I swapped the office cubicle for the spare room two years ago and I've never looked back. However, working from home isn't as simple or as easy as it sounds. It certainly helped that I'd spent two years "easing myself in" - working at home temporarily whilst freelancing at other offices part … [Read more...]
My business story
"If you are successful at school; you will be successful in life" I wasn't a great success at school. Even though I was sent to good schools, in order to get me to work hard, I was told "if you are successful at school; you will be successful in life". As hard as I tried my exam results were … [Read more...]
What you need to start a graphic design business
It pains me to think of the $3000 I spent on a Mac Performa 6400 complete with a huge monitor and in-built 28K dial-up modem in the mid-90s. The machine chugged along like an aging donkey and the information super-highway felt more like a traffic jam. I wish I was starting now with readily available … [Read more...]
Freelance graphic design advice
Whether you're a rock star creative in a top-ten agency or a freelancer running a business from home on a shoestring, graphic design is an absorbing, all-encompassing practice. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and therefore disagreements occur and criticism can be hard to take. But it's a great … [Read more...]
How to get freelance graphic design jobs
One thing I am often asked by designers – old and new alike – is: "how do you get work" or "how do you get clients". Here are the principles and practices that I have used and found successful over the years. Put most of your effort into developing your own site Building and maintaining … [Read more...]
How to win traffic and influence markets
How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the bestselling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie in 1937, it has sold 15 million copies. "[Dale Carnegie] changed my life" Warren Buffett, one of the world's wealthiest people and most generous philanthropist of all … [Read more...]
8 books that have helped me run a design business
I recently sent a newsletter to the subscribers who had downloaded my free How to Market Yourself Online ebook asking a simple question: "What would you like me to write about for you?". The answers that came back were many and varied but one I address here. We're all hungry for knowledge and … [Read more...]
Adding a client testimonial page to your website
If you have any sort of professional website I would advise you to include a testimonial page to promote your business. I think it's always good to see if someone has been recommended and interesting to see by whom. It's something that could separate you from the competition. Have a look at my … [Read more...]
First thoughts on the 4 Hour Workweek
The book I am reading at the moment is The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. I had heard about it from Matt Mullenweg, the founding developer of WordPress the popular blogging software that powers this site. I'm only halfway through the book but already I've been introduced to some interesting … [Read more...]
Cloud commuting and graphic designers
Cloud computing is a term usually used to describe the proliferation of resources and services accessed through the internet. These resources (for example, Google maps; Google docs; Google Analytics; Wordpress.com; online Adobe applications; your website host) in fact, any online service that … [Read more...]
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