My Creative (Side) Business is a book for smart creatives Monika Kanokova

who desire to focus on their creative output and are

looking for ways to monetize their work. This practical
guide offers stories of entrepreneurial women within the
creative industries who turned their side projects into
full-time businesses with multiple income streams.
Filled with tips, tricks, stories, and interviews, it’s a book
you’ll go back to multiple times in the future.

“With so much blustery, useless career advice out there, #MCFSB is a

revelation: actionable practical advice that you can use the moment you put
down the book. A must-read for those looking to develop their side hustle.”
— SEAN BLANDA, editor-in-chief and director at 99U

“Packed full of inspiring interviews with women all across the world who
have successfully gone freelance or turned their side projects into multiple
revenue streams, it’s something even the most established business owner
should add to their reading list.”
— KATY COWAN, founding editor of Creative Boom & MD at Boomerang PR

“I truly believe side projects are necessary for all freelancers. Monika does a
brilliant job summing up why, as well as how, to tackle them in this book!”
— PAUL JARVIS, creator of the Creative Class

“The future of work is changing. More and more creatives are building long-
term freelance businesses. Monika draws out the wisdom from a community
of women who have been there and done that, setting you up for the best
success.”
— KATE KENDALL, founder and CEO at Cloudpeeps

“Excellent read for entrepreneurs who are ready to be challenged to think

outside of the box about their businesses and IGNITE.”
— JOHN LEE DUMAS, founder and host of Entrepreneur on Fire
The insightful guide to turning your The insightful guide to turning your
side projects into a full-time creative business. side projects into a full-time creative business.
This book is dedicated to Ewelina Dymek,
the illustrator of This Year Will Be Different,
who’s responsible for at least half of the
success of my first year as a freelancer.

This project wouldn’t have been possible

without the great help of Diana Ovezea,
Sara Combs, and Diana Joiner, who have
put all their energy into creating this
book you’re now holding in your hands!
 Monika Kanokova

© 2016, Monika Kanokova | www.mkaystudio.com

MY
Editor: Monika Kanokova
[email protected]
Copy Editor: Diana J. Joiner
[email protected]
CREATIVE
SIDE
Illustrator: Sara Combs
[email protected]
Art Director: Diana Ovezea

BUSINESS
[email protected]

The moral rights of the authors have been asserted.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under

copyright reserved above, no part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored, or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise), without the prior written permission of the
copyright owner.

Should you be holding a copy of this book you did not

pay for, be an awesome human and do a good deed today
to serve your local community, or make the first person
you meet today smile from ear to ear.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the

National Library in Austria.

Proudly self-published in Austria in 2016. The fascinating stories of 14 women

ISBN: 978-3-9503967-9-9 who rock their creative businesses
 CONTENTS Find your niche 119
Interview with: Shayna Oliveira 123
Introduction 7
Collaborate with others 133
Start with a side project 11 Interview with: Sarah Eichhorn 137
Interview with: Sara Combs 15
Explore all possibilities 147
Have your own point of view 25 Interview with: Joanna Penn 149
Interview with: Elaine McMillion Sheldon 29
Build multiple income streams 163
Create out loud 45 Interview with: Jamie Seerman aka Jaymay 167
Interview with: Maaike Boot 49
Automate and outsource 175
Set yourself goals 59 Interview with: Patty Golsteijn 179
Interview with: Sophie C. Ryba 63
Find strong partners 191
Take small and big risks 77 Interview with: Helen Johannessen 195
Interview with: Elise Blaha 81
Plan your long-term goals 207
Kickstart your idea 91 Interview with: Lisa Glanz 211
Interview with: Julieta Ulanovsky 97
Say hello! 221
Invest your time 105 Meet the team 224
Interview with: Susan Schmitz 109 Meet the Kickstarter backers 228
Thank you to our reviewers 233

4 5
Hello there!

Let me guess, you picked up (or downloaded) this book because you’re
curious. Perhaps more specifically, you’re curious to know what it means
to run a business while maintaining your creative freedom. Maybe you’re
looking to establish a side hustle, or maybe you already are a freelancer,
but are wondering how to stabilize your business. Regardless of where
you stand on the spectrum, this book just might answer all of your ques-
tions!
When I first went freelance, I wondered how I could set up a business
and earn enough money to support myself from day one. I didn’t have
any savings, so having a functioning freelance career was crucial. Writing
my first book, This Year Will Be Different: The Insightful Guide to Becoming
a Freelancer, helped me find my way. It also helped me reach my current
checkpoint: wondering how to take the next step to transition from sole-
ly being a freelancer to running a creative business.

If you would like to know how to earn money, even while you go on vaca-
tion or are sick in bed, then this book was written for you. Don’t get me
wrong, this isn’t about getting money without doing anything to have
earned it. This book is to help you understand some principles and strat-
egies to not just work harder, but to work smarter. It’s meant to give you
context to what it really means to do creative work and build a business
that’s not based on a quick payout. Here, you’ll find honest stories of

7
#SMARTCREATIVES Introduction

people who work hard on what they truly enjoy; people who pursue long- I’ll tell you now (and will tell you again at the end) to get in touch if you
term goals and strive for a life that grants them creative freedom. have any questions or additional ideas. Also, I’d love for you to share your
There are different ways to grow a creative business. You can either learnings and what this book has inspired you to do on social media, so
hire people and go from being a solopreneur to being an employer, you we can follow up with your future endeavors.
can find partners to distribute and sell your creative work for you, or you Use the hashtag #SMARTCREATIVES so we, and other readers, can
can build a following and capitalize on the number of people interested in see your creative business grow! We’re all in this together, and I hope we
hearing from you regularly. For this book, I interviewed 14 inspiring wom- all make it!
en from around the world to better understand how they built multiple
income streams. The result, and what you’re about to dive into, is a guide Thank you once again for picking up this book. Now, let’s turn your pas-
focused on building a stable solopreneur business by helping you grasp sions into multiple side businesses!
more about establishing distribution partnerships, licensing and royalties,
capitalizing on your online following, and much, much more. Love,
Many of the women I talked to are multi-passionate and proud to have Monika
found different creative outlets that help them make a living as creatives.
For once, it’s not a book that advises you to focus on one thing and one
thing only, but instead, inspires you to make the most out of your cre-
ativity and your personal style. What I believe distinguishes these women
is that they’ve invested their time to be fully dedicated to building busi-
nesses they would want to work for themselves. They also don’t slave
away and undersell their services. Whenever they don’t have clients, they
think of a project that excites them and work on that instead.

If you’ve read my first book, This Year Will Be Different, you may remember
Oren Lasry’s advice that you can’t just work in your business, but that you
must also work on your business. That’s what I’m inviting you to do, and
the knowledge shared in this book will help you do exactly that! Grab a
pen or a highlighter and scribble notes as you read! My secret ambition
(but I suppose not so secret anymore) was to write a book that the reader
(you) would want to highlight from the beginning to the end. I hope that
you’ll find value, not just in the words written especially for you, but also
in between the lines where you’ll realize your own strengths and verbal-
ize your own interests. I hope you gain as much from reading My Creative
(Side) Business as I have from writing it.

8 9
 START WITH
A SIDE PROJECT
When you think about why you admire the people you do, it’s mostly be-
cause they have some sort of a project that you stumbled upon and loved.
No matter if it’s a big or small project, it’s something that’s significant
enough for you to notice and associate with. Now, it’s your turn to have
that effect on someone else.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a freelancer and you offer your ser-
vices to others, or if you work for someone else and are dreaming of
freelancing; the secret to a fulfilling career is taking the effort to make
something happen that you want to be known for.
Choose whatever you want to reach next and start working on it, be it
a book, a graphic novel, a series of paintings, or an app that you’ve always
wanted to develop. It could even be a fashion collection; it really doesn’t
matter! Part of working on your business is doing something that allows
you to have full creative control. This isn’t about money because you’ll
probably spend more than you’ll earn from this project. This is about in-
vesting in yourself, your career, and your reputation. This side project is
here to have something to talk about, to give people an anchor for them
to associate something specific with you. Your side project is your most
accurate business card.
Having a side project doesn’t just come in handy if you don’t have any
references to start out as a freelancer. A side project is there to give
people a clear sign to where you want to go next.

When you think about it, every time someone sees your CV, they learn all
about your past, but a side project helps showcase where you’re heading.
Your side project is your entrance ticket to wherever you want to go in
the future. It’s the most crucial building block of your creative business,

10 11
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with

and it’s the first thing you should mention whenever someone asks you
what you do to grow your business.
Given how much I built up the importance of a side project, you might
feel a bit intimidated if you don’t have something specific you want to
work on. Breathe.
As big as a side project sounds, it can be simplified so that anyone
can start working on one, even as soon as tomorrow. A project is always
something that has a specific duration and a clear accountable goal. A
good timeframe for you to start with might be a month.
The next question is what will you work on? The answer to this is sim-
ple: work on whatever you want to be hired for. If you want people to pay
you for writing fiction, then you have 30 days of writing fiction ahead of
you. If you want people to hire you for illustrations, you have 30 days of
illustrating ahead of you. You get the point. You need to work on some-
thing you want others to associate with you, so it’s entirely up to you and
your interests.
Next, we need to make your project more specific. You’ll need to pick
a theme, a very specific topic that you’ll explore from different angles.
You can draw a cat every day or write a 200-word story about a person
you saw on the subway. Whatever it is, try to make your project figura-
tive and accountable in one way or another. Whether you give yourself a
timeframe every day, like drawing for 20 minutes or writing a short story
with a specific length, try to find a way to make it easy for you to feel like
you’ve accomplished something.

Once you have an activity, a theme, and a timeframe, it’s time to make
yourself follow through. Having a plan is one thing, but following through
is a completely different story. Personally, I’m a huge fan of social pres-
sure. Once you share your plans with people around you, you’re far more
likely to do whatever you said you would. Having a public deadline and
letting people follow along will not only help you commit, but it will also
inspire them to follow your lead. Social media is a wonderful tool to cre-
ate out loud and let others participate in your process. You can be open
about wanting to learn a new technique and let people see how your
skills evolve. Nothing is quite as inspiring as seeing the struggle others

12 13
#SMARTCREATIVES

have gone through to reach where they are now. (Whenever you strug- INTERVIEW WITH
gle, watch Karen Cheng’s TEDx talk.) Once you commit and talk about

Sara
your side project throughout your journey, you’ve created an authentic
way to talk about your business.
If you’re someone who needs social pressure to get things done,

Combs
then you can also participate in collective creative projects. National
Novel Writing Month, better known as #NaNoWriMo in November, is
a collective attempt to write a first draft of a 50,000-word novel.
#The100DayProject is a creative hashtag project that prompts people to
doing something creative for 100 straight days. There are several com-
munities out there, and not to forget, you can also pull together your
own local community to work on side projects alongside others. It’s like
book clubs. But different.
Sara is a UI/UX designer and a passionate
IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO START NOW! Airbnb host. When she began her
Throughout the years that I’ve been talking to people about their careers,
#The100DayProject, she didn’t know she
I’ve often heard that many of them started as a side project. Many pro- would soon receive requests to license her
fessional bloggers never intended to make money, many makers started
out with a small Etsy store, and many people who pivoted their businesses
artwork.
to transition into new creative careers did so because they had a side
project they were truly passionate about. It all really does begin with a In her interview, Sara talks about the
project! importance of having a hobby that you
When I talked to Sara, she told me how she began her illustration busi-
ness with #The100DayProject where she created patterns inspired by should post on social media and how she
San Francisco for a hundred consecutive days. Not only has she since found great mentors for her work.
received requests to commission her artwork, but she now gets hired
to illustrate too. After the interview, I was so inspired by her story and
I loved her artwork so much that I hired her to illustrate the series of
learnings in this book. (Thank you, dear.) For Sara and many others, it all
started with a simple 100-day side project. I’m curious to see what could
inspire you to create something special and where it can lead you in the
future! Aren’t you?
San Francisco, USA

14 15
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Sara Combs

1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to Running our own design studio has given us the opportunity to run
where you are now? our businesses the way we want. It also allows us to push boundaries
I studied environmental design at the Maryland Institute College of Art and see what kind of working lifestyle we can get away with. In 2014,
because I’ve always been interested in experimenting with space and we spent five months living in New York and then two months traveling
objects and how our surroundings influence us. After graduation, I cre- Southeast Asia while working for our clients. Being in Asia and explor-
ated my own jewelry line before taking on a full-time job as a UI/UX ing the world from a different angle was amazing, but also challenging
designer. After over two years, my husband, who was also my colleague, because it’s not always easy to find functioning internet and be there
and I found ourselves increasingly unhappy with our jobs. We craved for your clients when they need to get in touch quickly. We worked less
more flexibility, as well as the energy to devote ourselves to our own while we were there, but also spent less, so we returned home with a lit-
projects. After a wonderful weekend away in wine country (and perhaps tle extra cash than if we had just stayed in San Francisco and continued
some day drinking), we left feeling ready to make a change and start our working nonstop.
own design studio. At that point, I made the conscious decision to leave After a year of working on projects for our design studio, we found
my job rather than wait. It felt too easy to make excuses about leaving that success meant we were working longer and longer hours. We re-
with the holidays and another vacation approaching. I knew that if I alized this wasn’t sustainable. We didn’t want to find ourselves burnt
didn’t act soon, I might not end up going through with it. out and defeated in five years, ready to go back to full-time jobs just to
We’d already been doing some freelancing on the side, which defi- have our weekends back. At that point, we decided rather than grow our
nitely helped ease us into full-time contract work. We were also lucky to team, we would focus on establishing multiple, passive income streams.
have a great support system from previous co-workers who would send I started licensing some of my artwork for stationery and fabric lines,
work our way. Once we got our first clients, we found that our business and also created our first Airbnb business. Our aim was to find ways to
began to grow by word-of-mouth. After offering our best work, clients make money while taking on less client-related projects. We wanted to
were happy to refer us to other companies who they’d heard needed make time for more personal projects and have the freedom to travel
design help as well. That’s how we managed to grow our design studio more often. It’s your decision how you want your business to be.
fairly quickly. Because we spent so much time traveling and gathering inspira-
tion in 2014, when we got back home, I decided to make 2015 the year
2. What are your different income streams? of creating. When I heard Elle Luna speak about #The100DayProject, a
My husband and I have had our design studio since the end of 2013. We project that encourages you to share your process of creativity on social
work with startups and mid-sized companies. I’m licensing illustrations media for 100 days, I was immediately intrigued. Being a part of a bigger
and patterns to various companies, and we also have a house, The Josh- community was exactly what I needed to create every day, and because
ua Tree House, on Airbnb. I was craving working with my hands, I decided to paint patterns that
were inspired by San Francisco. Because you had to share your work on
3. Why and how did you launch your different income streams? Instagram each day, I shared everything I created; the work I liked and
In 2013, my husband and I left our full-time jobs as UI/UX designers and the work I didn’t like as much. It’s scary sharing work that doesn’t feel
decided to start our own business. We wanted the flexibility to work on perfect or finished. Social media is really incredible if you’re able to let
a variety of projects that truly excited us and the freedom to get creative down your barriers and share your work and thoughts openly.
with non-traditional income streams.

16 17
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Sara Combs

It was surprising for me to see that people really resonated with my

creations. A lot of people reposted and repinned my patterns and one
day, someone reached out to me and asked if I was interested in licens-
ing my patterns to them. I didn’t know anything about licensing, so I
talked to a good friend of mine and used Google as a resource as well.

“SHARE YOUR PROCESS OF CREATIVITY.”

There are multiple ways to license: if it’s for a one-time use, you can ask
for a one-off fee. If your artwork will be on T-shirts or something that’s
being reproduced and sold, you can ask for a flat-fee and royalties. It’s
normal to receive anything between 3–15% of the retail price. The per-
centage varies depending on the scale of the company you’re working
with and their quantity of sales. Smaller companies will offer higher
royalties, while larger companies will offer smaller percentages.
Now that #The100DayProject is over, my patterns are for sale as​
iPhone cases on Casetify, stationery at PunkPost, and as a fabric line at
Guildery. I have a licensing contract with everyone I work with where
I also make sure I state the timeframe of the licensing agreement. You
can either license your patterns exclusively to a brand or non-exclusive-
ly, and then you can reuse the same design several times. It’s important
to set rates you feel comfortable with.
Then, we have our Airbnb house. We love creating experiences and
figured having a home that was meant for people to reset, reflect, and
create in would be an incredible project. We also realized that it had
good income opportunities with a lot of visitors to the area and afford-
able real estate. We were looking at different houses and the one we de-
cided to go for was a house for sale by the owner we found on Craigslist.
It was a bit scary that we didn’t go through a real estate agent the first
time we bought a house, but it all worked out. The house has already
been profitable, but the best thing about it is you get to communicate
with so many different people, which I love. Many visitors told us they’d
been following the Instagram account of @thejoshuatreehouse and re-
ally wanted to spend time there.

18 19
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Sara Combs

We did all the renovation work ourselves to reduce the spendings. When you first start out, it’s good to have restrictions on your design
We spent most of the summer in Joshua Tree and painted, renovated, work. For me, #The100DayProject did just that, so it’s been a bit harder
and furnished everything. As a designer, and in order to be able to do to keep creating and sharing my work online without such a framework.
something like that, you need retainer clients. You can’t go out looking I’ve been trying to set time aside to do work that’s for me. Whenever
for clients all the time if you want to play around with exploring new possible, I set aside some time in the afternoon to paint. I’ve been trying
possibilities, such as the Airbnb or my creative work. To turn our clients to force myself to share some recent work, but it’s much harder if you
to retainer clients, we thought about who needed more regular work don’t have the positive pressure to post that comes with being a part of
from us and then approached them with a suggestion of how many #The100DayProject.
hours a month we could spend working on their projects. For this con- The more money we can manage to earn with our commodities, the
sistent work, we created monthly budgets with our clients rather than more pressure is taken off of our client work, which allows us to focus.
working hourly or by project fee. Some of our clients needed that sort of My aim is to create a lifestyle brand and focus on creating home goods
service and some didn’t, so we approached the ones who did! and fabric lines. Our Airbnb is already the equivalent in earnings to one
large project each year.
4. How do you structure your days?
Usually, the first thing I do in the morning is share something on our 5. What do you do yourself and what do you outsource?
@joshuatreehouse Instagram account. Social media helps us tell a story I believe that you should do the things yourself that you do best, so in my
about our house, which brings it to life and gives it more purpose than case, that’s design work, and then outsource everything that you’re not
just being a vacation rental. It’s been a wonderful experience so far and as good at. Accounting and cleaning our Airbnb is outsourced. We also
it has us craving opening up more Airbnbs in the future. We either share have a key box, so apart from the communication with our cleaner and
photos that we took ourselves or photos that our guests have hashtagged. the guests, there’s not much left to do.
After I’ve checked that everything is going smoothly with our Airbnb, I With licensing, if you have strong partners, you can outsource all
jump into doing client work. I like to work either from home or at a cof- of the logistics and focus on the creative process and the marketing of
fee shop to switch it up and get a change of scenery. In the afternoon, I your goods. It’s nice that you only need to transfer the artwork files and
try to focus on my personal work if there isn’t anything else that’s urgent. they’ll often take it from there. Nevertheless, I only license to companies
The biggest learning for me last year was that you don’t need any- I would want to buy from myself. That makes for a good fit.
one to hire you for something. If you want to do something, you should
just do it! You can probably make money off of it later, which didn’t oc- 6. How do you decide what to work on next?
cur to me until people started approaching me on Instagram to license It’s generally what my husband and I are most excited about; whatever
my patterns. we talk about the most. Right now, it’s our Airbnb in Joshua Tree. It’s
next to a national park and we’re thinking about building more houses
“YOU DON’T NEED ANYONE near other national parks to create a brand for those who like outdoor
TO HIRE YOU TO DO SOMETHING. adventures, but don’t necessarily want to go camping.
JUST START CREATING!” We also think about what would be the smartest choice financially.
It’s a blend of the two; what would be most exciting and what allows us
to have the most financial freedom?

20 21
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Sara Combs

7. How do you manage your finances when starting new projects? will result in more stress and frustration than it’s worth. Good clients
Having cash to draw from when starting new projects is crucial. When will bring you more good clients. Stick with them!
we started our freelance business, we had a strong savings account to
get us going for about six months. To start our Airbnb, we needed to 10. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to
have significantly more savings to pay for the downpayment and mate- start a business such as yours?
rials for updating the house. It’s exciting that the Joshua Tree House is Social media. I’ve learned so much from it; we’re living in an age where
already profitable, so now our next goal is getting the finances to start you can pick anyone to be your mentor. I feel like I have a lot of different
another project. mentors on Instagram and just seeing what they do and say is incredibly
helpful to refine my own art. I’ve been reaching out to people whose
8. What’s something you would like to recommend to someone who style I like to ask them to meet up for a coffee, and I’ve been able to
wants to start a business such as yours? meet so many wonderful people this way. Become part of the commu-
I believe that having a hobby is incredibly important. You should always nity, comment on people’s images, and get involved with what they’re
do something that’s just for yourself and share that with the world. Hav- trying to achieve.
ing shared my patterns on Instagram has also resulted in some new UI/
UX clients. Even though patterns and UI/UX work may not seem direct- “YOU CAN PICK ANYONE TO BE YOUR
ly related at first, they’re all representative of my style as a designer. Try MENTOR.”
to create a lifestyle, a brand, around your work. Craft your own style and
give yourself the freedom to experiment.

“CRAFT YOUR OWN STYLE

AND GIVE YOURSELF THE FREEDOM
TO EXPERIMENT.”

9. What are the greatest challenges for someone who wants to get
into design?
Finding good clients. You need to find clients who are on the same page
as you and can communicate well. If communication goes smoothly,
you’ll have so much fun! We can normally tell right off the bat when a cli-
ent won’t be a good fit. For example, if they start off by saying something
like, “We’ve been talking to ten designers and we want you to design two
pages of our site so we can choose who we want to proceed with,” that’s
a red flag. If they expect us to do that for free, we won’t continue the con-
versation and you shouldn’t either. When a client approaches you, they
need to trust you. Otherwise, they won’t ever trust you and the project @saracombs
www.designcomb.com

22 23
 HAVE YOUR OWN
POINT OF VIEW
People often talk about how you need a niche to be successful, but a
niche isn’t everything. It might not be so much about your niche and
the specific product or service you offer, but much more about who
you are as a person. I once read somewhere that it’s not skills that make
people successful, but rather their ability to communicate and express
themselves.
Your niche doesn’t necessarily have to be something that you work
on. It can be what you think, what you’re passionate about, and what you
want to talk about to others. Your own point of view and your personal
values are what people come to you for.
The internet has enabled us to find anything and everything, so it’s
become much harder to stand out with something you offer. Whatever
you produce can be produced by someone else, and probably at a much
lower price point. The only way to escape an unnecessary price battle is
by crafting your personal style and sticking to your values.
On the internet, people buy from people they like or what Google
shows them first. I don’t want you to compete with any kind of algorithm.
Much more, I want to assure you that it’s okay (and actually strongly en-
couraged) to be whoever you are and be interested in whatever you’re
interested in.
When I first saw Shayna (I know, I know. I keep cross-referencing to
people you haven’t met yet. I’ll introduce you to everyone throughout
the book in more detail. I promise.) speak at a conference, she said, “The

24 25
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Sara Combs

bigger the sea, the greater the need for a guide.” She was speaking about
the big, blue internet.
When people, i.e. your potential clients or customers, search for
something online, they have a very selective perception. If they get tired
of searching, they’ll ask others for a recommendation, which could be
you! The internet is about people and communities that are connected
based on their interests.
The internet is a tool to connect with people with similar lifestyles,
opinions, and values, so being open about who you genuinely are will
make it easier for others to find you and relate to you on a personal level.
People, clients, and customers don’t just want a designer, copywriter, or
illustrator; they want someone who values something specific, who has
an opinion, has an audience with particular interests, or has a style they
admire that aligns with theirs.
Having your own style and opinion will make people come back
for more. Creating just one product and hoping it will sell simply isn’t
enough. You need to show up repeatedly and look at what you’re inter-
ested in from different angles. It will take time for like-minded people to
discover your work, but be comfortable knowing that you’re in this for
the long haul!
If you think about what you stand for, you’ll also have to think about
who you want to address with your work and values. Your audience is the
key to your personal success, so think about how you can add value to the
people around you, to those you want to address with your work.
When I talked to Elaine, she said people need something specific they
can relate to that makes a connection with you. Later, when they need
to find someone to help them with a specific need, you’ll be the first
person to come to mind. This is also why you should never take on clients
that don’t align with your personal values. Every client is a reference
for future ones, so if you have unappealing clients, you’ll get offers by
more unappealing clients. Don’t set that kind of trend for yourself! This
is where your side project plays another important role; it’s a quick fix if
you want to shift your business or change the type of clients you work
with.

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#SMARTCREATIVES

Just as everything does, your point of view can change, shift, and INTERVIEW WITH
evolve over time. If you think about who you’re addressing with your

Elaine
work and how others will benefit from working with you or buying from
you, then what you produce will grow and shift with the needs of your
audience.

McMillion
If you have a personal standing and interests that genuinely excite you,
it will not only be easier for you to create out loud, but also to open up to
people who might find value in your work in the long run.

Sheldon
Elaine, for example, has an incredible approach to connecting with
strangers and turning them into friends. She actively seeks out people
with similar interests and connects with them over the projects she’s
working on in that particular moment. Her projects align with her inter-
ests, so people who enjoy seeing her work once are much more likely to
support whatever she works on in the future. It’s simple; if people find
your point of view and your angle on something interesting once, they
will find it interesting again. And if you find a way to add value to their
Elaine is a documentary filmmaker, a visual
everyday lives, they will definitely come back for more! journalist, and a media artist. She works
on projects from the generally overlooked
perspective.

Read more about how she seeks

opportunities by considering how to add
value to people’s lives and become inspired
by how she repurposes the material she no
longer has a need for.

Appalachia, USA

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Elaine McMillion Sheldon

1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to My studies and internships taught me to worship my own perspec-
where you are now? tive, which I think is crucial given how corporatized media has become.
As a little girl, I had a fascination for storytelling and I enjoyed writing I also realized how important it is to build an audience.
stories that I made up. When I was seven, I got an audio recorder and Having a fascination for stories that had more questions than an-
began spying on our neighbors. My stories quickly became more real, so swers and seeing people who resonated with what I was working on, I
it wasn’t such a surprise that I chose to become a journalist. Neverthe- stopped looking at the world in terms of what people could hire me for.
less, my idea of what it meant to work in that field was very traditional. I Instead, I began focusing on what benefits my work would bring to peo-
thought I would graduate and start working for one of the major broad- ple. How I could add value.
casters.
When I graduated, it was 2009 and because of the financial crisis, “STOP FOCUSING ON WHAT PEOPLE
there were no jobs. All the companies I wanted to work for were either COULD HIRE YOU FOR.
shutting down or decreasing their staff. At that time, I felt very burned INSTEAD, THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN
by the system. I was bitter because I did everything I was told to do, from ADD VALUE TO THEIR LIVES.”
earning the highest grades in university and being top of my class in
high school, to doing all the internships I was told were right in order to 2. What are your different income streams?
get where I wanted to be. I finally got an internship at the Washington I’ve always been someone that’s never quite satisfied with what’s in front
Post, but after only four months, the department was cut in half and I of me. I always want to build something new; I like to start things, most-
was one of the people asked to leave. ly out of my own self-interest. I figure that if I enjoy something and if I
Without any money or plans, I moved back to West Virginia and see a need for it, then there will be other people that do too. I produce
took on a low-paying job at a local newspaper. I was determined to keep work where I look at how people will benefit from it, but my initial idea
building my skills, so I started their social media channels and also be- always comes from within.
came active on Youtube. I basically created my own job within the com- For the past year, one of my major income streams has been built
pany and I think that was the moment when it clicked; it was up to me to on what I’ve learned from directing Hollow, a documentary dedicated
figure out what I was going to do. to exploring the issues and the future of rural America. On one hand,
On the weekends and during my lunch breaks, I spent hours in the I organize screenings in towns across the United States and I also offer
state archives to search for a story for my first feature. It dawned on me workshops at colleges and universities. The financial crisis might have
how important it is to have my own point of view and I decided to go left a mark on me because I’ve learned that while there might not be any
back to school. Besides my personal projects, I worked at a production money for the media industry, there will always be money for education.
company as an assistant to the CFO during my master studies. Back When I go somewhere to showcase Hollow, I charge a screening fee
then, I was disappointed not to be a part of the creative team, but from and then the accommodation and travel costs are taken care of by the
today’s perspective, I would recommend to everyone to seek out work institutions that host the sessions. Additionally, I offer workshops that
experience on the administrative side of the industry they want to break are based on what I’ve learned from producing Hollow. There’s the pos-
into. Personally, I’ve gained so much from learning how to write busi- sibility to book a session where I explain what it takes to make a docu-
ness proposals and pitches to museums and broadcast outlets. mentary. In this workshop, I go through all the steps that are necessary
to produce a documentary and then I have exercises prepared where the

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Elaine McMillion Sheldon

attendees can work on their own ideas. The other possibility is to book I work on video content for various brands and publications. They’re
a workshop where I help others plan their own documentary. This is a projects where I’m not the one responsible for the overall budget, but
non-linear and highly interactive session. rather work as the production assistant or the producer.
Each of these workshops take half a day, but many like to combine Because I often shoot material I don’t implement in the final movie,
them and book my services for the entire day. Sometimes, it’s easier to get I started uploading the surplus material to Story & Heart, which is a li-
my foot in the door when I first pitch to do a screening because screen- censing platform for video footage. And not to forget, I also earn money
ings are cheaper. Once people see the value of my work, they might be through royalties from a T-shirt idea I once had.
willing to invest in my workshop too. My idea is to offer something at a All in all, I earn money through video assignments I take on, screen-
lower cost before I pitch all of my services to them. ing, teaching, and consulting. I also make some money through the
I believe that when you have something unique to show, it becomes stock video footage I produce and then some extra dollars I receive from
easier to build various services around it. When you have your own per- the T-shirt sales. I’m also the producer of the podcast series She Does,
spective and you create something people resonate with, you might be which doesn’t generate a significant amount yet, but that income has
asked to act as an consultant. been on the uprise because we were asked to become part of Slate’s Pan-
Consulting assignments pay much better compared to producing oply network and they arrange commercial partnerships for us.
video content. But, of course, none of these gigs fall into your lap easily.
I started with sending out a bunch of cold emails and calling people. 3. Why and how did you launch your different businesses?
Whenever I start a project, I draft a plan and think about what groups I think I decide on what projects I pursue based on four things: Does an
might be interested in learning more about the content I produce. I idea stir a reaction in me? Would I be willing to pay for it myself if some-
think of specific departments at universities and approach them directly. one else did that? Is it an idea where I would be bummed if someone
Generally speaking, it’s important to decide what you want to stand else would do it instead of me? Do I know where to find the audience
for and what topics you’re excited about and want to explore further be- who’s interested in what I decide to produce?
cause these concepts will be the foundation for your future assignments.
Every time I work on a project sparked by my personal interests, I make To give you some practical examples:
sure I include an educational element that will invite people to connect Many of the businesses or the initiatives I started are launched around
with me. projects I’ve worked on. The consulting business, the screenings, and
Of course, it’s important to remember that when you work on such the workshops came out of producing a successful documentary that
intense projects, it’s hard to pursue other personal projects. During the people wanted to know more about. Initially to materialize Hollow, I ap-
time that I was focused on explaining the concepts behind Hollow, I had plied for funding at different institutions and approached various peo-
no capacity to start another project of comparable dimension. If you’re ple and organizations whose mission was aligned with ours. I also ran a
a freelance filmmaker, you can’t just make a movie and move on; it’s im- successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.
portant to also take the time and distribute what you’ve created, at least, During the screenings when people introduced me to the audience,
if you have the same educational approach as I do and don’t have a team they would say I was from “App-a-lay-shia.” I thought it was funny and
to take care of the distribution of your work. decided to make a T-shirt to teach people how to pronounce “App-uh-
Besides taking on screenings and teaching opportunities, I’m reg- latch-uh” properly. Everything I produce is usually intangible, so work-
ularly involved with other production teams and together with them, ing on a physical product and trying to understand how it could work

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Elaine McMillion Sheldon

was good enough of an argument for me to play around with the idea for
a couple of days. As a freelancer, I’m fully responsible for how I spend
my time, so I give myself the freedom to dedicate time to projects like
this.
The Appalachia T-shirt was meant to be a joke, but I sold out of the
100 shirts I produced within one single weekend. It wasn’t a long-term
project. I fiddled around with Photoshop for a couple of days, looked for
a local printer and a producer of T-shirts, set up a free Big Cartel web-
shop, connected it to my PayPal account, and figured out a bulk shipping
deal with USPS. After I sold out the first run, I ordered 500 more T-shirts
and sold out of those too. Then, a local museum contacted me with the
request to sell them the T-shirts in bulks before they asked me to sell
them the idea. I negotiated a contract where I get a cut of the earnings
as long as they produce the T-shirts. The first offer I received was to get
a down payment and a cut of the profit for the first year, but that didn’t
make any sense to me. It will forever remain my idea, so I negotiated a
percentage until they no longer want to produce the T-shirts to sell them.
So yes, you can even turn a joke into an income stream.
She Does, the podcast I co-host, was founded because Sarah Gins-
burg and I wanted to listen to such a podcast ourselves, but couldn’t find
one that met our expectations. At this moment, there might be a mis-
conception in the earning potentials of podcasts because even though
we’re part of a network that supplies us with ads, there hasn’t been much
money coming in. On the other hand, we only began in January 2015.
What I’ve learned is you can’t give up on things too early. If you’re excit-
ed about something, figure out another income source that will supple-
ment the project until you find a way to monetize it.
Being consistent is probably the most important learning. I would
even say consistency is the theme of my professional life.

4. What would you say are the skills you capitalize on?
Flexibility! I used to think being multi-disciplinary was a disadvantage.
I used to think one had to be exceptionally good at one thing and one
thing only. But when you think about it, there’s no longer a factory in
all of America where people could do just one thing. I personally be-

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lieve that when you train people to become good at one thing exclusively, before I present. I make sure I have something that will make me in-
you’re setting them up for failure. The economy is changing every sin- dispensable. Instead of throwing around millions of ideas, I dive into a
gle day and you have to be capable of adapting and mastering whatever project and really show I have what it takes to accomplish it.
challenges you face.
Also, I’m not scared to try new things. Sure, I’m not a podcaster, but “THE SECRET TO ATTRACTING
I’m not scared to try it. It feels good to know I’m trying to produce some- NEW CLIENTS IS A FORWARD MOTION.
thing I’m not 100% comfortable with, and I do so week after week. When DON’T JUST PITCH IDEAS;
I think of She Does, I know it’s not as good as what I like to listen to my- START EXECUTING THEM, AND ONLY
self, but I can only improve if I keep putting it out there. THEN ASK FOR FUNDING!”
Another thing I’ve benefited from a lot is I’ve trained myself to in-
terview myself about my own work. By forcing myself to speak about I believe if you only pitch ideas without ever making anything, you won’t
my work out loud, I’ve learned to talk about what I do with others. We get very far. If you wait for someone to hire you for something as vague
often write what we do on a piece of paper, but it never sounds as nat- as an idea, I don’t believe it’s very likely they’ll give you the funding you
ural as when we say it out loud. I know there are people who produce need. On the contrary, if you prove you can do a little bit yourself, that’s
creative work and are able to live off of that, but I would say it’s advisable going to make you credible to whomever you want to have as your part-
to learn how to talk about what you do. If you can somehow work some ner that you can actually accomplish what you propose.
educational aspects into your work, you’ll be much more likely to make For example, the way it worked with Mashable was we only pitched
a living with your creativity. to them after we finalized about 30–40% of the project. They joined forc-
We tend to feel arrogant when we speak about what we’ve done and es with us and invested resources to finalize the design and the technical
achieved, but what I’ve learned from facilitating She Does is that explain- part of the project.
ing how someone got from A to B, or from A to C is what really inspires I also go to various film festivals and conferences that I’m interested
people. It’s not arrogant at all, but rather extremely helpful because oth- in, but as you probably know, conferences are very expensive to attend,
ers can benefit from the information that might otherwise not be acces- so I apply to speak at various panels instead. You just have to be creative
sible to them. and if you want something, find a way to work around what you consid-
er a challenge.
5. How do you attract new clients?
I never approach anyone with just an idea. I invest time, research, and 6. What’s your process when working on a new documentary?
allocate resources before I pitch to brands or institutions. I shoot pho- It all starts with creating Google alerts and various spreadsheets. I make
tos, I conduct interviews, and sometimes, I already have some sort of a lists of all the news articles that have ever been written about the topic
trailer for what I envision to produce. I make sure I have at least 10–15% I’m working on. I take the time to at least skim through every single one
of the work done already. of them and highlight the people mentioned. Then, I create a separate
I’ve come to understand that when you pitch to a national broad- spreadsheet to collect names of potential characters, which I then re-
caster, they’re not too enthusiastic when project ideas don’t come from search. I look whether they still do what they were doing when the arti-
within their own organization. The bigger an organization, the faster cle was written and I also research their contact details. I then approach
they can make something happen than you, so I’m a little more weary them and ask for a pre-interview to check whether they’re interesting as

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Elaine McMillion Sheldon

a character for the documentary. Only then will I go to see them in per- every year to not make any profit. When I pitch to these institutions, I al-
son; sometimes I film them, sometimes I just go to spend time with them ways choose the arguments that serve their community. I research what
to better understand their surroundings before I even pull out a camera. these organizations have invested in in the past, what type of projects
When you make documentaries, you need to be comfortable observing. they support, and I try to find a way to fit into their existing program. I
What matters most is I set myself schedules and deadlines. make it as easy as possible for them. I continue what they already do
When I was working on setting up the Kickstarter campaign for Hol- and try to take work off their shoulders instead of adding more to their
low, I set Google alerts for related keywords, such as “rural America,” already busy schedule.
“Appalachia,” or “rangering.” Afterwards, I would connect with all the My recommendation is also keeping a calendar with interesting
people I found to let them know about my upcoming project and that events and deadlines so you know what’s coming up and where you
I would be fundraising in the foreseeable future. It was great because I could apply for grants.
had a list of 200 people I knew were interested in the theme even before Whenever I work on a movie, it’s not that I just have a dream, find
I went live. Even better, I didn’t ask them for money immediately. When a story, and then make it without thinking about the distribution, the
I eventually published my campaign, I followed up with everyone and audience, and the financial side of the business. While I’m out shooting,
although not everyone contributed, many of them retweeted or told oth- I’m also constantly thinking about editing. It’s a very entangled process.
ers about the project. When I started working on Hollow and received the necessary fund-
Because my work is densely about places and people’s environments, ing from the Tribeca Film Institute, our Kickstarter campaign, and
I go to the locations and spend a week there. I book an AirBnB or a hotel through personal donations, I was able to hire seven people to work
room and I write down what I consider unique and interesting. I go to with me on the documentary full-time for eight months. Once the doc-
the mayor’s office, the local school, and all the other trusted institutions. umentary was released, I had dissolved the production company and
I try to become a trusted person and attach a face to what I’m doing. In started a consulting company to facilitate workshops and screenings.
small towns, the word spreads rather quickly, so if I manage to be on the Once you’re finished with shooting and editing, you have to take care of
good side of the superintendent of the school, for example, then usually the distribution.
things will work out just fine. With everything I do, I try to build systems to scale my efforts. Every
The production process is always rather long and messy. It requires time I finish a project, I take the time to reflect on what worked and
following stories and being comfortable with not knowing where these what didn’t and I learn from my mistakes. If a pitch isn’t successful, I
stories are going. And throughout all of this time, I’m usually constantly adapt based on my learnings and I try again. It’s really important to not
busy writing proposals and raising money. just do things once and simply try again. Take all your courage and try
When I was working on Hollow, people in the area often pointed to fail one more time, but try again with a system. Having systems also
me to other people who earned money from the natural resources in works when you pitch to others to work with you or give you money;
West Virginia. I put together a proposal and met them for lunch. I ex- why should they trust you if you don’t have a system in place? So even if
plained what my plan was and what I intended to do with the money I you don’t have a defined system just yet, try to build your work processes
had hoped to receive. as if you had one. You can let people know you’re flexible and can adapt
You have to look for strong partners, NGOs, or brands that have the your system, but have a base plan for what you set out to do with their
same mission as you. Non-profits usually have a community fund and money and their time.
from my experience, they’re trying to get rid of the money at the end of

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Elaine McMillion Sheldon

Another part of making a movie is applying for awards. You heard because you’re fundraising, distributing, and sometimes, I even feel like
me correctly; for most awards, you must apply and even pay to be con- a social worker. I’ve learned and explored what’s possible while working
sidered. When I was looking where people with similar work got their on Hollow, so I know that for the next project, I’m able to identify what
funding from, I kept wondering how they received all these awards. roles I need to look for; people who will become strong partners and
When I found a project I really admired that won five awards, I re- help me make a better documentary.
searched every single one of them and learned not just about the appli- Once I allocate a budget, I hire people for a longer period of time. I
cation process, but also the fees needed in order to submit your film. I also work with people on continuous projects, like with the illustrator of
made a list, another spreadsheet, of all the awards of projects I respected our podcast series, Christine Cover, who gets paid for every illustration
and noted the budget I needed to apply for them. she creates for us.
When working on Hollow, I had a list of all the awards applicable While I almost always pay everyone I work with, I sometimes barter
to the project. I decided on the most important ones, allocated a bud- skills too. With the sound designer of the She Does podcast, I spend a
get, and applied. It was an incredibly proud moment when we actually couple of hours on the tasks he doesn’t enjoy and build his contact list
became nominated for an Emmy award in 2014. I remember us sitting or look for possibilities to have his projects exposed to a wider public
together, amongst people from PBS, CBS, ABC, HBO, CNN, New York while he spends time improving She Does. Sometimes, I even barter with
Times…you can just imagine! All the people with huge institutional sup- clients if what they can offer me serves my needs better than the money
port and I looked around and felt so much pride for having worked with I would receive.
people who didn’t have any support but each other’s. We were putting I also outsource the sales of merchandise because even though they
everything on the line. Today, I can’t even imagine working for anyone get a cut of the earnings, they usually sell more than if I did it myself.
but myself, but I also know I have to be the one who submits the appli-
cations for the awards I want. 8. What resources would you recommend to people who want to
break into your industry?
7. What do you outsource and what do you do yourself? For starters, I would say you should look at the people you admire. Goo-
For me, everything starts with an experiment. I first do a lot of work by gle what awards they’ve won and what fellowships they’ve received and
myself, mostly the preparations. But then, I outsource everything that then research those too. Make yourself a list, start a calendar, and keep
takes too much time and where I know others have more suitable skills notes of when different fundings are usually due. I’m not saying this for
to accomplish the tasks better and faster. you to follow other people’s footsteps. I just think that people’s biogra-
I no longer hire through online networks. Instead, I ask around and phies are a great resource for when you want to learn more about the
have people give me recommendations, but even if it’s friends of friends, possibilities available to you.
I have contracts with everyone I hire where I specify they have the rights Personally, I consider the Tribeca Film Institute to be an incredible
to promote the work, but they don’t own it. resource; they organize workshops and provide filmmakers with edu-
I usually outsource editing if it’s going to take more than a couple of cational material and information about funding. MIT’s Open Docu-
days because I know these days are valuable to get new work. But then, mentary Lab offers free events and their Docubase is a mind-blowing
of course, it depends on the project I work on. For Hollow where I was collection of documentaries.
responsible for the entire project, I hired people as soon as I knew my I think that it’s not just important to produce work, but also to
budget. When you work on a personal project, it takes a lot out of you consume what’s already out there. Get inspired by pieces others have

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Elaine McMillion Sheldon

produced. Sundance Doc Club’s streaming service is a great resource if 10. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start out
you’re curious about the work of filmmakers that’s lesser seen. And, of in your industry?
course, if you’re a woman, Chicken & Egg Pictures is a great resource be- Often, when people start freelancing, they have this misconception that
cause they only support female filmmakers. Schedule an appointment they’ll only do whatever they decided to make the focus of their free-
with them and pick their brains! They’re great! lance career. But from what I’ve learned, that’s never the case unless
No Film School and IndieWire are great resources. You can find lists you’re extremely established and have editors and agents sending you
of funding opportunities and they keep lists of film festivals too. new assignments every single day. In other words, be flexible.
On another note, a great resource for finding new stories is my Face- Also, I don’t live in the expensive hubs like New York or LA. Many
book feed. I’m Facebook friends with the majority of people that I por- might think that’s a disadvantage, but editors talk to people from these
trayed, so I discover stories in the status updates they might not even cities every day, and if you have a different background, you might be
find that significant. Then again, it’s a mistake to think you’ll find the able to provide editors with a different perspective. I still go to the cities
most incredible stories online because once it’s online, someone else a lot because it’s harder to find a community where I am, but I choose to
has already written about it. Go out, leave your laptop at home, and talk pay rent in places where it’s affordable. Editors usually think I can tell
to the people you meet. Everyone has a story, so talk to people and find it. them something authentic because I see the world from the perspective
of someone who lives in Tennessee, so you can even use that to your
9. What are the greatest challenges for people in your industry? advantage!
I would say it’s the best time to be a filmmaker because there are more I would also recommend cutting your expenses and invest your
possibilities than ever before. I have friends who produced a low-budget money in projects you want to work on. It will be a long-term invest-
series, uploaded it to Vimeo, and then were approached by HBO. They ment in your future. I promise!
literally started with zero budget and now their work is shown on HBO.
What I believe you really need is a unique perspective, your own opin-
ion, and the courage to stand by it because there’s a lot of content out
there and everyone is fighting for attention.
And then, I would say you should be careful with what you promise.
Try to put a system in place for what you can deliver so you also have a
realistic timeline. Establish systems to replicate what has worked in the
past. For example, if you have received funding from a non-profit in the
past and what you delivered was perceived well, try to replicate it when
you apply for another funding from a different organization.

“CREATE A SYSTEM FOR YOUR WORK.

REPLICATE WHAT HAS WORKED
IN THE PAST.”
@emcmillion
www.elainemcmillionsheldon.com

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 CREATE OUT LOUD
Part of working on your business as a solopreneur is being your own
marketeer, as well as your own salesperson. It’s a lot for a single person
to do, given the day has a limited amount of hours.
When I talked to Patty, she told me that everything she does, from
writing an email to going to a networking event, is marketing. That’s very
true; however, not every creative wants to spend time talking about what
they do. It might be you want to spend as much time as possible creating,
so it’s important to find ways that market your creative business while
you’re busy producing new work.
I personally believe the easiest way to market a creative business is by
getting into the habit of creating out loud. What I mean by that is you
need to find ways to leave digital breadcrumbs all over the internet to
lead people to your website and email address so they can easily get in
touch with you.
Not everyone feels comfortable using social media, and many seem
insecure about how they should be using it to market their work. The best
way to market your work is by sharing it on platforms that are relevant
to your business. As a visual creative, it might be Instagram, Behance,
Pinterest, Shutterstock, EyeEm, or another stock database if you want
to build a passive income stream along the way. If your business is built
around your opinion, you might want to share on Youtube, Twitter, or
bookmark your articles on Contently. Finding the platform you feel most
comfortable with is important. It’s unnecessary to be everywhere. How-
ever, the more breadcrumbs you leave, the more people will find you.
While some platforms are more suitable to share your progress, such
as Instagram or Twitter, other platforms are great to help you market

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your finished work, such as Behance, Contently, or let’s say Creative

Market if you produce something that multiple people find useful.
Having a website as a freelancer is a must, but you also need to share
your work on platforms where people search for specific content. When
you share your work, you, of course, need to make it discoverable too.
You can either display your style amongst others or use appropriate
hashtags that will lead people to your creations.
Some of your digital breadcrumbs will help you market your business,
while other breadcrumbs can become products you can monetize. I was
incredibly impressed when Maaike told me she uploads all the surplus
work clients don’t buy from her to Shutterstock and makes extra pocket
money from that. She basically monetizes her online portfolio! What a
smart chick!
The way I found Ewelina Dymek, the illustrator of my first book, This
Year Will Be Different, was by searching “portrait” on Behance. Given she
hashtagged her drawings, it helped me find her amongst other illustra-
tors whose style didn’t meet my taste as much as hers. Sara, on the other
hand, was asked to commission her illustrations because she participated
in #The100DayProject and shared her illustrations with her community
on Instagram. Someone liked the designs she produced and asked if they
could use them for their own products. And Maaike gets client requests
regularly because people find her work on Shutterstock and like her style,
but want something unique for their brand.
When you think about where to market your work, think about where
other people in your branch showcase it because that’s where potential
clients will look. If other illustrators, designers, or writers you associate
with use certain hashtags, use them too. If you have a personal style,
then it’s your style that will make for the final decision.
Personally, I take a lot of pictures with my phone throughout the day.
Some I share on Instagram, but there are many pictures I take that aren’t
too personal to me that might be just what someone else is looking for.
In 2014, I started uploading pictures to EyeEm and gave my approval
for them to sell them as stock. I take these pictures anyway, so why not
monetize them?

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Think about how to be resourceful with your creative output. Of INTERVIEW WITH
course, you can buy hard drives and hide your work, or you can just up-

Maaike
load it somewhere where it can become an extra income stream. If you
have a unique personal style, it will be a portfolio that will make you
money on top of everything else.

Boot
When you finish reading this book, you’ll learn that everyone I inter-
viewed has built multiple income streams to support their businesses.
As a freelancer, you trade your time for money, but as a creative entre-
preneur, you make sure to have several income streams to support your
business. The internet has given us many possibilities to create and let
other people sell our work; whether you produce something specifically
for a platform or just use what you already have that’s good enough for
Maaike is a surface pattern designer and
others to make use of, don’t hide your work in the dark. Bring it online
to use it as breadcrumbs that will lead to future assignments, like Maaike an illustrator specialized in motifs targeted
does. Her practice still amazes me! at children and young adults. Not only is
she working with various global clients, but
she has also built a significant portfolio
on Shutterstock that helps her generate a
scalable income.

In her interview, Maaike explains why

leaving your laptop behind and hitting the
road to travel can be the best decision
you’ll make to keep your art fresh and your
perspective unique.

The Hague, Netherlands

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Maaike Boot

1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to terns, but then I’m asked to tweak the patterns and sell exclusive rights
where you are now? on the adapted illustrations. That’s great too.
I’ve always been creating things, so studying something that would Many of my clients find me through Shutterstock. They like my style,
eventually lead to a creative career felt like a logical step to me. I chose but they wish to receive original art. You could say I use Shutterstock
graphic design because it seemed like a major I would be able to mone- as an online portfolio to showcase my style and my handwriting, and
tize. On the other hand, illustration felt more risky. simultaneously, I monetize it. Sometimes, I get collaboration requests
During my studies, I missed making things with my hands, so I de- through Facebook. Social media really is a great tool for potential clients
cided to do my masters in typography. I was fascinated by all the differ- to find your work.
ent shapes and the rhythm of letters. I still missed drawing, but I did that
in the evenings and on the side. “SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GREAT TOOL
I worked as a graphic designer at a company that specialized in de- FOR POTENTIAL CLIENTS
signing stationery goods. When I learned about Shutterstock, I started TO FIND YOUR WORK.”
uploading my illustrations I had created in my free time. This was in
2007. I have a few clients I work with regularly. My patterns are very suitable
Back then, people didn’t like working with stock and the people not just for stationery, but also for phone accessoires, fashion, bags, un-
who contributed to the platform weren’t too professional. It was a risky derwear, etc., and every time I travel, I find my patterns used for some-
move. However, it made more sense for me to upload my patterns and thing else. I’ve lost track of what my patterns are actually being used for!
illustrations to Shutterstock than to keep them in a drawer or on a hard That’s also the risky part of selling stock images: you never know what
drive. It’s important to keep your work where others can see it. people use your creations for.
I saved the money I earned selling stock to have a solid foundation Whenever I’m in between clients, I might create patterns for stock,
for when I decided to quit my full-time job. Before starting my own but I don’t work with everyone who approaches me. I like to choose who
studio, I worked in a few different companies for six years, some partly I work with, so sometimes I just use the time I have to work on patterns
during my studies. that have been on my mind for a while. I always have an urge to create.
It took me about six months from when I decided to go freelance I’m definitely not fast enough to make all the illustrations I would like to,
to finally have the guts to quit my job. At that time, I was fed up with and even though stock might be a very slow business to be in, it might
the stress and the responsibility that wasn’t paying off. With freelancing, gradually pay off for you.
every accomplishment feels like your own.
3. What do you do to grow your business?
2. What are your different income streams? I consider myself very lucky to be in a business that’s very visual. It feels
I earn the majority of my income through direct client assignments. Ev- natural to use social media and show my work. I use Facebook, Insta-
ery time I work with a client, I present them with three options to choose gram, and Pinterest to grow my business.
from. To get to these three options, I create about ten total, so whatever In a way, I grow my business whenever I upload illustrations to Shut-
the client doesn’t buy, I upload to Shutterstock. That’s also the only on- terstock. I don’t have goals I want to reach every month like other fellow
line platform I use to sell stock. By now, I’ve uploaded about 3,000 pat- designers who work with stock that aim to upload around 150 new im-
terns and illustrations. From time to time, I get requests for existing pat- ages every month. Sometimes, I have more time and it can happen that

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Maaike Boot

I upload 60 new illustrations in a month, but other times, I don’t upload dict what will get a global trend. Years later, smaller brands started using
anything for months. that motif and it’s been last summer’s best selling print.
I believe in order to grow my business, I must continuously produce Whenever I’m abroad, I like to pick up local magazines. Sometimes,
work that remains fresh. I have to stay ahead of the trend and make art my friends that live abroad send me magazines they think I’ll enjoy, and
that goes with it. Even though I like to create unique designs, I adapt that really helps to stay on top of what’s trendy in the world.
colors and shapes and I choose patterns I believe could sell as stock. Every country has a different style. For example, Germany is a mar-
I’m also planning to expand my business by seeking out collabora- ket that’s still very colorful, but the US prefers more of a Scandinavian
tions and partnerships. That’s my next step. For example, I’m trying to style. You can use that sort of knowledge to remain relevant to the mar-
set up a line of fabrics. My goal is to find someone who can take care kets you want to serve.
of all the logistics and administration. To me, finding good partners to
focus on the non-creating parts means that while I might not earn as 5. How do you organize your work days?
much since they get a cut from the earnings, I can remain independent Whenever I’m at home in my studio, I start the day with a list of things I
and do the parts of the work I enjoy the most. need to do and complete that first. I’m most creative in the mornings or
late at night. Luckily, I have the freedom to work whenever I want to. If I
4. How does it work for someone who wants to start selling look outside and it’s sunny, I’ll go out and enjoy the weather, make pho-
illustrations and patterns as stock? tos, or go to a museum during a cold day for a new dose of inspiration. I
I would say you need to get to about 1,000 patterns uploaded to Shutter- just make sure to work every day until at least 1pm. Usually from about
stock before you’ll notice an income. First, you might be able to afford 10am to 2pm, I’m crazy productive, but that’s also something I can’t plan.
an extra beer from your earnings and then maybe, at some point, an At the beginning, I used to work throughout the times where it was dif-
extra dinner with friends. It’s a very slow and gradual growth. The more ficult for me to focus because I was so afraid I wouldn’t be making any
images you upload that are relevant to the buyers, the more money you money to keep me afloat. But now that I’ve built a client base and a port-
can make off of stock. folio of stock images, I feel far more at ease to take a break.
It’s important to remain on trend. Do your research and look for I spend about two months traveling each year. I remember the first
what’s still missing in the databases. If you want to become a successful time when I was packing and decided to leave my laptop at home. It was
seller, it’s important to produce things that are popular or haven’t been scary at first, but now I never bring my laptop with me and it’s great. I
illustrated and uploaded to a stock database yet. schedule my Facebook updates and just bring my camera with me.
I like to get inspired by all the other industries. Fashion is a great
one because fashion designers are way ahead of others. If you notice “WHEN YOU GO ON HOLIDAYS,
something’s popping up in fashion, it will probably soon become a ma- DON’T BE AFRAID TO LEAVE YOUR
jor trend. I’m not necessarily referring to retail stores. I like to look at LAPTOP AT HOME!”
fashion magazines because they’re usually two years ahead of what sells
in stores. A couple of years ago, I spotted pineapples for the first time However, even when I’m traveling, I’m always switched on and looking
being used in photography in Brazilian, Spanish, and Australian mag- for inspiration. I always see something I can use in my work later on, but
azines. I decided to create a pattern with pineapples and uploaded it to in that very moment when I’m out and about, there’s no way for me to
Shutterstock. When you research and know the industry, you can pre- create.

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Maaike Boot

Everything I do always starts with this light bulb moment. It starts

with little words, little ideas, and then I start drawing. Then again, I
might not like the shape or the color and the inspiration passes as quick-
ly as it showed up, so I have to ditch what’s in front of me. It really de-
pends on my mood. My work is a combination of how I feel, how I want
to express my feelings and experiences, and I also look at it from the
buyer’s perspective to consider what will sell.

6. How do you decide what to design next?

It’s a mix of things that sell very well; trends I see are evolving and trends
that are coming my way. When I go to the beach and notice something
that catches my eye, like some shells or the form of sand, I might get
inspiration from there.
When I first started, I used to create one-off drawings, but now I cre-
ate series because I’ve realized many buyers have no technical skills and
they appreciate when I give them several options with slightly adapted
details and color options.
If I see something I created years ago picks up again and suddenly
starts selling, I’ll adapt the illustrations and add more variations. I’ve
learned that trends are changing fast, but because of the technology
that’s available nowadays, buyers don’t need to pre-produce their prod-
ucts years in advance anymore. Things happen faster and people adapt
to trends quicker. It’s important to remain informed and know what’s
popular and trendy, so keep that in mind when creating new work!

7. What would you say were the milestones for your business?
Back in the day, starting out on Shutterstock was something I did to
remain resourceful. It was an incredible honor to receive an invitation
from the team at Shutterstock to meet some fellow creators. I realized
they took me and my work seriously. I even won an award, Shutterstock
Stories Grand Jury Prize, a few years ago.
Shutterstock is a very anonymous platform: you just upload your
work. People you don’t know buy it and you don’t even know what they’ll
use it for. Also, you’ll only receive a few cents every time someone buys
one of your images. It doesn’t feel like a big deal, but when I was able

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to meet other creators and the team behind Shutterstock at their NYC 9. What are the greatest challenges for someone who wants to
headquarters, that was a great acknowledgement. become a professional surface pattern designer?
I really love that by continuously creating work I love to create, I’m Don’t expect to become a millionaire. I personally think creative peo-
actually making a living. That I’m independent and can do the kind of ple don’t need a lot of money as long as they’re able to remain creative.
work I love, I would say it’s a huge milestone every single day. Sometimes, being an illustrator means you’ll treat yourself to a bottle
Focusing on serving my clients and creating stock images on the of champagne and sometimes you’ll have the cheap wine from the su-
side makes my business feel very stable. There are no real highs and permarket. Just stay focused, keep creating, share your work, and be re-
lows. I feel as if my business could just grow steadily. One of the highs sourceful with your creations.
was when a company from Belgium asked me to design an entire col-
lection. It was my favorite store that I loved going to while studying in 10. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to
Belgium, so it was a great honor! I actually think they found me through go into surface pattern design?
Shutterstock too. They probably liked my style and had enough refer- There are many online learning platforms that can help you become
ences for the quality of my work, so they reached out. better at your craft. Shutterstock offers Skillfeed, there is Skillshare,
And, of course, the biggest milestone, the biggest achievement, is Udemy, and many others.
that I see my designs pop up all around the world. Anywhere I go, I If you’re just starting out, don’t buy anything that’s ridiculously ex-
always see something I’ve created. Wherever I travel, be it to Japan or pensive. You really just need a piece of paper and a pencil. Your smart-
Spain, a piece of me is a piece of that place too. phone is good enough for you to take a picture, which you can then
upload to your computer and vectorize using Illustrator or another soft-
8. What’s something you would recommend to someone who wants ware that converts pixels to vectors.
to start selling patterns? And then, don’t hesitate to share your work on social media. Don’t
Become a good researcher and take the time to look at different cultures be afraid of copycats; this will always haunt you, but they can never copy
and the styles these cultures prefer. Keep your work real, honest, and your talent and your unique style. These people can never copy how
make sure it’s yours. Don’t copy! Have the guts to have your own hand- your style will evolve; you’re at least three steps ahead! Share what you
writing! Figure out what you like and keep true to yourself. It’s the only create!
way your work will be recognizable and different.

“HAVE THE GUTS TO HAVE YOUR

OWN HANDWRITING, YOUR OWN STYLE!”

Focus on expanding your business and think about the long run. If you
upload ten patterns to Shutterstock or to any other stock database, don’t
expect it to make money instantly because it won’t. Every royalty-based
business is an investment that will pay off gradually.
@littlesmilemakers
www.littlesmilemakers.blogspot.com

56 57
 SET YOURSELF
GOALS
Let me set the record straight here for a second. The difference between
being a creative entrepreneur and being an employee is that as an entre-
preneur, you need to be proactive and set your own goals. Not just goals,
but deadlines too. And because you’re the boss of your own company,
your goals must fit your needs and your lifestyle.
Whether your goal is to have more clients, better clients, more follow-
ers, more sales, or more visits on your website, you should always make
your goals figurative and set a realistic timeline to reach them. Once you
determine figurative goals, you’ll be able to break them down to smaller
goals and feel like you’ve accomplished something important each day.
Consider it your job to give yourself reasons to celebrate. I usually have a
champagne breakfast (Viennese style; I’d definitely go for Bloody Mary’s
in NYC) with one of my freelance friends whenever I have some good
news, and so should you!

If you’re a solopreneur, you’ll receive only a minimum of external trig-

gers. No one can promote you or promise you more money to motivate
you to reach higher. It’s in your hands to figure out where you’re headed
because every single day you get up, there may not be any external tasks
waiting for you.
Say you’re only starting out as a freelancer or you want to work free-
lance as a side hustle. It’s very unlikely work is coming your way day in,
day out. For the majority of the time at the beginning, there’s no one
thinking of hiring you, so the day is all yours. If you don’t set yourself
goals, you might quickly feel disappointed about the lack of interest in

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your availability and either retreat to platforms that promise to help you
find low-paying jobs, or start looking for full-time employment all over
again.
If you have the financial freedom to spend more time on side projects,
do that because building a stable business requires you to think of differ-
ent approaches to monetize your skills. My personal suggestion would
be to not only focus on what services you can offer to others, but to also
think about how you can package your skills as digital products. Whatever
it is you do, there are always several possibilities to make use of and mon-
etize your skills. You can either find a platform to monetize your creative
output, set up an online store, or teach a class on a platform, such as Skill-
share. Use the time you have to explore different ways to create multiple
income streams. Many possibilities are mentioned throughout the book,
but I’m sure that there are many others we haven’t come across yet.

When you have specific goals, it will be easier to analyze your progress,
improve your skills and your business, and also feel accomplished. What
I found most impressive when talking to the gals for this book was how
disciplined they were, how they always knew what they were working
towards, and how they knew exactly when it was due. It pays off to sit
down and map out what you want to work on and accomplish each week,
or even the entire month.
Your goals shouldn’t be just about how much creative output you want
to produce, as it’s mentioned on several pages in this book. You should
also set goals for how you want to work on your business. Maybe you
want to have more people link to your website or mention you in their
blogs. You might want to meet people within the industry, so you de-
termine a number of professional networking events that you’ll attend
each month. Whatever it is, always attach a number for what you plan to
accomplish to be able to tick it off your list once it’s done. Then, pop the
champagne.

Remaining positive is especially hard if things aren’t going as planned.

Sophie talked about several moments when she couldn’t even afford a
zucchini in the supermarket, so whenever things are especially challeng-

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ing or whenever you feel like you want to reach more, you need to keep INTERVIEW WITH
a cool head, push through, and work harder to reach your goals. Also, set

Sophie C.
new goals once you’re about to finalize a task to keep moving. We’ll talk
about long-term goals later, but for now, get yourself a cup of coffee and
enjoy your time reading Sophie’s interview. I found it incredibly inspiring

Ryba
and have a hunch you will too.

Sophie is a savvy businesswoman who knows

that being in business means you’re never
satisfied. There’s no finish line, as you’ll always
find something that you’ll want to improve,
iterate, or update! Sophie is the founder of
TheLipstick, a blog dedicated to beauty,
Cosmeterie, an e-commerce business for
cosmetics, and she also co-organizes
the biggest lifestyle blogger conference in
the DACH region. No big deal.

In her interview, Sophie explains how to decide

what direction of your business to proceed
with and when it’s time to discontinue income
streams that no longer work.

Vienna, Austria

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#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Sophie C. Ryba

1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to pay your bills. You should be able to choose who you want to work with
where you are now? and who is representative for your brand.
I’ve always known I would become an entrepreneur, so studying eco-
nomics felt like a degree that would enable me to do just that. When I “FIRST, GET A PROOF OF CONCEPT!
graduated, I wanted to move abroad, but because I finished university THEN, EXECUTE!”
right at the peak of the financial crisis, I couldn’t find a position any-
where outside of Austria. Instead, I got an internship with Estee Lauder. I started TheLipstick in 2009; it was meant to be a beauty directory and
They offered me a full-time position after only six weeks. discussion board. One of the features of the platform was my blog. How-
My father is an entrepreneur too and he said I needed to work for a ever, I never intended the blog to become what it is today. It was fasci-
corporation before I could work for myself. He believes that one needs nating for me to see how most people visited my blog and didn’t pay
to have the experience of working for a big company, so I followed his much attention to the rest of the website. Remember, 2009 was way be-
advice. After exactly one year and one day, I quit. fore blogs became a thing in the German-speaking market, which made
My plan was to start an online beauty magazine and I thought I me realize there was probably a great potential, so I decided to become
would be a millionaire in about a year, which, of course, didn’t happen! more serious about blogging. When you looked at what was happen-
As we learned in university, I wrote a business plan and described what ing in the US, they were already miles ahead. At the beginning, I wrote
I imagined my company would be like. I now know that a business is an about personal things. People came because I shared my personal opin-
ever-evolving organism. Your business plan isn’t a reality, but an imag- ion and that was an incredible feeling!
ination and while it’s important to have one, you must be willing to it- What I completely underestimated is when you run a company, you
erate. also have to earn money. Of course, that sounds ridiculous, but back
then, it didn’t occur to me that clients don’t knock on your door just be-
“BE WILLING TO ITERATE!” cause you’re there and available!
It took years until brands were willing to spend money on online
I saw a potential in starting TheLipstick because there was nothing com- advertising. However, it was easy to build a following because there was
parable in the German-speaking countries. I wanted to start out big, so I no competition, so while I had a lot of readers, I didn’t have anyone in-
took out a loan of €30,000 and registered a GmbH, which is comparable terested in paying me for the community I built. Not in the beginning
to the American Inc. You need to have a lot of cash in your bank account anyway. But because I worked in a corporation before, I knew what they
to be able to start a company where you’re not personally liable. My ap- were looking for, so I managed to convince people to pay me. After three
proach was to invest the same way as you would when opening a physi- months of hard work, I received my first paycheck. It was a proud mo-
cal store. However, online, you can easily start small and iterate as your ment, as you can imagine! Even though the amount was close to nothing
business and your following grows. You’re getting constant feedback. compared to today’s standards, it was still a big accomplishment.
Even though I made it my business to pay my loan back quickly, it
put a lot of unnecessary pressure on me. Retrospectively, it might not 2. What are your different income streams?
have been the smartest decision to take on a loan before I had a proof of I probably have three or four different income streams. I also have some-
concept. I don’t think it’s wrong to think big, but I think you should start one who helps me to make it work.
out in a way where you don’t have to run after every customer in order to

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On my blog, I book advertorials and some affiliate links. Affiliates money to build. That taught me people care about good content and
don’t really make much income in my opinion. I’ve also built an online great pictures, not complex technology. If you’re about to start some-
platform, Cosmeterie, to help beauty stores from the high street, with thing online, employ simple technologies you can use without needing
their e-commerce presence. It’s a dropshipping business because they help every so often. It will spare you a lot of hustle and a lot of money.
still carry out all the logistics and I just get a cut from their earnings for Also, part of the re-launch was that I outsourced the shop and start-
doing their online marketing. I also work as a social media consultant ed Cosmeterie, an e-commerce platform for small business owners.
and I co-organize the first German-speaking blogger conference. It’s an There’s no exclusive content on Cosmeterie; it’s an online store. In re-
honor to be consulting big corporations that work with PR agencies and turn, TheLipstick has become a content platform. I have weekly columns
often have someone in-house run their social media channels. I dedicate to different topics; “Clean Monday” is about removing your
makeup, “News” is where I cover industry stories, and “Beauty Talk” is
3. Why and how did you launch your different businesses? where I focus on makeup tips. This is where I use affiliate links because
When I first started TheLipstick, I emailed everyone I knew and told ev- if my readers like a certain type of lipstick, they can buy it immediately.
eryone I met about my latest endeavor. I asked all my friends and family I’ve been working in the beauty industry for more than seven years,
to forward my flyer to people they thought might be interested. I used so I know the difficulties of the branch. Compared to other industries,
my network on Facebook and I’ve done millions of things to get a bet- there’s a lot of potential for growth online. I had the idea to launch Cos-
ter Google rank; I posted on other forums, created new content every meterie when I talked to a shop owner at an event. I told them about
day, and linked my new articles to older ones for people to stay on my TheLipstick and they pitied that I didn’t sell any products there. I realized
website for longer than just a few minutes. I also commented on other how much potential there was and that I could help shop owners.
people’s blogs and sites not only to let them know I liked what they were The next day, I called up three people and because all of them were
working on, but also to get a back link to my own blog. It’s like leaving immediately excited about my idea, I started building Cosmeterie. My
digital breadcrumbs. customers on Cosmeterie can rent virtual shelf space and we provide
I had my beauty directory, but the majority of my visitors went di- the necessary infrastructure and help them with their marketing.
rectly to my blog. There was a forum, but hardly anyone has ever shared Every time we onboard a new shop, we offer a three-month trial pe-
anything there. I then implemented a shop to my blog. I was trying out riod before signing a long-term contract. We also say it needs six months
different things. It was very hard for me to explain what I was trying to to see results because people must get used to the possibility that you
achieve with my business. Today, I know that if you can’t explain what suddenly offer to them. We upload all products to the webstore and
your business does in one sentence, something is going terribly wrong. then we charge a monthly fee. Depending on the size of the store, it’s
between €70 and €300, plus 10% from every sale they make.
“IF YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN WHAT I don’t think Cosmeterie would’ve been so successful from the be-
YOUR BUSINESS DOES ginning if I hadn’t had my blog and all the experience from before. Es-
IN ONE SENTENCE, SOMETHING IS tablishing relationships with people who can eventually help you suc-
GOING TERRIBLY WRONG.” ceed is always a great investment in your future. When rebuilding my
blog, I lost a lot of links to my website, but having people support my
When I eventually decided to re-launch TheLipstick to better meet my new project really made all the difference and I’m grateful for that.
customers’ needs, I had to get rid of a lot of features I had paid a lot of

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In 2011, I met Maria Ratzinger for the first time, an incredible Austrian
blogger and PR consultant. We met on Twitter during a time when no
one in Austria was using the service. We found out we lived nearby, so
we decided to meet up for a coffee. We immediately clicked. She was
working on a blogger conference, The Fashion Camp, and asked me if I
liked to get involved. I loved the idea and I’m still excited to see the blog-
ger scene evolve year after year. If you have a chance to start an industry
meetup, do it!

“INVEST IN PEOPLE. THEY’LL HELP YOU

SUCCEED IN THE FUTURE.”

4. How do your clients find you?

With TheLipstick, I have my own outlet that’s simultaneously a great
reference for my work. I’ve never gone out to look for clients. Instead,
I’ve made it my business to make a name for myself in the local beauty
sector. I go to a lot of events and that’s where you meet people. If you
can summarize clearly what you do and communicate it in a way to let
people know what you could do for them, they’ll remember you and
follow up. I’ve had moments where people asked me whether I knew a
beauty blogger who could help them and I would laugh and say I was
one. You’ll know if you click with people on a personal level. If not, it
won’t be a fun project to work on anyway. And if sometimes a client de-
cides to no longer work with you, if you do it right, it’s just about saying
you have capacities and then your network will refer new clients to you.
Being in business is very social.
With Cosmeterie, it’s different. We actively approach shop owners
and offer them our solutions. For Cosmeterie, I have an employee who
takes on a lot of the things I don’t want to be doing off my shoulders. She
also reaches out to new stores.
When you’re self-employed, you need to learn to find people to help
you. You can’t do everything, but you can make a list of things you need
to do, make priorities, and outsource everything that’s not crucial for
you to do yourself.

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At the moment, the clients we serve with Cosmeterie are people is to think about your target group and what they read, where they go;
from the region. Whenever we pass by a cute store, we walk in and talk analyze where they spend time and try to reach them there. You’ll have
to them. When there’s an industry fair, we visit and go to every single to experiment a lot, so try to schedule one new experiment a week and
booth and talk to the owners. Sometimes, but it’s still very rare, people set a budget for that. I’ve done things that have worked, such as partner-
approach us directly and ask us for help. ing with bloggers, and then things that didn’t show any results, such as
Don’t forget that not every customer you win will stay with you for- getting into print magazines. You never know what works for your brand
ever. Change is part of running a business and your solution probably until you’ve tried.
won’t work for everyone, so don’t be disappointed.
“DO ONE NEW EXPERIMENT A WEEK
5. What do you do yourself and what do you outsource? TO MARKET YOUR OWN BUSINESS.”
I never work on projects by myself; I really enjoy teamwork! Every proj-
ect I work on, there’s at least one other person involved. For TheLipstick, 7. How important are seasons in the e-commerce business and how
I work with a freelance editor; for Cosmeterie, I have an employee who’s do you handle them?
with me part-time; Fashion Camp is a collaborative project. We all have Holidays, such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day are im-
our tasks we are responsible for. I’m responsible for budgeting and portant for trade, so you have to be prepared and think of something
everything finance-related. I know that I’ll, for example, never do any special. August, on the other hand, is a month that we always take off
press outreach. When we split up responsibilities, everyone picked what because people are on vacation and no one’s shopping for cosmetics.
they prefered and whatever no one liked to do, we decided to do togeth- Breaks are important to gain new energy. Take some!
er. That’s why it works so well!
It’s really important to me to work with people who have a drive, 8. What are the challenges for someone with an e-commerce store?
but also people who don’t consider themselves too important to hand You need to find your niche. If you want to position your store well on
out flyers or write email newsletters or post to discussion boards. If you Google, you need to have a long tail business. Even huge brands, such as
want to know whether a strategy works or not, you must test it. I want to Louis Vuitton and Gucci, are now selling online, so there’s a lot of com-
work with people who are curious to figure out the right solution. That’s, petition. You need to think about what you do differently. How do you
at least, what I look for when hiring people. I’ve had good and also bad want to distinguish yourself from what everyone else out there is already
experiences with hiring. That’s probably why I consider a probation pe- doing; do you offer your products at a lower price? Is the quality of your
riod so incredibly important. When hiring, I like to ask the applicants products better? Or do you give your customers another reason to visit
if they can deal with stress, if they have a hands-on mentality, and what your webstore? If price isn’t what distinguishes you from others, then
they want to achieve for themselves. It’s important to have a mutual vi- you need to find something else and position your marketing around
sion because in startups, there are no job titles. Everyone has to do just your uniqueness.
about anything. I would also say that having a budget is important. Many people
underestimate the importance of earning cash. When you run a busi-
6. How do you budget for marketing measures? ness, it’s like a big experiment that sometimes costs you less money and
It’s different in every industry, but generally speaking, for every euro you sometimes it costs more. You make mistakes while you try yourself out
spend, you should get five in return. What I believe is most important at being self-employed, so I would recommend having a solid savings

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account so you don’t have to jump on every opportunity, even the ones successful company. It’s normal to have doubts. But then, pick yourself
that don’t feel right. You don’t want to embarrass yourself and ask to up again and get back to work!
borrow money, and I’ve had some moments where I couldn’t even afford
a zucchini in the store, so please calculate your budget from the begin- “IT’S NORMAL TO HAVE DOUBTS.
ning! BUT THEN, PICK YOURSELF UP AGAIN
AND GET BACK TO WORK!”
“IT’S NORMAL TO MAKE MISTAKES
WHILE YOU TRY YOURSELF OUT When I first started, I worked from home, but then decided to get an
AT BEING SELF-EMPLOYED.” office. That increased my productivity, and I also no longer felt guilty
when I wasn’t working. At the beginning, I was incredibly insecure and
9. What’s something you would recommend to people who want to often unsure whether I could manage to pay the rent for my office each
start a business such as yours? month, but given how much more I managed to get done, it really paid
Don’t give up. Set yourself goals and try to achieve them. Let’s say you off. The first few months where I was able to pay my bills without heavy
want to have more readers for your blog. Then go out to other places outbreaks of sweat whenever I received mail was an incredible mile-
and try to draw people to your site. I’ve had nights where I sat behind stone for me. Beginnings are difficult. It takes time to establish a routine
my computer until 6am to answer posts in other forums to make people in your business.
aware of my existence. I would also look up groups on Facebook that The internet is changing quickly and different strategies work for
talk about my topic of interest. different people; guest blogging, webinars, Twitter, Facebook ads – there
At the beginning, and sometimes even today, I spend countless is no set recipe to making your business a success. You need to try every-
hours approaching companies to ask them for their products that I can thing and some of what you try will stick and others won’t. Being a busi-
give away on my blog. If you want to achieve visibility for your blog, your nesswoman means you’re not scared of iterating and trying new things!
e-commerce store, or any kind of business on the internet, you need to I would also recommend starting a mailing list. The best thing about
invest time and get involved with other communities. You’ll probably email is you can track where people click and what they’re interested in.
deal with a lot of criticism from people who might not have the slightest You can learn a lot from such insights.
idea where you’re coming from and everything you’ve already tried, but Social media helps a lot too. You must be on Facebook and also
follow your line! Be authentic and think about what you want to achieve look for a second social media channel to represent your company. If
and try out different things to get just that! As long as you really want you want to go into e-commerce, Instagram and Pinterest are your best
something and you’re dedicated to getting it, you have what it takes to choices these days.
eventually get there. As an entrepreneur, you need to learn to get up I also wouldn’t underestimate online ads. It’s a bit of a hustle be-
and continue. I’ve had so many visions for my business and sometimes, cause you have to read so much about how it works, but Google offers
I think I’m only still here because of my endurance and my conviction an online course, which I would definitely recommend. If you identify
that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Many people have said to me your target group, it will be easier for you to not only set targeted ads,
I was being brave because I was self-employed. I’ve never seen it that but to also make the right decisions to serve your audience and your
way. I’ve just always known that I’m going to make it and build my own customers better.

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What has also helped me grow my business is blogger relations. That’s okay. Map out what works and what doesn’t. It’s pointless to con-
Look for bloggers that are relevant for your business and work togeth- tinue doing something that doesn’t work. If it’s not your complete favor-
er with them. It pays off to have bloggers onboard, so put money aside ite, don’t stick with it. Stop wasting your time on things that obviously
and book a campaign with them. Try to book several articles with one don’t do it for anyone. This is a moment to be honest with yourself. Of
and the same blogger because people tempt to remember something course, when you run your own business, it’s never perfect because you
once they’ve seen it several times. It might seem expensive at first, but can always find something you could improve. But try to improve the
it will help you see your product staged in an authentic way. The best things people find interesting and then emerge in them!
thing about online marketing is that it never disappears. It will always
be available through Google and it will forever link to your website and
help you get a better ranking.
I would recommend setting monthly goals of what you want to
achieve and then reflect how many hours you spent working on it to
analyze whether it was worth it. Once a month, I make an analysis of
the different projects I work on and I look at the earnings. It’s important
to regularly check how things are working out for you. And then, some-
times, kill your darlings and try new strategies that might work better for
you and your business.

10. What would you recommend doing if you notice that your
business isn’t working out the way you expected it to?
It hurts to see the idea you had and considered brilliant isn’t being
well-received. It took three years for me to accept that the original The-
Lipstick format I spent so much money on to build wasn’t interesting to
people.
Of course, you put a lot of effort into your business plan and it feels
like a slap in the face if people don’t enjoy what you thought they would,
but that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Running a business means you’re
open to change. I would recommend looking at the parts of your busi-
ness that work and are well-received and expand them. I noticed people
liked my blog and my webshop, so those were the two areas I tried to ex-
pand further. I would also recommend thinking about what you’re good
at and offer your strengths to consult people. I never intended to go into
consulting, but that was what helped me pay my loan back.
If you look at your budget, you must be honest with yourself be- @thelipstick_net
cause numbers don’t lie. You’re running a business and this is a phase. www.cosmeterie.com

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 TAKE SMALL
AND BIG RISKS
Admit it, one of the biggest risks you’ve taken in your life was probably
quitting your job to freelance. At least, it might have felt like the biggest
risk at the time. It might be that quitting is the one risk you’re currently
being confronted with, but you’re still hesitant; do you take the jump or
not? Whenever you decide to take a chance on something important to
you, it’s a sign you believe in your skills and you trust yourself enough to
master the situation, regardless of what happens next. Taking risks has to
do with trusting your gut feeling.
There are times in life where we must take responsibility for other
people before we make decisions that will serve our personal needs best.
However, if you feel confronted with the question “What if…?” every day,
it may be time to act on your wishes. If you’re unhappy now, what’s worse
than remaining unhappy for an eternity? You clearly need to make a plan
for change. And do it for you.
In life, you take small and big risks. Taking big risks means putting
everything on one card and hoping it’s going to work out the way you
imagine. On the other hand, small risks are just gradual steps towards
your ultimate goal. There’s always the chance that things might turn out
completely different in the end, but it will still enable you to move to-
wards your vision of who you are and what you want your business and
your life to become. To put things into perspective, you don’t need to
risk it all to explore new options. However, you should take small steps in
new directions regularly if only because changes and risks are inevitable
when running a successful business.

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#SMARTCREATIVES Take small and big risks

As a solopreneur, it’s completely up to you what you do with your believe people deserve to hear more compliments and get regular invi-
time. If you don’t like something, change it. You can pivot your business tations for coffee!
to suit your needs better and everyone around you will be okay with it. Then, there are risks that go beyond bravery, such as financial risks.
We tend to put too much emphasis on what other people think about our This isn’t a place to talk about investing in property, the stock market,
actions, but truthfully, the majority of people are busy worrying about or anything down that alley. It’s about investing money in your creative
how they’re being perceived themselves. They don’t have time to focus projects and thus, the future you imagine for yourself. Even if you’re a
on what you’re doing day after day, so don’t worry about them; it’s your designer or a consultant, you should still calculate a marketing budget
life and you need to do what you need to do. It’s okay. in your rates. Just like any business, you need to market your services to
Whatever the risk is you confront, it’s one you’ll have to overcome be able to work on personal projects at least once a week, if not more
at some point. While I interviewed Jaymay, she said she believes if you regularly.
pour all your energy into something, after a lot of hustling and a lot of When I first started investing in my business, it was by writing my
pushing, it will work out. Whenever Elise faces a situation where she must first book, This Year Will Be Different. Not only did I invest a tremendous
make a big decision, she imagines the worst possible consequences and amount of hours into making an idea a reality, but I also had to allocate
if they’re bearable, then it’s a risk worth taking. finances to pay an editor, a designer, and an illustrator. I wrote the book
There are several different, and sometimes scary, risks. We might fear at the beginning of my freelance career, so as you might remember from
something as small as saying “No” to a potential client who doesn’t feel the introduction of this book, I had no actual savings at the time. A sud-
100% right to you. It’s natural to consider what you would get paid for a den request fluttered in for a job to be done over the weekend, so I took
job well done, but would the job be as well done if you were truly passion- a chance and poured everything I earned in that moment into a personal
ate about the client? Probably not! So while this everyday risk of running project. Given, you’re now holding my second book, you can imagine
your own business can sometimes feel like a big chance, it’s not. It grants realizing that project has paid off for me, although not necessarily finan-
you time to look for new, better, and more suitable clients. cially!
If you say “No,” what’s the worst that can happen? Is the outcome If you want people to recommend your services, create something
bearable? Yes? Then go ahead and say “No” so you can focus your energy you want people to know you for. For me, writing a book felt like a good
on what feels right. Start a side project, go out and network, or follow idea because I wanted people to recommend my services, my thoughts,
up with the people you’ve previously worked with and enjoyed the ex- my marketing strategies, and my writing. Given I started consulting Kick-
perience! starter on their expansion into the German-speaking market after my
Another risk that might make you feel slightly uncomfortable is ap- own campaign is a prime example that whatever step you take leads you
proaching someone you have yet to turn into a friend, or at least a friend- to another step in the future. You need to put your energy, focus, and
ly contact. If you ask me, you don’t have much to lose because at the end excitement towards something you believe in. Your secret or not-so-se-
of the day, the person you admire is just another human being. They’re a cret wish is always worth taking a chance on. Even if it doesn’t work out
human being that, just like you, has someone they admire and might be a immediately, it will still lead to something else that could be just as great,
little intimidated by too. If that doesn’t give you more courage to reach if not better than your expectations. If it’s not, you wouldn’t be ponder-
out to them, you should Google my blog post, “Why you should send a ing about it as you’re most likely doing right this very second. Am I right?
letter to a person you admire.” You can also tweet the person you think Write down what you wouldn’t dare to risk just yet and think about
is awesome and tell them you liked their recent piece of work. I strictly (small) steps to bring you closer to reaching your goal. Even if for now

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it feels unreachable, there’s still at least one chance on the other side of INTERVIEW WITH
every risk.

Elise
Chances, the exceptional and exciting side to every risk, are what will
take you further in life and in business. If you, maybe not today but to-
morrow, can see the chance behind the risk, the fear will eventually melt

Blaha
away or feel manageable.
It’s hard to write an article on risks because risks are very personal
and different to everyone. What I believe you should keep in mind are
the consequences that make you feel uncomfortable and to then focus
on what could take away your discomfort and work towards that. To me,
the scariest thought has always been the question “What if?”. If I think
about “What if?” and “Maybe…” and “How could that be?” for too long, Meet Elise, a creative entrepreneur who
I feel like I’m wasting my time. I’m not actually accomplishing anything,
just thinking in circles. At that point, I try to break down big ideas into
started with a small Etsy shop she grew
small, actionable steps and work hard to make it feel less risky. Practice into a viable business. Her most successful
solves everything. And for now, for you, practice starts on a sheet of
paper where you can break down big ideas into achievable steps.
product has been the Get To Work Book ®.
I hope you find the power to face the risk that scares you. And even
more, I hope you see the chances that are waiting for you out there. For One of Elise’s incredible strengths is her
now, enjoy Elise’s story. ability to look at risks from a very pragmatic
angle. She’ll explain why it makes sense to
start small, and why it’s important to think
about who you are and what you stand for
in order to build a business that can flourish
and grow with you.

San Diego, USA

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to 2. What are your different income streams?
where you are now? Currently, my biggest income stream is the Get To Work Book®. It’s a daily
I’ve always been interested in business, so I studied business adminis- planner and goal-setting workbook.
tration. I chose marketing as my major, but since I studied before social About 10–15% of my overall income is generated through affiliate
media was a thing, everything we learned was different from how you links on my blog. I also have some DIY e-courses that I sell through my
market today. (I graduated in 2007.) website and on A Beautiful Mess. The e-courses on abeautifulmess.com
I never thought I would start my own company; I was sure I would are distributed by their in-house staff. I get a share of the income.
work for a corporation. During my time in college, I had internships at Additionally, I sell some other products next to the planner on
about six or seven different companies. I gained a lot of work experi- elisejoy.com. And from time to time, but definitely not regularly, the
ence, but never really clicked with anything. I can’t say I didn’t like any podcast I’m working on has a sponsored episode here and there.
of these jobs; it was just that none of them felt like something I wanted
to stick with. 3. Why and how did you launch your different businesses and your
In my senior year, I interviewed with a lot of companies all over the different products?
United States. None of them offered me a job, so I moved to Maryland I started with a small Etsy shop first and in 2012, expanded to selling
to live closer to my now husband. I took on a retail job at a paper store rubber stamps. This was the first product I sold via a free-standing shop
where I earned nine dollars an hour. Even working full-time, I had a lot instead of through Etsy.
of extra creative energy, which is why, next to my blog, I started an Etsy In 2014, the year I turned 29, I wanted to rediscover my footing as a
store. maker and figure out what could be next for my business, so I came up
I started my blog in college in 2006 when blogging wasn’t big. I used with the project Make29. I decided to produce and sell a new product
my blog to share personal stories and my craft projects, and my audi- once a month for twelve months in a row and release these creations
ence grew gradually. When I started blogging, social media wasn’t really in batches of 29 or 290. It was a series of limited editions for me to fig-
there yet, so the only way to grow your audience was word-of-mouth ure out what I enjoyed making the most. During this year, I sold pho-
from your readers. to prints, screenprinted posters, letterpress prints, and wooden plant
When I decided to start an Etsy store, I was lucky I already had a stands. I also created knit blankets and various paintings.
small audience from my blog and invited everyone to check out what I Make29 was an experiment in selling and an exercise in goal-setting
was up to. Originally, I created single products, but eventually focused and following through. I would recommend to everyone who wants to
more on creating lines. I started to treat my Etsy store more like a “real” challenge themselves or really get better at something to experiment! I
business. learned a lot about product development and how to run my business
I worked at the paper store for over two years, but as my Etsy store more effectively while operating on the monthly turn-around. I was
(my side business) started to grow, I was able to cut back my hours and really hoping that by making all these different products, one of them
focus on building my own business. It was wonderful because it hap- would click and I could then make it the base of a full-time business.
pened slowly. I always had a stable income more or less, or at least some Some of the products did better than others, but what actually hap-
income. pened was I received a lot of questions around my planning process.
All these questions became the foundation of the Get To Work Book®. I
wasn’t intending to create a planner; I actually thought I would write a

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book about goal-setting, but then I realized instead of just talking about
doing something, I wanted to provide something that helped people
take action.
Currently, my focus is on the Get To Work Book®. I launched the plan-
ner at the beginning of 2015, so there’s a long way to go to really see what
it can be. I worked with a great team in Portland, Oregon on the design
of the book. They were able to take all of my ideas and goal-setting con-
cepts and turn them into something beautiful and functional.
The design and production for the Get To Work Book® is done out-of-
house. I’m currently handling the shipping, customer service, website
design, and promotion. Eventually, I would like to outsource the ship-
ping.
My goal for the Get To Work Book® brand is not to over-expand or
create hundreds of products. I want to just have a few, consistently good
products that sell. I now have three products and I would love to get to
about ten over the next few years.
One popular page in the Get To Work Book® is a project breakdown
sheet, so I plan to launch a notepad and book based around that design
for people who have a lot of projects, but may not need the daily planner
aspect. I think taking a huge financial risk (the big planner) and then
three small financial risks (the notepad and two small products) might
be a good rhythm for me. If one of the three products doesn’t work out,
I’m still in good shape.
I think I spend the majority of my time thinking through the busi-
ness side of a product and then the creative side happens quite fast.
Ideas come quickly, mostly while I work on something else, but setting
up logistics…that’s the real hustle.
For the future, I would love to sell wholesale. I would love for statio-
nery stores to stock my products, but for that to happen, I need to go to
gift and trade shows. There’s always something new that’s worth explor-
ing when you run your own company.

4. How did you set up the logistics for your business?

I work with spreadsheets and calculate. First, I always do a cost analysis:
if I order X amount, I have to sell Y amount to break even. I must know

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the numbers and think about whether it’s a realistic amount and if it arate the real problems from the unreal problems. This was a business
makes sense for me to realize such a project. risk, not a life risk. We’d get through it.
I don’t consider myself an inventor. I know many people like to in- Because I’ve grown things slowly over time, I’ve never had to borrow
novate, but I prefer to figure out what already exists that I can tweak and money. When considering a new venture, I like to think about the worst-
make work a bit better. That’s how I channel creativity; I look for solu- case scenario. If the worst-case scenario is terrible, then I don’t move
tions that are already available and adapt them to my taste. forward. Often though, the worst-case scenario isn’t that bad.
I look for local suppliers because it’s important to me that I can pick Over the years, I’ve taken many risks; I’ve done so again and again.
up the phone and call the people I’m working with. When your decisions work out, it gives you the strength to take a risk
I also determine how much inventory to order based on some again. When they fail, it helps you realize it’s okay. The world keeps
cost-analysis. At certain order quantities, I receive a price break, so all turning and that gives you the strength to take on another risk. It’s just
of that is considered, as well as how much I can afford to “lose” if things something you learn through experience.
don’t sell and what my break even point would be at each quantity. For It now makes sense to me that many people cherish experience over
2016, I doubled my order based on the 2015-2016 sell out and the assump- education. I think education is hugely important, but still, you’ll learn a
tion that more people would be willing to purchase a traditional calen- lot while doing. You’ll grow with your decisions and with how your busi-
dar year planner. ness develops. Also, after you’ve dared a few smaller risks, it becomes
As mentioned, right now I’m doing the shipping for the Get To Work less intimidating. But of course, it’s still overwhelmingly scary.
Book® out of my house. For insurance purposes, I don’t store all the in-
ventory here (some is held at the printer) and instead, I have pallets of 6. How do you market your business?
books shipped down every month or so. This allows me to manage risk Right now, I rely heavily on Instagram. Every time I send out a planner,
and save some storage room. If things continue to grow for the brand, I include printed thank you notes to encourage my customers to share
it will be unrealistic and impossible for me to ship everything from my a picture using the hashtag #gettoworkbook. I have a Get To Work Book®
house. I’m currently looking for a distributor and while it will be hard Instagram account where I feature people’s images. I try to connect with
to give up that part of the business I’ve done for so long, it will be the them, and instead of saying, “Here is a photo Jane took,” I say, “Hey, Jane,
right decision. I like how you did XYZ!”

5. How do you grow/scale your business? 7. How did you improve the user experience over time?
Every time I invest a new product, it’s a risk I dare to take. When I started I’m still working on it. I think that’s the case with every brand. There’s
out with the Get To Work Book®, I invested about $45,000. I didn’t have always something to improve.
to pay everything in advance and was able to pay off some of the costs I’ve grown my business organically and shared my gradual process
with the pre-orders, so I didn’t spend $45,000 in one day. Still, it was on my blog. People like to connect with what’s happening behind the
the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life. By far! Before, I never invested scenes and that’s helped. I’ve also implemented a newsletter and con-
more than a few thousand dollars, so you can imagine it was a very big nect on social media.
move for me. I work to be responsive to customer needs. My customer service
There was no safety net, but I knew we wouldn’t lose our house if I model basically goes like this: “Make it right. If people want a refund,
couldn’t make it work. I believe that in business, you must learn to sep-

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okay, I’ll give them a refund. If they want puppies, sure, I’ll give them
puppies!”
There will always be a reason for customer frustration. That can’t
be avoided. But once they voice their frustration, you can do something
about it and fix it.

8. What’s something you would recommend to someone who wants

to start a business such as yours?
I believe it’s hugely important to realize that building a business isn’t
quick. Part of why it’s worked for me is because it’s been so slow. I didn’t
set out to have a huge business. It grew purely out of my interests.
The first step you should take is find out what you’re interested in.
It doesn’t have to be anything that sets you apart. It just has to be some-
thing you’re passionate about.
Then, you should be comfortable with starting small. Learn to be
comfortable when you don’t have a whole plan mapped out in front of
you. In order to run a successful business, you need to be flexible, will-
ing to ask questions, and staying true to who you are. Be prepared that
building your own business is going to be hard work. You have to abso-
lutely love it!
I personally love the business aspect; I love calculations and spread-
sheets. If you don’t enjoy that part, then find someone who does. If you
don’t enjoy marketing, then find someone who does. Work with people
who fit with your strengths and weaknesses.

9. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to

start such a business?
I have three books that I would love to recommend: The Creative Habit
by Twyla Tharp, The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau and The Art of
Possibility by the Zanders.

10. What do you think are the greatest challenges for someone who
wants to set up a business such as yours?
It can feel daunting to break in. It’s always hard to start from scratch
and start building an audience for the work you do. I was lucky because

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I built an audience through my blog before I even wanted to sell any-

thing to anyone. Now, there’s such an incredible hype around how many
followers one has, which makes it feel really hard to start out, but that
shouldn’t stop you! It’s okay to start from zero and grow slowly. Everyone

KICKSTART
starts from scratch and gets to where they are now, and so can you!
Take time to think about what your brand will look like and what
you want to focus on. Make sure whatever you produce feels consistent.
Come up with a really clear idea of who you are and what your brand
stands for. That should eliminate at least some of the fears of starting
YOUR IDEA
out.
Also, separate your own identity – who you are – from your business. By now, I’ve challenged (or more so encouraged) you several times
I know your personal business is a personal endeavor, but try to not take throughout this book to think about your side project, an idea you would
things personally. I’m still working on this myself. I now feel I finally love to see attached to your name. Now, it’s time to share some good
have a product that I’m crazy passionate about, but it took me ten years news about how you can make your idea come to life.
to find it. I’ve been working on things I’ve been interested in for ten years Sometimes when you have a good idea, you have the drive to make it
that made for my income, but it’s only now, ten years later, that my pas- a reality, but maybe not the finances. Cue in Kickstarter! It was invented
sion product could really be profitable and scalable. for that sole reason. Of course, there are other platforms out there, but
Pursue your interests really hard and go all in. It’s only by going all given my heart belongs to Kickstarter and especially its team, I’m mak-
in, believing in yourself, and believing in your business that you’ll be ing this chapter dedicated to my platform of choice. However, what I’m
able to figure things out! about to say applies to other platforms too!

What I believe makes Kickstarter special is the community that helps

realize creative ideas and encourages artists, designers, musicians, and
other creative spirits from around the world. If you have an idea and/or
a prototype that excites people, you’ll eventually find the support you
need to help realize your project.
One of the most important components to running a successful cam-
paign, in my opinion, is being generous. Your project should be for and
about the people you want to win to become part of your community.
Running a campaign on Kickstarter doesn’t only help you test your idea
and see whether you know what people like about your work, but it also
enables you to go public with something you haven’t had to produce
in advance. Additionally, Kickstarter is the perfect platform to connect
@elisejoy with people interested in your work directly without having to establish
www.eliseblaha.typepad.com

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#SMARTCREATIVES Kickstart your idea

distribution partnerships, or convince a banking consultant to give you Try to make your supporters, your backers, as involved in your project
funding for a project they might not believe will work. as possible. Kickstarter is a place where you can open up about your cre-
When I went live on Kickstarter the first time, it was because Ewelina, ative process to people who are interested in participating. If you’re mak-
the illustrator of This Year Will Be Different, couldn’t meet her deadline. ing a movie, why not collect photos from your backers and photoshop
With that title, I wanted to spread the word about the book in the first them into newspapers or postcards to show on the screen, or if that’s
week of January and Kickstarter seemed like the perfect way to do just too much effort, why not mention your backers’ names in the credits? If
that. you’re making garments, why not embroider the backers’ names on the
To this day, I’m incredibly grateful for that change of plans because inside of the clothes? See what I’m suggesting here? Involve them!
without receiving Ewelina’s sad email, I wouldn’t have discovered what a
powerful tool Kickstarter was and is. Back then, I launched the campaign *Important Sidenote: Speaking of rewards, it’s crucial to note something
within four days. I begged Anna Heuberger, the co-founder of We Love I didn’t anticipate during my campaign (spoiler alert: grab your highlight-
Handmade, to tape a video on New Year’s Eve while she was cooking for er). When calculating the costs of your rewards, please wrap the prod-
a dinner party. It took us three hours to tape that two minute video (sorry ucts, go to the post office, and make sure you know how the shipping
about that, Anna!) and I haven’t watched it since. I felt so uncomfortable! costs will be different in different countries. This is probably the most
Taping a video of yourself might be the hardest step if you’re like me and important piece of advice because personally, I completely underesti-
feel out of your comfort zone doing it, but remember you have an idea mated this and ended up paying for parts of the shipping costs with my
that will serve the needs of people. Do it for them! nonexistent savings. Lesson learned.*

While you can publish a Kickstarter campaign quickly, it might make There are endless possibilities to make people become part of your work
sense to prepare in advance for the campaign to fund your project prop- and that’s why people come to support projects on Kickstarter in the
erly. Here, I’m happy to share with you what I’ve learned by not only first place.
running my own campaign, but also by helping other people launch their Of course, the video is pretty much the key to the success of a project.
campaigns while working on the launch of Kickstarter in Germany. If the project is good enough, a simple video, such as the one I recorded
If you want to use Kickstarter to realize your idea, I recommend sitting to promote This Year Will Be Different, can also make the cut. Never-
down and thinking about the people who can benefit from your project theless, if you have the time and the resources, don’t be afraid to play.
the most. Think about what value you add to people’s lives. I would go People love videos that are fun and unexpected. Independently of how
as far as saying that you should brainstorm the rewards you want to give big your team is that you convince to help, make sure your video explains
to people for supporting your project, even before you start writing or the features of your project; it must showcase how the user will benefit
making a video. When deciding on what you want to give away as rewards, from using your product, in what situation your product will be relevant
always think about whether you would be willing to pay that amount for to them, or why it matters that they get involved. The Coolest Cooler is
such a reward yourself. Then, think if you would get genuinely excited a great example to learn from. What I really like about the Coolest Cooler
about receiving said reward. Honestly, do you really need another T-shirt video is that Ryan managed to explain why he was the right person to re-
in your closet? I didn’t think so. Make the reward something practical and alize such a project, something that’s crucial given you’re asking people
realistically appealing. to support you financially.

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When writing copy, use images to break up the long text. Visuals al-
ways win! If you already have photos of your rewards, don’t hesitate to
show them.
Once you’ve launched your project, it’s important to start spreading
the word. In the beginning, you’ll need the support of your friends and
relatives. If none of the people who know you personally trust your abil-
ities to finalize and deliver the outcome of your project, strangers won’t
trust you either. On Kickstarter, about 17% of all unsuccessful projects
haven’t received a single pledge, which clearly shows that spreading the
word among people who know you plays a huge role.
The majority of projects on Kickstarter raise between 1K and 10K, but
if you’re planning to start a bigger project, you’ll need to take more time
to prepare your launch. Firstly, and as mentioned before, think about
who might be interested in the outcome of your endeavor. These are the
people to reach out to immediately after your Kickstarter project page
becomes public. Sometimes, you might need the support of the press
to reach more people. There are several ways to go about this. First, I’d
always recommend thinking about who you know who might know some-
one else they can introduce you to. If your project is for your community,
don’t hesitate to reach out to your local newspapers. Let them know
about your project. This is usually easier in smaller cities. If you don’t
know any journalists or weren’t successful with the local media houses,
it’s time to do a little research. A simple hack is to go on the Google
News search and find relevant keywords. When you find articles that are
related to your project’s theme, reach out to the journalists who wrote
them and let them know about your project. If they’re interested in your
field, they might be kind enough to feature your campaign.

Once your page is up and running, you’ll have about 30 or 40 days to

reach your goal. Trust me, you don’t want to shout across all your so-
cial media channels that you’re doing a Kickstarter campaign and people
should give you money. Instead, this is a wonderful opportunity to tell
people more about your work. Take the time and write regular project
updates to invite people to check out your Kickstarter page. Don’t do
the sales talk. Instead, talk about your progress and how your project’s

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evolving. Give people something to talk about; show them photos of INTERVIEW WITH
your work space or the material you won’t show in the final piece. In the

Julieta
end, backers on Kickstarter want to be a part of the creative process, so
the best thing you can do is share your work with them. It’ll be easier to
regularly post on your other social media channels about your campaign

Ulanovsky
without constantly asking people for support. You’ll see that posting
project updates will be valuable even after you’ve successfully funded
your project. As I like to say, if you’ve done one campaign well, it will be
easier to make the second one even better.
You’ve already read Elaine’s story; she has run a campaign to finance
her documentary Hollow. Now, it’s an appropriate time to share Julieta’s.
Julieta is a graphic designer and an
educated typeface designer. Together with
her business partner, she specializes in
creating brand identities for local clients.
However, she believes she adds the most
value to the creative community whenever
she works on her passion projects. Julieta
loves to create designs dedicated to
capturing the beauty of her hometown,
Buenos Aires. In her interview, she speaks
about the importance of collaboration
and how she gets people involved in her
projects, even before they’re complete.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to self-confident about the decisions you make regarding your personal
where you are now? projects because there’s no client to tell you they’re happy and to move
Originally, I studied graphic design and then, 20 years later, I went back on. You are your own client. It’s hard to draw a line with your own work
to university to study typography. I wanted to venture into typeface de- because it feels like you’re never satisfied.
sign.
I’ve worked since I was 17. In 1989, I started a graphic design stu- 3. How do you set time aside for your personal projects?
dio together with my friend, Valeria Dulitzky, who I met in school. We We try to have one day a week for personal projects for us to evolve our
immediately started to work on projects together and we enjoyed it so skill set and stay inspired. When there’s enough client work coming to
much that we continued working together on projects in university and you, you must feel an incredible desire to do something for you to pull
afterwards. It’s been more than 30 years since we met and we still get through and finish a personal project. Treat a personal project just as
along as well as we did in the beginning. you would treat a client project to make sure you accomplish it. There’s
We specialize in editorial and brand identity design. Even though no one else who makes you finish, so the desire must come from within.
I went back to school to learn more about typeface design, I no longer Sometimes, we would love to be more strategic about the projects we de-
create fonts and typefaces. I loved doing it during my studies, but the cide to pursue in our personal time, but then we know we’ll only enjoy
technical side of being a typographer is challenging. I prefer to work the project if we get excited about the process. It’s not about the money.
together with people who take over the technical detailing while I focus Whenever we have an idea, we try to find people to help us with the
on editorial projects. parts we aren’t as good at. We’re professional designers, but it challenges
A couple of years ago, I ran a Kickstarter campaign to create a font us to do the marketing. We overcome what we find difficult by involving
which captured the beauty of old street signs in Bueno Aires; the names people from different disciplines. We have a great network of wonderful
of old buildings, old canopies, and the spirit of an old and beautiful city. professionals who help us when needed.
It was a passion project and also my biggest typeface project I’ve ever Getting people involved with our work is something we love to do.
created. Before we launch a new project, we usually get feedback from people
we respect. It doesn’t just help us produce better work, but it also helps
2. What are your different income streams? us spread the word because when you get people involved, they relate to
Over the years, we’ve built a reputation within the local community, so your project far more.
there’s always something for us to do, although, it’s become a challenge
to put time aside to work on projects we initiate ourselves. We’ve done “WHAT BRINGS THE BEST OF YOU
two crowdfunding campaigns to finance two projects we really wanted TO THE SURFACE?”
to do: one was for a book about the Palacio Barolo, the building in which
we have our studio, and the other was for the Montserrat Typeface to Our long-term dream would be to focus more on our own projects, but
preserve old typographies of Buenos Aires. We love to work on projects it’s hard in Argentina to make a living as a creative, so while we feel we
that help us shed light on the beauty of the city. add more value to the society whenever we focus on projects driven by
It’s easy to just continue working on client assignments because you our personal vision, we don’t think it would be a safe choice to jump into
know exactly what to do, but with your own projects, you’re the creative doing that head over heels. Still, it’s important to work on something
director and the driving force behind your ideas. You must be a lot more you’re truly excited about and where you can decide on every single de-

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tail. In the future, we want to make more books. We believe that books who love your work will find it and if you’re lucky, they’ll get in touch! If
bring the best in us to the surface. you need people to find your project while you’re live on Kickstarter, you
better help them find it quicker because time is limited!
4. Why did you choose crowdfunding to release your project?
With our first project, the book about Palacio Barolo, we couldn’t find 5. What does your creative process look like?
a publishing house, so it felt like the best choice. In 2011, we used Kick- Valeria and I are trying to remain very open to new ideas. We draw in-
starter to release a typeface. Kickstarter isn’t available to creators in Ar- spiration from different aspects of life; when we see someone in the
gentina, but we had someone from the US who helped us set it up. street who catches our eye, or notice a color combination we admire.
Dave Crossland, who’s consulting on the Google fonts project, vis- Inspiration is everywhere! It’s about being open to these idea moments.
ited us at the university where I studied typeface design and he really I believe it’s a decision to be open and creative. Creativity is an attitude
liked my project. It was his idea to use Kickstarter to not only finance the to life!
project, but to also spread the word about it globally. We weren’t familiar
with Kickstarter at all and trusted his judgement. “CREATIVITY IS AN ATTITUDE TO LIFE!”
It was incredible to see people from all over the world support our
project and give us money, even though they didn’t know who we were. But, of course, there’s a difference between feeling inspired, having an
People from every continent were reaching out. We asked for $5,000 and idea, and deciding to turn it into an actual project. Whenever an idea
we received almost $10,000 within four weeks thanks to the Kickstarter becomes a strong desire, it feels like we’re just here to help it be born.
community. If you’re endlessly excited about a potential project, you’ll figure out
But I don’t want to mislead you; doing a Kickstarter campaign is the time to do it. We’re excited about our book, our office, graphic design
hard because you’re constantly online, responding to people’s emails in general, and the typeface we released thanks to Kickstarter. This is
and replying to their comments. how we decide what to work on next.
When Dave suggested using Kickstarter, he wasn’t sure whether it Unfortunately, the older you get, the more critical you become. It’s
would work or not. I believe the Montserrat Typeface was the first proj- not as easy for us to be excited about opportunities that come our way,
ect dedicated to typography that ever launched on Kickstarter. It was a so we just realize personal projects where we don’t mind that there’s no
risk, but Dave really believed in my work! He encouraged me to show my direct money reward involved.
face and the way I work, so I prepared a script for the video and guided
people through my office and my neighborhood. I guess the best expe- 6. What have you learned from running a business for such a long
rience I had on Kickstarter was I made really good friends with people time?
from the industry. Harald Geisler, a Frankfurt-based typographer, was How important it is to be polite in everything you do; whether it’s emails
one of them. He’s done some incredible Kickstarter campaigns to sup- or phone calls. All of the team and client communication is really sen-
port his projects. He’s been using Kickstarter to fund his work for years. sitive and you need to approach it as such. However, it’s important to
When you’re on Kickstarter, you recognize how close the world have your own opinion, your own standing. People could commission
feels. You’re in contact with so many people. I still receive emails, even anyone else, but the reason they come to you is because of who you are
years later, from people asking me about the Montserrat Typeface. If and what you stand for. They come to you because they believe in your
you show people your art and if you publish it on the internet, people attitude.

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You have to learn to value your work. Time is limited and you don’t want
people to waste it. If you don’t have a good gut feeling, don’t proceed
with a project. Get contracts and make people pay for your work every
time you reach a milestone before you continue working on the next
stage.
Also, keep working on personal projects. They shape your business
and help you advertise your work from an angle you want to be known
for.

7. What would you recommend to someone who wants to run a

Kickstarter project?
Once you click “Go live,” you’re in for a ride. You’ll spend a lot of time
answering emails. The more technical your project is, the more people
will share their doubts with you. You shouldn’t get angry about it. Peo-
ple who ask good questions will challenge you and help you become a
better designer.
We were quite naive when we launched our campaign. We didn’t
even have Facebook, let alone Twitter or Instagram. We merely sent
emails to our friends and luckily, they shared it with their network on
Facebook.
We also have friends working in media who conducted interviews
on TV and the radio. The project appeared in newspapers and in mag-
azines too. Kickstarter was such a new thing, and it still is in Argentina,
so it was relatively easy to get attention. However, without the support of
our friends, it wouldn’t have been possible.
You should take time during the campaign to be able to work not
just on your project, but also on running your campaign. The better you
prepare in advance, the easier it will be.
When you’re planning your campaign, you should think about what
you will deliver afterwards. The more organized you are as a person, the
smoother it will go. When I created my campaign, I offered many differ-
ent rewards, from postcards to notebooks and T-shirts. But the more di-
verse your rewards are, the more you’ll have to coordinate and the more
work you’ll eventually have to manage. Everything that isn’t digital has
to be shipped, so you’ll have to deal with wrapping many packages, go-

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ing to the post office with suitcases, and shipping products to countries
you might not even know where they are on the map. It’s a crazy expe-
rience!

INVEST
8. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to
start a business such as yours?
I believe the greatest resources are the people you surround yourself
with. You should get people involved in whatever you’re working on,
especially when you don’t know how to approach something. Look for
YOUR TIME
people who know better and don’t hesitate to ask them for advice.
As a solopreneur, you’re held responsible for doing everything there is
9. What do you think are the greatest challenges for someone who to do in a business, from finding new clients, to sending out invoices,
works in design? to doing the actual creative work. Even cleaning your work space falls
The quality of the work you produce is incredibly important. For me, into your responsibilities. These are the obvious tasks; the ones you’ve
the key moment will always remain the moment of printing. You can probably seen yourself and your colleagues do when you worked for a
create a lot on the screen, but you’ll only understand what you made company. However, what you probably overlooked is what your boss did
once you hold it in your hands. behind closed doors or after everyone went home; strategizing how to
allocate resources, what to focus on, and what to invest energy in today,
10. What’s something you would recommend to others who want to tomorrow, a month, or even a year from now. In other words, it’s in your
build a business such as yours? hands to plan where your business is headed to keep everyone involved
Collaborate with others! But always trust your original idea. Neverthe- sturdy and happy, and to consider how your business will earn money if a
less, remain receptive to other people’s feedback. It’s good to be open to client decides to end their contract with you.
change and implement feedback, but you should never walk away from Every single decision you make determines how you’ll be spending
the core of the original idea. Follow your guts, but also try to make it your time in the foreseeable future. After I talked to the women I in-
better by implementing the feedback you receive. Also, learn how to use terviewed for my first book, I realized that as a freelancer, you can only
Excel. That will come very handy! allocate half of your time, about 20 hours a week, to client work. The
earnings for these 20 hours must be enough for you to be able to do ev-
erything else that makes for a business, which isn’t just the administrative
work, but also the visionary work. As a one-person company, it’s you who
needs to think about what will make your business stable, even if some-
thing unexpected happens that temporarily steals your focus.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to build a stable, cre-
@julietaulanovsky ative business, you need to differentiate the way you make your living; if
www.zkysky.com.ar your main focus is to offer services, then you need to focus on creating
products for sale. If you run a business that specializes in creating prod-

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ucts, you need to think about a way to turn your skills into services. For
you, in order to create a business that challenges you and simultaneously
gives you long-term security, you need to build different pillars to sup-
port yourself.

The internet has given us multiple opportunities to scale our efforts. As a

consultant or a creative, you can write books or create classes, tutorials,
art, templates; there are so many possibilities you can offer for sale! You
can either start your own shop on your website, or look for platforms
that will sell and distribute your creative work.
Take books for example; you can use Amazon’s Createspace, upload
the file, and they’ll take care of printing your book and its distribution.
You don’t need to stress over logistics because they’ll do it for you! You
can use EyeEm, upload your photography, and they’ll sell it to agencies
in need of authentic photography. You can also conduct a class on some-
thing you’re knowledgeable about and upload it to Skillshare, or even
partner up with a company like Casetify and have them sell your art for
digital accessories. There are thousands of companies out there hungry
for your talent, so it’s your job to find the right ones that will take work
off your shoulders and fill up your bank account while you’re busy cre-
ating out loud.
I’m emphasizing on creating out loud because the more people know
who you are and where they can buy your art, the more art of yours will
eventually sell. While these companies that are focused on sales and lo-
gistics are great and you can bump up your sales by writing great blurbs
and keywording your products properly, it’s recommendable to invest
time in marketing your work too. Logistic companies usually help make
successful products more successful because that’s where they’ll earn
the most money, so if you do something, tell everyone. And once you’ve
done one product, start working on the next one! The more digital shelf
space you occupy with your work, the better your sales will be, some-
thing Susan and Joanna will tell you a lot about in their interviews.
If you, on the other hand, are a creative who focuses on making prod-
ucts, you can commission others to help you with sales just like Helen
does, or you can implement some sort of service to your portfolio of

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tasks. Teaching people, online or offline, is a great way to connect to and INTERVIEW WITH
grow your audience. People will appreciate buying from someone they

Susan
trust. If you create products day after day, then you’re probably a master
of your craft and should find a way to share your knowledge. Being se-
cretive doesn’t necessarily make sense in the age of the internet because

Schmitz
people can find anything they want online, so it’s better to see your name
or your brand’s name attached to a technique you master. Teaching peo-
ple how to do what you do isn’t just a way to make an additional income;
it’s a way for you to market your business by creating out loud.

Now that we’re thinking about how to invest your time, we should also be
thinking about how not to. Chances are high you don’t enjoy every part Susan is a photographer who specializes
of running a business. These are the things you should delegate or out-
source. Many freelancers believe they can do it all, and even if they prob-
in animal photography. She gradually built
ably can, it takes an unnecessary amount of time that could be used to her social business next to her full-time
work on something enjoyable to make more money and spread the word.
Even as a creative, this is where you need to think like an entrepreneur.
job. Today, Susan works with animal rescue
If your main income source is, for example, illustration or illustration is groups and helps shelters find homes for
what you want to turn into your main income source, then you shouldn’t
their protegés by providing them with
be sorting through your receipts or photographing your products for
your shop if photography isn’t what you master or what you want to learn. beautiful images, which she then monetizes
Working with other people who can take over parts of your business as stock photography.
you don’t enjoy or know much about will help you grow your audience if
you choose your partners wisely. (We’ll get to choosing partners wisely
later.) In the meantime, write down what you don’t enjoy doing and later
There’s a lot to learn from Susan’s street
on, we’ll deal with who should be taking care of those tasks. Now, it’s smart attitude to building a resourceful
time to introduce you to Susan. I still can’t believe how she makes her
business.
living. If you don’t believe anything is possible after you read her chapter,
I don’t know what else could convince you!

Phoenix, USA

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to I usually use the same lighting setup when shooting stock images.
where you are now? It gives me the ability to be creative afterwards. Because of the neutral
I didn’t go to college actually. I’m completely self-taught. Everything you background I use, I can composite images and tell stories. I can, for ex-
need to know about photography or illustration is now on the internet. ample, put a chihuahua that’s looking up next to a much bigger dog
You can basically find anything you want to learn about or tap into re- that’s looking down. My aim is to create images for a commercial pur-
sources, such as the CreativeLive. I learned a lot from tuning into live pose, something the pet industry could find useful.
webinars and reading books and articles I found online. I sometimes work with private clients, but I never spend time or
Before, I worked at a mortgage company for about 22 years. I man- money marketing to them besides mentioning the service on my web-
aged to quit my job a couple of years ago, but it was a slow transition. I site. It’s harder to shoot images of people because, realistically, most
now earn money through stock photography. You need a very solid port- people don’t enjoy looking at images of themselves. Animals don’t com-
folio, which takes years to build, for you to be able to live off of it. plain about how they look. They don’t have a bad hair day.
I started experimenting with photography about ten years ago. It When I first started, I took photographs of people. I shot family por-
took me eight years to transition a side hustle into a full-time career. And traits and people with their pets. That’s when I realized I really liked
to be completely honest, I wouldn’t have dared the transition into free- working with animals. I spent more time working with animals than I
lance if my body wouldn’t have suggested me to. The stress from having did with people, so I started donating my time to rescue groups and kind
a job I didn’t enjoy made me physically sick. I had to change something. of fell into the business.
When I quit my job and went on to do what I’m doing now, I started When you work with rescue groups, there’s no money involved. I
feeling much better. can’t charge them, so I started researching ways to utilize all the images
When I started out with photography, I was spending about 20 I produced. I’d heard of some people who were selling photographs as
hours a week on that. I was still working the regular 40 hours at my oth- stock. They weren’t making a lot of money, but I thought that could be
er job. Gradually, I switched to 30/30 before quitting my job altogether. something I could do part-time to build a portfolio.
It was a lot of hustle! I’m the type of person that when faced with a challenge or a situa-
tion I don’t like, I’ll find a way to make it work, especially in business. I’m
2. What are your different income streams? not a complainer.
My major income comes from stock photography. Shutterstock, in par- I also have a cooperative studio I rent out to local artists. I have a
ticular, is my main earner. There are some other agencies I work with, partner and we split the duties. We allow renters to come and use the
such as iStock, Fotolia, and Deposit Photos. Even though some income space on either an hourly basis, or they can sign up for a monthly pro-
trickles in from all of the stock markets I submit, I rely heavily on Shut- gram. The more they use the space, the less it costs them. It’s a great way
terstock’s income. They’re a good company and really look after their for creatives to have a studio space to work out of, which they otherwise
contributors. couldn’t afford themselves. The income covers our monthly rent for the
I also submit to Fine Art America from time to time because I’ve studio, giving me and my partner a free place to work and a little extra
learned that photos of food and landscapes will sell there. However, I cash in our pockets.
specialize in animal photography. Fine Art America is an outlet for
when I want to try something more artistic.

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3. How do you get so many different dogs to participate in your

shootings?
I work with the animal rescue community. A couple of times a month,
I go to rescue groups and photograph all of the new animals they’ve
taken in. I also have a rescue group program that allows smaller rescue
groups to bring several adoptable animals into my studio each month
for photographs. Professional pictures of homeless animals helps draw
more attention to them, which increases their chances of adoption. It’s
a win-win. I offer this service for free; they find homes for their pets
quicker and I get to use the pictures of these dogs for the pet images I
sell as stock.

4. What does your work process look like?

I submit images to ten different photo agencies. When I first became a
full-time stock photographer, I had over 2,000 images at those agencies.
With this, my husband and I were able to earn enough money to get by
when combined with his income.
However, it wasn’t enough to live the lifestyle we wanted. I sat down
and planned out my production and royalty goals for the next five years.
I set out to produce 300 images per month, but that was really hard to
accomplish. I wanted to stay at 40 hours a week and I wanted at least
four weeks of vacation every year. After the first few months, I found out
200 images per month was a much more reasonable goal.
When I take the number of images I have in my stock library and
divide the number by how much I’m making each month, I know the
return per image is at about 80 cents. Some images are more marketable
than others. Each image submitted needs to be high-quality and com-
mercially valuable to become marketable and profitable. If you do the
math, you can see you have to really build a big portfolio to make a good
living as a stock photographer. By sticking to a production cycle of 200
images each month, my income goes up by about $160 per month. Over
time, this really adds up. If you produce quality work and you stick to
certain goals, you can go freelance in a couple of years.
I used to try and plan out sessions. For example, I would plan out a
Christmas-themed photo shoot with a specific shot list. After a while, I

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learned that when you work with animals, they tend to have a mind of Take, for example, the grooming industry. What sort of an image
their own. I’ve since given up on planning. Now, I just shoot whatever I will they want to use? That’s what I ask myself whenever I edit images.
can get. I try to get the animals into different positions for variation, then For the grooming industry, I might take an image of an animal sitting
I review all the images after each photo session to determine how I want up and put a comb and a pair of scissors in their paws during post-pro-
to creatively enhance them in Photoshop. As I focus on each image, I try duction. It makes it far more marketable than just having a decent im-
to remember previous photos I’ve taken that may work well together. I age of a dog. Always think about how you’ll set yourself apart from the
can put two photos together and have them interact with one another. millions and millions of images that are out there. Look up a certain
Creativity lies in the backend for me; it’s what I do in the post-produc- subject you want to shoot. Research what’s already out there and create
tion phase. During the photo shoots, I’m just having fun with the ani- something different.
mals. I’ve also learned pictures of certain breeds sell better than others.
Dogs with a black coat don’t sell well unfortunately. It’s also much hard-
“PRODUCE QUALITY WORK! er to find a home for them, so if you ever consider getting a dog from a
IF YOU STICK TO CERTAIN GOALS, shelter, get a black one! Puppies and kittens sell very well, but I shoot all
YOU CAN GO FREELANCE sorts of animals: snakes, alligators, tigers. I think working with animals
IN JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS.” is really exciting!
Given I work mainly with animal shelters, I can’t determine what
I label and keyword each photo properly in order to find it later. When a animals I’ll take pictures of. For me, what comes first is what’s important
holiday is around the corner, I’ll look through my entire collection and for the animals to get ready for adoption. Then comes my creative work.
then look for pictures I could turn into a Christmas scene. I collage a My income comes second! I believe there’s a market for everything. If
group of different animals together and add Christmas props, that sort you label your pictures properly, interested buyers will find them. If I
of thing. have pictures of an older dog, I use keywords like “senior,” “rescue,” and
I mainly work in my pajamas with my two dogs cuddled up next to “elderly.”
me on the couch. I need to be comfortable to be able to enter my creative I now have an assistant to help me label photos because that’s the
space. The majority of my work is editing. I love post-production. I get part I don’t enjoy. She helps me on a contract basis and takes a lot of
completely immersed in working with Photoshop. I try to have studio work off my shoulders. I also like to automate as much as I can. I use
days about once a week where multiple rescue groups come to see me Adobe Bridge because I can create a text file and then enter all the suit-
with their adoptable animals. Then, I spend four days editing the foot- able keywords.
age and pulling together what I believe will sell.
6. How does one get into stock photography?
5. How do you know what images will sell? For Shutterstock, you’ll need to apply and submit a certain number of
I like to say it’s common sense: if an animal is just sitting there, it won’t images for them to review the quality of your work. Once you’ve passed
sell well. Many buyers don’t have graphic design skills, so it’s best to cre- the review process, you’ll be able to submit more pictures. iStock has an
ate very specific use cases. You should think about specific industries even more intense review process that requires you to pass a test. They
you want to reach. want to know if you have the technical knowledge required to produce
professional images.

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I would recommend taking the tests even if you’re not sure whether other subjects to keep your perspective fresh. Try to get to know pho-
you want to invest your time in stock photography. Going through the tographers who do similar things as you and make acquaintances with
approval process will really open your eyes and you’ll realize how good people who work in different areas too, to gain different perspectives.
you’ll need to become and where you might have flaws in your work. For You should also try staying on top of industry trends. Google “mi-
stock, you need to be technically fit. crostock industry” and follow the different reports that examine indus-
I’ve learned not to take rejections personally. You’ll get a lot of re- try trends for you. Personally, I try to submit some images I know are
jections at the beginning, but learn from it and be grateful to everyone trendy to gain attention from people who look for that sort of stock, but
who takes the time to give you feedback. Image reviewers are my great- my main focus remains on producing evergreen content. I try to avoid
est teachers because they point out how to improve my photography. I taking pictures of modern technology, such as cell phones or laptops be-
used to take it personally, but I don’t anymore. They’re doing me a favor cause they become outdated quickly. There’s also the danger of fashions
by helping me become a better photographer! going out of style, especially if you capture people.

“BE GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE WHO TAKES 9. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to
THE TIME TO GIVE YOU FEEDBACK. USE IT get into stock photography?
TO GROW.” CreativeLive has been the greatest resource for me! It’s also good to look
into forums, but you shouldn’t get caught up in them because they can
7. What do you think is important to consider when shooting for drag you down. Nevertheless, you can learn a lot from other people.
stock?
Some people that just get started in stock take whatever they find in 10. What are the greatest challenges for people in the stock
their house and shoot it against a white background. You may get a few photography market?
sales that way, but you really have to think like a buyer and find ways to It’s a very competitive industry. There are millions of photographs out
make your images unique. Find ways to tell a story with a single glance. there, so you have to strive to remain unique in your style, which is diffi-
It helps to occupy a niche so you’ll become known for that area of in- cult. That’s my own personal challenge because if you produce what ev-
terest. Buyers will start following your work and people will bookmark eryone else is producing, you’ll just add to the sea of stock photography.
your page. You’ll also need to remember that stock photography is for the long
Over the years, I’ve built a good following of companies who buy haul. You have to spend a lot of time upfront before you see a decent
images soon after I’ve uploaded them. It’s good to venture off from time reward from all your hard work. When someone downloads an image
to time and shoot other things to keep from getting burnt out. Different of yours, you may only make a few cents, but you have to think of it
subjects sell better with certain stock agencies. You can distribute imag- as building up your investment portfolio because it’s a royalty-based in-
es to various agencies for better sales. come. It’s your retirement! It’s money you can give to your grandkids.
Think of the future!
8. What’s something you would recommend to someone who wants
to get into stock photography?
Be patient. It takes a lot of time to be successful in this business. Find @photofusionAZ
a general subject and become an expert at it. But also, keep shooting www.shutterstock.com/g/srichey

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 FIND YOUR
NICHE
Previously, I said this guide isn’t going to tell you to find your niche, so
now you might be wondering how the hell I got to a point to dedicate
a chapter to finding your niche. I promise I’m not being a hypocrite and
it’ll make sense.
The key is to not waste your time doing one thing and one thing only.
Once you’ve sold this “one thing,” you might have to look for new cus-
tomers, which is always the most challenging part of running a business
if you’re just starting out. Don’t make yourself start that process all over
again!
Let's back up and redefine what your niche is. It starts with thinking
about the people you serve with your work. Your niche is your follower’s
needs and interests!
It’s very likely, and this is also something Patty mentioned, that the
needs and interests of your clients and customers are probably also your
needs and interests. If you’re a mom, you might be most excited about
babies, so your audience might be other moms who feel the same way.
It’s their problems that are also your problems that make for your niche.
As an entrepreneur, you’re not someone who executes what you’re
being told to do. You’re being hired by clients and getting paid by cus-
tomers to solve a problem, so when you think about your niche, think
about what sort of problems you’re solving. Your niche is a diverse field
you can occupy and play with. It’s the problems you solve day after day
that keep you on your toes and keeps the people who’ve discovered your
work interested in what you’ll do next. They’ll become your audience and
serving them will become the focus of your business.

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When you open up on social media about the problems you wake up When you think of your audience, think of what your audience is
to solve every morning and you listen to what other people say about drawn towards and where your art fits within their life(styles). Go on Ins-
them, it’ll be much easier for you to connect the dots and create new tagram, look through forums, and learn about people and what they like,
products and services. Your business can evolve around the feedback admire, and are genuinely excited about. Listen up when they mention
you receive. Even if you get stuck and feel like your mind is blocked what magazines they read or what podcasts they listen to and position
and there’s no space for new ideas, you can retreat to the comments your work within that field. Make it easy for people to recommend your
and reactions you’ve previously heard about your work and the problems work by adding value to their lives.
you’ve helped solve. I, personally, love to follow creatives who share bits and pieces of their
If you see yourself as a problem solver, than your work will forever work process because it keeps me motivated to pursue the work I do. I
remain relevant. If you just do one thing that’s working out at this very love following people who share their techniques and are open about
moment, your business might one day become irrelevant. I’ll give you how they approach their everyday challenges because it helps me solve
an utterly crazy example here, but it’s one you’ll most likely understand mine. And I love to follow people who go places I would like to experi-
because it’s so well known and so obvious. Okay, ready? ence for myself because it keeps me hungry for what else there is to
Think about the Harry Potter series! I’ve read all seven books and loved explore in the world.
them. First, I read the second book because I didn’t see it wasn’t the first You too might have preferences and are probably able to explain why
one, and then I bought every new book once it was released. Every new you prefer to follow some people more than you enjoy following others.
book just felt right at that time because J.K. Rowling didn’t write seven You might recognize there’s a difference between keeping up on peo-
books for 11-year-old kids (I think I was actually 11 when the first book was ple’s lives who we know and who we don’t know. When we see personal
published). She wrote books that were of interest to her first core read- photos of people we know, it warms our hearts to see their happiness,
ers. Every book she released was for her very first audience who became their babies, and their personal achievements. If, on the other hand, we
older. She didn’t try to entertain 11-year-olds every time she sat down to follow the paths of people we don’t know in person, it’s hard to be as
write a book. She had an original audience and kept serving them as they genuinely excited about their personal successes unless it helps us iden-
grew older and evolved. The seventh book, which I got in my hands when tify what it takes to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves.
I was 22, was incredibly dark and filled with second world war references. If you pick your five favorite social media accounts of people you fol-
I wouldn’t want to see an 11-year-old read that book, but for me, it was low and jot down why that’s the case, it’ll determine how you could add
what made me buy J.K. Rowling’s other books. See what she did there? value to others with what you share on your social media accounts. The
Now, look at what you do and think about who it is that might be feelings you have are probably the feelings people have when they follow
benefiting from and enjoying your work. As a creative, you might not be you.
an actual problem solver in the deepest sense. You might solve the prob- If you can identify why you enjoy seeing the successes of people you
lems that fit within a lifestyle, such as what wallpaper pattern suits the don’t know, it’ll be easier to determine what it is you should share online
carpet in the living room best. So if you create patterns for wallpapers that’s inviting others to follow along.
and your potential customer is dealing with finding the right carpet, you Share your process, create for your audience, and most importantly,
can solve their problem by either partnering up with a carpet designer as your audience grows and evolves, do the same alongside them. You
and creating a collection together, or by finding a carpet producer who can learn a lot about accommodating to your audience from Shayna. She
could commission your designs. founded a business that supports her nomadic lifestyle by listening to

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her students’ feedback and continuously sharing what she has created INTERVIEW WITH
for the people she decided to serve. There’s plenty to take away from her

Shayna
story, so I hope you have a pen or highlighter in your hand!

Oliveira
Shayna, an online English teacher and the
founder of Espresso English, loves her work
because she can do it from anywhere in
the world. She kicked off her career as
an online educator when she recognized
a need in her immediate surroundings.

In her interview, Shayna speaks about

creating classes, products, and educational
material based on the feedback she gets
from her students, and how building your
audience is crucial to making a living online.

Salvador, Brazil

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to learning English with me. I wanted to give them the feeling that it’s easy
where you are now? to learn and make progress. All of my products contain lessons that are
I was a chemistry major in college, but I didn’t want to pursue it because quick and easy to complete. Whenever I produce a new course, I choose
you have to specialize and I have a lot of diverse interests. After a couple a different subject my students want to learn about.
of internships, I decided it wasn’t the career for me. I took some time off
to think about what I wanted to do with my life, then went to Israel to 3. How have you grown your business?
volunteer with African refugees. They needed someone to teach them People buy courses from people they know, like, and trust. I started with
English. That’s where I realized how much I enjoyed teaching! blog posts and emails to people who knew who I was. You need to be
I returned to the US to get training in teaching English as a second patient because it takes a while to build up some traffic. In my case, it
language before taking off again to move to Brazil, where I then started was six months of continuous publishing and about nine months until I
teaching English in both group and private lessons. saw some traction on my site. I also started a newsletter right in the be-
Many of my students were too busy to come to class consistently; ginning. I remember my first email went out to 12 people. Now, it’s more
they had jobs and families that demanded their time and attention. than 50,000 subscribers, but you don’t ever start at 50K. You always start
However, they really wanted to learn the language, and one day, a stu- with just your friends and people who know you.
dent who was a busy working mother asked if I could send her the class
via email. She wanted to read through my lessons during her lunch “BE PATIENT! IT TAKES A WHILE TO BUILD
breaks. I said, “Sure!” because I really wanted to help her learn English. AN AUDIENCE.”
Once I started sending out my lessons via email, I also started pub-
lishing them as posts on my blog. I already had the content, so why not The first time I decided to offer a paid course, it was because I realized
publish it somewhere where more people could access it and learn from that when people signed up for language classes, they paid for the
me? I wasn’t making any money doing that for at least six months, and course in advance. I figured I could try the same thing online. I sent an
it took about three years before I had the guts to leave my “day job” and email to my subscribers and asked them what topic they would like to
work on Espresso English full-time. learn. I gave them three options: business English, travel English, and
idioms. My community voted for travel English. I announced the course
2. What are your different income streams? I was planning to run in August a month in advance. It was just a simple
I have several income streams, but they’re all tied to Espresso English. sign up page and the offer that they would get 30 lessons for $30.
I’ve created nine courses, from pronunciation to phrasal verbs and busi- I started producing the course once people started signing up and
ness English. I’ve started a monthly membership program and I’ve also paying me for it in advance. I was just a few days ahead with creating
written three e-books. the classes before sending them out to my students day after day. Once
Up to 30% of my monthly income comes from my bundle deal, in the course was over, I picked another topic and repeated the process.
which I offer all of the materials and courses I’ve created at a discount. Although it was only a few people signing up, I could see it was working,
Once you have a body of work, you should definitely offer a bundle deal so I continued.
of your products. For my first class, I had about 100 people who started the signup
When I first started, I chose the name Espresso English because process and only 17 who made it through and actually paid. It was 17
drinking espresso is fast and that’s how I wanted my students to perceive people paying $30 dollars, so I got about $500 for a month’s worth of

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work. I was a bit upset at first because that seemed so low compared to
these super-profitable case studies of product launches you read about
online. Much later on, I found out it’s normal to have less than 20 people
sign up for your first course. It’s not too bad either because in most cases,
you don’t really know what you’re doing. You’ll only figure out a struc-
ture and get better at teaching online the longer you do it.
Although the income from my first class wasn’t record breaking, I
still taught a classroom of 17 students. Then, 28 people signed up for my
second course. I continued producing classes for my students and over
time, more people signed up. The effort I put in wasn’t rewarded imme-
diately, but it paid off eventually.
In education, the content is evergreen. Once you’ve done something
and have done it well, you can use the content repeatedly. I’m making
some changes in my courses now because there are some things that
need an update.
The amount of people who sign up for my classes fluctuates to this
day. Sometimes it’s more and sometimes it’s fewer students. It’s normal
to start questioning what you’re doing wrong. However, I’ve learned the
success of every class depends on my launch strategy and the choice of
topic I decide to teach.

4. What’s your launch strategy like?

I schedule a launch period of three weeks. I’ve learned when you choose
a shorter timeframe, many people miss it, so I would recommend plan-
ning ahead if you want to reach as many people as possible. Having a
longer launch window also gives me more time to prepare the lessons.
By pre-selling the course, I trick myself into not being a perfectionist
because having paying customers expecting my class on a particular day
gives me a very clear deadline, which motivates me to get things done.
I offer an early bird price and then the price goes up on a deter-
mined date. That adds a feeling of urgency and people are more likely
to sign up early to receive a discount. A lot of people register on the final
day of the early bird period because I send an email that says, “This is
your last chance to get the early bird price!”. It might seem cheesy, but
many people have told me they appreciated the reminder.

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Usually during a launch period, I send out a sequence of emails; For each lesson, I also prepare practical exercises for my students, so
a mix of content and promotion. I never use high-pressure sales tech- that’s another half an hour. And finally, it takes about an hour to set it up
niques to get people to buy my classes. It’s always more of an invitation. on Wordpress and schedule an email to be sent to students.
In the first email, I announce the launch and in the second, I give away I’m trying to strike a balance of working five hours a day; three hours
a free sample or I send out a list of lessons that will be covered in the in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. I believe five hours is
course. I usually send out a couple of emails containing regular content a nice amount of time where you can get enough done and remain fo-
where I’ll just include a “PS: This course is starting soon.” And I finish cused, but you won’t have the feeling you spent the entire day in front of
off the sequence with the “last chance” e-mail. the computer.

5. What’s your digital infrastructure like? 7. How do you choose what to teach next?
When you first start out, you can use the most basic tools. I used to I sometimes poll my students or I just generally listen to what people say
email download links manually, so from my perspective, Mailchimp they need. I also have a feedback form at the end of every course. Hear-
and Dropbox are simple enough for anyone to get started with online ing what your customers think about your work helps you get better.
education. I eventually changed to a paid plan at Mailchimp, and once It’s usually not hard to decide what to teach; it’s more a question of
students bought a course, they received an auto-responder with a link to how you’ll attract people and make them aware of your course. I would
download the PDF or video classes they bought. recommend looking for relevant partners and teaming up with others
Today, my setup has become more sophisticated. I use Member- to grow your audience.
Mouse, a Wordpress plugin that lets paying customers into a members
only area. Once a new student in my course pays via Stripe or PayPal, “TEAM UP WITH OTHERS TO GROW YOUR
they get an automatic email with their login details and can access the AUDIENCE.”
course immediately. If someone has trouble with the system, they’ll
email me, but the current setup is pretty hands-off so I can focus on 8. What resources can you recommend to someone who wants to
other parts of my business. create an online course?
I’ve learned a lot from David Siteman Garland, who created The Rise to
6. How long does it take to create an online class? the Top, and from mynameisbreanne.com. These are two great resourc-
It’s going to take you longer when you first begin. You just need to get es to teach you what you need to know about conversion, promotion,
used to your system. Now, I need about four to five hours per day to and building an audience if you want to start working in online educa-
make a lesson. tion.
First, I research what I’ll teach and how I’ll structure my class. Re- Many teachers I know don’t have a problem creating classes and
searching and writing takes about 90 minutes, then I make my slides in material, but they have difficulty promoting and selling their work. You
PowerPoint, which takes about 30 minutes. Once you have a system in need to learn how to market. It’s a skill that can be acquired just like any
place for how you want your slides to look, it’s just a matter of adding other.
the content. Recording and editing audio takes another 30 minutes, and
then you combine the audio with the slides to make a video. I use Win-
dows Movie Maker to do that, and it takes me around ten minutes.

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9. What’s the biggest challenge for someone who wants to create an

online course?
The biggest challenge is to build an audience. It all starts with having
visitors to your site opt in to an email list. The list is where you’ll gener-
ate the majority of your sales. My recommendation is to mention your
email list in every piece of content you create and also offer several opt
in options throughout your website. When you’re ready to launch a
course, it’s a huge asset to have an audience that already likes your work
and wants to learn from you.
There are two ways to grow your list: you can either “publish and
hope” people will find you, or you can proactively seek out subscribers.
It’s a lot easier and faster when you do the latter, especially by collab-
orating with others. Guest blogging, appearing on podcasts, or doing
joint ventures with people with similar audiences can quickly increase
the number of your subscribers.
Try to give a lot of value for free or in exchange for people signing
up to your e-mail list. Everyone who signs up to mine receives a free
e-book with 500 English phrases. Giving something to people that will
help them improve their skills is the best thing you can do to build your
audience.
One thing to keep in mind about mailing lists is not everyone will
open your newsletter. The bigger your audience is, the less people will
open your emails. Nowadays, a good mailing list has an open rate of
about 25%. People who have smaller lists get up to 50%. You can increase
your open rate by sending genuinely useful content and using intriguing
subject lines for your messages. Being personable and friendly also goes
a long way towards building a relationship with your email subscribers.

10. What’s something you would recommend to someone who wants

to create an online course?
Once you have an audience, try to get 10-15 paying students to sign up
for your first course. If you’re insecure about selling, you can invite five
to ten people to be beta testers. In other words, give them the course for

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free in exchange for their feedback on improving it. Then, you can make
the course better and sell it to the rest of your audience more confidently.
Don’t hesitate. Make your classes good, but also get them out as
quickly as possible. I know people who spend three years working on

COLLABORATE
a course, and I think it’s crazy to drag the process out for so long. If you
have people wanting to learn from you, you’re doing them a disservice
by holding back.
Don’t be afraid to charge people money for what you’re teaching!
Your work is good enough! If by chance it’s not, your students will tell
WITH OTHERS
you, and you can always give a refund if someone’s dissatisfied.
In a nutshell, build your audience first, then get your first course I’m going to go ahead and let you in on one of the keys to success. It’s a
out there as soon as possible and do it even if you have just five or ten matter of networking. If you know the right people, you gain access to
students sign up. Your audience will grow and your content is evergreen, the right places. For centuries, there were hierarchies, but now, since the
so you can keep selling it for years. social web has evolved to what it is today, hierarchies are no longer what
If you’re concerned about competition or the large amount of free they used to be. I would even go as far as saying hierarchies are dead.
information available online, remember this – the larger the ocean, the Never before has it been easier to gain access to people we don’t
greater the need for a guide to navigate to a destination. When you have know who are far away from where we sit in front of our screens. How-
people who are interested in your topic and who like your teaching style, ever, in my perception, Twitter has completely revolutionized what’s
that’s all you need to build a successful online teaching business. possible and who you can meet for a coffee if you feel like it. Personal
websites where people publish their email addresses are like an invitation
to write a nice email to whoever you feel deserves a compliment. People
are still busy, yet they’re accessible.
Creativity is the new currency of social mobility. It’s no longer about
money or where you’ve studied; it’s what you do (and share online) that
makes you stand out to access people and places you might not have
even dreamed of. I may be a complete idealist, but I believe we’re the
generation that makes for what the internet will become in the future.
As of now, the internet is younger than 8,000 days, so it’s in our hands
to make the internet what we want it to be.
To me personally, the internet should be(come) a place where we con-
nect with people to collaborate and learn from each other. The power of
networks, the algorithmic ones in terms of how Google works, and why
it’s important to link to other websites and have others link to yours is
@espressoenglish what matters if we want to make the social web work in our favor. You
www.espressoenglish.net can create your own social network and all it takes is linking to the people

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you admire who might one day link back to you. Be nice, be creative, and
tell others why you admire them.
You can collaborate with people actively or passively. If things go well,
then passive collaborations can turn into active ones. It’s in your hands
to make that happen. Wonder how? It, again, starts with you sharing your
creative work online.
Once you find your outlet to create out loud, you can use it to compli-
ment other people’s work too. You can also use social media to announce
what or who you’re looking for and people will give you recommenda-
tions. Mention brands and companies you want to partner with and peo-
ple who’ve inspired you and your work. The more credit you give and the
more positive feedback you spread throughout your network, the more
visible your work will eventually become.
A passive collaboration is one where the other person doesn’t know
they’re collaborating with you. If you give them credit for having done
something that impacted your work, they’ve collaborated in your pro-
cess. It feels right to let them know and add to their social, creative cur-
rency. If nothing else, it will at least brighten their day to see what they
do has an actual impact. You’d appreciate to know when others value
your work too, given the effort you put into it to create something of
value.
Passive collaborations happen whether you share it with others or not,
so why not let the other person know? All it takes is mentioning them on
Twitter by quoting their thoughts or a link to their article, or Instagram-
ming a piece of their work and tagging it with their handle or hashtag.
Especially successful people spend countless hours working on some-
thing, so they should know there are people who appreciate it! Even if
you might not think it, the people you deeply admire have bad days just
like anyone else. Your post might make all the difference.
Mentioning people online can be the first step to making people you
don’t personally know (yet) part of your social circle. If you do so repeat-
edly throughout their career, they’ll absolutely notice because there’s
hardly anyone who has made it. Most people are making it every day!
This is a great moment to pull out your smartphone and tell someone
you think their work is awesome! I’ll wait…

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Now, we’ve arrived at the sort of collaborations you’re probably aware INTERVIEW WITH
of and recognize as such. Active collaborations are ones that work both

Sarah
ways, and you shouldn’t treat them any differently from how you’d treat
passive collaborations. Mention the people who have helped you get
to where you are today and took work off your shoulders so you could

Eichhorn
achieve better results. You’re in charge of your social success.
Many of the women you’ve gotten to know in this book, and also the
previous book, collaborate with others not just because they enjoy the
teamwork, but because it helps them reach audiences beyond their own.
If you work together with someone who’s on the same mission as you,
chances are high their audience might also enjoy your creations. The
more people you collaborate with, the more people get exposed to your Sarah is a renowned German lifestyle
work along the way.
In a nutshell, admire your allies, passive or active ones. Time for Sarah's
blogger. When she first started blogging
story! in 2010, she wrote about fashion, but
has since broadened her topics to beauty,
interior design, and travel.

In her interview, Sarah talks about

consistency, transparency, and how to
start a blog. In her opinion, having a
blog shouldn’t be about wanting to
become a professional blogger; it’s to help
you position and grow your business.

Munich, Germany

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to 2. How did you find your first clients?
where you are now? Even though I didn’t work for other companies for more than two and a
Since I was 14, I wanted to become a fashion editor. There was a possi- half years before I went freelance, I managed to build a network while
bility for me to do an internship after I graduated from high school. I I had my full-time job. Once I was available for hire as a freelancer, I
had plans to attend college for fashion journalism, but everyone I met reached out to the people I knew might be interested in my services. I
during my internship said the college I wanted to go to was a waste of sent them emails with references and I included a motivational letter. It
time and money. I didn’t know what else to do, so I went on to pursue an- was just like any normal application, but with the exception that I wasn’t
other internship with a PR agency. I was very lucky because you hardly available for full-time employment. Because I run an online business, I
ever get such an opportunity before you graduate. didn’t meet my clients in person for a really long time. Now I know all of
Once you have your foot in the door, you have to show people how them in person, but at the beginning we only communicated via email
they can benefit from having you on their team. I don’t have a degree, or Skype.
but I would never tell anyone not to study; it worked for me, but that Due to my references I acquired from the magazine, I had a strong
doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. profile and started working with several leading outlets. I also have two
From working in PR, I acquired a lot of incredible contacts and man- brands for whom I create articles for their blog and I write for multiple
aged to get a position as an assistant to the editor at an online magazine. magazines. If you don’t have any references, start writing for yourself to
Eventually, there were some changes in staff and as a consequence, I have something to show.
lost my job. However, I was offered to continue writing for them as a
freelancer. About a year later, I started my own blog because I wanted to 3. What are your different income streams?
have a space where I could write about whatever crossed my mind. That I have my blog, which is my biggest income source. I publish advertori-
was in 2010. als, I feature ads, and I earn money through affiliate links. I also have a
People from the industry knew about me and they also knew I start- store on my blog, so every time someone buys something through my
ed a blog. Whenever someone from a PR agency or the magazine need- blog, I’ll make commission. I then have some clients I write for every
ed to speak to a blogger, they all thought of me. If you show people what month and sometimes, I get booked to cover a story for a magazine or a
you do, they’ll think of you whenever they need someone with your pro- brand. I’m no longer just booked as a freelance fashion writer; it’s mostly
file. I was one of the first bloggers who got invited to press events. Back because I have the perspective of a fashion blogger.
then, people didn’t know what blogs were and I often had to defend my- The shop that’s connected to my website features items I’ve bought
self being a blogger. I think people only took my blog seriously in 2012, myself. When you have a blog, people come because they like your taste,
two and a half years after I launched. so you should only show pieces that feel authentic. I implemented Trac-
Delight, the performance network for fashion, to my blog shortly after
“IF YOU SHOW PEOPLE WHAT YOU DO, it was launched. I like the idea of curating my own store. I think people
THEY’LL THINK OF YOU WHENEVER THEY who come to a blog for inspiration appreciate knowing where to pur-
NEED SOMEONE WITH YOUR PROFILE.” chase what they see.
I generally only work with clients that feel right because it makes
no sense taking on jobs you know don’t excite you. If you’re not fully
convinced, then your audience won’t be either. Your readers trust you

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and your judgement, so you can’t disappoint them. When you have a least tether if there was no other way to go online. That’s the downside
blog, you can’t just accept pitches and write about the things people pay of an online business; you must be reachable 24/7.
you for. It’s important to offer a lot of editorial content you haven’t been
paid to produce. I have a set number of advertorials I accept per month. 4. How do you deal with the business side of having a blog now?
I believe you need to write at least twice as much unpaid content as what There was no business model when I started my blog. No one back then
you get paid to write and publish. Don’t overdo it with ads! had one. A blog was a place for me to share what I was interested in and
it helped get people interested in working with me. I work with an agen-
“IF YOU’RE NOT FULLY CONVINCED, cy now; all the advertorials and ads are organized and booked by them.
DON’T BLOG ABOUT IT.” At the beginning of 2013, the founder of the agency I’m represent-
ed by approached me about their plans. I loved the idea and because
The advertorials I feature on my blog are either image series, articles, I trusted and admired them for their work, I immediately signed up. It
or photo shootings I produce together with the brands. I really like the was a time when bloggers in other countries already had agents, so I felt
diversity of my job; sometimes I’m home for weeks and then I get to go honored they thought of me. At first, the agency signed with six bloggers,
to a Fashion Week or some other event. but now they represent more than 30 bloggers from Germany.
The concept of my blog is to show the pretty sights of life, which, The team that represents me knows what I like, so they only send
of course, gives me a lot of creative freedom. My blog is interesting to me requests they know will fit my style. I no longer have to go through
brands because I showcase what young, modern women are interested every single email myself. I only get a selection of emails that are rele-
in, and those young, modern women are interested in having someone vant to me, which saves an immense amount of time. I also don’t have
select relevant items specifically for them. Sometimes I’ll post an expen- to negotiate with clients anymore. Agencies make sure bloggers get the
sive handbag I treated myself to, and other times I’ll share the bargain I best deal, which makes it worth it that they take a cut from the earnings.
scavenged at a sale. Reading my blog is like having a cup of coffee with
an old friend. 5. What does your creative process look like?
Sometimes, I see a picture I like and I think of a text to go with it, or I
“DON’T TRADE YOUR TIME FOR MONEY.” might already have an idea in my head and slowly fumble to a finished
thought. Sometimes, I can write a text within 30 minutes, or other times,
From a business perspective, I think it’s important to have multiple in- it takes much longer because I always try to come up with a story. Some
come streams and earn money without trading your time. In 2014, my articles are written weeks in advance, and others just 30 minutes before
husband and I went on a trip around the world for 13 months and I re- I hit “publish.”
mained working with my clients, even though I wasn’t in Germany. I On my blog, I’ve initiated theme days, so now that I know what the
consider myself very fortunate for having a profession where I can be overall theme is, it’s just about finding topics that fit. Categories help
wherever I want to be and remain working with the people I do. I’ve me make sure all my readers get what they’re interested in the most and
always blogged when we went on vacation, so I knew what I was getting that the allocation of topics I cover is equal. My blog wouldn’t be what
into. Sometimes it was difficult to find good internet, so when we arrived it is without my readers, so that’s my main focus when planning what to
in a new country, I always bought a sim card first to make sure I could at write. I like to do series on my blog and whenever I want to do a new one,
I ask my audience what they would enjoy. I give my readers a couple

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of options I’m interested in myself because it makes no sense to write longer the case because so many bloggers see one another as competi-
about something my readers don’t enjoy. They’re why I can do what I do. tors.
I decided to have theme days after I came back from my trip around I post teasers of my blog articles to Instagram and Facebook. I use
the world. During the time on the road, I mostly blogged about travel. I IFTTT to repost from Facebook to Twitter and sometimes, I pay for
didn’t want go back into covering fashion exclusively and I knew I want- Facebook ads if something is important to me and I want people to see it.
ed to continue writing about travel. Because my husband and I were
moving into a new apartment, I wanted to explore interior design and 7. What’s your long-term vision for your blog?
write about that too. Now, I write a weekly summary every Monday, I From the beginning, blogs were meant to change the perception of
dedicate an article to travel on Tuesdays, I post an outfit on Wednesdays, what’s fashionable. For a very long time, the fashion industry has prop-
Thursdays are to show my interior inspiration, Fridays are dedicated to agated extremely thin women. I would like to change the perception of
beauty, Saturdays are a surprise day where I post anything I’m enjoying what’s understood as fashionable. Of course, I can’t do that by myself,
in that moment, and I post another outfit of the day on Sundays. but I can at least try. The first wave of fashion bloggers were all trying to
My days aren’t necessarily structured. The only constant is a to-do democratize what fashion is, so it feels a little contradictory that blog-
list I work through each day. I kick off each month with a list of what gers now all look like models; it’s unrealistic. I really want to see size 38
I want to accomplish and then I break it down. Of course, something or 40, the normal women, be accepted as pretty. It can’t be true that we
unexpected may happen and the list changes and grows as the month only support girls who starve to be size 34 or 36 for a little bit of online
progresses, but that’s how I try to keep my business structured. glamour. I really believe every type of feminine body is beautiful and
deserves to be treated as such.
6. How do new readers find your blog?
A lot of my readers have been my readers since the very beginning. Five 8. What’s something you would recommend to someone who wants
years ago, I wrote about different topics than I do now. Over the years, my to start a blog?
audience has, just like myself, gotten older and changed, so the readers I personally use Wordpress to host my blog because there are so many
who enjoy my blog enjoy it because they have similar taste. I might’ve different themes you can install to make your blog stand out. I work with
lost people who only came to read what I had to say about fashion, but a web developer who helps me with the technical side of things, and
I don’t want to slave away and stop evolving, so it’s okay to let readers go I have a designer who makes it look pretty. My husband takes all my
as long as new readers come along. pictures. You need someone you trust because being photographed is
A lot of people find me on Google. Having blogged regularly for so highly personal, especially if the photos are being published.
many years increases your Google ranking. Being consistent and pub- I’ve learned a lot about blogging while working for an online maga-
lishing new content regularly is important when you want your readers zine. Some of the mistakes many people make is they steal images they
come back for more. find on Google. You can get fined for using images you don’t own the
What I think is also very important is when other people link to rights for, so always make it your business to reach out to the owners of
your blog. Meeting other bloggers and mentioning them in your articles the images you’d like to use.
is crucial to help them grow their community, as it also helps you grow Find a niche and create a concept before you start. I don’t think you
yours. In the earlier days, many bloggers used to have a blogroll where can just post whatever comes to mind if you want to have success. You
they would feature blogs they liked, and it’s upsetting to me that it’s no need to put the reader at the center of your focus. When you think about

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the topic you want to write about, it should be something you see your-
self exploring for years to come. It shouldn’t be a topic you’ll be through
with after writing three posts. Also, think about how often you want to
publish articles and how often it’s possible for you to do so. Some people
start with such incredible enthusiasm and then stop after only a couple
of weeks because they don’t have enough time to write.
Make sure to either learn how to take beautiful pictures or look for a
source of good imagery. Bloggers have really professionalized their visu-
al content. You can’t just upload a mediocre picture you took with your
phone. Make sure your blog is visually appealing.
Then, once you decide on a nice template for your blog, get your
own domain name. It’s worth the €15 a year if you want to be taken se-
riously. And last but not least, make sure you use correct grammar. If
English isn’t your mother tongue but you want to write in English, get
someone to proofread your work. If you know you struggle with gram-
mar in your mother tongue too, find someone to help you get that part
right.

9. How do you spread the word about your blog?

I’m on all social media channels because that’s an important compo-
nent of my profession. I post consistently to every single one of them. I
believe a blog should help you spread the word about your business. It’s
a great channel for you to show your unique perspective and if you talk
to someone, they’ll probably check you out online. Having a blog will
help them recognize what you’re good at. See your blog as your business
card, but don’t aim at making your blog your profession from day one
because that probably won’t work.

10. What are the biggest challenges for someone who wants to blog
professionally?
It’s a lot of work, far more than what it seems from the outside. You’ve
got to do a lot of research and answer tons of emails, and you also have
to be available 24/7. Many people only see the glamorous side of being
a blogger; all the events you get invited to and all the pretty dresses you
receive for free, but people tempt to forget you have to go home and edit

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images to publish an article first thing in the morning. You also have to
invest in your blog before you see any return, and proactively approach
companies and agencies to work with you. When I first started, it took
years. It’s quicker now, but you must be professional to keep up with

EXPLORE ALL
the amount of bloggers out there. To be respected, you must be able to
deliver numbers that are relevant to the companies you want to win as
your partners. You need to create a media kit for your site where you ex-
plain your profile and describe what type of readers visit your blog. And
you need to make your numbers public; how many people visit your
POSSIBILITIES
blog monthly, how long they surf through your site. You need to make
yourself accountable. The possibilities of what you can do with your creative output are endless.
When you join the blogger world, no one’s waiting for you, so you Your art and your thoughts aren’t solid rock. Instead, your visions are
have to remain persistent and keep blogging regularly. I think it would fluid, expandable, and translatable into other forms of output.
make so much more sense for professionals to blog about their journey When I first talked to Joanna (you’ll read about her in the next chap-
and what it takes to do their job. There’s space for professionals to help ter), she said she doesn’t just write books. They’re not her actual prod-
grow their businesses through content marketing, but I’m not sure how ucts. A book is just one of her mediums to reach people to whom her
much space there is for full-time bloggers. Nevertheless, anything’s pos- work matters. It’s her thoughts that are of value that she can translate
sible if you’ve got a good concept! into different forms. In her opinion, Joanna would never reach everyone
who may enjoy her stories if she only published them as books. As she
“ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE IF YOU’VE GOT A puts it, not all of us read, which is unfortunate, but true.
GOOD CONCEPT!” Just because not everyone consumes ideas and thoughts in one way
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look for other ways to reach those we think
might appreciate our creations. Getting back to Joanna’s example, she
realized some people prefer to enjoy her stories by listening to them,
which translates into even more possibilities to make a living with her
creative work. She’s created podcasts, audiobooks, and tutorials, and if
you thought this is all, Joanna also gives talks at events and conferences.
It’s not the coffee mug that has your print on it that gets people ex-
cited; it’s the print that’s on the coffee mug. It’s your style that delights
people you should build upon, and there are millions of ways to make the
most out of your unique approach to life and work.
The possibilities of how far you can go with your creativity depends
on those you serve with your work; what are the habits of the people
@josieloves you serve that you can cater to? What more can you do to solve their
www.josieloves.de problems and how can you deliver something to make their lives easier,

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more beautiful, and more enjoyable? By looking at the needs, habits, and INTERVIEW WITH
desires of others, you’ll discover what you can create to benefit them.

Joanna
The catch? People have different habits. They might love your style,
but it’s just the form in which you share your work, or the product you
have chosen to produce, that doesn’t necessarily fit their lifestyles. Some

Penn
people don’t have time to read, but they spend hours commuting to work
and need something to entertain them. Others might not need the font
you’ve created, but they like it and wish to buy an art piece for their
apartment featuring a quote written in your font. It doesn’t really matter
what your final product has been to this day because there are so many
possibilities to what you can do out of what you’ve been doing to fulfill
differing desires. Joanna is a self-published author who
A very lucky coincidence happened about a week after I interviewed
Joanna for this book. The lovely Abigail Besdin from Skillshare reached
splits her time between writing fiction and
out to me asking if I was interested in hosting a class on their platform. I nonfiction that helps other writers market
immediately agreed for two reasons: after I taped the video for my first
Kickstarter campaign, I swore to myself I’d tape myself more often this
their books. She began self-publishing in
year (I blame the fact we taped it on New Year’s Eve that I made such a 2007, before Amazon invented the Kindle.
crazy resolution). The other reason was because of what Joanna told me;
I wanted to see if she was right about being able to use something you’ve In her interview, Joanna explains what it
already created in multiple ways. Together with Nataleigh Kohn, I creat-
ed and adapted the outline of the content of This Year Will Be Different takes to go from just having an idea
and packaged it as an online tutorial. Some of the people who liked my to marketing one. She also touches on
Skillshare class also bought my book (thank you), and even though a lot
of the content was what they had already heard, they still got value from
how you shouldn’t think of a book as
reading the book because they had the chance to highlight important one product, but rather as a platform for
notes and read the insightful interviews I didn’t share on Skillshare.
multiple income streams.
It might take time until you figure out ways to create new and addi-
tional products. You might also need to source the right partners to do
that, given your time is limited. However, you should schedule a slot in
your calendar to reflect and research new possibilities of how you can
create additional income streams.
I’ve mentioned her enough, so now it’s time to finally hear Joanna’s
story yourself! London, UK

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to

where you are now?
Originally, I wanted to help bring peace back to the Middle East, so I
studied theology. However, after graduation, I became a management
consultant. Later on, I studied psychology and received my masters. I
haven’t studied English or how to write, but I use a lot of what I learned
in university when writing fiction.
I worked in consulting for 13 years. It was probably how it is for many
people after university; you get your first job and you don’t really think
about what you do. You go to work, you pay your bills, and suddenly you
wake up one day and you feel disconnected.
In my twenties, there was a lot of pressure about how your life is
supposed to be; you were supposed to have a particular job, have a mort-
gage, and everything else that’s meant to impress people. And I did: I
had a high-paying job that made me miserable!
In 2000, I decided to quit and moved across the world. I went to
Australia first, and then to New Zealand where I started a scuba diving
business, a business that ultimately failed. Afterwards, I went into prop-
erty investment, which worked out about the same as the scuba diving
business. I decided to go back into consulting, but also wrote a self-help
book. I wanted to write it mostly for myself to get me out of my situation
and discover what I really wanted to do with my life.
I sacrificed money for time and cut down to a four-day week. I be-
lieve if you want to change something about your life, you need to clear
a space for the new you. For me, the new me was to become a writer. So,
I started writing.

“IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING

ABOUT YOUR LIFE, CLEAR A SPACE IN
YOUR SCHEDULE FOR THE NEW YOU.”

Writing that book literally changed my life. I don’t know how many oth-
er lives the book changed, but they say the first book you write is the one
you have to write.

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I didn’t know anything about the publishing industry at that point, tract! If you decide to go the traditional route, make sure you only sell
so once I finished writing, I began researching the marketing side of rights to what the publishing house is willing to exploit for you, like dif-
publishing. That was in 2007 when there was no Kindle and no afford- ferent countries, languages, and forms, i.e. e-books, print, or audio. Don’t
able print on demand option. Almost everyone who published books sell the rights to what they won’t use because then you can self-publish
did so the traditional way, so I happened to get into self-publishing be- where they don’t and make an extra income.
fore it became a thing. I just didn’t want to wait, as is common in tradi- I also don’t rely on Amazon exclusively. I’m on Kobo, iBook, Nook,
tional publishing. and all the other platforms to have my income streams as widely spread
In 2008, I started The Creative Penn and began writing more books. as possible. Should any of the platforms I use change their terms of
It took a year before anyone noticed my blog, and over a year to get to use, I’ll be okay because I’ve built other streams over time. As a creative,
1,000 followers on Twitter. It also took three years for me to write three it’s important to build as many pillars for your business as possible. If
novels and only then did my book-related income seem like a way to you’re easily overwhelmed by unnecessary bureaucracy and the amount
build a prosperous business. Writing books is not a “get rich quickly” of platforms available to you, use Trackerbox by StoryBoxSoftware to
scheme. see all of your income streams in one place.
I wrote my first four books and built my blog while working full-
time. I used to get up at 5am and write for an hour before work. In 2011, I “BUILD AS MANY PILLARS FOR YOUR
was able to leave my day job and fully focus on building my career as a BUSINESS AS POSSIBLE. BE CREATIVE!”
writer. It’s really important to schedule time you don’t usually have to be
able to grow, and then to eventually maybe leave your job. I got laid off during the global financial crisis and that’s when I realized
relying on one business to support you might not be such a smart op-
2. What are your different income streams? tion. As a freelancer, you can build several income streams, which will
I’m an author-entrepreneur. All my income stems from my writing, but make for a stable business.
I separate that into books and blogs, since the latter brings me speak-
ing opportunities and affiliate income as well as direct sales. In 2015, I 3. How does self-publishing work?
reached a six-figure income, which half was generated through book In the earlier days, a lot of professional speakers used to self-publish
sales; 60% was generated through my fiction literature and 40% through because they could sell books out of the backroom. Even today, many
my guides for authors. So despite what the media says, it is possible to speakers and consultants write books not because they want to make
make a full-time living as a self-published author. a profit, but because they can monetize the “back-end” of the books.
The other half of my income breaks down to courses I made and Books for nonfiction authors act more as a business card, as well as pro-
sell through my website. Then, I also make an income through affiliate viding status and qualified leads for the author. Nonfiction books often
links, professional speaking, and sponsorship for my podcast. don’t need to make money; it’s the other services you make available that
I believe in multiple income streams. You might think of your book are more important for the cash flow. Which, of course, doesn’t mean
as one product, but what you really have is the potential to make mon- they don’t make money because they do!
ey on different platforms, and in different countries, by translating the It used to be very expensive to self-publish. You had to do a print run
content to different mediums, such as paperbacks, e-books, audiobooks, and you had to keep the books in your house until you sold out. So when
and podcasts. Remember this whenever someone offers you a book con- Amazon invented the Kindle, that completely revolutionized the entire

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industry! It gave everyone who wanted to publish the possibility to do so. 3. How did you self-publish your first book?
The barrier of entry to self-publishing is now the cost of a professional My first book wasn’t available online, so today, I would do a lot different-
editor and a professional cover designer. ly because we now have tools that enable us to reach a much wider au-
Being a self-published writer means you have the freedom to pub- dience. I sold my first book whenever I spoke at events. I must have sold
lish however and wherever you want. I’ve sold books in more than 68 only about 200 copies. Selling books like that was very hard because
countries. When you’re with a publishing house, you don’t know wheth- I’m an introvert. Even today, a lot of things continue to challenge my
er they will distribute your book to so many countries. I believe that as comfort zone, but with the internet, a lot has changed, especially when
a self-published writer, you can make more money with less sales. On people started buying online. I’ve sold nearly half a million books now
Kindle, even if you sell your book for just $2.99, you’ll still make $2 profit. because everything you do online helps grow your audience.
Traditionally, published authors make much less than that. They’re also The most important learning for me is that one book is never going
tied to their contracts and what the publishing house decides to do with to be enough. Occasionally, there will be a lightning strike and someone
their book. For traditional publishing, the risk is that you give too much will make money from having written just one book, but generally, you
away, and for self-publishing, the risk is that you don’t make your money need to write a series of books to make an income. It’s a very gradual cal-
back. Some authors started using crowdfunding platforms to pay the culation; the more books you write and the more virtual shelf space you
upfront costs. occupy for yourself, the easier it will be for people to discover you and
Since Amazon bought CreateSpace, it’s very affordable for self-pub- the more money you will make. When you have one book, you might
lished writers to sell print. With CreateSpace, the author doesn’t have sell 100 a year, but when you have three books, you might sell 100,000
to do any of the necessary logistics because Amazon will print and dis- a year because it will be easier for people to discover your books. Also,
tribute to the readers directly. You’ll just receive the royalties. It’s very the more you write, the better you’ll get at writing. I was guilty of trying
convenient. Then, the other great opportunity for self-publishers is to hype my first novel because it took so long and I thought it was as
the possibility to sell their books as audio. The good thing about au- precious as a snowflake. I still believe you have to hustle those first thou-
dio is people can multitask while listening to your audiobook. ACX.com sand sales with everything you have, but my income and sales jumped
might be available in just a few countries at the moment, but I’m sure when I released the second novel with very little fanfare because I al-
that will change. ready had an established presence on Amazon.
When you think about self-publishing and that the margins for
self-published writers are at 70%, it seems odd to publish any other way. “ONE BOOK MAKES YOU A WRITER.
However, you’ll need to consider the tax implications of earning royal- SEVERAL BOOKS MAKE YOU AN AUTHOR-
ties in your country. If you’re a non-US citizen earning money through ENTREPRENEUR.”
Amazon, Smashwords, or other US companies, you need to follow the
tax rule. If you don’t fill in your W8-BEN, you will have 30% tax withheld I’ve published more than 15 books: five nonfiction guides and ten fiction
and your books may even be withdrawn from sale. As a US citizen, you’ll books, and that’s why I’m making a decent income. It’s like with any oth-
need to register with your tax number in order to receive royalties; oth- er job. When you start working, how much are you worth in your first
erwise, Amazon will withhold your tax amount. I don’t give legal advice, year? You do an internship and earn close to nothing! Then, after three
but if you want to learn more about earning money with US companies, years, you earn a little more and then in your tenth year, you’ve become
a great resource is bit.ly/USincometax. really valuable and suddenly earn a lot! The same goes for books. The

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more you have in your backlog, the more money you can make. Just like
with any career, it takes time to build up.

4. What does your creative process look like?

I get ideas everywhere, just like any other creative! I have an app on my
phone called Things where I capture ideas that cross my mind. I also
keep notebooks. I’m constantly writing down learnings and things that
come to me, and when I’m ready to start writing an actual book, I decide
on the title and the broad topic.
The first time I decided to write a fiction book was in 2009. I partici-
pated in the #NaNoWriMo program and wrote a 50,000 novel in 30 days.
I never used any of the material, but it made me realize I could actually
write fiction.
To give you an example, the idea for my latest book, Deviance, is
based on a story I learned about when researching. I discovered that in
Southwark, London, the church once licensed brothels. That sounded
really interesting to me and made me think I was onto something.
I write fiction to explore themes that interest me in places that fas-
cinate me with characters I would like to read about. And I write non-
fiction in order to understand what I want to learn for myself. When I
think about nonfiction books I want to write, they’re aimed at people
like me, so I know the problems my readers have. They’re my problems
too. I wrote Career Change because I wanted to change careers. I wrote
Business for Authors because I needed to codify what I thought about be-
ing a writer and running a business. Writing helps me think.
Whenever I write, I use Scrivener. With nonfiction books, I first
specify the table of contents and then fill in the blanks. With fiction, I
plan a one-pager with a few scenes. I know where I want the book to be-
gin and how I want the book to end, and then I go to a local café around
the corner and write nonstop until I have a first draft.
Whenever I work on a book, I spend about a month writing every
morning for a couple of hours. When I have a first draft, I print it out and
edit it by hand. You have to understand the first draft is really just the
barebones of a finished work. And that it’s probably crap.

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During my editing process, I write all kinds of notes in the margins, I always keep journals; I write notes and do research, but I also have a cy-
scribble, and cross things out. For fiction, I jot down new scenes that cle for when I publish. Now, in my tenth year, I only need to announce a
need writing, continuity issues, problems with characters, and much new book to my mailing list. I’ve been building my mailing list for years,
more. That first pass usually takes a while. Then, I implement my so now if I send out an email, I can push my new book to the bestseller
changes in Scrivener, print the manuscript again, and edit it at least one list just because of that. Every author needs to build a mailing list!
more time before I send it to my editor. I have an editor for fiction and When you start out, it’s very difficult to market your books because
a different one for nonfiction. If you’re planning to write your first book, you don’t have enough reviews. I have a group of readers who get early
you should consider getting a structural editor too. You’ll learn a lot. access and review my book on the first day or in the first week. Then,
Once I get the manuscript back, I add the changes and send it to my because I publish series of books, I usually do a paid promotion and give
beta readers. I prefer to have a group of five or six readers because they’ll away the first book for free.
give me six different opinions from a reader’s perspective. My main rule I believe what’s more important than an impressive launch is the
with beta readers is I only make changes if more than one person says ability to establish good monthly sales over time. You’ll feel better if
the same thing. Then, I’ll send it to a proofreader. your income just keeps ticking in. The launch approach comes from the
The first time you receive a line edit, it hurts. You think you’re a great traditional book publishing world because they only have a small win-
writer and then someone changes practically every word. I know my dow when they can focus on marketing your book before moving onto
editing process is rather extensive, but I believe editing makes a book the next one. I believe the world of books has changed and it’s becoming
stronger. That’s also why I believe professional editing is non-negotiable more about establishing continuous sales. A book is always new to the
for serious career writers such as yourself! reader who has just found it, so you don’t need to worry too much about
I also work with a professional cover designer and a layout designer launching properly.
for the interior of my print books. For e-books, I do the formatting my- What also helps is looking at yourself and thinking about how you
self. personally find new books. Sometimes, people find books because
they browse through a bookstore and a cover catches their eye. Or, they
5. How does your process look once you’ve published a book? browse a category they are interested in online, look through a read-
I use a Filofax calendar and have the next three to six months mapped er community, such as Goodreads, or they have a specific question and
out. I also have a word count calendar on the wall with my daily achieve- search for books that can give them what they are looking for. For ex-
ments, and I use the OfficeTime app on my iPhone to track the hours ample, “I need a business plan.” Also, many people find books because
I spent creating or doing all of the administrative work. I tempt to al- someone they trust recommends one to them. Amazon also sends an
ternate between writing fiction and nonfiction. I write in my calendar email with books you might be interested in, or when an author you
when I’m going to start working on the next novel. Writing is what I do bought a book from in the past published a new one.
for a living, and I treat it seriously. It’s in my diary. People also might have heard an interview with you as an author.
They found a set you’ve created about a specific topic on Pinterest, they
“WHEN YOU WANT TO WRITE FOR A read an article you wrote online, or they met you at a networking event
LIVING, INCLUDE IT IN YOUR DIARY.” and liked what you do. Then, they might sign up to your mailing list and
enjoy what you share, and once you publish another book, they might
be amongst the first who buy. So don’t waste your energy on making a

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huge launch event. Instead, focus on continuous marketing tactics, like 8. What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to
building your mailing list. start publishing?
Because so many people ask me about this, I started publishing books
6. How did you build your mailing list? and podcasts to help people become writers. Everyone who signs up to
Everything you do platform-wise should be about trying to drive people my mailing list gets access to the Author 2.0 Blueprint. I would also rec-
to your email list so you can contact them again. ommend Scrivener or Write or Die to help you get writing and Freedom
Nonfiction authors can grow their links with blogging, podcasting, or Anti-Social to get undistracted chunks of time for you to focus.
Youtube, Pinterest, and so on. There are so many possibilities! As long as
there is a clickable link to your book sales page or a signup form to your 9. What are the greatest challenges for someone who wants to
mailing list, it’s good marketing. I was once on national TV and didn’t become a self-published author?
sell a single book after that. Your marketing efforts should make it as It’s expensive to publish your first book. You’ll also have to learn how to
easy as possible for people to buy your books. Marketing nowadays real- write a whole book. It’s hard, even for people who have been reading all
ly is every author’s job! However, it’s different for fiction because readers their lives. Once you go through all of that, you realize that not many
shop in the bookstores directly, so you need a number of books. You’ll people care about your work, which is why, after you’ve learned about
need to make one permanently free to drive people to your circle. It’s writing, you’ll need to learn about marketing.
very different marketing fiction from marketing nonfiction. However, it’s Also, you may realize at this point that the first draft isn’t the finished
advisable to mention your mailing list in all kinds of books. book. Many people assume that the book they pick up at the store just
Six years ago, I created a blueprint for writers and that has been came out like that from the writer’s pen, so when they’re trying to write a
bringing people to my mailing list ever since. That list is the engine to book themselves, they think they’re awful writers. As a writer, you need
my nonfiction book sales because people who are interested in that top- to learn to self-edit your work. The first draft is hardly ever exception-
ic will subscribe to the list and eventually buy. ally good. It’s hard work and you’ll need to reread your own work many
Then with fiction, I always have at least one book available for free times.
to get people on my mailing list when they visit my website. I use the The other challenge is you need to learn to manage your time wisely
mailing list to tell people whenever a book is available. when you want to become a professional writer. You need to also man-
The mailing list approach works much better for nonfiction than age all your creative hats, as well as your business hats. Don’t mix up
fiction. With fiction, it’s much harder to figure out who you’re targeting. writing time with marketing time; you should always separate them.
However, you still need to schedule both!
7. What’s something you would like to recommend to people who
want to self-publish? “IF YOU DON’T HAVE SOME KIND OF A
Allow for your first draft to be crap. Set yourself goals for how many GOAL, YOU WON’T ACHIEVE ANYTHING.”
words you want to write a day. Stephen King aims at writing 2,000 words,
if this helps give you an idea. If you don’t have some kind of a goal, you 10. What practical steps would you recommend to a first time
won’t achieve anything. author?
First, finalize your manuscript. I’ve had so many people ask me about
publishing before they even started writing a manuscript. Writing is

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incredibly difficult, so before you start thinking about doing anything

else, write! Check out #NaNoWriMo and if your timing isn’t anywhere
close to November, do a #NaNoWriMo just for yourself or together with
a friend.

BUILD MULTIPLE
Once you have a self-edited manuscript, look for a team to help you
be a real, professional writer. An editor and a professional cover design-
er are a must! And not just for print, but also for e-books.
Once you have that sorted, get your own URL and look for someone
who can help you build a website. This is also a good moment to write
INCOME STREAMS
your author’s bio and a blurb for the back of your book and for Amazon.
Finally, it’s time for you to publish. If you’re new to writing, you This probably doesn’t come as a newsflash, but when you start out as a
might want to explore the available ways to promote your book. For new freelancer, you don’t already have multiple income streams; you most
authors, I would recommend joining the KDP select program for the likely start out with one. In the early stages of freelancing, it’s very likely
initial 90 days to get some traction with a free giveaway. You need to also you will start with, what I described in This Year Will Be Different, a lot of
think about how you will price your book to remain competitive. If the insecurities and a long to-do list of things you need to accomplish to
majority of e-books sell for less than $9.99 and a lot of fiction is under position yourself in the world of creative freelancers. However, building
$7.99, then you can’t charge more if you’re a first time author. And if you multiple income streams is something you should aspire to do and start
want to see your book in print, try CreateSpace. You’ll feel great once pursuing as early as possible, which, as far as I’m concerned, might be
you hold your book in your hands! exactly…today!
Next, it’s time to think about marketing your book. My initial sug- All the ladies you’ve met throughout this book have shared their dif-
gestions would be to use some kind of promo pricing or KDP select. Set ferent income streams that support their businesses. Hearing how they
up your author profile on Amazon’s Author Central and add your book put their creativity to use in different ways made me realize how fortu-
in multiple formats on Goodreads. nate I was for being able to ask this question. I believe it’s important to
Get business cards with the cover of your book on them. I can rec- spark a discussion about why and how to invest your time and efforts into
ommend moo.com, but there are other services too. Business cards will opening up different sources of income to support yourself. I don’t recall
come in handy at networking events. ever asking any of my friends directly about this, and thus, I feel like you
Don’t forget to pick a social media platform, one you’re already us- owe your other freelance and employed friends this favor. You should
ing, and start sharing more about your book. Tell stories. And most im- confront them next time you meet up for a coffee ask, “What do you do
portantly of all, start writing your next book! to support yourself when things don’t go as planned?”
When I worked for a company, I thought I had a stable job. It’s the
vision that’s being sold to us that having a job in a company is the more
secure life choice. However, only after I got fired from my first job af-
ter graduating from university, I finally realized I was fully dependent
@thecreativepenn on the mercy and mood swings of someone who hardly knew who I was.
www.thecreativepenn.com

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Suddenly, having just one source of income didn’t feel safe to me at all
anymore.
Whether you’re self-employed or work for a company, you should
make the effort to think about other ways to generate an income. The
more diverse your portfolio of income streams is, the better you’ll sleep
at night knowing that if anything happens, there will be at least some sort
of an income arriving in your bank account every month.

Being as talented a person as you are, it’s utterly up to you to think of

some different activities to pursue to make some extra cash. Having ac-
cess to the social web gives you the tools to create something that’s
scalable and can be distributed multiple times to others while remaining
equally beneficial. Think of what Joanna said about digital products, or
wait for what you’ll hear from Patty. Reminding yourself of Sara’s story
at this point makes sense too, when you think of her extra income stream
being the Joshua Tree House.
Given you’re labeled as a creative, you have the freedom to experi-
ment with different techniques and outlets and do whatever you desire
that will add value to others. I’ve mentioned previously that I sell my
photographs on EyeEm, even though I’m not a photographer, so give
yourself the freedom to try things out that you’re curious about. If you’re
not sure what you could produce, think about what you know and could
teach others that could make for an extra income once you upload it to
an e-learning platform of your liking, such as Skillshare, Udemy, or Lynda.
Once you settle on what you want to try out and play with, pursuing
that activity should become one of your weekly rituals. You’ve already
heard about the importance of the quantity of qualitative content from
Susan, and you also remember how Joanna emphasized on the impor-
tance of occupying more digital shelf space with your work. Building
viable income streams won’t happen overnight, but starting to think
about different options will make you more open and switched on to
start looking for new ways that could eventually stabilize your business.
At the beginning, this side income might buy you a beer, then later
on, maybe a dinner. However, if you pursue this path and keep adding to
your bucket of marketable content, this source of income could become

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significant enough to free up some of your time to experiment with your INTERVIEW WITH
creativity even more.

Jamie
The majority of people I’ve spoken with about how they started their
businesses have grown them organically from an interest or hobby they
pursued next to their regular jobs. Their side hustle suddenly earned

Seerman
them more than their full-time jobs, so they were able to quit. Vicky Hei-
ler, the founder of the blog Bikini & Passport, whose story you might’ve
read in my first book, was such a case. Her blog became so successful,
she could make a living as a full-time fashion blogger. She’s by far not an
exception, if you consider how it all started for Susan, who you’ve met
earlier in this book. So while you should explore what different possibili-
ties could eventually become a major source of your monthly income, it aka Jaymay
might be something you didn’t even think would work out that way at all.
Some of your unique talents might be skills you underestimate. Jay-
may, whose music you might know if you were a fan of How I Met Your
Mother, never thought making art could ever be something that would
Jaymay is a singer-songwriter and artist
support her. If you don’t share your creative work with others, you’ll who found her calling during an open mic
never know if you have a chance of turning it into something of mone-
night in New York City. In her opinion, your
tary value.
Once again, when you find yourself at the crossroads of deciding disadvantages are your tools.
whether to share your art versus keeping it in a drawer, you should re-
mind yourself you don’t have anything to lose if you try. It’s not a risk; In her interview, Jaymay sheds light on how
it’s a chance because what can go wrong? If you’re insecure about some-
thing not helping your personal brand become more outstanding, you
to make money as a musician and how to
can always publish your work under a fake name until you feel comfort- channel your creativity to make it work to
able enough to admit the work is yours. If you add value to people and
if you work with the right partners, this can be a way to go from being a
your advantage.
freelancer to being a creative entrepreneur, and as a creative entrepre-
neur, you’ll be able to proudly say your art feeds you. And maybe your
family. Think about it.
In the meantime, it’s time for another interview: Jaymay’s. I’d recom-
mend looking for her music on Spotify. She’s one of those “feel good”
musicians. Happy listening and reading!

Los Angeles, USA

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to 2. How did you go from having all these odd jobs to becoming a
where you are now? professional musician?
When I was looking at colleges, I wanted to find one where I would That first open mic performance in 2003 marked the beginning of my
be able to design my own curriculum. I wanted to travel and, perhaps, career. From there, I was offered gigs at bigger venues where a tip jar was
study abroad for a while. My mom brought my attention to New College passed around to collect money. I kept writing, rehearsing (sometimes
in Sarasota, Florida, which is where I ended up. It’s a really small, un- with a band), performing, and building my name.
conventional school. I studied in Florence, Italy and New York City as In 2005, I got together with bass player, Jared Engel, and we record-
well. ed an EP in my bedroom in Brooklyn. Without money to pay for a studio
I’ve always been self-motivated and creative. I wasn’t interested in or a producer, we had no option but to teach ourselves pro-tools, and
multiple choice testing. I could never imagine a future working in an we mostly recorded every instrument on the same mic. I named the EP
office behind a desk, but that I would ultimately become a musician was “Sea Green, See Blue” and shared it on every available digital platform.
totally unexpected. A company called A to Z Media printed my CDs, which I sold at all my
I’ve always loved music. We had two broken (or just very out of tune) shows. I painted the album artwork myself.
pianos in our house, and I learned to play the violin in third grade when Through word-of-mouth and internet exposure, exciting things
everyone was required to choose an instrument. I bought a guitar when started happening. iTunes called me out of the blue and said they want-
I was 18 and wrote during my entire college education. I would perform ed to feature my EP in their “Indie Spotlight” category. KCRW played
covers around campus and get together with other musicians. I rarely my song on their station, which is how Josh Radnor discovered me, and
shared my original songs and when I did, they weren’t performed with subsequently, “Sea Green, See Blue” became the finale song for sea-
much confidence. son two of How I Met Your Mother. Later, 14 of my songs would score his
During my sophomore year, a friend introduced me to an open mic award-winning film, HappyThankYouMorePlease.
at a bar, The Sidewalk Cafe, located at 6th Street and Avenue A in NYC. An interesting thing I’ve discovered is that fans and even film pro-
I watched in awe as she sang for the crowd and swore to myself I would ducers don’t necessarily care whether a song has been through post-pro-
one day return and attempt the same. Upon graduating, I moved in with duction. In fact, most of the songs I’ve produced were recorded on my
my sister on the Upper East Side and began attending that same open laptop without an external mic. The music was created simply by press-
mic every Monday night. The first time I performed, I had this special ing the record button on Garage Band.
feeling; I just knew it was what I wanted to do forever.
Of course, to pay my share of the rent, I had to find a job, so I became 3. How did you grow your audience and keep them updated?
an office manager at an Italian restaurant about an hour outside the city. There was a buzz about me in the songwriting scene. At one point, I was
I remember having to take the subway, metro-north railroad, and a bus even considered the darling of the anti-folk scene. Sometimes, I’d do a
or taxi to get there. I was late on my first day because I stayed at the open residency showcase, which is when you perform at the same venue once
mic till 4am the previous night. I lasted two months as the office manag- a week for an entire month. This is compelling for fans who anticipate a
er and then babysat to pay the bills. dynamic setlist each week. I would pass around a mailing list and input
the names in YMLP, which is still the server I use to send email blasts.
My manager at the time would print flyers to advertise my upcom-
ing shows, and local papers, such as AM New York – the one handed out

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for free as you enter the subway – wrote about me. My music was also
shared on popular blog sites.

4. You also had a record deal at some point; how did that happen and
how did you end up as an independent artist?
“Sea Green, See Blue” got in the hands of Heavenly Recordings and they
released my first official record, Autumn Fallin’. I didn’t have much pres-
ence in the UK/Europe and thought it would be fun to explore new ter-
ritory. It also provided funding to work with my brother who left his job
to manage me. My brother and I moved to London and we toured for 15
months. In 2008, I signed a deal with Blue Note.
About a year later, I was dropped by EMI who owned both labels.
Why was I dropped? Probably because I wasn’t selling enough records.
Once again, I was Jaymay Music and have been ever since.

5. What are your different income streams?

Hands down, most of my money comes from licensing and often, peo-
ple will contact me directly with sync opportunities. I also work with a
music placement company called Hidden Track Music. My royalties are
collected worldwide with a performing rights organization called SES-
AC. Tunecore collects money from iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and
Google Play, and my Bandcamp income is collected through PayPal.

6. How does it work for you with live concerts?

I toured nonstop when I had a record deal, but these days, I don’t per-
form much at all. I have Crohn’s disease and touring can be too exhaust-
ing for my body. In fact, in April 2013, I had to cancel a major headline
tour during my third performance when my body just quit. I couldn’t
even walk. I had known about my disease for some time, but it never
manifested to such an extreme extent. I had to reconsider everything
in my life. I moved in with my parents for about a year and drastically
changed my diet, perspective, everything.
During that time, I wasn’t physically able to make music, so I start-
ed an Instagram account, @JaymayMusic. I began posting the paintings

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and drawings I made from my bed each day. My illness taught me that enables me to let things go. I’ve also learned my work doesn’t have to be
people have a strong interest in my art as well as my music. perfect, or rather, I’ve accepted that it isn’t going to be perfect.
What it really taught me is that your disadvantages are just your Your work can be raw. When I put something out there, I don’t ex-
tools. You should always ask yourself, “How can I make this work for pect people to respond tomorrow. Let time be a judge. Experiment and
me?” evolve. People might respond to your work years and years later. Take
Facebook, for example, my song they used for their 2013 Mother’s Day
“YOUR DISADVANTAGES ARE YOUR ad was recorded live with a band back in 2005.
TOOLS. DON’T PITY YOURSELF. INSTEAD,
THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN MAKE “PRODUCE ART, SHARE IT WITH OTHERS.”
THEM WORK TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!”
8. What’s something you would recommend to someone who would
Fans from all around the world continue to purchase my work, and like to make an income as a musician?
my designs have sold as fine prints to clients such as Oscar de la Renta, First, be aware that you have to be incredibly self-motivated. You have to
Calvin Klein, and Vera Wang. I intend for jaymayart.com to be a major wake up each morning and know you are doing this because you have
source of income in 2016 and beyond. no other option. If you’re willing to fail at what you love, then indepen-
dence is the right path for you.
7. What does your creative process look like? My advice to anyone who hates his or her job is simple: quit. Not
When I was 18, I would always write lyrics first and then set them to a having a job will force you to find one you desire. It’s not okay to not love
melody. Now, my process is more organic and I just spew a load of non- what you do.
sense until it begins to take shape. Songs can come all at once in a flood
where you’re merely a vessel and fear claiming the tune as your own. “To 9. What are the greatest challenges for someone who wants to
Tell The Truth” is a good example of that. Other times, writing can be a become a professional musician?
painstaking process. “Enlighten Me” took years! Money. What else is new?
In general, I wake up and do my thing, meaning, I wake up, drink The good news is since so many people are streaming music for free
coffee, and sing or draw for three hours in a leopard print bathrobe. I these days, they are simultaneously seeking opportunities to directly
take long walks. I truly stare at the ceiling and think for long stretches support the artists they love. Bandcamp, Patreon, and Kickstarter have
of time. For someone who loves music, I spend an awful lot of time in proven tremendous resources for artist funding.
silence. I don’t have a strict routine or calendar. If I feel the need to travel,
I hop on a train or book a flight abroad (if I can afford it). A new environ- 10. What are some of the resources you would recommend to
ment can be a great source for inspiration. someone who wants to go into music?
I believe in output, output, output. Keep going. Keep doing. Keep Use social media. It’s crucial to have an online presence. Be savvy on the
creating. Don’t worry about failing. “Embrace your ugly” is the best ad- internet; run your website yourself and respond to your fans yourself.
vice I’ve ever heard. I’ve learned to not be so pretentious. Deadlines are Stay present. If you want to be discovered, make it so.
goldmines. I’ve learned I work better with a partner or producer who As an independent artist, you have the luxury of growing a career on
your own terms. While you may not have the biggest following, the fans

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you do have are committed to your evolution. They’re along for the ride
and that’s an invaluable investment. Always honor that.

AUTOMATE AND
OUTSOURCE
As we approach the end of this book, it’s time to highlight some of the
other benefits that come with living in the era of digitalization that allow
you to have more creative freedom to pursue your passions: automation
and outsourcing.
When your business grows, it’s an opportunity to find (hopefully!) the
right tools and people to help you with tasks that will make the results of
your efforts even better!
There are various tools to assist us in giving people what they’re look-
ing for when they need it most, and others that help us make the most
out of our time on this planet. That’s also why I was so keen on having Pat-
ty talk to me about her work processes because she’s always impressed
me with her sassiness of how she navigates the internet.
Whatever it is you have to do repeatedly can probably be automated.
The tasks you’d like to find time for but can’t should be the tasks in which
you look for an automated solution. If you don’t find a solution to your
problems in the apps, Patty suggests you invest a couple of hours this
one time to research how to solve your problem or delegate the task to
someone else.

If you’re skeptical about automating some of your tasks, you need to

consider another perspective. In the earlier days, when people shopped
on the street, there were designated times for when you could be there
for them and impress them with your kindness. Now, with the internet,
@jaymaymusic everything is available 24/7, and so should the positive experience that
www.jaymay.bandcamp.com comes from your services and/or goods. Whether it’s a follow up email

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that comes immediately after someone trusts you enough to leave their
contact information with you to receive your newsletter, or when they
buy a product from you, you should always find a way to say thank you.
It might also be that in order for you to provide people with the best
possible experience, you might need a number of ideas coming from
your community, and thus, you can send them a survey, which is some-
thing that can also be automated. Whatever it is you need to serve your
clients, customers, and community better should be done in the most
efficient way so you can pour all of your energy into serving them.
To make the most out of your most precious resources, your excite-
ment, and your energy, you should outsource the tasks that don’t need
to be done by you, or those that get to be redundant. For example, when
I was a student, I loved receiving requests to accomplish simple tasks be-
cause they helped me pay my tuition. Many students use online platforms
to offer their help with repetitive tasks. It’s people like this who are there
to take a load off your shoulders that you don’t need to have!

You might think everything’s best if you do it yourself, but trust me, it’s
often the other way around; more eyes usually lead to better results.
Also, you can save an immense amount of time if you find someone to
help you finish off your work.
People always ask me how I manage to get *so much* done. Sure, I’m
self-motivated, but that’s hardly the reason for how I accomplish the
workload I do.
The truth is, I never finish anything. At least, not by myself. You’ve
probably heard the saying “Done is better than perfect” many times. I’m
not really sure how I feel about it because I do prefer to deliver work I
consider is as close to perfection as possible, but I don’t think I’m some-
one who can deliver perfection all by myself. Instead, I believe in the
80/20 rule.
The 80/20 rule goes like this: it takes 20% of the overall time to get a
task 80% done. Then, it takes 80% of the time to get the last 20% done
to make the task perfect. Now, if you outsource the last 20% to someone
you trust and expect them to deliver 80% to then finish off their last 20%,

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you’ll accomplish what comes very close to perfection without the time INTERVIEW WITH
investment you’d need if you tried to do it all by yourself.

Patty
If you identify where you start slowing down in your work process, it’ll
be much easier to find someone to work with you. To me, that person
is my lovely editor, Diana; at least most of the time, she’s the one who

Golsteijn
makes sure I don’t rewrite every single sentence thousands of times. I
really wish you find someone as incredible as her.
But then, of course, there are also tasks that don’t demand someone
as skilled as Diana. You don’t need an expert to sort your receipts or
research names of people who might be interested in your work! These
kind of tasks should, however, also be outsourced to someone who can
do them better than you while you do what you do best instead; it’s one Meet Patty, an online coach. She created
of the many learnings we creatives need to learn from entrepreneurs and
implement in our lives.
the course Minimal Switch to help
Write down tasks you keep procrastinating that take more time than self-employed professionals get rid of
you’re okay with spending and look for solutions that won’t give you a
headache. Okay, I don’t want to keep you waiting for Patty’s story any
unnecessary “crap.” She provides tips and
longer. She’s the expert when I think of automating and outsourcing strategies for people to organize their lives
tasks, so I'll just let her do the talking…
and make their businesses run smoothly.

In her interview, Patty explains why you

shouldn’t charge per hour, but rather focus
on the value you give. Patty also shares her
favorite tools to help you become more
efficient and manage your workload faster.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to I used to set up workflows for people and I taught them how they
where you are now? could accomplish more in way less time. I basically trained my clients
First, when I graduated from high school, I studied applied psychology and I also trained the virtual assistants who worked with and for me.
for one year because I didn’t know what I wanted to do yet. It was an ori- I’ve always been selective with who I partnered with. I wanted to
entation year. After that, even though I still didn’t know what I wanted work with people who were very open-minded and willing to learn new
to study, I proceeded with media and entertainment management. In things because I trained people to become more efficient. From my ex-
my third year, an opportunity came up that enabled me to work and perience, many people just give all their crap to their virtual assistant
study. I was meant to work for four days and attend classes once a week. and expect them to accomplish tasks perfectly. However, people often
However, I loved working and studying just didn’t feel appealing to me forget a lot can go wrong if you don’t communicate properly. A lot of
anymore. I did graduate eventually! people get frustrated and the reason for that is usually because of mis-
I started working as a project and event manager in one of the uni- communication.
versity departments and stayed there for two years. It was a slightly cha- I didn’t say to my clients I was training them, or not explicitly! I think
otic environment and when they couldn’t figure out who would become you can train people by asking them the right questions and giving con-
my manager for the following year, I decided to move on and work for structive feedback. I would ask my clients to repeat what they said and I
myself. would send a follow up email after every conversation to map out the ac-
I didn’t have any clients or any projects, but I knew I wanted to work tions we agreed on and how we’ll execute them so everything’s clear and
for myself, so that’s what I did! transparent. Whenever you don’t write things down, a lot can go wrong.
I started attending networking events and talked to people about
my plans. I made sure people knew where to find me and what I was “ALWAYS SEND A FOLLOW UP EMAIL.”
capable of so when they needed someone, they could reach out to me.
Another problem of the industry is that clients often expect virtual assis-
“MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW WHERE TO tants to deal with their stuff last minute. They send something at 10pm
FIND YOU AND WHAT TO HIRE YOU FOR.” and expect to get it back by 9am the following morning. Unless the vir-
tual assistant is in a different time zone, this behavior just isn’t okay.
I started working on a lot of projects simultaneously; mostly events and While running Regelhelden, I learned I didn’t want to be the person
projects where I was responsible for the planning and organization. who does things for others. I wanted to teach people. To me, showing
Wearing a lot of hats and getting involved in many projects teaches you people how they could optimize their processes has a much higher im-
to become systematic and highly efficient. I learned to use various on- pact than if I would just do everything for them. I want to see my clients
line tools to minimize the time I needed to accomplish certain tasks, and succeed by helping them cut out all the unnecessary crap. The idea for
I figured I could do something with that knowledge. Minimal Switch slowly arose.
I started a company called Regelhelden, which stands for Organiz- After a four-day silent retreat, I decided to pivot and only focus
ing Heroes. I never liked the term “virtual assistant.” To me, an assistant on Minimal Switch. When I returned home, even though it was just a
is someone people take for granted and I wanted to change the vibe of four-day escape, I felt incredibly relaxed and knew I wanted to feel like
the job and give it more meaning. Regelhelden, in my definition, are that every day. Before, I was very tense; I’d always sit up and pull up my
people who look further than just at the task given to them. shoulders. When I then came home, I was able to sit back, which was a

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very new experience for me. I couldn’t stop thinking about what it was, When I changed the direction of my business, it didn’t necessarily
so I scheduled a focus week; a week in complete solitude without social feel like a pivot because I started blogging about minimalism in 2010. I
media to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I locked myself was trying to get rid of a lot of possessions, which I gradually expanded
in with a big white wall covered in sheets of paper for me to draw and from just physical possessions to all sorts of stuff in my life; whether
scribble on. My idea was to write everything down that made up my life it was projects, a particular field of work, or digital overconsumption. I
and start making choices and cut down projects, possessions, and all the had the content, but just never exploited what I had to its full potential.
things I no longer considered necessary. That’s when I decided to focus It was just one of many things I was working on.
on helping people find their way to minimalism. I wanted the virtual assistant business to truly flourish, but I also
I’m someone who, at all times, does too many things. It’s hard for wanted my minimalism classes to expand. I decided to cut everything
me to pinpoint what I love doing specifically because I get excited about else I was doing and only focus on these two pillars of my business.
many different things. Nevertheless, I’m very much in touch with my gut However, I slowly realized that in my virtual assistant business, it was
feelings so I know when I don’t like something, whether it’s the people me doing things for other people, even though my desire was to teach
that don’t quite fit or the type of project I’m responsible for. I learned to them to become better. That’s how I decided to discontinue the virtual
pay more attention to myself. At some point, while working on 15 proj- assistant business.
ects simultaneously, I figured something had to change. Also, I couldn’t Sometimes, I would love to do more projects, different projects, but
imagine I was the only person with that sort of problem. then I wouldn’t be able to focus on minimalism as much as I want to.
To keep it short, I used to have an agency for personal assistants, but
I quit that in 2013 to focus on teaching people how to be more organized 3. What are your different income streams?
and have a content life. I have different products that I sell. I have the Cut the Crap program,
which used to be a six week program, then ten, and now it’s a 13 week
2. How did you pivot your business? program. When I first launched the course, it was €79, but now it’s at
It was a result of the focus week. I launched a simple product page where €999. I also have a one-on-one program, which runs for three months.
I wrote, “Do you feel overwhelmed? Would you like to get some peace When I first launched the program, I charged €299, but now I ask for
of mind?” and then I said what I offered. I charged €79. Once people €1,499. I changed my pricing because I’ve learned how much value peo-
started signing up, I knew I had to do something and actually develop ple gain from working with me. I’ve also published an after-care pro-
a course. gram called After Patty Kicks for the people who have worked with me
There was no real launch, no party. From today’s perspective, I’d say to slowly offboard them. And I published books; I’m currently working
you should celebrate the launch of a project or a new business not just on the next one.
for yourself, but also for your ambassadors to give them something to In the beginning, I just wanted to get a lot of people to participate
talk about. Minimal Switch started with a simple product page. Many in my course. After many of them participated, they’d tell me €79 was
people create something and launch it once it’s done, and then when hardly enough for the work I put into it and for the value they’ve gained.
no one signs up, they’ve done all that work for nothing. To me, it makes When you have your customers telling you that you should charge more,
so much more sense to first get some customers and only then develop you know you’re definitely not charging enough! But of course, with
a product. You can use Squarespace or Launchrock to create a simple pricing, you must know your value and that people truly benefit from
page.

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your work; otherwise, you’ll never have the guts to charge people prop- three main subjects: Cut the Crap in Your Home, Cut the Crap in Your Life
erly. You’ll undervalue yourself! and Cut the Crap in Your Work. That’s way too much for just one book,
My pricing is fixed, but if you have custom prices and people say which is why I decided to make a series of three. I sell a bundle of all
yes immediately, you must charge more! When people say, “Let’s do it!” three books on my website. My customers receive the first book immedi-
right off the bat, I know I need to ask for more next time. When you ately, but the other two books will only be delivered to them once I have
feel slightly uncomfortable about asking for that amount of money, you finalized them.
know you’ve landed at the right amount! I also have the after-care program, which I developed because peo-
ple wanted to work with me for longer, but I didn’t want to be stuck with
4. How did you build your different programs and income streams? the same clients forever. I wanted my clients to evolve without me hav-
When I first started, I had the Cut the Crap program and I kept expand- ing to hold their hands infinitely. I thought about a good way to slowly
ing it because I had so much more to say. I wanted to add more value to offboard them for about a year and a half. I’ve developed a six month af-
the people who trusted me and bought my course. One day, someone ter-care program to help my clients grow while cutting all the crap they
sent me an email and said that while they enjoyed my course, they want- don’t need from their lives. With every new product I’ve launched, I’ve
ed to work with me directly. They asked whether I had a one-on-one extended the customer lifetime, which has not only helped my clients,
option and I just said “Yes” and decided to charge them €299 for three but has also helped grow my business.
months. I didn’t have any program, but I developed it while I worked
with them via Skype. We scheduled weekly meetings and we talked for 5. How did you go from running an offline business to setting up an
an hour. I noticed an hour was too long, so I decided to have 20 minute online business?
Skype calls instead. It makes more sense to me to discuss things briefly When you’re setting up your own business, you need to listen to yourself
and encourage action and then follow up. and think about what’s important to you. You need to make choices that
I really liked the one-on-one sessions with them and decided to do suit you because if you’re happy, you’ll be better at serving your clients.
it more frequently. I just had to figure out a system that wouldn’t cost too I once had an appointment with one of my clients who wanted to meet
much time. Given the basics were always the same, I started to automate me at their office. I went there and sat next to them and suddenly they
parts of the process. I found tools I thought were valuable and imple- got up and left for an appointment. I thought I came to talk about our
mented them to keep my workflow as simple as possible. project, but they wanted me to sit there and act like an employee. Once
I use Mailchimp to send automated emails and I use Wufoo, which they came back, they asked if I finished everything. I explained to them
is my absolute favorite, for surveys that I can embed into my website. that I’m self-employed and I don’t trade my time for money. I offer my
My customers answer questions and then I can export a report of their services to help solve problems. I wanted to choose where I would work
weekly or monthly progress. I also use Google Docs to get answers and who I would sit next to; being free regarding your choices is the
before every Skype call. The questions are always the same for every- main reason I wanted to work for myself. I knew I had to build an online
one, which is okay because the content will always be different, but the business.
framework needs to be systematic. I believe marketing your business is about building genuine rela-
Once people finished working with me, they’d ask whether I had tionships with people. It’s simple, but you can’t expect immediate re-
my articles in book form. They wanted a collection because it was more sults because if you do, you’re only set up for the short-term. If you only
convenient, so I decided to turn my articles into an e-book. There were think in the short-term, you’re not building a company, but just selling

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products. I believe marketing is everything I do. It’s every email I send,

every conversation I have, every event I decide to attend. Everywhere I
go, I market myself and my services. That’s part of being a solopreneur.
Sometimes, the people you talk to won’t become your clients, but they
might become your ambassadors and recommend your services to oth-
ers who need something you offer. And maybe that’s an even better way
to look at things because if you have ambassadors, the word will spread
much faster.

“EVERYTHING YOU DO, WHETHER IT’S

SENDING EMAILS OR ATTENDING
EVENTS, IS PART OF MARKETING YOUR
SERVICES.”

I believe if you’re a solopreneur, people who work with you need to trust
you, and you need to trust them. Otherwise, the collaboration isn’t going
to work.

6. What do you outsource or automate and what do you do yourself?

I do all the talking myself and I try to automate everything else. My
customers first receive assignments, and then weekly or monthly re-
views. The assignments are automated; I use MailChimp for that. I ask
for drawings and brainstormings and I ask my clients to scan and send
them to me. That’s the base for our first Skype call. What comes next are
the weekly and monthly reviews, which are pulled into a Wufoo report.
I get the filled out forms and sometimes, I respond directly if I see the
need. The Skype sessions are usually 20 minutes long and people can
schedule the calls themselves. I use Calendly for that. I mark the hours
where I want to work and people can schedule their slots themselves.

7. How do you grow your clientele?

I give away a lot for free. People can sign up to my challenges for free,
which got me 1,000 people on my mailing list. I also collaborate with
others. I once did a webinar series with five other women and because

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we shared our audiences and gave one another exposure, my mailing A lot of freelancers who start out think they need to define the right
list grew by 1,400 new subscribers. target group, but I believe that’s fairly simple because it should be peo-
When I first started, minimalism was a popular topic and many ple you can identify with. Look in the mirror. People you can associate
journalists were interested in talking to me. My work got a lot of atten- with are your clients and people who feel a connection to you are your
tion from the media and I also wrote posts for other blogs. I basical- best customers.
ly provided others with free content in exchange for a bit of exposure Whatever occupies your mind, and is also constantly present in your
and the possibility to grow my own brand. I also gave talks whenever life, will be an interesting project for you for the rest of your life. You’ll
someone asked me to. I’m always considering the simplest thing I can run into challenges every day and then you’ll learn how to solve them,
do that will have the biggest impact, but sometimes you just don’t know making yourself able to help others too.
if something will have a big impact or one at all. Sometimes, you just
have to risk it! 10. What resources can you recommend to someone who wants to
become a life coach?
“WHAT’S THE SIMPLEST THING THAT HAS There are so many great tools; Remember the Milk and Braintoss for to-
THE BIGGEST IMPACT?” do lists, StayFocusd and Anti-Social to block out social media, f.lux to
adjust the color of your screen according to the outside brightness, and
8. What’s something you would recommend to someone who wants AntiRSI to force yourself to take breaks. I use a roadmap to set long-term
to go into life coaching? goals and plan out my year.
Automate! Too many consultants want to provide every customer with I use Squarespace for my website, and I use Scribd to bookmark all
a custom-made experience, but it’s better for your sanity if you build a the articles I’m featured in. Mailchimp is my go-to app for email mar-
system and a strategy and then adapt. keting.
As a life coach, you probably have the same set of basic questions Shopify is great as an easy payment method for my e-courses. Then,
for every single client, so why not automate these to be able to focus on I use Pathwright to navigate the attendees of my courses through the
the more important things? Your clients will all start at a different stage registration process. Obviously, there’s Skype for one-on-one sessions,
and they will have different goals and different issues to investigate, so and then Calendly for people to schedule their own slots. WebinarJam
you should really figure out a systematic process and then just allow the is great for hosting webinars and I use MuteMyMic for muting the input
content to be different. of my microphone. The plugin Caffeine is great for when you want to
keep your screen awake during a webinar. I already mentioned Wufoo
9. What are the biggest challenges for someone who wants to for surveying people.
become a life coach? I use Buffer for scheduling social media updates and IFTTT for
Getting the right type of clients! Not just any clients, but people you gen- when I want to automatically redistribute content to another platform.
uinely want to work with. It’s easiest if you work with people who are Help Scout is great for when you want to share your mailbox and
just like you, but you’re two or three steps ahead of them. I personally work, for example, on customer care because you can assign emails to
believe I have ADD because it’s absolutely impossible for me to focus. I other team members. You should also look at Unroll.me to unsubscribe
get distracted a lot and overwhelmed easily. I’m on my path to figuring it from all unnecessary newsletters in just one click.
out, so I believe I can help people who struggle the same way I do.

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I would also recommend 1Password for keeping all your informa-

tion safe and to sign up for Private Internet Access if you want to work
on-the-go, but simultaneously protect your information. I would also
recommend using Time Machine or Dropbox to backup all your data. If

FIND STRONG
you’re someone who is on-the-go a lot, then I would say you should in-
stall Undercover to your computer. Basically, once you see you do some-
thing repeatedly, try to find a solution to automate. It will spare you a lot
of unnecessary hustle.
PARTNERS
Slight confession: I’ve already given a little of the learnings in this chapter
away in the previous ones by recommending you work with wonderful
people to help you accomplish greater results. However, I don’t want you
to just think about unique, exceptional people to work with on self-ini-
tiated projects. I want you to think about the sort of organizations and
representatives that can help you grow and stabilize your solopreneur
business. So I didn’t give it all away…
In more and more cases, companies no longer have an in-house cre-
ative team, or at least, not a team that’s big enough to accommodate all
of the creative work needed. Instead, companies work with freelancers
who supply them with fresh ideas and concepts for them to keep up with
the latest trends.
Generally speaking, there’s a growing number of companies that focus
on facilitating peer-to-peer business, such as Etsy, Airbnb, or Creative
Market. There are other, more traditional companies that commission
you for your creations, which they then sell to their customers. When you
make use of peer-to-peer focused platforms, you’ll have to deal with the
distribution yourself, however, you’ll be able to add some personal touch
to every package and email you send to your customers. If you manage
to find a suitable partner that commissions you merely for your ideas and
your digital files, you won’t have to deal with any of the distribution, but
then you won’t be able to add any personal notes either.
Many of the people who now commission work to companies have
@pattygolsteijn been proactively asked whether they would be interested in partnering
www.pattygolsteijn.com up. People will only ever be able to get in touch with you if they see

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consistency in your work and admire your personal style. The companies
that reach out proactively to people usually do so because someone has
linked to their accounts, which brings us back to the importance of so-
cial networks and connecting to others on and offline. Given that social
influencers can bring brands new customers and can help them become
widely known, it makes sense for companies to focus on partnering up
with people who have a large online following. It saves them money they
would otherwise have to spend on advertising.
But just because no one is writing to you, asking whether you would
be willing to work with them, doesn’t mean they’re not interested in
working with you at all. You just have to be the one to approach them first
and show them a portfolio of creative work they recognize as potentially
profitable.
Most of the companies that commission freelancers invite you to get
in touch via their website, but you can always approach a company by
sending them an email asking if they work with freelancers if you think
your style fits theirs. As you will soon read in Helen’s interview, the world
belongs to those who ask!
And don’t forget that once you agree to work with someone, set up a
contract to make sure you’ve clarified all expectations and deliverables.
However, if you don’t hear back from a company you’ve approached,
don’t feel defeated. It just means they don’t have the customer base for
whom your style is suited. You’re better off with someone else, so keep
putting yourself out there!
As you’ve heard throughout this book, there are different ways to
commission your work. You can either settle on a one-off payment, you
can ask for a commission, or if you’re lucky, you can get both. As Sara
already pointed out, it’s normal to get a commission of 3-15% of the
retail price.
Once you’ve agreed on closing a licensing deal, remember to include
in your contract when you’ll deliver, what sort of files and deliverables
are expected, what your work is being used for, and when your partner
needs to request additional permissions. Clarify when you expect to be
paid, how much, and what will happen if one of you decides to step back
from the collaboration.

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If you feel uncomfortable negotiating rates and contracts, then the INTERVIEW WITH
one partner you might want to get on board is a professional agent. An

Helen
agent is typically responsible for showing your work to potential clients.
They represent several professionals in one field and have contacts who
hire creatives in the industry. Just like with any representative, you want

Johannessen
to work with them because they’re well-connected, not necessarily just
because they have the capacity to represent you.
Agents help you land jobs and negotiate contracts, and they also han-
dle billing and payments with your clients so you can focus all of your
energy on creative work. Having an agent doesn’t mean you’ll get proj-
ects constantly or that you’ll have to do every project they suggest to
you. However, representatives act in your best interest and help grow
your business.
Representatives usually charge up to 50% of every assignment they
Helen is a model and mould maker in the
help you get contracted for. Some agents have a flat-rate commission,
others have a tiered commission system, and some charge different fees ceramics industry, and is also a dedicated
depending on the type of work you do. You only always pay the agent lecturer. Her greatest strengths are her
after you’ve received your remuneration for the job done.
Getting an agent might be essential to relieve you from the restraints practical way of thinking and her ability
of negotiating terms with clients. If the idea of agreeing on a fee makes to see opportunities and turn ideas into
you panic, it might be worth the commission they charge to spare you
an unnecessary headache. reality. When she meets new people, she’ll
However, it might take years for an agent to express interest in work- often think about the potential spark of
ing with you. Some only work with established professionals. This is,
where it once again, pays off to focus on growing your online following
collaboration. To Helen, people are the
because agents are far more likely to help you if they see it will pay off for greatest resource to build successful
them. Agents seek creatives with marketable work, which is work that’s
businesses!
audience-oriented, something we previously discussed.
Whatever you decide to do, working with or without an agent or set-
ting the goal of hiring an agent at some point, it’s important to remember
that every partner you choose to work with should help you grow your
business as much as you should help them grow theirs.
And now, get ready to meet Helen!
London, UK

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to dustry. Working with him was like an apprenticeship. As well as run-
where you are now? ning the ceramic business, he also taught part-time at Buckinghamshire
When I was in school taking A levels, I was studying academic subjects; University. I used to say to him that, whenever he wanted to quit, I’d be
maths, biology, and French, but I couldn’t see how these subjects would happy to be considered to take over his position. I believe you need to
fit into the life and career I imagined for myself. I was interested in them, tell people what you want to achieve and make it easy for them to help
yes, but I thought these topics weren’t for me to take any further. I en- you reach those goals.
rolled for an evening class in pottery, which was an unusual hobby at
that time for my age at 17, and gained work for a portfolio to apply for “TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU WANT TO
an Art Foundation. Once completing that, it led me to taking on a four ACHIEVE. MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM TO
year degree in ceramics at the Middlesex University in North London. HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS!”
These choices might sound a little unconventional, but I’m not great at
following the crowd and accepting rules of life. I then joined a model making and sculpting team in the film industry. I
During my studies, I realized a degree alone won’t make me an ex- wanted to strategically build my skill set, learn more about the different
pert. I identified two things about myself: that I’m quite practical and angles of the maker industry, and use different materials and strategies.
solution-driven, and that I enjoy the technical side of the industry. I was The film industry, at least from my experience, can be highly waste-
always trying to help others at university, especially with the technical ful, especially back in 1997. It would upset me to see the work we had cre-
side of working with ceramics, and I decided I wanted to do some sort ated to be discarded so quickly after use. We would work long hours per
of teaching along with becoming more proficient as a model and mould day, weeks, and months on a model, and then after filming the scenes
maker. As a model and mould maker, you create the original object or it was made for, the model would invariably be trashed. In the studio
design and then the plaster moulds to reproduce the original object. where I had worked before, my boss couldn’t afford to waste any money
At our degree show in 1995, we had guests from the industry visiting on materials. I was earning 30 pounds a day, so I wouldn’t waste that
to see our projects. I made sure to speak to them because these people amount either. In the film studio, we could use whatever we needed. Of-
had their own practices and I knew that was my opportunity to try and ten, materials would just get thrown away if it took too long to clean
get contacts or a job. I knew someone who had their own ceramic mould them, so that was not our time well spent.
making business was there, so I made sure I spoke to him. I told him On one film I worked on, we built a 20th scale model of Trafalgar
confidently without being too arrogant (I’d hoped!) that if he ever need- Square down to the details of all the bus stops, black cabs, trees, sculp-
ed someone to model and mould make for him, I was his person. He tures, etc; it was stunning. Most of the scenes using that model were cut
called me the following week. out of the movie and it was such a huge model that it had to be discard-
ed. That really had a big impact on me, and I decided it was time for me
“MAKE IT YOUR BUSINESS TO TALK TO THE to move away from that particular industry. I learned a lot and I wanted
PEOPLE FROM YOUR INDUSTRY.” to get back to a place where people valued other people’s work in the
way that I appreciated it too.
First, he invited me for a trial week, which is a perfectly acceptable thing Things in life usually fall into place, so once I decided to end work-
to do in the industry. I ended up working there for 18 months before ing there, the seed I had planted in the head of my former boss a while
I moved on to another role to widen my knowledge of the making in- back had flourished; I was invited to Buckinghamshire University to dis-

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cuss teaching the 3D design course as a visiting lecturer for two days a ferent: people were less afraid of taking risks. People were confident in
week. I was 27 at the time, so even though I began lecturing with plenty setting up their own product-selling business, they were much happier
of relevant experience, I had no formal training for the role. I wanted to to invest as the market place was buoyant, and people were spending
evolve as a lecturer and obtain qualifications, so I received a teaching money. The internet wasn’t in full force then as it is now. We’ve seen a
certificate in higher education, which was supported and paid for by huge rise in competition on pricing and shopping around, so it’s a little
the university. tougher for the smaller businesses to be seen.
Because of a more regular income, I was able to take the plunge and Teaching, for me, has been a major income stream for years. In 2013,
get myself my first studio space, a basement studio in Finsbury Park. I I became the Acting Course Leader of a BaHons, so I was much more
then started offering my model and mould making services to designers involved and it needed a lot more of my time and dedication.
and artists and built a reputation for myself. Back in 2003, I launched my own brand, Yoyo Ceramics, and to be
Clients came to me with their ideas and I would help them make honest, it wasn’t my complete intention, but I wanted to put my work out
the tooling or moulds. Sometimes, I would cast a prototype or two, but there and it seemed to fit what I was doing. The first product range was
I wouldn’t offer any manufacturing services. I specialized in modeling based on mimicking plastic as a material. I designed “Is that Plastic?,”
their concepts and producing moulds. which is like a re-work of tupperware and other plastic products, but in
It was at this time I also started working on my own ideas again. brightly-colored glazed ceramic.
When starting my business, I analyzed my skills and how I could use My designs gained popularity immediately and I had huge amounts
them to their fullest. I had the urge to translate my creativity into pieces of interest from shops wanting to stock them and press writing features
of ceramics. Generally speaking, a good way to approach creativity is about my work in magazines. I had a few companies quite early on ask-
to make stuff and explore it to their limits, which sometimes results in ing me whether I would be willing to license out my work to them.
“breaking stuff.” You can then fix it and learn more for the next project. Licensing was a whole new territory for me. I was hesitant because
It’s a great attitude to work and live by to be able to cope with uncertain- I only had a small range of products, and if I allowed them to sit under
ty and then make things work for you. someone else’s brand, there was the threat that Yoyo Ceramics wouldn’t
be able to grow. I turned the offers down because it didn’t occur to me I
“MAKE STUFF. BREAK STUFF. THEN FIX IT!” could’ve just gone back to my studio and produce new designs.
It took about three to four years for me to get the routine in running
2. What are your different income streams? the business. Selling wholesale, exhibiting at trade shows, and direct
For two decades, I’ve been model and mould making and have had selling shows was all new territory for me. It was exciting and had many
hundreds of studio clients. I’ve been lecturing and teaching for the past creative moments, as well as more traditional requirements needed for
sixteen years, and I’ve run my business, Yoyo Ceramics. Over time, it running your own business. Once I finally felt comfortable being a busi-
went from building a brand and product ranges, managing production, nesswoman, we had the first recession. The prices of certain things just
selling, distribution, and eventually onto licensing my products to other went crazy. In 2006, the factory that was producing my work in Stoke
companies. On Trent closed down because the costs of fuel rocketed. It put a lot of
Client work is not guaranteed regular work. The demand can fluctu- people out of business and suddenly, I didn’t have anyone to produce my
ate a lot throughout a year. The clients and their needs vary from person work, although demand was increasing from the effort I’d been putting
to person. When I first started my business, the economy was very dif- in over the years.

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I don’t know every detail of the economic world, but I think I’m able
to recognize patterns. If I see something isn’t working in my business
for whatever reason, then I won’t invest in it further. If I see something’s
gaining momentum, then that’s the aspect I’ll focus on.
During the recession, it seemed impossible to find a replacement for
my manufacturer, so I went back to some of the people who asked me
to license my work to them and asked whether they were still interested.
I told them many retailers were interested in selling my work, but I had
to turn them away because I had no one to produce my creations. And
that’s how I started licensing.
For a long time, my income streams were quite balanced. I’ve only
recently started earning more money from teaching compared to the
other parts of my business because I became the course leader.
I think it’s important that when you juggle a few jobs and have more
income streams, you don’t do any one thing for three days a week. Once
you do something for more than two days a week, I see it as becoming
your main job.
Freelancing forces you to think really hard about your work and life
balance. At times, it can be challenging to distinguish between week-
days and weekends. Maintain the energy and confidence to know that
even if one income stream falls flat, you’ll still be able to figure out a
different way to make a living. Scheduling holidays and free time can
always be the last consideration, but it’s really important to give yourself
breaks!

3. What does your creative process look like?

That’s a very good question. That’s where the artist in me emerges; I
have many ideas and I sometimes rush to my studio to get them out
and into reality. I then keep refining the idea. I worked on my ceramic
notepad, for example, for about 18 months on and off. I would just keep
reflecting on the design and try to look at it with a fresh pair of eyes
again and again, ask friends for feedback and opinions. When I create
something new, I generally have no deadline. It’s great to be able to work
in this way, as I can just keep playing until I’m fully satisfied. I never
want to pigeonhole myself and only do homeware, so I grant myself the

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freedom to experiment. That’s probably why I only license designs that generating a million pounds in the UK’s creative economy with one ob-
I already have instead of designing upon request. ject is a great accomplishment and I’m incredibly proud of that.
Every agreement I’ve signed has included the right for me to buy
4. How does licensing work in your industry? the product at wholesale or landed cost price to sell them direct or on-
It depends on who you are, who they are, what it is you’re selling. When line. The margins are much higher. It’s important to review contracts
I launched my ceramic notepad, I was receiving emails from people in- regularly and always make sure the contracts state what you want right
quiring about ordering huge quantities; sometimes as much as 3,000 from the start, not exclusively what the other party wants. Many people
units. I didn’t have a regular supplier to produce that amount, so it felt receive contracts and think they have to accept all the terms. Don’t forget
reasonable to look for a partner who could produce and handle that that contracts can work in your favor too! If you get a contract handed
many units. Also, I didn’t see myself as someone who was processing to you and you don’t understand what it says, ask someone who does.
orders and communicating with manufacturers and warehouses. I was Negotiate as much as you need to get the contract that’s right for you, a
happy to hand that over to someone else. contract you feel confident signing.
People often think there are two ways of licensing: one where you It’s advisable to work with people or companies that you’re happy
get a one-off fee for a design you create based on a brief, or you get a to be associated with. I launched the ceramic notepad in 2008, and two
percentage from the sales. Personally, I’ve never received any money up- companies were interested in licensing it. One of them was US-based,
front because I’ve always only sold designs I’ve completed through to and the other one was from the UK. I decided to go with the one in the
production. UK because I liked that they were nearby, and I was able to keep an eye
With one license deal I made, we found a manufacturer in Asia. on them, but I didn’t associate with their image. It was a collaboration
Because of the rising production costs in the UK, we had to look for that wasn’t the best fit for Yoyo Ceramics. At some point, just thinking
someone abroad, which I was honestly a little uncomfortable with. The about the license made me cringe. It’s a shame if you feel that way about
contractor would pay for the tooling, buy stock, and keep records of something you’ve created and spent so much time on.
sales to calculate a percentage I would receive quarterly. With licenses, Trust is another important element whenever choosing business
the amount you can receive per unit sold unfortunately doesn’t have a partners and negotiating licenses. At the end of the day, your contract is
“normal rate” – it really varies and can be agreed upon between the two a piece of paper both of you sign. That piece of paper is important, but
parties. you have to be really comfortable working with the other party because
The money you get would typically only be a very small percentage in business, it’s always about the people involved.
of the wholesale price or retail price, so you have to work with partners I’ve worked with companies that went bankrupt, and I lost a lot of
who sell large volumes. Building these additional income streams can money. They kept taking on new designers and employees, but didn’t
really make a business work well if it’s successful. Licensing doesn’t pay pay properly or on time. Eventually, that business went under without a
unless the companies you work with sell several thousands of units, and lot of us seeing what was owed. Choose who you work with wisely.
of course, the majority of products don’t keep selling year in, year out;
demand for new things is part of our consumer world. 5. How does it work with direct selling shows in the maker industry?
In discussing the first license deal, we immediately talked numbers We have an open studio twice a year. I know, whenever we do an event
and the company gave me a projection of sales for the first year or two. like that, I’m going to sell a lot because it’s the right audience who visits.
The ceramic notepad design sold more than 80,000 units over 3-5 years;

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I know these shows will cover the rent of my studio for the year. It’s im- 7. How do you use the internet to market and sell your work?
portant to be a part of a strong community. When I first started Yoyo Ceramics, I didn’t have a website. No one did
Our studio is in Central London. Part of our contract agreement is back then because it was expensive to have someone to build a website
that we participate in these public trading shows. One show is in the for a small business, so I had my first website built for me in 2005. My
spring and the other one is right before Christmas. During these shows, current website needs an update, but when I first commissioned the
I can also sell my prototypes; the sort of work that’s not really suitable to company to make me this one, what we did was really revolutionary; it
sell elsewhere, but maybe someone will buy it for a reasonable amount linked to all the available social networks that were quite new then. I’ve
and recoup making costs at the least. Many makers don’t dare to sell always made sure to have high-quality photos for publicity. I uploaded
objects they don’t think are “good enough,” but I always think if I don’t all my product pictures to Flickr and then we would pull these imag-
like or need something anymore, someone else might. It’s a good way to es to my website. Now, that sounds very old fashioned, but back in the
clear out my shelves and let someone else enjoy a bargain. I don’t like day, our approach created a social spiral. It’s important to think in loops
to be wasteful. when you try to make the internet work for you. Now, you might do it
In all the years I’ve been in my creative business, I’ve also learned the other way around, like host your product pictures on your page and
the majority of what businesses sell happens at the end of the year. The use Pinterest, for example, to share them with others.
entire year is just preparation work for the Christmas season. It sounds Years ago, many of my clients I made moulds for didn’t have their
bizarre, but that’s the way it is. own selling website, so I offered to sell the products I created for them
on my website and get a commission from the sales. Now, these people
6. At what trade shows do you sell your creations? have slowly implemented shops into their own websites and there’s no
I like to attend the Design Junction and Tent London as a visitor these longer a need for me to do that. Making decisions and offering services
days. My license deals mean those companies would show my work and that are right in the moment are important to think about. They’re op-
deal with the trade shows, an aspect that suited me. I prefer direct sell- portunities for everyone.
ing shows because I enjoy chatting and selling to my customers. They’ll
often have excitement in their eyes because they’re so delighted about 8. What resources would you recommend to makers?
their purchase from me. It’s important to gain feedback from their end It depends on where you’re based. In the UK, Hidden Art was a great
being the customer. I like that part. I love selling to the people who organization to get advice and expertise when I first started Yoyo Ceram-
might come back in a year or two and tell me they still love what they ics; they really helped me get my business off the ground. The British Li-
bought from me. brary is a great place for startups because they have the Business and IP
There are a lot of different markets or sales opportunities around Center. They connect makers and creatives with mentors and have great
London most weekends. Some of the markets are a bit more “craftier” resources. There are a lot of creative websites that can be useful too, like
than others. Some are targeted at hobbyists to sell their creations. These The Design Trust, Nesta, The Design Council, and The Crafts Council,
market opportunities are great because they gain appreciation of the which are all worth researching for different aspects of a creative career.
smaller businesses from the public. They’re cheap to exhibit at and usu- As a maker, you must be proactive and see everyone you meet as a
ally pay off. In recent years, I’ve also been gradually relying on online great resource. When I meet someone, I often imagine how we could
sales, of course. collaborate. I always see some sort of potential in people I come across,
whether it turns into anything or not!

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9. What are the greatest challenges for someone who wants to be a

professional maker?
I remember the first time a customer came to my studio and walked
away with some of my creations. I felt like they had taken my child! I

PLAN YOUR
will never forget that. Everything I make feels very personal to me; it
contains a bit of my personality. Being a maker means you’re giving a
piece of yourself to people. You must have a relationship with the prod-
ucts you make, or otherwise, it could become a bit of a dry business and
you might lose interest in making.
LONG-TERM
Another challenge for makers is the need to have a two-sided busi-
ness; you must make your products available online, but also have a GOALS
presence where you sell to people directly in the real world. That really
helps spread the word about what you do in different ways. Time to dig deep: How would you like to feel every day when you wake
up in the morning? How do you wish to be spending your days? And who
10. What’s something you would recommend to someone who wants would you like to be spending your days with?
to become a maker? Often, when we think about our life goals, we think about our defini-
Start planting seeds for you to build a business. Talk to people and tell tion of success. Nevertheless, it’s a definition that’s hardly ever coined
them about your plans. Work hard! by our deepest, personal desires. What’s regarded as “successful” has
Try not to look at others and figure out what strategy they applied been defined by what our friends, family, and the society we are a part
that seemingly worked for them because you can guarantee it didn’t of consider as such.
work out overnight. Whatever you see that’s successful, you can be It’s easy to be able to say, “I work for Google.” People know and re-
damn sure they put in lot of work. Many hours have been spent working spect the company. There’s no need for justification because once you
on their business to create the output you see. You can’t build a business work for a well-known company, you’re immediately regarded as some-
if you’re not self-motivated, so all the other people whose work you see one who has “made it.” If you, instead, decide to walk your own path,
and admire are really hard, dedicated workers! you’ll most likely have to defend your decision many times, especially
when things don’t go smoothly from the start or get rough every now
and then. (Which is normal, but no one ever posts about it on Instagram.)
Because of social media, we’re constantly exposed to the successes of
other people (who are often younger than us, on top of everything else).
It’s not easy to say I’m a photographer, an illustrator, or another type of
digital creative who’s making it every day, but is still far away from having
actually “made it.” And even if other people consider you as successful
and someone who’s made it, chances are high that deep down, you still
@helenyoyo feel like you’re making it every single day, which you probably are!
www.yoyoceramics.co.uk

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It might come as a surprise to you that people with 200K+ followers

are hustling each day and trying to make it too. There’s clearly no differ-
ence between someone who you think has made it and someone who
feels like they’re trying to make it.
In school, university, and the jobs we’ve gotten afterwards, we’ve
always been challenged with goals we’ve worked towards, and we’ve
been comparing ourselves to the people we’re surrounded by. However,
once you’re self-employed and you’ve reached the point where you can
support yourself with your creative work, you might ask the question,
“What’s next?”
Given our society aspires to be bigger, better, and richer, you might be
wondering what you should work towards next. You might ask whether
you should expand your business and build an actual company. But do
you really want to be spending your days managing and motivating other
people, or do you want to be creating? How do you want to be spending
your days? How do you want to feel every day? And where does what
you think you want come from? Is it really what you want, or is it what
you believe you want?
It might be that you still have a job and picked up this book to learn
more about what it takes to not get a monthly paycheck from your em-
ployer. In that case, your desire to become independent is what you
might define as your goal. But again, are you aware of what it takes to
be self-employed? Is it what you really want because you want to spend
more time with your family, or do you want to be able to travel the world?
Recently, being a freelancer has been hyped in the media, so it seems
like a thing that’s “to be desired.” Again, consider how you want to feel
and how you want to spend your days. As creative freelancer, you’ll only
be spending about half of your time creating and the rest of your time
doing a lot of things entire teams split responsibilities to complete when
working for a company. There’s no project manager to prepare a detailed
brief for you; no one else to deal with the nitty gritty stuff. Is this what
you want?
It’s important to think about the questions I’ve posed in this chap-
ter and write down your conclusions. You can’t and shouldn’t compare
yourself to other people. Take the time to sit down and reflect on what
you want your process to look like. Then, think about how you want to

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be challenging yourself. Reflect on what steps you’ll take to free up your INTERVIEW WITH
time to focus on exploring what else the world has for you that fits who

Lisa
you are.
Let’s go back to the question of what success means to you; is it being
recognized by people, or being able to make enough money from draw-

Glanz
ing, designing, or writing so you can spend time with your family? Once
you start comparing yourself to others, you only compare yourself to
the impressions available to you because you don’t know what sacrifices
these people made to get to where they are. You haven’t seen them
sitting behind their computer at 2am trying to finish something. You’ve
probably only seen a picture of a drink at the pool or how they walk their
dog at the beach. Lisa is an illustrator who specializes in
Write down what success means to you and go back to that piece
of paper whenever you face a decision you’re unsure about. I believe
creating assets for graphic designers.
that once you write down how your successful self wants to be spending She knows what designers need in their
days, it’ll be much easier to feel happy about your life without comparing
yourself to others.
day-to-day because she was one herself.
That piece of paper will also make it easier to say “No” to great offers Lisa speaks about the importance of
that don’t bring you closer to how you want to feel in your life. And once
remembering where you came from and
you know with whom you want to be spending your days with, it’ll be
easier to know what to focus your energy on in order to reach just that. knowing where you’re heading in your
When I first reached out to the women I interviewed for this book, I professional life. To her, once you know
didn’t know some had kids. For them, the determination to build scalable
income streams came out of necessity. They have a family they want- how you want to feel in your day-to-day,
ed to spend more time with. It was clear to them how they wanted to you’ll be much more focused on reaching it.
be spending their days. They defined their everyday journey, not a peak
somewhere far away.
In her interview, Lisa explains how to
Think and write: How do you want to feel when you wake up? How do
you want to be spending your days? And what can you do to reach that? master the internet: you just have to know
Now, it’s time for the last story. I’m pleased to introduce you to Lisa!
what you’re searching for.

Cape Town, South Africa

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1. What’s your educational background and how did you arrive to DesignCuts.com every three months or so. On both markets, Etsy and
where you are now? Creative Market, I sell digital resources. There’s no shipping involved.
I studied advertising and graphic design. I wished to become an illustra- Although the products are the same, the two markets are different be-
tor, but there weren’t many job opportunities because it wasn’t consid- cause they serve different target groups.
ered a “proper job” back then. Graphic design was the next best thing. On Etsy, many of my customers are scrapbookers and end-consum-
I must say I really enjoyed the layout and typography aspect to the job, ers who use my products for fun. Creative Market, on the other hand,
so I was happy with my choice in the end. After graduation, I decided caters mainly to graphic designers. Their audience uses Creative Market
to get a job in the magazine industry instead of advertising. Advertising for professional purposes. I would say my graphic design background
usually attracts a certain type of person and I wasn’t quite one of them. helps with understanding the buyer’s needs. The inside knowledge of
I managed to move up the corporate ladder and after about six years, I knowing what graphic designers are looking for is a great advantage, so I
became an art director. However, I knew I didn’t want to be doing this create graphic sets I think will be useful to them and bundle them based
forever; I knew I wanted more from my career. on various themes. I also have a following of photographers who buy my
The older I got, the more I learned about who I was and what I want- work. They usually use my illustrations to overlay their photos.
ed to do with my life. I decided to quit. I had a friend who had her own And then, the bundle deals are something I’ve been experimenting
graphic design studio and she offered me a unique opportunity. We had with because they’ve been generating a significant part of my income.
an agreement that I would spend the mornings working on her proj- DesignCuts bundles graphic design resources and sells them to graphic
ects and then in the afternoon, I worked on my own. I had access to all designers at a discounted price.
her equipment and in return, I paid her a portion of my earnings. After I’m now earning dollars instead of South African rands. That’s boost-
about two years, my business grew so much that I couldn’t sustain work- ed my income, and it’s probably why I could discontinue my graphic
ing for her half-day. We ended up parting ways and I moved into my own design business so quickly. I’m not sure if an American illustrator could
studio in the city before I moved my studio into our home. live off my earnings, but given the dollar/rand exchange at the moment,
I had space there, especially mental space, to think. The energy of as a South African, online market spaces aren’t just a great way to make
the house boosted my creativity, so I started experimenting and trying my work visible to everyone around the world, but it gives me enough of
out new things. My desire to become an illustrator never stopped nag- an income to have a good life.
ging me, so I started illustrating again.
At the beginning of 2015, I was able to discontinue my graphic design 3. How and why did you launch your different businesses?
studio to focus on illustration instead. Even though I pivoted my busi- In South Africa, we often feel very removed from the rest of the world.
ness entirely, 2015 was my best year. It’s probably also because I quit my Many of us feel like we’re living on an island. We rely heavily on the in-
graphic design business only once I was earning more with my illustra- ternet to learn about new trends and what other people are up to.
tions. During the transition, I was working about 60 hours a week. I still I’m generally very interested and inspired by what other creatives do,
work most days including the weekend, but it’s now about 48-50 hours. which is why I research a lot. One day, I was looking through Etsy and
I found a store that only sold digital assets. They’ve done an incredible
2. What are your different income streams? amount of sales, close to 150,000, so I looked through what they offered
I have an Etsy store and a shop on Creative Market, which makes for and it nudged me that if they could do it, I could do it too!
the majority of my income. I also participate in Bundle Deals on

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Once my Etsy store was up, I started looking for other outlets where I’m trying to produce at least one product a month. Products, by my
I could sell my work and I came across Creative Market. I applied to definition, are graphic illustrations and elements bundled together for
open a store there and after a quick screening, I was in. They review your graphic designers to use in their work. My products range from about
portfolio and if your work is up to their standards, you’ll get access as a 65 to 450 elements per bundle consisting of anything from a watercolor
seller. Retrospectively, opening a store on Creative Market changed my flower to a pre-made logo design. The price range varies based on the
entire life because I can now illustrate for a living. amount of elements within the product. If you produce a smaller bun-
Whenever you join a new market space, you first need to analyze its dle, you generally can’t ask for the same amount of money you would
community. I would recommend looking at the most successful people for a 450 element bundle. You don’t want to over-price your products to
every time you decide to get involved with a new platform. With Cre- remain competitive; you need to find a balance. Cheaper bundles will
ative Market, it’s easy to spot who the leaders are because the products sell more, but you need to sell a lot of them to earn enough income so
are ranked based on their earnings and popularity. The products you you can remain creative.
see first are the ones earning the most with the highest number of sales.
When you look at the community leaders, try to understand what 5. What’s the goal of your business?
they do that makes them successful. How do they present their work? Before I dared to try myself out as a freelance illustrator, I read a lot of
How do they talk about their work? What type of products work best for self-help books. One of them suggested asking yourself how you wanted
them? I’m not saying you should copy them (it’s important to develop to feel every day. Usually, people ask you what you want to do and what
your own style and signature products), but I think you can learn from you want to achieve, but no one ever asks you how you want to feel.
them in terms of what makes a great product, what makes a digital store How do you want to feel when you wake up in the morning? What
successful, and what the community demands are in each market. kind of life do you want to have? What should your day consist of?
With DesignCuts, it was easy. They approached me and I was curi- I knew I wanted to be independent. I knew I wanted to earn dol-
ous if this would be something that could work for me, so I just figured I lars to boost my income, and I knew I wanted to feel vital and energetic,
should try. I get a lot of requests from various sites, but I stick to Design- which was how I felt whenever I was illustrating. Once I could recognize
Cuts because I don’t want to sell out. I prefer to focus on quality work what I wanted, I became extremely focused.
instead of budget deals. I don’t want to harm my brand. When you’re self-employed, you learn many important life skills be-
cause you’re not only figuring out how to make a living, but you’re also
4. How do you decide what to work on next? constantly refining who you are as a person and what goals you pursue.
I believe it’s a combination of instinct mixed with what you see is already And because you’re in charge, your decisions and choices define your
doing well. On one hand, I focus on creating assets that are inspired values.
by various holidays and seasons, such as Easter, Christmas, or Moth- Many of my friends say I’m lucky because I can walk my dog on the
er’s Day, but on the other hand, I look at things that are trending and beach every day and I work from home with no rigid hours, but I can
produce something with my own twist. Ideas come to me while I’m out only reply that I work to be where I am. I sacrificed a lot to get to where
for a run or walking my dog. Sometimes, I try out ideas not knowing if I am with my business and my life. It really depends on how badly you
they’ll work or not. That’s what makes this process so much fun; there’s want something. If your goal is everything to you, nothing’s going to stop
so much room for experimentation and you’re never 100% sure what you.
will work out.

214 215
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Lisa Glanz

With creativity, the goal should be all about the creative process and
not necessarily the outcome. It’s easier said than done, and as we often
focus on the results, it’s only natural. But I believe it’s about how you
want to feel every day while you’re in the process of living and the energy
you put in to produce and market your work to make an income. There
won’t be a peak, at least not one that’s clearly defined for you. You won’t
move up the corporate ladder. Instead, you’ll become more skilled at
what you do if you do it every day. Your process will become your every-
day goal and how you’ll achieve your dreams. My ambition is to eventu-
ally be a recognized surface pattern designer and illustrator. I want to be
approached to do editorial and licensing work, but I know it takes time
to get there.

6. What do you do to grow your business?

I’ve learned that half of selling your work online is all about how you
present it. You can have the most gorgeous product, but if it’s not pre-
sented properly, no one is going to care. First impressions are everything!
I’ve also learned I need to spend time creating preview slides to
show my customers specifically how they could use the elements in
their work. Giving them as many details as possible about the product
before they’re prompted to purchase is important.

“FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING!”

Your layout, what colors you use; it all really matters. If your cover slide
doesn’t look great, people aren’t going to click through to your product.
Always check whether your description is easy to read and feels inviting.
I’d even say if you want to open a digital store, presentation alone is 50%
of your product. Budget the time and don’t be impetuous.
To grow my business, I also started using Pinterest to get traffic to
my stores. Besides that, I’m on Behance and I use Instagram to share
snapshots of my work in progress. I already got commissioned for work
because someone found me on Behance. If you want to make money as
an illustrator or a graphic designer, you need to be involved in relevant
communities.

216 217
#SMARTCREATIVES Interview with Lisa Glanz

7. How do you improve the customer experience over time? 10. What are the greatest challenges for someone who wants to start
My goal, with whatever I do, is to give my customers more than they a business such as yours?
expected. I’m trying to be authentic at all times. I believe people can Time management is a huge challenge. When you’re self-employed,
relate more to those who are honest and genuine. People sense if you’re you’re not just creating all the time; you’re running a business. I spend
fake and doing things just for money. I want people to feel great about a lot of time with customer support and while I love receiving emails
buying from me! from people from all around the world, it’s also time-consuming. How-
ever, customer support is my first priority because I want people to have
8. What resources would you like to recommend to someone who a great experience when they buy from me so they’re happy with their
wants to start a business such as yours? purchase. Figuring out a balance between being there for people who
There are millions of resources and it always depends on what you’re buy my products and having the time to create new ones has been my
looking for. Whatever platform, whatever community you want to join, biggest challenge.
that’s the one you should spend the most time researching. Every plat- You’ll also need to learn to prioritize. You won’t be able to work on ev-
form is unique and every single one works differently. Take the time and erything you’d like to, at least not immediately. For next year, I’m plan-
learn more about the community you want to be a part of, especially if ning to sit down at the end of the year for two days and map out my
you want to make money there. focus for the upcoming year. I’ll break the year up month by month, and
If you need to find a way to define your goals, I would recommend even week by week, and specify what I want to focus on in the upcom-
Marie Forleo’s course. ing months. I think it’s important to set yourself goals to be able to see
I’m also a member of Skillshare because it gives you the possibility where you’re heading. Otherwise, you won’t know when to celebrate
to dive into different subjects; some of them are related to your business, your successes. So if you haven’t already, you should make that plan to-
others not as directly. It’s a great resource to get fresh insights. day. For yourself. And for your goals!
You have to keep improving your skills. I thought I was very pro-
fessional in my use of Adobe software, but since I started selling digital
assets to other designers, I’ve at least doubled the level of my skills. You
can learn anything you want, but you must be willing to do so and Skill-
share is a great place to start.

9. What’s a piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to

start a business such as yours?
Research how your products are being used to understand how people
use them as much as you can. For example, my preferred software is
Illustrator, so I don’t use Photoshop as much. I know that my products
are being used in Photoshop, so I started making an effort to learn how
people use it in order to serve them better.
@glanzgraphics
www.lisaglanz.com

218 219
 SAY
HELLO!
Thank you for picking up this book and spending your precious time with
us. We hope you’ve collected many ideas while reading this little guide
we’ve created to help you think about how to stabilize your freelance
business.

We hope that wherever you are on your freelance venture, whether

it’s just stepping on the path towards professional independence or look-
ing for an idea to challenge yourself with, we hope this book has given
you the needed inspiration and some ideas for how to master it!
We’d be extremely grateful if you’d write an Amazon or a
GoodReads review for My Creative (Side) Business so we know what we’ve
done right and how we could serve you better when we start working on
the next book.
We’d also really appreciate it if you’d get in touch to share with us
what this book has inspired you to do. Also, feel free to tell us what other
topics you’d like us to explore and write about! We’d simply love if you’d
say hello on Twitter, Instagram, or send us an email!
If you’ve supported us during our Kickstarter campaign, turn a couple
of pages; that’s where you’ll find your name! And if you’re curious who
supported us and what they do, or if you’re looking for someone in your
own area of interest, look at those pages because these are the people
sitting with us in the same boat. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it if you con-

220 221
#SMARTCREATIVES

nect with them and ask how they’re doing or involve them in a project
of yours!

In case you have some more questions you think I might be able to an-
swer, feel free to send me an email to [email protected], and if you
just want to get a weekly piece of inspiration and hear what I’ve learned
while trying to make it as a freelancer, then please sign up to my personal
newsletter on my website: mkanokova.com.

If you’re fascinated by the beautiful artwork in this book, check out Sara’s
website or her Instagram stream. If you enjoyed the layout and want to
know who’s responsible for it, look up Diana’s work. And if you want to
know who the word magician is who made sure the text read well, look
up Diana Jean’s website.
Thank you for your support and good luck on your path. We know
you’ll make it.

See you somewhere on the internet!

Love,
Monika, Sara, Diana, and Diana Jean

222 223
#SMARTCREATIVES Meet the Team

MONIKA KANOKOVA SARA COMBS

Monika Kanokova gave up long ago on trying to define one sin- Sara Combs is an artist and a designer whose focus is creat-
gle location as her home as much as she has given up on trying ing intuitive and meaningful experiences. She uses a variety of
to find a job title that would summarize what she does. She has mediums to do so; everything from UI/UX design for both web
a fascination for city building and space design and its impact and apps, to pattern design and illustration, and interior design
on people’s lives. Her interest in social mobility has planted her for her latest project, The Joshua Tree House (an Airbnb rental
interest in people’s stories and their unique career paths. She in the Mojave desert).
specializes in technology-based communication solutions for
Since moving to California after graduating from the Maryland
them to have positive impact on their relationships.
Institute College of Art, she’s been in love with the state’s land-
Legally, she’s a freelance advertiser, but as she doesn’t believe scape and laid back way of life.
in classic advertising, her design-driven approach often leads to
unconventional solutions.
She helps her clients build useful products, and optimizes
customer relationships and communication by adding value
to people’s lives. If you’re wondering how you could improve
the communication with your customers or local communities,
don’t hesitate to contact her.

www.mkanokova.com www.designcomb.com
@mkanokova @saracombs
[email protected] [email protected]

224 225
#SMARTCREATIVES Meet the Team

DIANA JEAN JOINER DIANA OVEZEA

Diana J. Joiner is an e-commerce copywriter within the fashion Diana Ovezea is a graphic and type designer, currently based
industry, and is also a freelance editor and proofreader, living in in Amsterdam, who embraces being an “international.” She
a beach town on Maryland’s east coast. After graduating with spent her childhood in Romania and most of her school years in
an English degree with a focus in teaching, she went abroad to Austria. After graduating from the Type and Media master class
Southeast Asia where she taught English in Thailand and trav- at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (KABK), she stayed
eled for seven months. Upon returning to the US, she decided in the Netherlands to pursue type design as a full-time career.
to adjust her career path to pursue writing and editing.
She loves the challenge of complex typographic projects. No
Her debut freelance project was editing This Year Will Be Differ- matter whether she’s working on a new logo, a book, or a large
ent. Now, she’s back again with her second publication as she type family, she makes an effort to create structure and mean-
continues to make her proofreading/editing career flourish on ing in her client’s projects. She only has one requirement for a
the side. Paying close attention to detail, strategically piecing potential client or colleague: passion.
words together to form beautifully-crafted sentences with
Diana mentors type design workshops in the summer and
depth and impact, and creating consistent fluidity is what she
teaches typography to graphic design students at KABK in the
strives to do in every project she’s involved in.
winter.
Grammar is her passion and her passion is grammar. And music.
And the beach. Obviously.

www.dianajoiner.com www.ovezea.com
@JoinerEdits @TypeThoughts
[email protected] [email protected]

226 227
 Meet the Kickstarter backers

(DRUM ROLL) For the second time, we were successfully funded on Kickstarter! Yay and
thank you so much, everyone!
Last year, I received a couple of emails telling me that people who

 … appeared on the list published in This Year Will Be Different were hired
for a freelance assignment. Because we wanted to keep up the tradition,
we asked our wonderful backers for their contact details again. If you’re

MEET THE looking for someone to help you realize a project, please reach out to
someone from our community.

KICKSTARTER ANIMATION
Yves Das BE loopingtales.com
BRAND STRATEGY

BACKERS Angela Fürstberger

Daniela Terbu
Sarah Kickinger
AT
AT
AT
linkedin.com/in/afuerstberger
coolhunting.at
ravenandfinch.com

 …
Nik Baerten BE pantopicon.be
Melanie Böhme DE simel.coffee
Steffen Staeuber DE createmeaning.com

WHO MADE
Fiona Mandos GB letskiss.design
Mark Janson GB markjanson.com
Arjen Heus NL www.frankycherry.com
Anika Horn USA anikahorn.com

THIS PROJECT COACHING

Ashley Oppon
Elaine Watson
USA
USA
dreadlocktarot.com
readytopause.com

HAPPEN
Mary Wissinger USA chinupheartopen.com
Suzanne Gochenouer USA transformationaleditor.com
COMMUNICATIONS

 …
Alexandra Prasch AT contentessa.at
Dominik Berger AT dobe-media.eu
Kai Wichmann AT wearebetter.at

THANK YOU!
Klaus Heller AT klausheller.at
Lisa Brandstötter AT boomcreativelab.com
Lukas Havranek AT lukashavranek.com
Martina Loesch AT spunkyrella.com

 … Michaela Schmitz
Natalie Opocensky
AT
AT
backofficeandmore.at
digitalnomadin.at

228 229
#SMARTCREATIVES Meet the Kickstarter backers

Sarah Krobath AT sattgetextet.com FASHION

Susi Mayer AT urhaus.net Julia Annamariaangelika Müller DE annamariaangelika.de
Franziska Schmid DE veggie-love.de Veronika Kavkova GB kavkajewels.com
Ina Bohse DE peopleonmyway.com Melissa Aho USA melissaaho.com
Michael Jones DE eyeem.com/michael Sharon Rowe USA www.ecobags.com
Sandra Stabenow DE www.frau-frei-und.de
ILLUSTRATION
Robbie Dale GB robbi.es
Fredy Santiago USA imsugarcoated.com
Frances Thompson NL fmthompson.com
Peter L Brown USA thetoonist.com
Margot van der Krogt NL maeandmany.com
Raven Henderson USA artfuldevo.com
Courtney Balestier USA courtneybalestier.com
Performing Arts
Elizabeth Wellington USA lizwellington.com
Hendrik Leenders BE urbandancefloor.be
Gus McAllibaster USA gusmcallibaster.com
Frida Backman GB fridabackman.com
Kira Parker USA edgedwhimsy.com
Sydney Levinson GB barryslounge.co.uk
Kiri Milburn USA makethecuteface.com
Sarah Anderson USA spitfirescribe.com PHOTOGRAPHY
Tasha Turner USA tasha-turner.com Ana Sampaio Barros AT instagram.com/anasbarros
Elisabeth Bernhofer AT elisabeth-bernhofer.at
CRAFTS
Kristina Satori AT kristinasatori.com
Sophie Pester DE supercraftlab.com
Michèle Pauty AT michelepauty.com
Jerolyn Crute Sackman USA etsy.com/shop/PaperArboretum
Ursula Schmitz AT ursulaschmitz.com
CROWDFUNDING STRATEGY Caryn Christie CA www.timeinglass.com
Cloed Priscilla Baumgartner AT priscillaandpat.com Jakob Kjøller DK jakobkjoller.com
Wolfgang Gumpelmaier AT crowdfunding-service.com Eleonora Festari IT www.eleonorafestari.it

DEVELOPMENT PRODUCT DESIGN

Aaron Cruz AT aaroncruz.com Johann Kaindlstorfer AT industriellegestaltung.at
André Kishimoto BR kishimotostudios.com Mag. Richard Deimel AT extravaganzas.at
Martyn Haigh GB martynhaigh.com Talia Radford AT taliaystudio.com
Richard Davey GB photonstorm.com
RESEARCH
DIGITAL PRODUCT DESIGN Dr. Volker Göbbels DE technologyscout.net
Kristen Gellrich CA wildhearteddesign.com Madoka Suganuma JP japancreativeinsights.com
Alfred Nerstu DK alfrednerstu.com
SALES
Sarper Erel DK sarper.se
Sergey Erlikh NL www.cloudimpact.biz
William Hollowell SE hollowell.se
Alexander Rekas USA alexrekas.com STYLING
Sabine Reiter AT craft-up.com
EVENT SERVICES
Sophie Holzapfel-Epstein AT swarinasweets.at VISUAL DESIGN
Tina Hinterleitner AT hellbunt-events.at Anna Aurelia Grubelnig AT bueroaurelia.at
Patricia Martin DE instagram.com/ofenkatze Eva Lettner AT evalettner.com
Rachel Drudi USA racheldrudi.com Maximilian Huber AT wearecellardoor.com
Maximilian Mauracher AT maximilianmauracher.com

230 231
#SMARTCREATIVES

Nina Ullrich
Wolfgang Hartl
Elise Vandeplancke
AT
AT
BE
designnomadin.com
amstein.at
elisevandeplancke.be
THANK YOU
Monica J. Chhugani
Jørgen Smidstrup
CA
DE
www.monieredesigns.com
lowereastlab.de TO OUR REVIEWERS
Stephan Kluwe DE creanetivity.com
Hameed Mohammed GB winterphoto.co
Sorrel Rivers GB sorrel-rivers-art.com
We’re grateful My Creative (Side) Business was reviewed by people we admire
Isabelle Mattern LU isabellemattern.com
Lee Jun Lin SG leejunlin.com greatly, so we’d love for you to check out their work:
Amber Kahler USA behance.net/amberkahler
Denis P. Castillo Moncada USA hellodenis.com SEAN BLANDA / editor-in-chief and director at 99U
Heath Vaughn Clark USA design4mfg.com Instead of inspiration, 99U provides creatives with pragmatic and actionable
Janae Newman USA eksteindesign.com advice from leading researchers and visionary creatives to help you build on
Klangwelt USA klangwelt.com
the ideas you already have. Follow 99U.com for detailed instructions to make
Sarah Barrett USA sarahbbarrett.com
ideas happen.

The finalization of this book was also supported by Ani Bagdasaryan, Arne KATY COWAN / founding editor of Creative Boom and MD at Boomerang PR
Brill, Ben Stinnett, Ben Weavet, Bridget Best, Claas Jäger, Daiga Miezite, An online magazine that inspires and supports creative professionals world-
Darek Anthony Dumon, Delanghe, Dominik Frixeder, Greg Hoyos, Isa- wide. If you love arts, crafts, graphic design, illustration, and photography,
bel Firneis, Laurent Mertens, Luca Morassi, Mac Joiner, Mathias Lynders, head over to creativeboom.com for tips, resources, and advice to succeed in
Maureen Kushmore, Sebastian Elke, Troy Raymond and 330 other incred- your business.
ible people. Thank you!
PAUL JARVIS / creator of the Creative Class
An insightful course and network that teaches everything there is to know
about freelancing; from defining a niche, to creating a killer portfolio, to pric-
ing your services. If it sounds like something for you, visit creativeclass.io.

JOHN LEE DUMAS / founder and host of Entrepreneur on Fire

A top ranked business podcast with the most inspiring entrepreneurs. You’ll
learn more about people’s biggest failures, their lessons learned, and their
turning points of success. Tune in on eofire.com.

KATE KENDALL / founder and CEO at Cloudpeeps

A talent marketplace that matches businesses with the world’s top freelance
marketing, content, and community professionals who align with their mission
and create meaningful work. Sounds interesting? Then visit cloudpeeps.com.

232 233
#SMARTCREATIVES

GET MY FIRST BOOK!

Thank you for reading my second book to the very end! If you haven’t read
This Year Will Be Different: The insightful guide to becoming a freelancer, you can
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