A short story and a lesson in Marketing, Advertising and Design by Claudia Folgore-McLellan creative consultant at visual 8.
It quite aptly feels like it’s the 74th of January today, the month has been long and I’m sure most of us are suffering fatigue from having had to push that much harder in the past year as solopreneurs and freelancers. The easy option is to simply give up – the better option, though, is to KEEP PUSHING!
Running a business in South Africa, during a global pandemic, battling with intermittent load shedding and failing wi-fi connections, during a double recession – nogal, is NOT for the feint hearted. Alas, we do it, we battle all odds to get the work done. If anything, our resilience is a force to be reckoned with.
Take a deep breath…
Plan a few days of reprieve and start February with a solid plan of action. A plan that you perhaps haven’t tried before or at least made an effort to jot down and follow. There is magic in trying new things, experimenting with what you know you’re capable of.
How inspiring is this thought?
“You are never too young to build an empire and never too old to start a new dream.”
Being an freelancer takes tenacity, considerable grit and self-belief that very often needs to be inflated so as to not suffer the creeping lurgies of imposter syndrome and all those other complex insecurities. I recently read a tweet from York Zucchi that seemed perfectly accurate, he said, “Entrepreneurs are neither born nor made. Entrepreneurs are panel beaten.” – isn’t that the truth? I’m sure we all feel a bit battered and bruised after 2020 and so far 2021 is no better… it’s January for goodness sake, the month with little to no billings, business as usual.
It’s no time to give up, put you’re ‘A’ into ‘G’ and start February 2021 with a clear mind.
Here’s a list I’ve compiled as a guide for you to use as a starting point:
- Get over the ‘I can’t’ attitude and apply yourself to making a list of what you CAN do and WANT to do.
- What’s your best offering? Build on it, price it right and then package it.
- Be consistent with how you describe your offering across all marketing channels ie: LinkedIn Profile, Website, Twitter Bio etc.
- Define your Goals: An example of a goal is ‘to increase your client base’ (four goals is a good starting point and not too overwhelming)
- Work on your Objectives to reach those goals: detail ‘how’ you’re going to go about achieving them.
- Start advertising yourself where you know your ideal customer will learn about you and start conversations.
I’ve included a valuable link to a FREE online course compliments of my associate York Zucchi (Founder of The StartUp Tribe) has put together to help get you on track https://www.thestartuptribe.org/courses/how-to-find-clients
If you are a solopreneur, entrepreneur or owner of a retail or corporate business and would like to know more about how you can leverage your brands’ potential, get in touch with me. I am able to offer retainers for clients who have a need for ongoing design, branding or advertising requirements at accessible pricing with payment terms suitable to your budget.
Email me at hello@visual8.co.za and visit my website at www.visual8.co.za to know more.
