients include a range of organizations, from those who work with troubled youth, to those who provide food and services for the disadvantaged, to those that work with the disabled, and more. Each organization has different design needs, but there are some things that are almost always true when working with non-profits… more at Digital Space>>

It’s a snowy day here in Massachusetts and it’s given me a reason to reflect. When I decided to expand my business from a successful one person home based venture to an office based design firm with an employee I thought a lot about what was important to me. Good design, personal integrity and business ethics, of course. But as a mother with two children under 6 (at the time) it was equally as important to me that I be able to accommodate their schedules and spend as much time with them as I can.

All women who have children compromise in some way. They may stay home with their kids full-time and sacrifice income and, perhaps, a career. Or they might work outside the home and miss time with their kids. There are many variations, and I believe that every parent tries to find the balance that works. I would never judge someone for the choices she makes.

I couldn’t afford to stop working. Even if I could have, I had worked long and hard to establish my business and I didn’t want to give it up. Not to mention that I get a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction from the work that I do. At the same time, though, I have an acute sense of time passing, of the fact that my children will only be young once, and that I don’t want to miss it. My daughter and son are the center of my life and the source of my greatest joy. How could I reconcile my need to continue to run my business with my desire to be with my kids?

In addition, the woman I hired as my production manager has three young kids. She is fabulous, the most wonderful employee I could ever ask for, and she was struggling with the same work/parenting issues that I was. It was essential to me that I make a workplace that was family friendly for both of us. There are so many smart, dedicated, and trained women who are not able to work, or not able to find the kind of work that they want, because there are so few jobs out there that are flexible enough to be both an employee and a dedicated parent.

We made it work. Here’s how:

• We both use laptop computers. When we work from our respective homes, we have everything we need at our fingertips. When we come into the office we bring our computers in with us.
• Sarah has a work printer at her house as a part of her full workstation there.
• We cc and bcc each other on emails so that we can both track the progress of our projects.
• We use Basecamp as our project management system. This keeps us on the same page, even when we’re not physically in the same space.
• When we need to make conference calls, we use freeconference.com
• Our office space has toys and art supplies for the times when the kids need to come into the office with us. It used to have a portable crib too, which the kids have now grown out of.
• I trust Sarah completely. This would never work if I couldn’t.

Of course, nothing is perfect. Here are the pitfalls we work hard to avoid:

• Sometimes out of sight is out of mind. I need to remember to delegate to Sarah, especially since I was on my own for so many years.
• After 16+ years in the design business, I have a lot of knowledge. It’s important that we meet so that I can share it.
• Occasionally a client will schedule a meeting with one of us and then want to meet the other person working on the project. We try to both be in the office if it seems like this might happen, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.

On this snow day, when school is closed and parents everywhere are scrambling for childcare or missing work, I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to create and share this business.

Two Notes:

Sorry for the long absence. I’m back to blogging again, and I’ll have an exciting blog related announcement coming soon!

For short design related links, info and more, follow me on Twitter @LeslieTane

David Airey asked me to participate in his thought-provoking series “How Designers Charge Their Clients.” He’s asked designers from all over the world, with different specialites and amounts of experience, for their working practices. I’m very flattered to be included in Part 2 of the three part series. Check it out for some very interesting insights. And thank you, David, for including me!

When I talk to people who are thinking about setting up shop, graphic design and otherwise, this is the question I’m asked most often. My answer is three places:

Word of Mouth. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best way to get new clients. When someone has heard good things about you from a source that they trust, your job of selling yourself and your services is 80% easier. They’re not looking for reasons to hire you, they’re looking to see what you can do for them. It may sounds like the same thing, but it’s not. When someone comes in cold, there’s a credibility hurdle you have to get over — who am I and why should you trust me? When a word of mouth client comes in, the trust is basically established. So and so recommended you, and I trust them, so I’ll trust you.

Of course, this is the hardest way to get clients at first, because it’s a catch 22. You have to have clients to get other clients by word of mouth. It also serves as a good reminder that the design world is small and your reputation will start to spread. Make sure it’s a good one.

Networking. There are countless groups to join: your local Chamber of Commerce, Design Groups (like the AIGA, GAG, or SPD), Networking Groups (like BNI), user groups (Hidden-Tech is a local group) and clubs (The Ad Club of Western Massachusetts is another local organization). Depending on your availability, the list can be endless. But here’s the secret: once you join, you have to get involved. It’s not going to be good enough to show up at a meeting or event once in a while. Volunteer. Get to know the officers of the group. Make yourself indispensable. It may take a while to start seeing results, but they will almost certainly come.

Advertising. This is important, but the returns are much fewer than in the other two options I’ve mentioned. When I get a potential client through word of mouth or networking, I end up getting the job 7 or 8 times out of 10. When someone contacts me because they’ve seen an ad of mine or found me on the web, it’s more like 2 or 3 out of 10. Why? The person who comes through an ad is typically just starting the process of hiring a designer. They’re looking at other companies, comparing prices and services, and figuring out what they want. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, of course. But the person who knows you (or knows someone who knows you) is usually ready to go, and have basically already made the decision to use you, or have significantly narrowed the field by the time you speak to them. Advertising is important, but if you rely on it to account for more than 50% of your business, you’re going to spend a lot of time in interviews and writing proposals that never turn into paying jobs.

Do you have any secret weapons to find new clients? What works for you?