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How To Start a Graphic Design Business from Scratch in 2022
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Jan 17, 2024
If you're ready to FINALLY start your graphic design business, then this tutorial is for you. We reveal the most IMPORTANT steps required to be successful when starting a graphic design business. Here are just a few things we'll dive into in this video: (PS: You can follow along on this article: https://millo.co/starting-your-own-design-business-how-to) — How to find your very first graphic design clients — The SECRET to setting your pricing so you don't get cheated — How to name your graphic design business (your name vs. business name) — How to build a business plan that doesn't take DAYS — And tons more! Mentioned in this video: ================== How to Get Graphic Design Clients: https://millo.co/struggling-to-find-clients-how-i-built-my-business-from-nothing Bonsai Rate Explorer: https://www.hellobonsai.com/freelance-rates?fp_ref=millo&fp_sid=re Tools for Building a Portfolio:
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0:00
If you're ready to start making money from your own graphic design business
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then stay tuned because today I'm going to show you exactly how to get started from scratch
0:12
Hi there, I'm Josh from Millo.co where freelancers come to level up their business
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We've helped thousands of graphic designers start their own business over the last 12 plus years
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and today I'll explain exactly how you can start your own graphic design business too
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One that lets you do work you love while bringing in a nice paycheck
0:31
So let's get started. The first step in starting a graphic design business is to find clients
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You might be surprised that we've put finding clients at the top of the list
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when other lists start with naming your business, getting a business license or designing your portfolio
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Those are all important but until you have clients who are willing to pay you for your services
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you don't have a business. Once you've got a few people who are actually willing to pay you for your work
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you won't believe how much excitement, energy and passion you feel about moving your business forward
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Therefore, goal number one is simple. Find graphic design clients. For more tips, click the video that we've linked here on finding more graphic design clients
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Step two, set your pricing structure. Before too long, make sure you give meaningful thought to your pricing structure
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Will you charge clients by the hour, by the project, on a monthly subscription or by the value you deliver them
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Charging hourly is probably the easiest and most common pricing structure for anyone
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starting a graphic design business from scratch. But you may want to explore other pricing models once you're a bit more established
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Trying to figure out what to charge when you're just getting started can be frustrating
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We recommend that you use the Bonsai Rate Explorer to see what other designers
1:51
with similar experience and backgrounds are charging for their clients. We've linked to the free Rate Explorer in the description of this video
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Step number three, name your graphic design business. Now that you've got a few graphic design clients and you've considered your pricing structure
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it's time to continue building the foundation of your business. That starts with a well-thought-out business name
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Your graphic design business name can end up impacting many facets of your design business
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including how much you're able to charge for your design work, how easily people remember your design business
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the kinds of design projects you'll be hired for, whether or not people are likely to recommend you
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where you can do business without infringing on trademarks. You might be asking, should I use my own name or should I create a business name
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The short answer is simple. It doesn't really matter that much. Just pick something you like
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You can always change it later. If that's not good enough for you, here's more to think about
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First, keep it simple. Make your business name easy to say, easy to remember, and easy to spell
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Second, make sure it's available on the web, including domain names and social media handles
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Third, make sure you personally love it and it speaks to the vision of your company
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Finally, don't get paralyzed by having to make a choice. The ultimate enemy here is indecision
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Choose a name and then get back to the more important revenue generating aspects of your graphic design business
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Step four, create a portfolio website. As a graphic designer, it could be tempting to want to build
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the world's most creative and interesting web portfolio. What happens more often is designers become debilitated by the pressure
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to create the perfect portfolio and end up never getting a website published
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To avoid this common mistake, remember nothing on the internet is permanent
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You don't have to build the perfect website for your graphic design business
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Instead, focus on building what we call a minimum viable portfolio. Often, this could be accomplished with a simple one-page design
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A minimum viable portfolio is one that showcases your work, explains the value you bring to clients
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and provides a simple way for potential clients to contact you. That's all it takes
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As your business grows, you can add more to your portfolio. But for now, start simple
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If you're looking for a few easy tools to help you build a graphic design portfolio
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we've linked a few of our favorite resources down below. Step five, make a business plan
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Now that you've got a nice foundation of early clients, you've named your business, and you've got your portfolio online
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it's time to start thinking a bit more strategically about growing your graphic design business
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And for that, you'll need a business plan. You might be wondering why we didn't include the plan first on this list
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Frankly, we've seen too many people get stuck in the planning phase of starting a business
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While having a strong plan is important for long-term growth and sustainability
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getting started is even more important. For starters, your business plan should be simple as well
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It might not even need to be more than one page long. In fact, we'll link to a few one-page business plan templates
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in the description of this video in case you want to download them. For an even quicker approach, grab a pen and paper, then answer the following questions
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What services will you provide? Who is your ideal client? How much will you charge
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What are your revenue goals? How many monthly clients do you need to meet those goals
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How will you find new clients? How will you retain current clients
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If you can answer all seven of those questions with clarity, you'll be well on your way to success in business
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Step 6. Deliver high-quality projects on time. As you begin to get your graphic design business off the ground
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it's important to get new clients and build repeat business. Delivering high-quality work within the agreed-upon timeline is one great way to ensure
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that you have happy repeat clients and lots of referrals. Use tools like Hectic, which we've linked to below
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to manage your time, projects and clients efficiently. Step 7. Send invoices and collect payments
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To stay in business as a graphic designer, you'll have to get paid. And in order to get paid, you'll most likely need to send an invoice
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The most basic option is to just create an invoice in Google Docs, Word or InDesign
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But we recommend investing in some high-quality invoicing software, like FreshBooks or Bonsai
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Using invoicing software helps you create, track and manage invoices much, more quickly, allowing you to get back to the work you enjoy most
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We'll link to our top invoice software recommendations in the description of this video
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Step 8. Ask for referrals. We've been working with freelancers for over a decade
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And most freelancers tell us their number one way for getting new clients is through referrals
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If you want your graphic design business to grow, you'll need to ask for referrals from your current clients
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You can also ask your friends, family, colleagues and social followers to send referrals your way
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Be intentional in asking for referrals and following up professionally in order to win more business
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And that's it. With these 8 steps, you now know what you need to start your own graphic design business
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And we'd love to hear from you in the comments. What's the biggest question that you've had while starting a graphic design business
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I'm Josh from Millo.co. I'll catch you next time. Bye
#Business Formation
#Design
#Visual Art & Design